Celia Summers, intrepid mother of two, is too cuddly for sweatpants, she suspects. But then, her class at The Harbour Rest Home are similarly clad. Celia loves her work as an art therapist. She's proud that she gives her elderly independents something to look forward to, even if her partner, Martin, disapproves of her efforts. He also has other things on his mind - telling complicated lies to Celia so he can sell Charlton Hall, his mum's house, to pay off his debts. Meanwhile, Celia fights to secure gallery space for her geriatric charges' artwork, and to keep The Harbour from being closed. She's even ready to abseil from a church steeple to bring attention to the plight of her old people, no matter that she might fall and end up splattered all over the flagstones. When she does fall, however, it's much more painful - in love with PC Alex Burrows coming to her rescue.
My thoughts:
A Little Bit of Madness centers around the elderly and eccentric residents of The Harbour Rest Home and Celia Summers the art therapist who befriends them. While this is definitely a romance novel it is so much more than that. The love seen in the caring of these elderly residents is what brought me to the enjoyment of this book. The elderly are so often treated as forgotten citizens and this book illustrates just how memorable and productive these citizens are. I especially loved the dialog between the characters. The interactions between the Colonel, Eleanor, Rosemary and the loving and doddy May is so humorous and spellbinding that you can't stop reading. Ms. Browne did a great job painting these characters.
Other reviewers have stated there are "gaps" and areas that could be improved in the literary sense (and this is true) but I found this book to be totally enjoyable and worth the read. I highly recommend it.
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