DAYS LIKE THESE
In the new novel from the author of Losing Me, one woman is about to discover what happens when you take the “grand” out of “grandma.”
Recently widowed, Judy Schofield jumps at the chance to look after her two grandchildren for six weeks while their parents are out of the country. After all, she’s already raised her own daughter—and quite successfully, if she may say so herself. But all it takes is a few days of private school functions, helicopter parents, video games, and never-ending Frozen sing-alongs for Judy to feel she’s in over her head.
In the new novel from the author of Losing Me, one woman is about to discover what happens when you take the “grand” out of “grandma.”
Recently widowed, Judy Schofield jumps at the chance to look after her two grandchildren for six weeks while their parents are out of the country. After all, she’s already raised her own daughter—and quite successfully, if she may say so herself. But all it takes is a few days of private school functions, helicopter parents, video games, and never-ending Frozen sing-alongs for Judy to feel she’s in over her head.
As weeks become months, Judy feels more and more like an outsider among all the young mothers with their parenting theories du jour, especially when she gets on the wrong side of the school’s snooty alpha mom. But finding a friend in another grandmother—and a man who takes her mind off all the stress—almost makes it worthwhile. She just needs to take it one incomprehensible homework assignment and one major meltdown at a time…
- Berkley
- Paperback
- December 2016
- 368 Pages
- 9780451471857
Buy the Book
$15.00
About Sue Margolis
Sue Margolis was a radio reporter for fifteen years before turning to novel writing. She lives in England.
Praise
“Employs irreverent, sharp-witted prose while tackling serious issues…Fans of Nancy Thayer, Cecelia Ahern, and Marian Keyes will devour this tale of middle-aged loss and second chances and laugh out loud while doing so.”—Library Journal
“A fascinating look at what happens when your entire life shifts just when you feel you’re all settled in…a vivid, inspiring and often funny read.”—RT Book Reviews
Discussion Questions
1. As the novel opens, Abbey is insisting that her mother try to move on after the death of her husband. Do you think that Abbey is being reasonable? Is she asking too much too soon? Do we, as a society, put too much pressure on the bereaved in terms of “moving on”?
2. When the earthquake strikes, Abbey and Tom ask Judy if she could look after their children while they go to Nicaragua to help the injured. Judy agrees. Even though it works out fine for her in the end, do you think her decision was foolhardy? Do you think her daughter and her husband were being selfish?
3. Abbey and Tom want their son to be a chess champ. They are pushing both children to do many after school activities so they get into good colleges. Do you think the parents are right, or are children pushed too much these days?
4. Judy doesn’t want the children to find out about the horrors of the Nazi period. Her mother, who came out of Germany as a refugee on one of the Kindertransports takes a different view and ends up scaring her granddaughter. Should young children always be protected, or should they be made aware – so long as it’s done with care – that the world isn’t always a good place?
5. After the fireworks incident, Judy’s grandson, Sam, says that he wants nothing more to do with Mason and Tyler. This threatens Judy’s friendship with Ginny. What would you do in these circumstances?
6. Do you sympathize with the way that Judy rejects Mike’s advances at first?
7. Judy supports Sam when he is falsely accused. Do you admire that? Do you think that in real life parents blindly support their children too often and that it leads to conflict among parents? Should parents be more ready to accept that their children are in the wrong sometimes?
8. Mike doesn’t want to take sides with Judy over their grandchildren. But in the end, he does and they end up at odds. Could they have done more to prevent this?