A delightful and funny read!!

Martha and her group of friends had decided that they were all going to live in the same retirement home. For the first few years, things were good. But when management changed, they find their luxury living is coming to an end. Nurse Barbara is a constant thorn in their sides. They are bored and looking for excitement.
That is when Martha gets the bright idea to commit a crime so that they can go to prison, where they would get better food and have a bit more freedom. But when they commit their crime, and go to the police to confess, they are initially brushed off as crazy. But they lay out how they have committed the crime, the police have no choice but to charge them and bring them to trial. As they spend their time in prison, they find it is not all what it was cracked up to be. But they spend their time working on planning new crimes, trying to figure out what happened to part of their ransom money, and wanting to get away with the next one.
Brains and Martha find a way to send messages back and forth through a clergyman who has been visiting them.
What transpires is a tale of hilarity, with the League of Pensioners center stage working to get a better life, and find a way to help other senior citizens who are in the same boat that they are.

This book was such a delight to read. It was funny and engaging. The characters were well fleshed out, and one can almost imagine Martha being their grandmother! This is a book that everyone needs to read and pass on to someone else to enjoy!

The underlying premise of this book is quite intriguing in that it appears to question the morality behind the 'warehousing' of our elders in Care Homes. Moreover, the delegation of caring responsibilities for some of our more vulnerable people to the vagaries of commercial enterprise seems destined to deliver only a diminished quality of life. Cue Martha Andersson, a septuagenarian heroine unwilling to allow the status quo to go unchallenged and the potential for conflict, drama and humour is set. Like a latter-day Spartacus, Martha contrives to lead her friends and fellow malcontents on a spree of uninhabited rule-breaking and new experiences, in an effort to enrich their lives.The series of adventures struck me as reminiscent of Enid Blyton's Famous Five, or rather how they might behave in retirement. Still, there is something endearing in the rebels rejection of stereotypes and their general railing against the dying of the light. Indeed, there is something delicious about the group's refusal to comply with social etiquette and the frequently patronizing expectations of the older fraternity. Friendship, romance, bonding and unashamed thrill-seeking drive the 'gang' into an escalating spiral of misdemeanors, outwitting those in authority and proving the adage that people can only be 'governed' by consent.

On the whole an easy, entertaining read without being overtly funny or exciting. Nonetheless, the concept is a good one and just as some of us aspire to be the elder in the purple hat, some of us may now have a sneaking desire to join the ranks of the aged rebels and definitely not go quietly, but rather wring some quality from life well into our dotage.

http://lizlovesbooks.com/lizlovesbooks/the-little-old-lady-who-broke-all-the-rules-competition-and-author-interview/

On the blog today you can win a copy of this hilarious novel (UK only sorry everyone else!) if you fancy one! You can comment here rather than on the blog or using Twitter if you prefer. It all counts!

Copied Text:

I was recently lucky enough to read this hilarious and heartwarming tale about the vagaries of getting older and being expected to behave just so – and about Martha who refuses to conform. And in exciting news Pan will be publishing the sequels – I can’t wait to find out what Martha gets up to next!  The author answered a few questions for me – and look out at the end of this piece for a chance to win your very own copy!

Was Martha inspired by anyone in particular? 

When I worked as a marine archaeologist I led many expeditions and I came across various personalities and characters. But Martha … cough, cough . . .  is very similar to me sometimes…

Did you have a lot of fun writing the League of Pensioners? I definitely want to join when I’m older.

Yes, I had lots of fun writing about these five characters, so much fun that there will be at least two more books about them. Sometimes I giggled aloud and the I hoped that if I giggled writing them then people would have fun reading the books too …

Do you have a favourite character apart from Martha?

Actually, I love them all. Martha is my central character, of course, and I identify with her, but I like Brains very much too as well as Anna-Greta, Christina and Rake. So, you see, it is difficult to single out just one of them . . .

Can you tell us anything about your next project?

Yes, I have already written the next book! The League of Pensioners are up to their old tricks again but this time in Las Vegas!

Review:

Thank you to the publisher for the review copy.

79-year-old Martha Anderson dreams of escaping her care home and robbing a bank. She has no intention of spending the rest of her days in an armchair and is determined to fund her way to a much more exciting life-style. Along with her four oldest friends – otherwise known as the League of Pensioners – Martha decides to rebel against all of the rules imposed upon them.

I’m still giggling now. This novel is hilarious and heart warming and very addictive – the first thing I want to make clear is, when I’m 79 I hope that I’m out robbing banks. Ok, well perhaps I won’t actually rob banks but I’m taking my walker to a nightclub I’m telling you!

Martha refuses to conform. She may be old but she’s just not having it. She is the very definition of “Age is a state of mind” – her state of mind being mischievous child. Along with her cohorts, the league of pensioners, she sets out to break the mould and have a lot of fun along the way.

There were points in this story where I laughed until I cried, literally, but it also has some very poignant moments and the occasional tug on the heartstrings. Extremely easy and fun to read, this is one of my favourite books of the year for pure entertainment value.

A comedy romp in novel form you can’t go wrong with this one. A purely feel good and uplifting tale of life in the fast lane…no matter what age you happen to be on paper.

Happy Reading Folks!

Competition: UK Only.

If you fancy your very own copy of “The Little Old Lady Who Broke All The Rules” complete the following sentence:

“When I’m 79 I still hope to be….”

Either leave me a comment here with your answer or Tweet your answer using the hashtag #LittleOldLady

Good Luck!

Coming Soon – The League of Pensioners are back!

You’re never too old to have some fun . . .

The little old lady is back! Martha Andersson and the League of Pensioners have left behind their dreary care home in Stockholm and headed for the bright lights of Las Vegas.

This is their opportunity for a new lease of life and they plan to make the most of it. But before long they are up to their old tricks and with ingenious tactics, a pair of false teeth and a wheelchair each, they plot to outwit the security system at one of the biggest casinos. However, they aren’t the only ones planning on stealing bucket loads of cash and soon find themselves pitted against a gang of dangerous criminals.

Can the group of elderly friends work together to outsmart the younger robbers and get away with their biggest heist yet? Or will this job be a step too far for The League of Pensioners?

Happy Reading Folks!