Better Homes and Gardens (Australia)
Wonder women
When it comes to Joanna Nell’s latest novel, one thing holds true for her cast of colourful characters – age shall not weary them
Aussie-based author Joanna Nell didn’t set out to carve herself a niche in fiction. But in creating senior-driven stories free of stereotype and su used with charm, she has captured the wit, experience, smarts, attitude, sorrow and mischief of an age group that is all too often invisible – older women.
The author, a GP and ‘accidental’ positive ageing advocate, says her passion for age-defying stories grew from genuine interest and respect. “I had read a number of books that were starting to tell the stories of some older characters, but I noticed a lot of them were from the point of view of men,” she says. “And while these were fantastic, I thought the women really weren’t getting a look in. I think, however much we try to deny it, we are a very ageist society, and I think women experience this sort of invisibility when they get to a certain age. And I wanted to show them having fun and doing things that weren’t necessarily commonly associated with age and sort of breaking the mould a little bit.” Enter The Tea Ladies of St Jude’s Hospital (Hachette, $32.99).
LADIES ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
Just as the name suggests, the tea ladies in Joanna’s fourth novel work at a hospital cafe, where they’ve served up caring alongside tea and buns for more than 50 years. At their head is exacting manager Hilary, whose hobbies include tut tutting at intern and fellow senior Joy, whose vibrant take on ageing couldn’t be more different. Filling out their ranks is teenager Chloe, who volunteers for her resume, but soon finds the trio’s experiences, secrets and passions are a bridge across their age divide. And when they learn the future of the cafe is at risk – well, hell hath no fury like tea ladies scorned!
REAL-LIFE INSPIRATION
Joanna says she found inspiration for the story on a trip to her UK homeland, when an unexpected hospital visit reintroduced her to a cafe – The League of Friends – from her time as a young doctor. “That’s where you’d meet people for a cup of tea. It’s where you’d get your chocolate and crisps,” she says. “And it wasn’t always the most smoothly run cafe, but it was run with heart by a crowd of volunteers.” Seeing the queues at newcomer fast-food outlets at the hospital, though, Joanna couldn’t help but fear for its future. “I was really worried about what was going to happen to the cafe and volunteers,” she says. “Were people going to desert them in droves? And this idea just grew that I didn’t think the volunteers would take kindly to this new development, and would come up with something ingenious to save their cafe.”
Which is exactly the task she set for her tea ladies, played out in thought-provoking fashion across such topics as family ties and the wisdom – or sometimes lack thereof – that comes with age. One thing’s for certain. If the boss at St Jude’s thinks they’re going quietly, he’s about to learn that you don’t hit older age without learning a little bit about skulduggery. And yes, there are scones – just not how you’d expect.