Many baby boomers, especially those of us who are closer to 70 years of age now than we are to 60, are caretakers of our parents. Some of those eighty-and-ninety-something-year-olds live with one of their children and some of them are living in assisted living facilities or in nursing homes. Clyde Edgerton’s Lunch at the Piccadilly focuses on the group dynamic of life in one of these facilities, the Rosehaven Convalescence Center in little Listre, North Carolina. Carl Turnage became a regular at Rosehaven Convalescence when Lil Olive, his favorite aunt, took up residence there. When, as a still relatively young woman, Lil realized she would never have children of her own, she decided to pour all of her affection for children Carl’s way. And Carl, who considered Lil more a second mother than an aunt, reciprocated. Now that his mother is dead, there is no one in the world closer to Carl than Aunt Lil, and he is determined to ease her through her final years.What Carl finds in Rosehaven will make him laugh, make him cry, and change him in ways he never bargained for. As often happens in assisted living facilities, the residents travel in packs of three or four like-minded souls who live primarily to speculate and gossip about everyone else in the building, including occasional visitors. Come to think of it, life in an assisted living facility is a lot like eating in the Junior High lunchroom we all, perhaps not so fondly, remember.Carl has the usual concerns about Lil: how to convince her to hang up her car keys for good, making sure that she takes her medication correctly, making sure that her bills are paid, how to add a little variety to her day, how to find enough time to visit her the way she deserves to be visited, etc. And then L. Ray Flowers, a charismatic, guitar-playing, part-time preacher comes to Rosehaven for physical therapy. Soon, L. Ray and Lil’s group of four have hatched up plans to form a national movement that would do away with nursing homes by moving the elderly residents into churches where they would be cared for by church members. L. Ray likes to call these new facilities “nurches.”But life goes on. And minds slip. And people come and go. And when they go, they go for good.Lunch at the Piccadilly, despite its setting, is not a sad novel. Assisted living facilities are filled with humor and good times, and with people who are content with this stage of their lives. Of course, there are a few chronically unhappy residents and others whose minds have slipped beyond the point of knowing exactly where they are most days. But the beautiful thing is that they have each other for support and how much happier they all are as a result. Clyde Edgerton has largely captured the atmosphere that I see most every time that I visit my 93-year-old father. He has been in a facility for over six years, and I have come to know many of his friends during that time. Yes, it is an ever-changing cast of friends, but they are teaching me what to expect for myself later on -and reminding me to live life to the fullest while I can. This is a beautiful little book.
This is the first Clyde Edgerton novel I've ever read and it was quite good. Actually, funny, endearing and full of opinionated seniors who live in a Nursing Home.From back cover:"Welcome to the Rosehaven Convalescence Center in beautiful Listre, North Carolina. Recuperating after a recent fall, Lil Olive sits on the front porch, chitchatting with and rocking right alongside the regulars. There's tiny Maudie Lowe, with her cane that seems too tall; Beatrice Satterwhite, whose fancy three-wheeled walker is a Cadillac among Chevrolets; Clara Cochran, who cusses as frequently as she takes a breath; and L. Ray Flowers, the freelance preacher who strums a mean guitar, and who reveals his dream of forming a national movement to unite churches and nursing homes ("Nurches of America"). Keeping a watchful eye on them all is Carl, Lil's middle-aged bachelor nephew, with a heart of gold and the patience of a saint. But Lil is restless, eager to get back to her own apartment. She wants some adventure. And before long, tranquil Rosehaven is turned upside down."
What do You think about Lunch At The Piccadilly (2004)?
A fun read set at the Rosehaven Convalescence Center in North Carolina. Most of the time they sit out out on the porch and talk about each other. Aunt Lil is there because of a recent fall and is anxious to go back to her apartment and to drive again. Her Nephew Carl visits quite often and takes her to lunch at the Piccidilly, a true Southern buffet. He is even brave enough to take three of the ladies shoe shopping. Brother flowers, an evangelical preacher has a plan to combine nursing homes and churches. he recuits Carl to help with the music. Lil gets restless and steals a car and the girls go on a joyride. You might want to skip pages 122 and 123-too much detail.
—Margaret
When I first ordered this book from the library I thought it was going to be based in London, England since it’s called “Lunch at the Piccadilly”, so I was in for quite a surprise when I started reading and it was about a nursing home in the southern US! Misplaced expectations aside I was surprised by how much I really enjoyed this book. I don’t have any experience as a caretaker for an older relative so I’ve never really thought about the issues and the guilt surrounding that position. I think Edgerton did an excellent job of conveying Carl’s position as caretaker for his only surviving relative – his favourite aunt Lil. The relationship between the two was enough to encourage me to phone my own grandmother more often! There were definitely humorous parts to this story, but I mostly found myself feeling sad and wishing for more time. I really enjoyed how Edgerton would switch in an instant whose perspective she was writing in, so the reader got a chance to view the situation from a variety of vantage points – Carl, Anna and other nursing home staff members, and various patients. I think this is an excellent read for older adults, but some young ones, like me, will also enjoy it if they keep an open mind and heart.
—Mallory
For anyone reading these, a note: I'm penning these reviews to help me with my writing -- what I like, don't like, what stays with me after a read. Maybe it will help you too. I found this title on a reading list for a writing seminar in Wisconsin that I didn't attend (a good place for recommendations!) This is the story of a middle-aged bachelor, Carl, who patiently looks after his Aunt Lil at a convalescent center. Aunt Lil wants to go home and not give up driving. (A side note: Lilly and Carl were my parents' names. Hmmm. Wonder what that means?) What is different about this book is to have the setting and most characters be elderly. What's also interesting is how the songs Carl talks about and writes throughout the book are all listed at the back. Also that Carl's high-pitched voice and his attempt to bring it lower is his weakness and vulnerable point that makes us care about him.
—Gail Jeidy
