The Saturday Morning Park Run by Jules WakeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Claire Harrison is an over-achiever, older sister, accountant, on the path to partner in the Leeds office of the firm where she works, owner of a charming house near a park in the small town of Churchstone, even if it does need some work to make it the home of her dreams. Then a chance encounter with a handsome stranger on the way to the station leads to romance. Everything is looking perfect.
Then one by one the dominoes tumble. The guy ghosts Claire, a scratch from helping her flaky sister to cut back some hedges gets infected, she misses a project deadline at work, Claire gets signed off with stress and her sister Alice dumps her two daughters (Alice's daughters, not Claire's daughters) on her while she goes to India 'to find herself'.
At this point I started to get irritated, I am tired of novels which suggest that women can't have it all, or that they would be better off settling for a lesser job blah, blah. Luckily, this wasn't quite that kind of book. Yes, Claire does reassess her priorities but she isn't the only one.
A chance meeting in the park after taking her nieces to school introduces Claire to Hilda, an elderly lady in a lurid track suit who runs in the park every day to prove to her overbearing son that she is fit enough to live independently, even if she is currently living in an old people's home. Forced to stay off work for four weeks, Claire finds time to spend running in the park, caring for her nieces, decorating her home and setting up a park run, all orchestrated by the indominable Hilda.
If you like Debbie Johnson or other writers of that ilk I think you'll love this.
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