As the family learns to manage this upheaval, Marigold finds herself becoming more forgetful. Initially chalking it up to old age, it soon becomes harder for those who know her to ignore the signs that something else might be behind her forgetfulness. Her early childhood and Her years at school". Biography. Santa Montefiore. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011 . Retrieved 5 May 2011. I think this was the first Santa Montefiore novel that I've read that wasn't a historical. This was a contemporary novel and I was completely absorbed by it and completely swept away with this family of characters. 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 . . .

If you’re prepared to have your heart broken into a million pieces, I’d suggest you look no further than this. Though 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. I’m pleased to share my review for the latest book by Santa Montefiore on my book blog today. Thank you to Simon and Schuster for a digital review copy – my thoughts are my own and and not influenced by the gift.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. What follows is a very lovely and heartbreaking novel about family and love and memory—what it means when your entire identity is made up of moments you can’t recall, when you can no longer remember those you’ve spent your entire life with. Montefiore expertly crafts complex relationships between the family members and their surrounding village people. This is my second Montefiore novel, and I absolutely adore how she writes her characters—they are all charming and messy and lovely. Nu o să vă ascund că am plâns pe durata ultimelor pagini. Nu m-am putut abține. Am plâns pentru Marigold: de ușurare și de tristețe. Am plâns pentru că este extrem de frumos să știi că ai atâția oameni pentru care ai însemnat ceva. Am plâns pentru prietenie, pentru bolile care se întâmplă oamenilor, pentru amintiri pierdute și pentru urmele pe care le lăsăm în sufletele altora.

Marigold woont samen met haar man Dennis en dochter Suze in een klein plattelands dorpje waar iedereen elkaar kent. Ook haar negentigjarige moeder, Nana, komt bij hun in huis wonen, thuis alleen red ze niet meer. Wanneer Daisy, de andere dochter van Marigold en Dennis, ook weer thuis komt wonen na een relatie van zes jaar in Milaan wordt het Marigold allemaal teveel. Het lijkt wel of ze al vergeetachtiger wordt, maar iedereen wuift dat weg en zegt dat het bij de leeftijd hoort. Wanneer ze op een gegeven moment echter niet meer in staat is om haar eigen winkel te runnen en de voorbereidingen van Suze haar bruiloft te treffen nemen de zorgen toe. Wat is er toch met haar aan de hand? I loved all the characters in this book, especially the villagers with their love for Marigold and who all rally together to support her as she encounters life with the symptoms of the disease. I enjoyed reading this even with the knowledge that it wasn’t going to be the happy ending I was after; however, I applaud Montefiore for bringing to light some of the devastating facts of Dementia in a wonderfully written book. I just hope one day we manage to develop some sort of cure for this dreadful disease. 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.Marigold is a wonderful character, much loved by her family and neighbours and community. The way the story is written to show how her little episodes of forgetfulness become more serious is a heartbreaking tale uplifted by how her family and friends help her to stay happy. Marigold has been looking after her mum, her husband and daughters for many years, now they need to work together to help her. Well. This was absolutely devastating. I spent the last 10-15% absolutely sobbing, so if you want to get your heart ripped out, this is the perfect book for you.

Er werd gezegd dat dit boek anders zou zijn dan haar normale stijl ( heel romantisch ) dus ik wou het een kans geven maar het is helaas een dikke ‘no go’ geworden voor mij. Het boek gaat over het onderwerp dementie en dan verwacht ik ook dat als het gaat over zo een zwaar onderwerp dat de zwaarte ook in het boek naar voor komt. Helaas pindakaas.There’s so much to enjoy in this book beside the immediate story. Marigold’s memories may be fading, but village life goes on in a series of often-funny cameos involving nonagenarian gossips, retired commodores, camp cat owners and the arrival of local squire Taran from Canada. He’s intrigued by Daisy … but she suspects he may want to develop the land around the village, interfering with her mother’s happiness. As the seasons turn, we see how much balm the beauty of nature offers Marigold, never happier than when she is walking the hills or feeding her beloved birds. Surely this won’t be taken from her, too? Multi-stranded with atmospheric descriptions and great characters, the enduring message of this story is that love is all that matters: love of family – those still here and those who have passed on – love of friends and love of life in all its imperfections.

Isabel Allende’s House of Spirits What is your home like? Do you have a specific set up that you find motivating for work?

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What a wonderfully warm, uplifting read! Author Santa Montefiore doesn’t shirk from the realities of the fear and helplessness that the gradual onset of dementia brings, but never does she lose sight of the fact that a person is more than her condition. 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? I always wrote stories, becoming an author was a wonderful surprise. I never thought it would happen to me, so I never dreamed about it. I just wrote for pleasure and friends and then one day, aged 25, I sent a manuscript off to agents. Three refused me, one accepted me, the rest is a history of enthusiastic, talented people giving my books wings. Where do you find inspiration? But concerns start to creep in when Marigold begins to forget things. She leaves her handbag in the church pew. She forgets to post customers’ parcels. She points painter Daisy in the direction of an artshop that has been shut down for over twenty years …