Here and Now: Evocative, emotional and full of life, the most moving book you'll read this year

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Everywhere. I’m a dreamer, so I’m always imagining what ifs… life inspires me the most. Just looking around me. Beautiful houses and eccentric people fire me up. What are your favourite three books? Multi-stranded with atmospheric descriptions and great characters, the enduring message of this story is that love is all that matters: love of family – those still here and those who have passed on – love of friends and love of life in all its imperfections. There’s so much to enjoy in this book beside the immediate story. Marigold’s memories may be fading, but village life goes on in a series of often-funny cameos involving nonagenarian gossips, retired commodores, camp cat owners and the arrival of local squire Taran from Canada. He’s intrigued by Daisy … but she suspects he may want to develop the land around the village, interfering with her mother’s happiness. As the seasons turn, we see how much balm the beauty of nature offers Marigold, never happier than when she is walking the hills or feeding her beloved birds. Surely this won’t be taken from her, too? What a wonderfully warm, uplifting read! Author Santa Montefiore doesn’t shirk from the realities of the fear and helplessness that the gradual onset of dementia brings, but never does she lose sight of the fact that a person is more than her condition. Die Autorin versteht es das ernste Thema Demenz mit guter Unterhaltung zu kombinieren. Sie schafft es die Ängste und Hilflosigkeit von Marigold selbst, aber auch von Familie und Freunden authentisch darzustellen, ohne kitschig zu werden.

Kind, happy, warm-hearted Marigold captured my heart from the outset – no-one could help from loving her. Her family are equally engaging – none of them perfect (except perhaps the delightful Dennis) but all strong and resourceful in their own way. Acerbic-tongued Nan struggles most to accept her daughter’s condition, but is always supportive and dizzy Suze rises to the challenge. But it’s Daisy, perhaps, who is affected most. With Luca in the past, and her mother’s needs filling the present and future, it seems her dreams of marriage and a family are in tatters. Her determination to put family responsibility first is admirable. I was going to start this review with saying how lovely this book is, however, I do not think ‘lovely’ is the right word to use. So, let us try again, the characters are lovely, the village that the book is set in is lovely, however the subject is not lovely, in fact it is quite harrowing, and this book will send you on an emotional journey. If you are not hard hearted, then be warned this book WILL make you cry. I also feel this way about the other members of Marigold's family. Dennis just has a heart fo gold and you can tell he is absolutely besotted by his wife. I enjoyed meeting Daisy and Suze. I wasn't sure about them to begin with but their lives are very real and very like my own and I totally warmed to them and lived this whole story line through their eyes. Then we have Nan who is definitely hard to like but when you get down to the roots of her ways, you can see that she does have her daughter's best interests at heart. The couple are friends with King Charles III and Queen Camilla, who attended their wedding. [6] Santa Montefiore is a friend of Tiggy Legge-Bourke [6] and of Queen Máxima of the Netherlands. [10] As the family learns to manage this upheaval, Marigold finds herself becoming more forgetful. Initially chalking it up to old age, it soon becomes harder for those who know her to ignore the signs that something else might be behind her forgetfulness.

Health worries 

Was die Familie und die Bewohner dieses Dorfes alles tun, um ihre Marigold zu unterstützen, ist unglaublich berührend zu lesen. Das ein oder andere Tränchen habe ich beim lesen vergossen. Though no-one, least of all the author, would try to deny dementia is a terrible condition, ultimately I found this story hopeful and happy, and I’m so glad to have met Marigold. As Marigold’s condition worsens, for the first time in their lives her family must find ways to care for the woman who has always cared for them. Desperate to show their support, the local community come together to celebrate Marigold, and to show her that losing your memories doesn’t matter, when there are people who will remember them for you . . .

As Marigold's condition worsens, for the first time in their lives her family must find ways to care for the woman who has always cared for them. Desperate to show their support, the local community come together to celebrate Marigold, and to show her that losing your memories doesn't matter, when there are people who will remember them for you . . . An dem Roman hat mich gereizt, dass es nicht nur um Liebe und Familie geht, sondern auch um die Demenz-Thematik. Das macht die Lektüre emotional bewegend. Prior to publishing any novels, she worked in London, first in public relations for the outfitters Swaine Adeney and later for the jeweller Theo Fennell. She also worked as a shop assistant in Farmacia Santa Maria Novella, the perfumery, and in events for Ralph Lauren. [6]a b c d e f g h Christa D'Souza (24 February 2001). "The lit girl". The Telegraph . Retrieved 5 October 2016. This book really does show you what a community can do when it pulls together and is so apt to be reading about this during this time of 2020. I really loved getting to meet those community members and they are so well-described and so developed by this author that I could sit down and tell you all about them as if they were people I had actually met. Marigold is a wonderful character, much loved by her family and neighbours and community. The way the story is written to show how her little episodes of forgetfulness become more serious is a heartbreaking tale uplifted by how her family and friends help her to stay happy. Marigold has been looking after her mum, her husband and daughters for many years, now they need to work together to help her.

Sante Montefiore heeft met Naar de overkant weer een heerlijke roman geschreven. Vanaf het begin af aan zit je meteen goed in het verhaal, je wordt als lezer eigenlijk direct opgenomen in het gezin van Marigold en het plattelandse dorpje waar ze wonen. Marigold staat centraal in het verhaal, maar haar man Dennis en twee dochters Suze en Daisy spelen ook een belangrijke rol. Ze hebben allemaal hun eigen verhaallijn binnen het grotere geheel waardoor het verhaal speels blijft. Marigold maakt echter wel de meeste indruk binnen Naar de overkant. Moeder van twee dochters en eigenaresse van een winkeltje in het dorp wat ze met veel passie runt. Wanneer ze op een gegeven moment dingen begint te vergeten, wordt dit op haar leeftijd gegooid. Het wordt echter al meer, totdat de diagnose Alzheimer vastgesteld wordt. De langzame achteruitgang hierna wordt heel mooi beschreven door Sante Montefiore. Niet alleen het proces wat Marigold zelf meemaakt, maar ook wat dit voor invloed heeft op de rest van het gezin. Op welke manier ze proberen haar te helpen om toch nog zo zelfstandig mogelijk te kunnen zijn. Maar ook het moment dat Marigold niet meer thuis kan wonen en op een gegeven moment haar man niet meer herkent. Dit wordt op een zeer intense manier beschreven. Liefde is dan ook het centrale thema in het verhaal, de onvoorwaardelijke liefde tussen Dennis en Marigold, maar ook de liefde die Suze en Daisy hebben in hun relatie met hun partner. An enchanting read overflowing with deliciously poignant moments’ DINAH JEFFERIES on Songs of Love and War Om er toch nog een positieve noot in te steken: de laatste 20 p… daar zat wat meer actie en schwung en gevoel in maar langs de andere kant was dat dan weer ne TGV die ineens vertrok en op nog geen twee jaar tijd was ineens iedereen getrouwd en waren er koters of meerdere in het spel. Enfin. Oja misschien twee positieve noten : er werd een kat doodgebeten. Naar mijn gevoel het enige actiepunt uit het verhaal. I’m pleased to share my review for the latest book by Santa Montefiore on my book blog today. Thank you to Simon and Schuster for a digital review copy – my thoughts are my own and and not influenced by the gift.I think the portrayal of dementia and how it affects individuals and communities is realistic overall, covering topics such as denial, stigma, diagnosis, support and conflicting priorities. ‘When one of Marigold’s daughters states that dementia isn’t a disease – which is true of dementia in itself – part of me wanted the book to go on to explain that dementia is caused by diseases that affect the brain. However, it is a novel and not a factsheet, I suppose! The book is beautifully written, full of wonderful characters, some happy and some grumpy (Nan), humour (moles, christmas puddings etc), love (pink roses) and romance. At the time of reading this in July 2020, many of us are currently anxious about the global pandemic, a virus we cannot see whilst we also have an unseen condition which steals the memory of people that we currently cannot protect ourselves from. However, as the title suggests, we need to live in the here and now, to enjoy the small things – the birds singing, the food we eat, time with family and friends. Er werd gezegd dat dit boek anders zou zijn dan haar normale stijl ( heel romantisch ) dus ik wou het een kans geven maar het is helaas een dikke ‘no go’ geworden voor mij. Het boek gaat over het onderwerp dementie en dan verwacht ik ook dat als het gaat over zo een zwaar onderwerp dat de zwaarte ook in het boek naar voor komt. Helaas pindakaas. Her early childhood and Her years at school". Biography. Santa Montefiore. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011 . Retrieved 5 May 2011. Evocative, emotional and full of life, Here and Now is the most moving book you’ll read this year – from Sunday Times bestselling author Santa Montefiore.