Om er toch nog een positieve noot in te steken: de laatste 20 p… daar zat wat meer actie en schwung en gevoel in maar langs de andere kant was dat dan weer ne TGV die ineens vertrok en op nog geen twee jaar tijd was ineens iedereen getrouwd en waren er koters of meerdere in het spel. Enfin. Oja misschien twee positieve noten : er werd een kat doodgebeten. Naar mijn gevoel het enige actiepunt uit het verhaal. Dementia can be a sensitive subject and Montefiore writes about it with the elegance and grace exactly like her other ‘happy’ books. I would never normally read a book based on this subject purely because I am quite an emotional person, it does not take much to make me cry, and a book like this would send me in a ‘spin’ for days. The reason I chose to read this one however, is purely that I know Montefiore is such a beautiful writer, I knew it would be a wonderful story albeit a heart-breaking one. I find Dementia so frightful and sad I cannot contemplate how people manage to cope when somebody they love has the disease and Montefiore shows pure strength in her group of characters. The sub-plots in the story are a welcome relief when you feel the tears starting to form and are a welcome distraction when reading this book and I find it is written with such love and tactfulness.

It’s about a family and a community coming together and rising to become their better selves when a much beloved member of the village gets dementia. It’s funny but also sad – mostly, it’s about love and learning to live in the moment. Have you always wanted to be an author? Sebag and I do bring out the best in each other. I wouldn’t have written if not for him and he might not have written books either, as he was a ladies' man, always chasing girls, but now his home life is stable and sorted. We write in the same house, in separate offices and he helps me with plots. I think you have to be a team. Laughter is everything. Mr Darcy would have been so boring to live with – you don’t want to live with someone who is smouldering all the time. Peopled with wonderful characters, it's funny, sad, poignant and heart-warming, a tough subject tenderly handled. Have some tissues handy' Choice MagazineThough no-one, least of all the author, would try to deny dementia is a terrible condition, ultimately I found this story hopeful and happy, and I’m so glad to have met Marigold. This book really does show you what a community can do when it pulls together and is so apt to be reading about this during this time of 2020. I really loved getting to meet those community members and they are so well-described and so developed by this author that I could sit down and tell you all about them as if they were people I had actually met. As Marigold learns to live in the now, we are privileged to share her journey, and her precious memories. She may forget, but we’ll never forget her.

Evocative, emotional and full of life, Here and Now is the most moving book you'll read this year - from Sunday Times bestselling author Santa Montefiore. I was going to start this review with saying how lovely this book is, however, I do not think ‘lovely’ is the right word to use. So, let us try again, the characters are lovely, the village that the book is set in is lovely, however the subject is not lovely, in fact it is quite harrowing, and this book will send you on an emotional journey. If you are not hard hearted, then be warned this book WILL make you cry. Das hübsche Cover hat zwar nur einen indirekten inhaltlichen Bezug, gefällt mir allerdings gut. Der deutsche Titel ist etwas irreführend, da es nicht nur um Marigolds Töchter, sondern auch um sie selbst geht. In diesem Fall ist das englischsprachige Original („Here and Now“) treffender. As Marigold’s condition worsens, for the first time in their lives her family must find ways to care for the woman who has always cared for them. Desperate to show their support, the local community come together to celebrate Marigold, and to show her that losing your memories doesn’t matter, when there are people who will remember them for you . . .

Refreshing ideas 

Die Autorin versteht es das ernste Thema Demenz mit guter Unterhaltung zu kombinieren. Sie schafft es die Ängste und Hilflosigkeit von Marigold selbst, aber auch von Familie und Freunden authentisch darzustellen, ohne kitschig zu werden. Sante Montefiore heeft met Naar de overkant weer een heerlijke roman geschreven. Vanaf het begin af aan zit je meteen goed in het verhaal, je wordt als lezer eigenlijk direct opgenomen in het gezin van Marigold en het plattelandse dorpje waar ze wonen. Marigold staat centraal in het verhaal, maar haar man Dennis en twee dochters Suze en Daisy spelen ook een belangrijke rol. Ze hebben allemaal hun eigen verhaallijn binnen het grotere geheel waardoor het verhaal speels blijft. Marigold maakt echter wel de meeste indruk binnen Naar de overkant. Moeder van twee dochters en eigenaresse van een winkeltje in het dorp wat ze met veel passie runt. Wanneer ze op een gegeven moment dingen begint te vergeten, wordt dit op haar leeftijd gegooid. Het wordt echter al meer, totdat de diagnose Alzheimer vastgesteld wordt. De langzame achteruitgang hierna wordt heel mooi beschreven door Sante Montefiore. Niet alleen het proces wat Marigold zelf meemaakt, maar ook wat dit voor invloed heeft op de rest van het gezin. Op welke manier ze proberen haar te helpen om toch nog zo zelfstandig mogelijk te kunnen zijn. Maar ook het moment dat Marigold niet meer thuis kan wonen en op een gegeven moment haar man niet meer herkent. Dit wordt op een zeer intense manier beschreven. Liefde is dan ook het centrale thema in het verhaal, de onvoorwaardelijke liefde tussen Dennis en Marigold, maar ook de liefde die Suze en Daisy hebben in hun relatie met hun partner.

Santa Montefiore a reușit să adune sub cupola acestei cărți: teme importante, reacții, decizii, temeri, dragoste, speranță și prietenie. Deși par acțiunile unor personaje random, ele nu fac altceva decât să puncteze atitudinea noastră și a celor din jur în fața anumitor situații.If you’re prepared to have your heart broken into a million pieces, I’d suggest you look no further than this. Kind, happy, warm-hearted Marigold captured my heart from the outset – no-one could help from loving her. Her family are equally engaging – none of them perfect (except perhaps the delightful Dennis) but all strong and resourceful in their own way. Acerbic-tongued Nan struggles most to accept her daughter’s condition, but is always supportive and dizzy Suze rises to the challenge. But it’s Daisy, perhaps, who is affected most. With Luca in the past, and her mother’s needs filling the present and future, it seems her dreams of marriage and a family are in tatters. Her determination to put family responsibility first is admirable. At first Marigold tries to hide her memory lapses from friends, neighbours and family. Maybe she just needs to do some Sudoku puzzles? Perhaps a holiday will help? But as it becomes clear that her forgetfulness is down to more than “just her age”, it’s time for them to face the truth and rally round to help her. They can’t stop her decline – but can they help her live in the here and now, and preserve her golden memories for as long as possible? Posted at 09:20 in Best-selling Author, Popular Fiction by Karen Byrom 0 Comments A surprisingly uplifting account of a family facing the challenges of dementia ***** Was die Familie und die Bewohner dieses Dorfes alles tun, um ihre Marigold zu unterstützen, ist unglaublich berührend zu lesen. Das ein oder andere Tränchen habe ich beim lesen vergossen.