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The Gingerbread House
The Gingerbread House: An incredibly honest, humbling and touching tale of one family's struggle with dementia | Kate Beaufoy
4 posts | 3 read | 1 to read
'Moving, honest, and darkly comic.' – Marian Keyes 'Gripping, heartbreaking, funny, surprising.' – Roddy Doyle 'Beautiful, heartbreaking, original, honest, unique.' – Cecelia Ahern Life in the Gingerbread House is no fairy tale... When Tess agrees to move into her aged mother-in-law’s idyllic country cottage, she sees it as the perfect opportunity to escape the distractions of the city and start work on a novel. However, life in the Gingerbread House is no fairy tale. Tess is utterly unprepared for the reality of caring for Eleanor, who suffers from dementia. Feeling increasingly isolated, she struggles to cope as Eleanor fluctuates between violent mood swings, child-like dependency and moments of heart-wrenching lucidity. Meanwhile, Tess’s teenage daughter Katia is helpless to intercede; in the end she can only watch as things fall apart and a tragedy even closer to home surfaces. Heart-breaking and hopeful in equal measure, The Gingerbread House addresses a struggle that many families face with compassion, honesty and a gentle humour that becomes so necessary when coping with the impact of dementia. What readers are saying about The Gingerbread House: 'A small novel, with a huge heart ... Beaufoy has created a stunning and sensual read, which may just break even the hardest of hearts. Highly recommended.' – Margaret Madden, Sunday Independent 'You won’t see the final, heart-rending twist in this taboo-tackling novel until it hits you. And it hits hard.' – The Sunday Post 'Darkly funny.' – Woman’s Own 'A triumph. Darkly moving, beautifully written. A counterpoint to the disturbing them is the deft and beautifully readable prose. Couldn't put it down.' – Pippa James, author of The Secret Life of Lucy Lovecake 'Charming, funny, tender and sad, and devastatingly readable. I will never forget it.' – Hilary Mortz 'Frank and incredibly moving.' – Book-Drunk Blog 'A most original, thought-provoking and all too real story.' – Amazon Reviewer
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Teresereading
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1. Sort my trip photos
2. Getting home #jetlag
3. Gingerbread house/ men
4. A Spark Of Light Jodi Picoult
@talesandtea
#friyayintro
@howjessreads

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Ruby.B
Pickpick

I enjoyed this read although I'm now not looking forward to old age at all.

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nickimags
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Pickpick

I really enjoyed this library book and I'm wondering why I waited so long to read it. I think I was expecting it to be quite depressing so put it off for months, but it was actually quite funny in places and had some great lines in it.

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Forgetmenot
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This is a very thought provoking book it sounds all sweet but the subject matter does make you think. Tess moves in to take care of her mother-in-law for three weeks in an isolated old house. Eleanor is suffering from dementia. This book looks at the issues for both Tess and Eleanor. As a society we are living longer but is that a good thing ?