EXCERPT: Dr Heather Winterbottom often joked that she'd fallen half an hour behind on her first day, and forty years later, she was still trying to catch up. she always apologised for keeping her patients waiting, even on the rare occasions her appointments ran to time. What's more, her face, with its harried arrangement of frown lines and down-turned mouth, had taken on an expression of permanent contrition. All that was about to change. Today, on her last ever day as a doctor, she would take back those thirty precious minutes and add them to the rest of her life. There was an entire world beyond Netherwood Medical Centre, so many things she wanted to do and see. This day marked the beginning of a whole new chapter in her life, if not a whole new life. But first, she had to remove a cotton bud from Mr Clifton's left ear.

ABOUT 'MRS WINTERBOTTOM TAKES A GAP YEAR': It's never too late for the adventure of a lifetime . . .

Heather Winterbottom has worked side by side with her husband as GPs in their idyllic rural practice for over forty years. But as the time comes to hang up their stethoscopes, the Winterbottoms discover that they have rather different visions of retirement . . .

Heather dreams of exploring the Greek Islands, of escaping the shackles of her routine life and embracing an exciting new adventure. Alan dreams of growing his own vegetables.

When things come to a head at a family lunch, Heather announces that she has decided to take a year off. From her old life, from her marriage - from Alan. Alone in beautiful Greece, Heather embarks on her very own odyssey - complete with peak experiences, pitfalls and temptations. But what if coming home is the biggest adventure yet?

MY THOUGHTS: Joanna Nell is a very wise and witty woman. I always get so much from her books, and Mrs Winterbottom Takes A Gap Year is no exception.

Retirement - something to look forward to, or to dread? Time to do all those things you have always wanted to do, or an endless desert of time needing to be filled? It's a big step, one not negotiated well by many of those who face it. And when there are two retirements at the same time - the adjustment is twice as big.

Although Alan and Heather have worked in relative harmony together for forty or so years, retirement isn't so easy. Alan has his ideas of what he wants to do and Heather's dreams apparently can wait til 'later'. A friend's death is the catalyst for Heather to realise that there may not always be a 'later', and so she takes off alone for a year to herself - the gap year she never had when she was younger.

I love Joanna Nell's writing. Her characters are fully fleshed and very relatable. Although I cheered Heather on for making the decision to go it alone and then see what happens, I admit to also feeling a certain amount of trepidation. Would the gap between Heather and Alan widen, or would they reach an amicable compromise? Not telling . . .

Nell manages to inject humor into the direst situations, taking the serious business of aging and retirement and making it wholely relatable in this amusing and warm-hearted read. This book is a joy and a reminder that life is an adventure if you let it be. There is also a poignant reminder of the humanity of the refugee crisis.

????.5

#MrsWinterbottomTakesaGapYear #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Joanna Nell is a UK born writer and doctor. A former ship's doctor, Joanna now works as a GP with a passion for women's health and care of the elderly. She writes character-driven stories for women in their prime, creating young-at-heart characters who are not afraid to break the rules and defy society's expectations of ageing.
Joanna lives on Sydney's Northern Beaches, and as the mother of teenagers enjoys long walks with her dog and talking to herself.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Mrs Winterbottom Takes A Gap Year by Joanna Nell for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.2023 4-star aging ...more104 s21 comments Ceecee2,324 1,930

3.5 rounded up

It’s Dr Heather and Dr Alan Winterbottom‘s final day as GPs at the Netherwood Medical Centre as their retirement beckons. She’s already running 3/4 of an hour behind the appointment schedule and it’s the usual “war zone“. Heather dreams of adventure and the Greek isles, whilst Alan has set his heart on creating a vegetable patch. They are chalk and cheese with their opposing views of what constitutes a retirement good life. He wants to be Tom, but she definitely doesn’t want to be Barbara. When she can take the boredom no longer, Heather announces she is taking off on her own for her own Greek Odyssey. What lies in store? An adventure or a big mistake?

This is a very well written book but un other Joanna Nell books, this takes me longer to get into, perhaps because of Alan! Once it gets going, it becomes a most satisfying and enjoyable read. Heather is a very able central protagonist and I can’t blame her for doing a Shirley Valentine as she is definitely saying hello to the wall prior to jetting off to Greece. I think I’d have gone too if it’s a choice between that and Alan and his vegetables. I especially that Heather has the revealing conversations she has with her friend 90-year-old Esme. What a fabulous woman she is.

I absolutely love the Greek setting which is principally in around the beautiful island of Cephalonia. It’s springs to life just as Heather does, the food, the wine, the history and the literature, especially that of Homer, who she takes with her for company, as well as Esme. The encounter with Greek Dion/Dennis is so well done as he challenges and tempts her in a multitude of ways.

There are, in addition to Heather and Alan navigating their way through the situation, several other themes. The take on post retirement is obviously central with the necessary adjustments and how a new life and a new pace can mean different things to different people. Everyone has their own dreams and some you want more than others. There are other topical references too that are touched upon such as the refugee crisis which Greece encounters, often daily, and this is thought provoking.

It becomes very entertaining, it’s funny at times and has witty chapter headings. It’s heartwarming but sad and moving on other occasions. I the ending as it feels just right.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.53 s4 comments Karren Sandercock 989 243

Alan and Heather Winterbottom are both GP’s and they have worked hard in their rural medical practice in East Dorset and after forty years it’s time to take down their shingles and retire.

The couple have two adult daughters, a lovely home and a pet dog Stan. While Heather dreams of finally been able to take an extended holiday, explore the Greek Islands, and break free from the restraints of everyday life and travel the world.

Alan has different ideas, he decides to join an Organic Gardening Club, installs a greenhouse, he plans to grow his own vegetables, reduce his carbon footprint and Heather finds it all rather boring. The Winterbottom’s looked forward to retiring, they underestimated how big a change it would be and it’s a major life event. Heather is at a cross roads and at a family lunch, Heather announces she’s decided to take a gap year, escape her life and marriage, travel to Greece and read The Odyssey. Her family are shocked, why a sixty six year old woman want to go on a holiday on her own, is it even safe and is she having some sort of late midlife crisis?

Heather arrives in Cephalonia, she books three days of activities, what happens to her is hilarious, Heather decides she wants to discover the real Greece and at a much slower pace. Heather meets Dennis, he owns his own boat and offers to show her places not in the travel brochures. Heather makes it clear she’s married, not interested in a holiday fling, but Greek men have a certain charisma about them and will she give in to temptation?

I received a digital copy of Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year by Joanna Nell from NetGalley and Hachette Australia & New Zealand in exchange for an honest review. Ms. Nell's latest thought provoking novel is an in-depth and at times a humorous tale about a woman suddenly waking up, looking in the mirror and feeling her use by date is running out and she has no time to waste.

Full of vivid descriptions of Greece, the beautiful islands and swimming in the sea, food, wine, the relaxed lifestyle and historical places. A narrative about Heather fulfilling a promise she made to a her dear friend Esme, finding herself along the way, maybe Heather doesn’t appreciate what she has and she too critical of Alan. Ms. Nell has a way with words, I haven't laughed so much in ages and five stars from me.netgalley netgalley-reading-challenge-202352 s2 comments Sharon1,174 222

Mrs Winterbottom Takes A Gap Year by Aussie author Joanna Nell was such an entertaining read I didn’t want to put it down. Alan and Heather Winterbottom are a couple whom I took an instant shine to and at different points they had me laughing out loud.

They had been colleagues longer than they’d been a married couple, but what if when they retired from work their relationship only worked as Dr and Dr, and not as Mr and Mrs. I have enjoyed many books by this author including this one. I love the way she writes about older characters in her books.

This book touches on an important topic of retirement and how when the time comes many people are not prepared for how it will change their lives especially if they are a married couple. We all look forward to retirement, but it’s a big lifestyle change from going to work every day and we all want to do different things as Mr and Mrs Winterbottom soon discovered. Loved everything about this book from the characters, the storyline and the cover. Highly recommended.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for my digital copy to read and review.3000-2024 aussie-authors contemporary ...more44 s10 comments Brenda4,467 2,855

When husband and wife GP team, Doctors Alan and Heather Winterbottom, decided to retire after forty years at the Netherwood practice Alan's father started years before, the idea of retirement meant different things to both of them. Alan wanted to bring his father's vegetable garden back to the way it was; Heather wanted to travel, with the Greek Islands on her radar. She could feel that she and Alan were drifting apart until finally, when their daughters, Tilly and Sarah, and Sarah's husband Ravi, were at lunch with Alan and Heather one Sunday, Heather declared she was taking a year to travel, first to the Greek Islands and then wherever the wind took her. Her family were suitably shocked - Heather was determined.

Her destination was as good as she'd imagined, if not better. Relaxing with Esme's book at a tiny cafe, drinking coffee and eating pastries; wandering toward the beach; checking out the island's history - the experiences she was exploring were mind boggling for Heather. All the while her thoughts kept going back to Alan. Was he missing her? Did he think about her? Why was she thinking about him all the time?! Would her gap year last a year, or was she ready to give up and go home?

Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year is another delightful, laugh out loud, novel by Aussie author Joanna Nell which I thoroughly enjoyed. Heather was a fun character while Alan was a down-to-earth, staid copy of his father. I've always enjoyed Ms Nell's books, and this one was no exception. Highly recommended.

With thanks to Hachette AU for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.2023-release 3500-2023 arc ...more38 s1 comment Phrynne3,542 2,398

Another very entertaining book by Joanna Nell about people aging ungracefully.

Alan and Heather Winterbottom are both doctors and they have decided it is time to sell their medical practice and retire. It seems neither of them is really sure if this is what they really want to do, or what they are going to do next. It rather seems that they should have discussed the latter a little more before actually committing themselves, but it is too late now.

Things do not go well when Alan wants to settle down at home and plant vegetables, while Heather wishes to have some fun on an overseas trip. Events combine to cause her to take matters in her own hands and just go, leaving husband, family and dog to their own devices for a year. Things are not looking good for Alan when Heather finds she misses the dog more than him!

This is a fun book with many humorous passages and a few sad ones too. It was good to see Heather taking charge of her life, and at times it was open to guesswork how the story would end - and who with. Light, entertaining and mostly set in Greece, it would make an ideal beach read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book3500-2337 s5 comments Helen2,492 11

I loved this one so much, I am a huge fan of Joanna Nell and I am sure every book she writes just gets better, this one is witty, emotional and heartwarming, come along and meet Alan and Heather Winterbottom as they start their retirement, it was hard to put down once I arrived in Netherwood.

Alan and Heather have been GP’s working together in their rural practice for forty years and it is time to let someone else take over and retire, they have two daughters who are enjoying their lives, it is time now for them. Heather dreams of exploring Greece before it is too late but it appears that Alan wants to grow organic vegetable, such different wants, can they work through this?

When Heather losses a dear friend and is left a book The Odyssey by Homer to read the pressure builds for her to make her dream come true and if Alan will not join her then she decides to take a gap year and do the things she wants to, it is time. Arriving in Greece the adventure starts on the island of Cephalonia, here Heather throws herself into doing things that she has never done before, experiences she will never get again but there is also temptation, but her family are never far from her thoughts.

There are so many laugh out loud moments in this story Joanna Nell has such a way with words, she brings her characters to life, they are so real I could feel everything Heather was going through, yes it was sad at times as well, but a brilliant story, retirement is not always what it should be.

This is one that I highly recommend, will Heather and Alan sort their lives out after all of their years together? A must read, fun, witty and filled with emotion, a must read.

Thank you Joanna Nell for sending me a copy.
gift27 s4 comments Michelle1,451 137

Another beautifully written and emotional story from Jonna Nellnetgalley25 s1 comment Jannelies1,120 94

It’s not that I’m nearing retirement now, but I’ve always had a problem with people who say they ‘are going to enjoy life as soon as they retire’. Or people who have absolutely no idea about what to do after that very important date. After all, you usually have about 40 years to think about this important time of your life. Heather and Alan Winterbottom have worked hard all their working life and I could really relate to both of them. Heather wants to spread her wings and do and see things she feels she’s missed; Alan wants very literally put his feet to the ground and carve out a new life from the soil he’s lived his whole life on.

Their differences become very clear in the first chapters; Heather and Alan going shopping for food for the first time in many years is a very funny ‘adventure’. That is, if you’re Alan and not Heather. Joanna Nell gives an absolute correct description of how most older couples do their shopping; I see them regularly. There is a reason why I order most household shopping online
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