Review: Mrs Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year

Joanna Nell has made a name for herself as a writer who explores characters who are entering their ‘twilight years’. Her books show us that getting older doesn’t mean ‘going gently into that good night’. Her characters embrace life, turning their backs on societal expectations and choosing adventures instead.

Dr Heather Winterbottom is no exception. She can’t wait to hang up her stethoscope, jump on a plane, and explore the Greek Islands. She can’t believe it when her husband of forty years and fellow GP Alan is instead looking forward to relaxing at home and growing his own vegetables. So Heather decides to ‘do a Shirley Valentine’ and goes to Greece alone.

This new book from Nell didn’t sing as much as her previous books. It’s hard to pinpoint, but part of the problem is it’s hard not to compare it to Shirley Valentine. Of course she meets a gorgeous single Greek man - I know it was necessary to drive the plot forward, but it felt so predictable.

And the resolution, when it came, felt to me very unlikely. I cannot believe that Alan would change so much. And is that the answer, when it is apparent that two people are so diametrically opposed, one of them has to change dramatically to suit the other? I know this is fiction, but I also know that the rate of divorce after retirement is high, due to this very fact.

So it just didn’t ring true for me, and this detracted from my overall enjoy of the book.

• Review
• Joanna Nell