Hi everyone, this first week of February celebrates a pair of adult books I found not too long ago. Both are unique and different in their own way but they have a similar thread of kindness running through. So, if you’re keen on finding out more why not click below…
The Gran Tour: Travels with my Elders by Ben Aitken (Icon Books Ltd, 2020) reads more like a travelogue but with a group of senior citizens along for the ride. When Ben Aitken learnt that he could enjoy a four-night holiday including four three-course dinners, four cooked breakfasts, four games of bingo, a pair of excursions, sixteen pints of lager, return coach travel and the uninterrupted company of people of pensionable age all for £100, he thought, that’s the life, and signed himself up six times over. Despite the value in the venture, Ben was really after the company of his elders. A series of coach holidays ensue – to Scarborough, St Ives, Llandudno, Killarney, Lake Como and Pitlochny – during which Ben attempts to shake off his 30-something blues by getting old as soon as possible.
My review: This was a hilarious read!! I especially liked the rapport Ben builds with the elderly people he travels with. You can’t help but enjoy the rapport Ben builds with the group he travels with. The chapter where his grandmother joins was quite a funny one. We get to see his bond with her and how they both fit into the group. Readers will enjoy the vivid language and descriptions of the destinations along with Ben’s impressions of his fellow travellers!
Lizzie & Dante: A Novel by Mary Bly (The Dial Press, 2021) may be another travel novel but it delivers a layered story. On the heels of a difficult breakup and a devastating diagnosis, Shakespeare scholar Lizze Delford decides to take one last lavish vacation on Elba, the sun-kissed island off the Italian coast with her best best friend and his movie-star boyfriend. Once settled into a luxurious seaside resort, Lizzie has to make a big decision about her future, but she needs the one thing she may be running out of: time. She leaves the yacht and sneaks off to the public beach, where she meets a sardonic chef named Dante, his battered dog Lulu, and his wry daughter, Etta, a twelve-year-old desperate for a mother. While Dante shows Lizzie the island’s secrets, and Etta dazzles with her irreverent humour, Lizzie is confronted with a dilemma.
My review: A gorgeous yet heartbreaking read!! Despite the layers of romance that seeped into every chapter, I actually found Lizzie and Dante’s love story secondary to that of the relationship Lizzie carved with Etta. Yes, Dante embodies all that a girl hopes for in a man: famous chef, handsome, lots of star appeal and the fact that he’s an Italian lover, however, for me, Etta is the main point. Her quest to find a mother and how Lizzie promptly falls in love with both her and her father is too cute. Lizzie’s kindness towards Etta and the way they create a strong bond is one that I really enjoyed delving into. Readers will enjoy the descriptions of Dante’s cooking along with the gorgeous Italian landscape!!
I hope you enjoy these two reads with kindness threading through them. If you have read anything similar, I’d love to hear from you.
Stay safe and keep reading
Miss Mahee
Miss Mahee's Library of Reads 