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A review by confessions_of_a_bookaholic
The Banksia House Breakout by James Roxburgh
4.0
Although Ruth Morris is 81, and mourning the loss of her husband, she isn't yet ready to move to Banksia House, the care home her workaholic son wants her to live in. Ruth's best friend Gladys moved away many years ago, and is now severely ill. Ruth is determined to see her friend one last time before it's too late, and when her son won't help her she takes things in to her own hands. With the help of some newly found friends Ruth is soon making way on the trip of a lifetime, but will she make it to Brisbane in time?
I hadn't heard of this book or author until it became an Audible Editor's Extra, so it probably would have passed me by otherwise. I'm grateful that it was promoted because it was a great read and a nice heartwarming story.
Set on the East coast of Australia this story visited a range of places, some I was familiar with and some less so. It was a brilliant portrayal of Australia though, particularly the life of a traveller (albeit one a few years older than I was when I travelled the coast myself!) Roxburgh really nails the feeling of camerarderie and all being in it together that you find amongst travellers, particularly those on a tight budget. It brought back some memories for sure!
There's a real mix of characters in this book. Ruth was loveable, someone you could definitely imagine as a relative or friend. I found the first few chapters of the book quite heart breaking, and did at one point think that if the tone didn't lighten up I might not be able to continue reading. Thankfully it did and we got to see Ruth enjoying her life. It was a strong reminder though how easily some older people can be mistreated or overlooked.
Once Ruth and her friends get on the road the fun part of the story kicks in. There's still some hiccups along the way, it's certainly not all smooth sailing, but there's a lot of humour to be found in the situations that the trio find themselves in. I thought some of the side characters were wonderful, and Roxburgh did a great job of showing the kindness of strangers with some of these.
I enjoyed listening to this, and will be keeping an eye out for Roxburgh's future releases. Who knows, there could even be more adventures in store for Ruth and co yet.
I hadn't heard of this book or author until it became an Audible Editor's Extra, so it probably would have passed me by otherwise. I'm grateful that it was promoted because it was a great read and a nice heartwarming story.
Set on the East coast of Australia this story visited a range of places, some I was familiar with and some less so. It was a brilliant portrayal of Australia though, particularly the life of a traveller (albeit one a few years older than I was when I travelled the coast myself!) Roxburgh really nails the feeling of camerarderie and all being in it together that you find amongst travellers, particularly those on a tight budget. It brought back some memories for sure!
There's a real mix of characters in this book. Ruth was loveable, someone you could definitely imagine as a relative or friend. I found the first few chapters of the book quite heart breaking, and did at one point think that if the tone didn't lighten up I might not be able to continue reading. Thankfully it did and we got to see Ruth enjoying her life. It was a strong reminder though how easily some older people can be mistreated or overlooked.
Once Ruth and her friends get on the road the fun part of the story kicks in. There's still some hiccups along the way, it's certainly not all smooth sailing, but there's a lot of humour to be found in the situations that the trio find themselves in. I thought some of the side characters were wonderful, and Roxburgh did a great job of showing the kindness of strangers with some of these.
I enjoyed listening to this, and will be keeping an eye out for Roxburgh's future releases. Who knows, there could even be more adventures in store for Ruth and co yet.