A wonderful book full of delightful characters to leap into your heart and stay there. It's a refreshing, uplifting and emotional read that proves discovering yourself to not just for the young.
I have worked in a nursing home and many of the scenes took me back to those days and the residents I loved. It's told in the voice of Hattie and Walter, both reluctant patients and both eager to go home. Hattie is easy to connect to and the reader connects with the Woodland experience through her observations and discovery while Walter adds comic moments wrapped up in the bittersweet knowledge time is limited for all of them. The exploits of the Night Owl club are fun, and just what is needed.
I loved it and read it in a day.

Another sweet and heart-warming read from Joanna Nell, she really does write lovely stories.

This time the reader is in for a treat... welcome to your time in the Woodlands Nursing Home.

Walter is a bit of an irritating old man - cracking very un-pc jokes and expecting laughs from the ladies. He's a retired driving instructor and therefore thinks he's going to be great at super speed on his new electric scooter.

Hattie is here for convalescence after falling from a ladder. While she waits for her leg to recover, she desperately tries to find a way back to the house which has been her home all her life.

Somehow, the two characters become unlikely friends and this is the story. Packed full of beautiful characters, I loved watching the relationships unfold, with a little tear in my eye at many points.

A lovely book, poignant and sweet. Told from the perspective of Hattie and Walter, two inmates of the Nursing home, it shows how even the very elderly have fun, do outrageous things, and blackmail the Home into keeping the lovely Sister who has such fun nights with them I wish all nursing homes had someone like her!
Thank you NetGalley for a review copy.which I enjoyed very much.

Some great characters and a real mix of happy and sad emotions brought forth. This book is a super read and again shows the author’s skill in depicting the frustrations of older people whose spirits and faculties are still vibrant even when their physical abilities might be restricted. A very entertaining read.

funny, moving and sweet. Just what we need these days. Very enjoyable. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

The Great Escape From Woodlands Nursing Home is a pleasant and light-hearted book told from the point of view of two nursing home residents, Walter and Hattie.
I actually really enjoyed this story - not my usual genre but I work nights in a nursing home myself so thought it’d be interesting to read.
There was such a lovely blend of different characters, interesting and unique plot and subplots, and light humour throughout. The perfect mix of heartwarming moments and heartbreaking moments.
The only reason it wasn’t 5 stars for me was that I found the pace a little bit slow in places, but that’s just my personal opinion and obviously may be perfect pace for someone else!
Overall an enjoyable read.

This poignant story of "caring" for the elderly will give many pause for thought. Although Woodlands Nursing Home is somewhere in Australia it could just as easily be in the UK (apart from the weather). The novel is littered with gentle humour and lovable characters but also picks up on many of the problems of those in their later years, and their families. Everyone should read this and think about what provision they should be making for themselves and their loved ones when they struggle to remain independent.

Review will be released on Wednesday the 16th. Will be found at http://www.blinddogbooks.co.uk/so-i-just-read-the-great-escape-from-woodlands-nursing-home-by-joanna-nell-and/


I did like this book but it wasn’t a 5 star read for me. I was looking at the reviews on Goodread and a lot of the 5 star reviews are from people who have read Joanna Nell’s books before and I honestly think I didn’t like it because this just isn’t the kind of book I would like to read. I thought it would be but maybe not and that’s ok, every book isn’t for every person. In this review I want to talk about my opinions of the book as well as how it’s written. But first! What’s it about?

At nearly ninety, retired nature writer Hattie Bloom prefers the company of birds to people, but when a fall lands her in a nursing home she struggles to cope with the loss of independence and privacy. From the confines of her 'room with a view' of the carpark, she dreams of escape. Fellow 'inmate', the gregarious, would-be comedian Walter Clements also plans on returning home as soon as he is fit and able to take charge of his mobility scooter. When Hattie and Walter officially meet at The Night Owls, a clandestine club run by Sister Bronwyn and her dog, Queenie, they seem at odds. But when Sister Bronwyn is dismissed over her unconventional approach to aged care, they must join forces -- and very slowly an unlikely, unexpected friendship begins to grow.

Honestly there’s no bad things about this book, it’s beautifully well written and the characters are so interesting. My grandma was moved into a nursing home after she became unable to look after herself so I found it extremely sad to hear Hattie and Walter talk about the nursing home as a prison.

Other than the setting there are a lot of other sad moments, especially after they escape. There was one moment with the cottage that broke my heart so much, I just wanted to give everyone a hug. But that being said for every sad moment there were 20 laugh out loud moments. Walter was just so funny, I’ve always loved a dad joke.

The story itself was so interesting and I was really invested in this. Everything with Sister Bronwyn and Sister Who was really good and the subplots were as high of a standard as the main plot. I think this is sometimes really hard to do but Nell does such a good job.

Anyway. I didn’t enjoy this book as much as I wanted to but I think if you like Nell’s work or if you’re interested in this kind of book then I think you should totally read this when it comes out. Or even if you want an introduction to some adult contemporary this is a good introduction.

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
Having read other books by this Author I was delighted to get an early copy.
This book is a total breath of fresh air.
The nursing home has it's own magic about it and with some amazing characters the two together is just the best recipe ever lots of big laugh out loud moments mingled with tears but such a fabulous read I can highly recommend.

Really wonderful involving story about an old folks home.Characters I rally enjoyed a touch of sadness.I picked this book up was drawn right in and didn’t want to put it down.An author ba book Inhighly recommend.#netgalley#hodderstoughton

A lovely story about life in an old folks home. I enjoyed this book, it had some sadness but also made me laugh out loud in places. Once I got into this I couldn’t put it down until I finished at 2am!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.