This is the sort of book younger people should read, to learn compassion for their parents and the elderly in general. Aitken was up for the “unconventional” arrangement; he had previously worked as a carer, and has written a book about travelling with older people ( The Gran Tour ) which had convinced him an over 80 year-old was “just as likely to be as enjoyable, pleasant or demonic as someone in their twenties”. Ben is a young man who freely admits that he doesn’t know much about the privileged kind of life that Winnie has lived; Winnie, on the other hand, is a woman who likes to think she knows it all and, let’s face it, she does know an awful lot! She needed a helping hand round the house, he needed a cheapish room to rent - but neither of them then needed a period of national shutdown to be announced that threw these unlikely housemates together even more intensely!

I loved the way Ben just went along and put himself where most lads his age would never dream, he just embraced it! Ben Aitken kann sich die hohen Mieten in London nicht leisten und findet unmittelbar vor dem zweiten Lockdown in England eine kleine Wohnung bei der frisch verwitweten Winnie (d. Winnie’s memory issues and her love for her family, particularly her disabled son is clear but you can’t help think as the diary entries unfold that time is not on Winnie or Ben’s side. The people who appear through Winnie’s tales are recognisable and her and others opinions of them were certainly comical. To avoid an essay deadline - “it was something about McEwan” - he wrote a play about a clown and grave digger for the University Drama Festival.

In particular, I loved 'The Gran Tour: Travels with my Elders' in which he embarked on several coach tours with the older generation - so I hoped 'The Marmalade Diaries' would hit similar witty, bittersweet intergenerational material. A Christmas card from one of her friends hopes that 2021 will be different from 2020: ‘I don’t think I can cope with the isolation much longer. Während des Lesens bin ich hin und wieder in all die dumpfen, ungewissen Gefühle zurückgefallen, die ich während der Pandemie so hatte. Ben finds himself cooking a lot for Winnie and she rates each meal which is another great part about the book.

This is a charming and funny book about an unusual friendship forged over shared breakfasts - Winnie is absolutely proprietorial over the good marmalade! A delightful read which shows the ‘May to December’ relationship quite beautifully and the story is told with warmth and humour. As the UK was locked down in 2020, Ben and Winnie's lives interwove, forming an unlikely friendship, where lessons were learnt (heat the red wine in the oven with the plates; preserve or pickle whatever you can; never throw anything away) and grief, both personal and that of a nation, was explored. There is much hostility whipped up these days about the generation gap (mostly on social-media to be honest), that it was nice to get a wholly different view of things, and show two generations rubbing along together.After “blagging” his A levels, he applied to Oxford University on a whim, and received a reply suggesting he consider vocational courses at Swansea or Bradford instead. The characters were so real and I became so invested in their everyday existence I was very sad when I came to the final page. Als Gegenleistung hilft er ihr in alltäglichen Dingen, er kocht und schürt das Feuer für die Heizung, übernimmt aber nicht nur hauswirtschaftliche Dinge sondern auch emotionalen support, denn Winnie trauert um ihren Ehemann, der kurz zuvor verstorben ist. But as they spend far too much time together out of necessity they come to rely on each-other and something similar to a familial/friendly love arises between them.

She is a brilliant food critic, it turns out, and isn't impressed by Aitken's culinary efforts - there's some lovely comments!Full of warmth, wit and candour, The Marmalade Diaries tells the story of an unlikely friendship during an unlikely time. She mentions that the salad dressing they’re consuming was made by one of her late husband’s carers. and start to understand the dynamics behind this woman in an unlikely house-share in this unprecedented period of history. With the lockdown in place and their travels outside the house limited, television became a close friend, as often there was debate over what to watch. He has an eye for interesting details and a real fascination with people who he presents with genuine insight and clarity in his writing.