‘Leaning against the door she had just shut on her marriage, she breathed deeply.
“Well”, she murmured to the long and empty corridor. “Who’d have thought it?”‘
Who’d Have Thought it? is a romantic comedy written by Christine Webber, set against the backdrop and all the turbulence which typifies mid-life in today’s society.
The story focuses on GP Annie Templeton as she struggles to come to terms with being unexpectedly single after thirty years of marriage.
Book Info:
A year after discovering that her husband no longer loves her, Dr Annie Templeton wakes up with a sudden relish for singledom.
However, she soon realises that being single in your fifties is very different from being single in your twenties.
How, she wonders, do people of my age – with careers, adult children doing unwise things with unwise people, parents going gaga, and friends falling ill, or in or out of love – ever have the time and energy to find a new partner?
Who’d Have Thought It? is a romantic comedy, which will make you laugh and cry – often at the same time.
I have been lucky enough to get acquainted, through the power of social media, with the lovely Christine Webber. A woman of varied talents I was delighted recently when she agreed to feature in a Q & A with me which you can read HERE. An absolutely fascinating person which such an exciting career I was only too delighted to accept a copy of Christine’s novel Who’d Have Thought it? to review.
This is not Christine’s first novel but it is one that I expect is quite personal, in that it deals with the generation that has been termed the SWOFTIES,as Christine explains in her own words:
‘It appeared that the Department for Work and Pensions had become so worried about this trend – because such women were not saving for their old age – that they had coined an acronym, SWOFTIES – meaning Single Women Over Fifty.’
So I did the programme and commented as well as I could about why women were acting in this way.
But as soon as I got home, I realised I had got the basis for my novel. I had always intended to get back to writing fiction and this seemed like the right vehicle.’
Dr Annie Templeton is a successful GP married to Edward, with two loving daughters Alice and Lucy. While celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary in Venice, Annie world comes tumbling down when Edward announces he is leaving her.
Distraught and unable to see beyond what she now perceives as a very lonely road ahead, Annie is comforted by her best friend Janey. Immersing herself in her work at a very busy practice, Annie, to her surprise, finds herself twelve months down the line seeing light at the end of the tunnel.
What follows is a journey of discovery for Annie. She soon realises, with some trepidation, that being single again opens up possibilities for her that she would never have anticipated.
On her newly chartered path, Annie has to face many more difficulties that become part of life as we all age. Her father, now in a nursing home, is suffering from dementia. Her best friend Janey, faces a health scare. Her daughters have many life issues to deal with and her husband moves on with his life and makes decisions with effects that ripple across all their lives.
Many of the topics covered by Christine Webber are faced by individuals across all spectrums of society, both male and female, as life moves on and one’s mortality becomes a more prominent feature of life. While Annie Templeton most definitely moves within a very comfortable social circle in life, strip away the excess and she is no different than any woman her age. She is a daughter, a mother, a friend, a neighbour. She is at times frightened, at times funny and lets be honest, at times sexually active again. Annie Templeton is like a well-heeled Shirley Valentine !!!!!
I stepped out of my comfort zone reading this book and I’m so glad I did. While I’m not yet at that age (although *ahem* not too far off either I have to admit!!!), Annie’s story will bring a smile to many a face and a recognition from those who have been there. It brings with it a belief that life is most certainly not over when you become middle aged. In fact if you are as lucky as Annie…it might just be the beginning of something new and of finding out that life can be fun again. Hope is the predominant message in this book and, a book that brings hope is always a little special.
Purchase Link ~ Who’s Have Thought It?
Meet Christine:
‘I originally trained as a classical singer at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Sadly, I wasn’t good enough to have the career I wanted, so I tried light music and acting, without conspicuous success, though I did appear in a big show in the West End and as Principal Boy in pantomimes – many of which were dire – up and down the country. It was only when I landed a job in television that I found something I really wanted to do which other people also thought I was good at. This was quite a relief, I can tell you. As a result, when I became the leading news presenter for Anglia TV, I stayed for 12 years.
I left in 1990 to focus on print journalism. This led to me becoming an agony aunt for a wide range of publications. Subsequently, I trained as a psychotherapist, first at Regent’s College London, and then at Goldsmiths.
Since that time I’ve had what people now call a portfolio career – embracing writing, broadcasting, corporate work, and my psychotherapy practice.
I live in Brighton with my media doctor husband, David Delvin.
My out-of- work passions include keeping active with ballet classes, tennis and walking on the South Downs, plus watching rugby on television, going to the theatre and cinema, and reading.’
You can find out more at : http://www.christinewebber.com/
Twitter @1chriswebber
Love the sound of this book, so will add it to my TBR list. It’s good to have a novel about a couple in their 50s!
Thanks Sara. It’s not often you see it!!