The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker
Reviewed By Janet Mawdesley October 29, 2019
Author Joanna Nell
Distributor: Hachette Australia
ISBN: 9780733640377
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Release Date: Ocotber 2019
Website: https://www.hachette.com.au
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In this enchanting look at growing older, Joanna Nell has, in The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker, crafted a love story that transcends all the minor and major issues associated with the inevitability of aging, fading memory and all! We meet Mrs Henry Parker as she boards the Golden Sunset, making sure she puts her right foot first on board, as placing the left foot first is considered by mariners as bad luck.
Welcomed back onboard from change around day spent on shore, the staff make sure she is comfortable and heading the right direction to get to her cabin safely, but something is not right. Where is Henry? He is always by her side, but perhaps he has been called away and will return soon.
Dr Henry Parker, retired ships Doctor, was always having to attend some medical situation with a passenger, even though he had retired some years ago, but when she safely reaches their cabin, things do not seem to be quite right. Her beloved blue bedspread is in stark contrast to the new decor, her things are where they are ways are, but when she goes to the wardrobe to select her gown for dinner, apart from several jackets of Henry’s, his clothes are missing.
So, begins the adventures of Mrs Henry Parker, as she sets out to discover just what has a happened to her beloved husband, Henry. She comes to the conclusion something drastic must have happened to him and embarks on what she thinks is a secret mission to try and find him, creating something very like mayhem as she investigates the Golden Sunset from bow to stern, leaving no space untouched.
She can remember things from years before; meeting and falling in love with Henry, giving up her much love career of midwifery to be a ships Doctors’ wife, sailing the oceans of the world, the trauma of losing their first child and so much more, so why, she asks herself, can’t she remember what happened last night. And where is Henry?
Misadventures, time old wisdom, nightclubs, casinos and wonderful new friends are there to enchant, beguile and wrap around the warm-hearted Evelyn, as she recounts to the many new friends she makes, so many of the wonderful events of her life, retrieved from a fast a fading past and memory.
Heart-warming, funny and often a little too close to the bone for comfort, with characters who come alive on the page, The Last Voyage of Mrs Henry Parker is an absolute delight.