Lily Harford's Last Request is a beautifully written story dealing with the controversial question of assisted dying.

Lily is in her 80s. She has been a successful businesswoman and single mother. She was once full of vitality and loving life. She had a beautiful home surrounded by memories. As her dementia progresses, we see snippets of her past life as a young and vibrant young woman.

Now her body is racked with arthritis and her memory and faculties are diminishing.

Reluctantly, her daughter Pauline feels it is time for Lily to move to assisted care at Blue Vista.

As her dementia gets worse Lily wants to die on her own terms before

She asks Donna to help her end her life before dementia gets worse and she no longer recognises her loved ones or at least partly care for herself. Donna feels for Lily and understands the reasons for the request but explains, apart from it being illegal, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Lily then makes the same request from Pauline who also explains she couldn’t help.

We know from the beginning of the book someone does assist Lily but who was it?

Throughout the story, Lily reflects on her past life, her short time with a loving husband and gives us insight into the younger and very capable Lily.

There are four other key characters in the story – Pauline (Lily’s daughter), Sam (Pauline’s husband), Donna (one of Lily’s carers), and Frank who also lives at Blue Vista.

Pauline adores and admires her mother but while she thinks she is doing the right thing for her mother; feels she is abandoning her. Pauline has a responsible job as headmistress. Add this to being a wife, mother and grandmother she is feeling the stress and pressure.

Sam loves his wife, is a supportive husband, and adores his mother-in-law. He is a wonderful character and does everything he can for Lily.

Donna is one of the caregivers at Blue Vista who has a close bond with Lily. She loves her job and is a very caring person but because of her broken marriage and childhood experiences lacks confidence in her personal life. Her character is well developed and likable.

Frank is a resident of Blue Vista who is also fond of Lily. He doesn’t feature a great deal in the book but plays a key part in the twist at the end.

Joanna Buckley has written her story with great sensitivity from the viewpoints of Lily Pauline and Donna. All the characters seem real and easy to relate to.

At 72 I can relate to all three women – Lily with my advancing years and wondering what the future holds; Pauline as a daughter having to deal with my mother’s dementia as well as a mother and grandmother; and Donna’s lack of confidence in my working life. All characters are real, believable, and likable.

Lily Harford's Last Request is Joanna Buckley’s first book and I look forward to reading her future stories. It is a book I would not hesitate to recommend.

It would make an excellent one for reading groups and has suggestions for discussion points at the end of the book.

My thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for providing me with a copy of this book for review purposes. 

My rating 5*

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Wild Place by Christian White

Wild Place is set at the end of 1989 in a typical Australian suburb with a green space popular with adventurous kids exploring the bush, dog walkers, and lovers. It’s typified by nice homes, green well-kept lawns, neighbours who know each other, and an active Neighbourhood Watch Committee. The green space in this story is Wild Place.

 

When 17-year-old Tracie Reed goes missing police believe she is just another runaway. Her parents, Donna and Owen, although in the midst of a divorce, agree. Tracie would not do that. Her former schoolteacher, Tom Witter also believes something more sinister has happened especially as Tracie had changed her appearance and felt she was being watched and followed.

 

Tom is on school holidays. He is supposed to be dealing with a list of jobs his wife has left for him but when Tracie’s disappearance is raised at a Neighbourhood Watch meeting Tom is asked to post photos of Tracie around town.

 

While the whole affair is another fascinating topic for town gossip, Tom’s involvement turns into an obsession to find out what really happened.

 

Believing some a satanic ritual has occurred in Wild Place he searches the reserve for clues. Tom tries to convince the police it is more than a missing person case, but they ignore his theory, so Owen and Tom take matters into their own hands. Her body is finally found in Wild Place.

 

Tom’s investigation puts several people on his suspect list but most pointedly, Sean, a former best friend of his eldest son. Sean has turned goth with a passion for heavy metal music. He has a pentagram tattoo with a similar design to the necklace Tracie wore. He also keeps a snake in his darkened bedroom. Tom and Owen take matters into their own hands.

 

It started slowly as a relaxed read, lulling the reader into a false sense of relaxation. About halfway through things got more intense as Tom and Owen’s investigation becomes the main storyline. There are many twists and turns, with secrets and lies slowly being revealed.

 

Although it is a murder mystery the focus is on Tom’s actions, not the police investigation.

 

It is an entertaining enough read but not one I call brilliant and after a while in the second half Tom started to annoy me. The ending certainly came as a shock but felt a bit rushed.

 

The characters are believable; some I am sure I have met while I lived in suburbia.

 

I must commend the author on his setting – middle class Australian suburbia. It brought back memories of 80s music (like it or hate it you can’t forget it), cars, cassettes, food (Vienetta!), fashion, and more.

My rating 3*

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The Animals v Samuel Willis by Will Lowrey

Simply brilliant story and writing style.

 

I loved reading this book and found it hard to put down, not just because of the clever story line but because it is incredibly well written. I have read, and thoroughly enjoyed, some of Will Lowrey’s books before but his writing of The Animals v Samuel Willis has surpassed his others. (Having said that Chasing the Blue Sky is still my favourite)

 

The story is set at a time when all animals have been liberated and are equal to humans. Samuel Willis is brought before the court for the cruelty and murder of an ill-treated dairy cow. If found guilty the penalty could be death by hanging.

His descriptions of the animals’ characters, movements, and dialogue are amusing and show Lowrey’s keen observation of animals.

 

In fact, the whole book is so well depicted you are right there in the courtroom and on the farm with the characters.

 

The ending is a perfect result and inspiring.

 

If you are an animal lover, you will love this story.

My rating 5*

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Echoes of War by Tania Blanchard

Echoes of War is set in an Italian Calabrian village in 1936 before the start of World War II and follows the Tallariti family through to 1953. 

It is a family drama full of conflict, hope, love, and sadness. It particularly addresses the domination of men over women and how women were subservient to men during this period.

The main character is Guila, the second youngest of a family of five children. Through the support of female family members, she becomes a healer like her Nonna. During the narrative, she rebels, unsuccessfully against her father’s plan for her to marry a man of his choice.

Giulia is a strong-willed young woman who constantly clashes with her father. She has her dreams to heal the sick and is not interested in marrying and having children. Her father believes herbal medicine is witchcraft and women should do what fathers and husbands bid them.

Her eldest brother and aging father are both called up to fight the war but the youngest Antonio heads to the mountains to avoid conscription. He later joins the resistance. This leaves the women of the family, led by her sister Paolo, to run the farm. It was not an easy life for them with a fascist government and struggling to survive.

She is widowed due to a natural disaster but later finds true love in the arms of Stefano, a childhood friend. Stefano is studying medicine at the beginning of the war and with the help of the ‘Ndrangheta, the Calabrese mafia, is treating wounded allies in Naples and later Rome through to the end of the war.

By 1953 farming life in the south became even more difficult for survival and many emigrated to Australia. While there is a gap in Guila’s story in the latter part of the book it does cover the drive to seek a better life in another land. 

I am always keen to read books by Australian authors, but I was particularly drawn to Echoes of War. My Dad served in the RAF during WWII and told me how readily the Italian soldier surrendered to allied troops. It wasn’t until I married my Italian husband, I learned how many of the Italians were against the alliance with Hitler and later with Mussolini as the war progressed. Throughout the book, I discussed the historical aspects of the story with him, and he confirmed it was accurate.

I can therefore say it is well researched and interesting how Blanchard blends in her family history.

I didn’t warm to Guila. While she was a strong character and I admired her tenacity to be her own woman and desire to help people with her healing skills, I felt she lacked compassion and caring and, at times, headstrong and selfish to the point of her stubbornness became irritating. 

By comparison, the other characters were more likeable and believable.

Overall, I found parts slow going and some sections repetitious which prevented me from being completely drawn into the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

My rating 3*