Paradise Lodge

By: Nina Stibbe

Narrated by: Helen Baxendale

A delightful story of growing up, getting old, and every step in between, from the acclaimed author of Man at the Helm and Love, Nina.

After succeeding in her quest to help her unconventional mother find a new "man at the helm", 15-year-old Lizzie Vogel simply wants to be a normal teenager. Just when it looks as if things have settled down, her mother goes and has another baby. On top of that, Lizzie's best friend has deserted her for the punk craze, which Lizzie finds too exhausting to commit to herself.

But Lizzie soon gets more commitment than she bargained for when she takes a job as a junior nurse at Paradise Lodge, a ramshackle refuge for the elderly that has seen better days. It's no place for a teenager, much less one with as little experience emptying a bedpan as Lizzie. What begins as a way to avoid school and earn some spending money (for the finer things in life, like real coffee and beer shampoo) quickly turns into the education of a lifetime. Lizzie encounters a colorful cast of eccentric characters - including a nurse determined to turn one of the patients into a husband (and a retirement plan); an efficient but clueless nun trying to modernize the place; and Lizzie's unlikely first love - who become her surrogate family.

When Paradise Lodge faces a crisis in the form of a rival nursing home with enough amenities to make even the comatose jealous, Lizzie must find a way to save her job before she loses the only place she's ever felt she belongs.

A hilarious and heartfelt coming-of-age tale, Paradise Lodge proves that it's never too early - or too late - to grow up.

©2016 Nina Stibbe (P)2016 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"[Narrator Helen] Baxendale expertly recounts the humorous narratives as well as the voices of the diverse elderly residents and nurses.... This perfectly narrated sequel to Man at the Helm can stand on its own." ( AudioFile)

Funny, endearing, well-written

This is my third listen of this book. The combination of Stibbe’s writing and Helen Baxendale’s reading makes for a very enjoyable company. Soothing in a time of crisis. Excellent.

Paradise Lodge is charmingly funny

I first heard a clip of Paradise Lodge on BBC Radio 4 and was so intrigued that I go the audiobook. I love the story, which is about teen Lizzie Vogel's life as she gets her first job being an aid at a convalesce home. I found her character to be very relateable, dealing with her mother, sister, little brother and potential step dad plus the stress of having a job for the first time all the while trying to get a love life. I feel in love with Mike watching her fall for him. But alas, life is not always sweet to us. The novel is a fun and resonates with the antsy, school hating, freedom wanting, teen we all were once. It's about trying to find your way in the world and makes me want to stop being a grown-up. The writing is wonderful and the narration is just perfect. It has become one of my top five audiobooks.

In the spirit of Ove & Harold Frye

This book is very much in the vein of "A Man Called Ove." Features a cast of characters with various flaws and fears, all joined together by a troubled teen Who is wiser than she knows.

Charming.

fun

fun little book...weird characters, some lines that made me smile. great four anglophiles. very british humour.

Love the voice

The authors writing was so good but the voice just really made the story come alive. This overall story wasn't my all time favorite but with the voice work and the great writing skills of the author it was so fun to listen to. Very witty.

Fun, thoughtful and humorous

This author was mentioned in the New York Times. I have listened to all her books so far and look forward to her next one.