Review: Old Enough to Know Better

Old Enough to Know Better by Jane Wenham-Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Meet three women, united by work, family ties and their relationships with much older men.

Ellie is a young twenty-something teacher at the Margate Academy (teaching English to overseas students) who has recently moved in with her boyfriend Tom, after a short romance, who is in his mid-forties.

Clare is Ellie's mother. She is in her early fifties and married to Rupert who is about to celebrate his seventieth birthday. Since Rupert retired he seems to have lost that vital spark that drew Clare to him, his phenomenal drinking gets on her nerves and all he seems to do is pontificate and alienate their son whilst doting on Ellie. Clare has two sisters: Fig, who has two children and a husband working in Dubai; and Angie, a civil servant with a chip on her shoulder.

Anna is Ellie's colleague at work, about to celebrate her sixtieth birthday she is married to Jeremy, a retired doctor in his mid-eighties who is becoming increasingly infirm. Anna and Jeremy never go anywhere anymore and Anna's social life revolves around her colleagues at the school, at sixty Anna feels in her peak and not ready to sit quietly in a rocking chair waiting to die.

In their own ways Clare and Anna try to dissuade Ellie from entering into a relationship, and getting engaged, with a man so much older. Ellie challenges them both, why are they are trying to put her off when the two of them have done exactly the same?

I find myself faced with a familiar problem, how to describe a book classified (by me) as Women's Fiction? What is this book about? Marriage, families, children, careers? Yes to all of the above. It's also about finding a new balance, relationships change over time and it's about finding your new normal. Often with Women's Fiction I am left with a feeling of dissatisfaction because there is no closure, no HEA. Not so in this case, at the end of this novel our three lead characters have gained a new perspective on their lives.

Overall, I really enjoyed this and would definitely look out for more books by this author.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

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