The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Deborah Moggach

 

Many of you will likely have seen the 2011 film adaptation of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, featuring an all-star line-up with names such as Judi Dench, Maggie Smith and Dev Patel. The novel, These Foolish Things, was published in 2004. My copy being a charity shop find, I seem to have picked up the edition they printed in response to the popular film - name change included!

This was another perfect beach read for me. A selection of pensioners, each with nothing tying them to their lives in the UK, decide to up and move in to the allegedly luxurious retirement home, The Marigold, in Bangalore. The retirement home, in fact rather decrepit, had been a flash of entrepreneurial genius from Ravi Kapoor, a tired and stressed London doctor, and his business-minded cousin, Sonny.

Ravi's father-in-law, Douglas, a stubborn and frankly disgusting old man, had pushed Ravi and his wife to breaking point and the Marigold seemed the perfect place to pack him off to. He quickly settles in and other adventurous OAPs begin to arrive. There's Evelyn Greenslade, a well turned out and respectable lady whose children have flown the nest and show little interest in her; Muriel Donnelly, a prejudiced and old-fashioned old boot who, coincidentally, refused NHS treatment from Ravi as he is Indian; the Ainslie's, a sickly-sweet pair and the only couple in residence, and a host of other quirky characters.

This is a feel-good, laugh out loud novel, teaching us that it's never too late in life to begin again. The pensioners each find their feet in India and adjust to their new home at the Marigold - a slightly peeling yet lovable building in the vibrant and colourful city. If you want an easy, light-hearted read and a good laugh, I'd highly recommend Moggach's novel!