Der Schreibstil ist einfach und schnörkellos, jedoch auch anschaulich. Viel wörtliche Rede schafft eine lebhafte Atmosphäre.

It’s about a family and a community coming together and rising to become their better selves when a much beloved member of the village gets dementia. It’s funny but also sad – mostly, it’s about love and learning to live in the moment. Have you always wanted to be an author? Peopled with wonderful characters, it's funny, sad, poignant and heart-warming, a tough subject tenderly handled. Have some tissues handy' Choice Magazine

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Kind, happy, warm-hearted Marigold captured my heart from the outset – no-one could help from loving her. Her family are equally engaging – none of them perfect (except perhaps the delightful Dennis) but all strong and resourceful in their own way. Acerbic-tongued Nan struggles most to accept her daughter’s condition, but is always supportive and dizzy Suze rises to the challenge. But it’s Daisy, perhaps, who is affected most. With Luca in the past, and her mother’s needs filling the present and future, it seems her dreams of marriage and a family are in tatters. Her determination to put family responsibility first is admirable. Marigold woont samen met haar man Dennis en dochter Suze in een klein plattelands dorpje waar iedereen elkaar kent. Ook haar negentigjarige moeder, Nana, komt bij hun in huis wonen, thuis alleen red ze niet meer. Wanneer Daisy, de andere dochter van Marigold en Dennis, ook weer thuis komt wonen na een relatie van zes jaar in Milaan wordt het Marigold allemaal teveel. Het lijkt wel of ze al vergeetachtiger wordt, maar iedereen wuift dat weg en zegt dat het bij de leeftijd hoort. Wanneer ze op een gegeven moment echter niet meer in staat is om haar eigen winkel te runnen en de voorbereidingen van Suze haar bruiloft te treffen nemen de zorgen toe. Wat is er toch met haar aan de hand?

Dieses Buch hat mich total überrascht. Ich habe vorher ein paar Rezensionen gelesen, wusste also, was mich erwartet. Anfangs war ich mir nicht sicher, ob es tatsächlich was für mich ist. Dann hat es mich aber regelrecht überrollt.

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Die Autorin versteht es das ernste Thema Demenz mit guter Unterhaltung zu kombinieren. Sie schafft es die Ängste und Hilflosigkeit von Marigold selbst, aber auch von Familie und Freunden authentisch darzustellen, ohne kitschig zu werden. I always wrote stories, becoming an author was a wonderful surprise. I never thought it would happen to me, so I never dreamed about it. I just wrote for pleasure and friends and then one day, aged 25, I sent a manuscript off to agents. Three refused me, one accepted me, the rest is a history of enthusiastic, talented people giving my books wings. Where do you find inspiration? From internationally bestselling author Santa Montefiore—a touching and bittersweet intergenerational story about family and the power of memory. As the family learns to manage this upheaval, Marigold finds herself becoming more forgetful. Initially chalking it up to old age, it soon becomes harder for those who know her to ignore the signs that something else might be behind her forgetfulness. Evocative, emotional and full of life, Here and Now is the most moving book you’ll read this year – from Sunday Times bestselling author Santa Montefiore.

Der Fokus der Geschichte liegt vorwiegend auf Marigold, einer sympathischen, aber auch recht gutmütigen, teils sogar etwas naiv anmutenden Protagonistin. Auch weitere interessante Charaktere, allen voran die Töchter Daisy und Suze, tauchen auf. Ihre Gedanken und Gefühle lassen sich sehr gut nachvollziehen. Er werd gezegd dat dit boek anders zou zijn dan haar normale stijl ( heel romantisch ) dus ik wou het een kans geven maar het is helaas een dikke ‘no go’ geworden voor mij. Het boek gaat over het onderwerp dementie en dan verwacht ik ook dat als het gaat over zo een zwaar onderwerp dat de zwaarte ook in het boek naar voor komt. Helaas pindakaas. a b c d Siobhan Kane (3 August 2013). "Connemara's gift to Santa". Irish Times . Retrieved 5 October 2016. Meanwhile, as Daisy and Suze soak in the familiar comforts of home, they soon discover that their mother isn’t quite the same woman she was a few years ago. Sure, she is still kind-hearted and always willing to help, but something about their mom is different, and it’s becoming harder and harder for the family to ignore. For the first time in their lives, Dennis and his daughters find themselves caring for Marigold rather than the other way around. Sebag and I do bring out the best in each other. I wouldn’t have written if not for him and he might not have written books either, as he was a ladies' man, always chasing girls, but now his home life is stable and sorted. We write in the same house, in separate offices and he helps me with plots. I think you have to be a team. Laughter is everything. Mr Darcy would have been so boring to live with – you don’t want to live with someone who is smouldering all the time.As Marigold learns to live in the now, we are privileged to share her journey, and her precious memories. She may forget, but we’ll never forget her. As Marigold’s condition worsens, for the first time in their lives her family must find ways to care for the woman who has always cared for them. Desperate to show their support, the local community come together to celebrate Marigold, and to show her that losing your memories doesn’t matter, when there are people who will remember them for you . . . Her early childhood and Her years at school". Biography. Santa Montefiore. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011 . Retrieved 5 May 2011. Multi-stranded with atmospheric descriptions and great characters, the enduring message of this story is that love is all that matters: love of family – those still here and those who have passed on – love of friends and love of life in all its imperfections.