Look After Your Feet

by Rosalie Ham

An irreverent look at the darkly funny experience of getting older from one of Australia's favourite authors.

This book is dedicated to feet, much maligned and underappreciated, but without which we would travel far less.

Rosalie Ham, the international bestselling author, burst onto the literary scene in 2000 with her novel The Dressmaker. After years of entertaining us with weird and wonderful older women characters adored by her readers, Rosalie now turns her trademark wit and shrewd observations to life itself.

Peppered with practical advice about all manner of things – cheese and wine for dinner is welcome and acceptable – Look After Your Feet is a brilliantly funny, painfully honest and insightful celebration of the wisdom that seems to accelerate as body parts deteriorate, and life* falls into place.

* Often just a little bit too late.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, Memoir, Australia

256 pages, Paperback

Published March 31, 2026

About the author

Rosalie Ham was born, and raised in Jerilderie, NSW, Australia. She completed her secondary education at St Margaret's School, Berwick in 1972. After travelling and working at a variety of jobs (including aged care) for most of her twenties, Rosalie completed a Bachelor of Education majoring in Drama and Literature (Deakin University, 1989), and achieved a Master of Arts, Creative Writing (RMIT, Melbourne) in 2007. Rosalie lives in Brunswick, Melbourne, and when she is not writing, Rosalie teaches literature. Her novels have sold over 50,000 copies.

Reviews

[MG · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take this book as it is. I had no expectations, didn't even read the promotional blub. I read it on the basis on being voted top book of the month by a small readers group. It is part memoir, part reflection, maybe even stream of consciousness in some places so don't get hung up on expectations. I used audiobook narrated by the author which I think suited the book. And being of a similar age with some similar experiences, I aligned with the content.

[Kay Carey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved Rosalie Ham’s latest non fiction book. I am a similar age to Rosalie and found myself laughing out loud to some of her observations about our age group! The book has many gems of wisdom told with humour. There were also sad moments where Rosalie talks about her husband Ian’s alzheimers decline and cancer diagnosis.
I felt the title ‘Look After Your Feet’ does not really do justice to the book. The small print after the title, I feel, would be more appropriate.
A great read!

[Jean Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book amusing at times but in general it was just a rambling piece of writing.

[Barb · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started off as an entertaining and relatable read, with the author sharing humorous stories and conversations with friends who were experiencing many of the same challenges and realities of ageing.

Unfortunately, as the book progressed, it seemed to lose focus. The author spent a significant amount of time discussing herself, the process of writing her book, The Dressmaker, and the outcomes of her speaking engagements. These sections felt disconnected from the central theme of ageing and were less engaging than the opening chapters.

While the book had a promising and enjoyable start, I found the later chapters wandered away from the topic that initially drew me in.

[Ros Gaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This memoir by the author of ‘The Dressmaker’ is a funny, irreverent and entertaining look at the vagaries and joys of getting older, as well as a joyful account of a life well lived. I really enjoyed it.

[Annette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chatty, homespun, mildly funny. Judgemental about how people look. Lots of wine. Overuse of brackets and capitals. Best to dip into and read a couple of short chapters, rather than read as a novel.

[Lisa]

I know, I know, I should lighten up, and I know I shouldn’t write about books I haven’t read properly, but when did we surrender health advice to well-meaning women who have no authority except their own ‘lived experience’?

I’ve liked Rosalie Ham’s novels, so I was interested to take a look at her new book Look After Your Feet, subtitled ‘Some keen observations on the unexpected advantages and indignities of getting older’. I’m not sure where it sits: somewhere between a self-help manual meant to be taken seriously, and a package based on the ‘wisdom’ of older women, laced with light-hearted humour and ‘commonsense’ advice. I’ve read a little bit of it, but though I think some people may enjoy it, the Table of Contents didn’t entice me to read any more of it.

However, it triggered my rebellious thoughts about the wellness industry and how it preys on disinformation, and how AI answers from Google are not to be trusted.

To read the rest of my thoughts (which are not about Rosalie Ham's book) please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2026/05/23/l...

I don't rate books I haven't finished.

[Essie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some parts I really liked. On the death of Ian, she says, "and the residue of Ian's unique presence still provides me with comfort." That really resonated with me. But these heartfelt reminisces were few and far between. Chapters and sub-sections felt disjointed and disparate. How can one go from F Troop to Antarctica on the turn of a page! I read on my iPad, so those annoying footnotes, tacked on at the end of a chapter, usually meant nothing! If you can't weave them into the writing, leave them out! Stick to fiction, Rose!

[Anna Wheaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rosalie, the author, is in her 70s and this is a book aimed at readers approaching or around that age….so a fairly narrow demographic. It’s full of lots of short/small chapters which are observations about getting old, and reflections about when she was young. Definitely some good laughs but it does hop around a bit and is disjointed at times.
There are lots of footnotes and I found it ironic that it was hard to spot the symbols for each footnote as they were quite tiny…..a bit too small for her intended audience, with failing eyesight, to read.

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amusing collection of anecdotes about ageing and events in the life of Rosalie Ham. I really liked the 'no holds barred' approach to telling the stories and liberal use of humour. I disliked the structure and ordering of the stories read by Ham for the audiobook as at times it sounded more like the ramblings of an older person in decline rather than the intended clever and amusing collection of thoughts. A light read, in need of editing to create a more cohesive structure, targetted at an aged audience.

[Deb Chapman · Rating 1 out of 5]

V disappointing. My fault for buying into the blurb!
Couple of weird/very dated things, p 110, saying she should say ‘what people have come to hear’ at writers events? What does that mean? She’s not her authentic self? And p 112 ‘when nagging fails to get men to do chores around the house, most women know to just start doing things ourselves’ So many assumptions and stereotypes in this. Ridiculous and wrong and certainly very far from my experience.
I know it was a book of personal anecdotes but left me for dead!

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely as described in the blurb, an irreverent journey through life as a mature woman.
The first half was tears running down the cheeks hilarious, the second half a little more sober but still entertaining.
Read as an eaudiobook with the author as narrator. While I recognise the right of an author to read their own work I find that not all can read aloud with quite the same wonderful skill as they write which can make the listening experience a little jarring as was the case here.

[Bridget · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Rosalie Ham's writing. She keeps it real. This is a reflection on her life but with the clear message that you need to look after your feet, you're going to need them for a long long time. It's a little bit like a series of essays and it is thoroughly enjoyable. A sparkly sense of humour and her chat about the importance of friends, keeping busy, staying active and interested is jolly good fun.

[Jan Lancaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first non-fiction book from Ham is really a memoir and has her usual black humour.
It's about ageing, observations, unexpected advantages and indignities, loss and grief.
As she is my age (and also was an aged care nurse like me) I found a lot of it relatable (although I haven't had to watch a husband die of Alzheimer's thankfully).
A fun read in her usual humorous dark way.

[Angelika · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up
It seems to me like the editing process for this book was a bit rushed. I’m sure the individual sections (which often were funny and gave a good insight into the author’s personality) could have been turned into a more cohesive narrative.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew I’d love this book as I adore all of Rosalie’s writing. Her observations and opinions on ‘the facts of life’ and her experiences are delivered so wittingly that I think I read the whole book with a smile on my face, sometimes wistfully, and nodding along in agreement. An absolute treasure.

[Jess Lomas]

Full review over at Books+Publishing but if you enjoyed Nora Ephron's I Feel Bad About My Neck then there's plenty in here for you.

[Barbara Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this laugh out loud book!

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Depressing.

[Kelly Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it! I enjoyed the lessons on life, gave me some
Perspective on things that matter in life and enjoying the little moments.

[Allison Clarkson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, so many belly laughs along way.

[Fiery · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found it interesting if a little meandering , and especially weak in last few chapters.
Still , it is her story and narrated in her own voice.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started well then fell away.

[Kelly Callaghan · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

Quite humorous in place. However this was not what I expected.