Lunch at the Piccadilly

Finding gentle humor in a nursing home setting is a gift Clyde Edgerton has utilized beautifully and lovingly in this book. Amusingly outré characters (always an Edgerton watermark) thrive at life's end in an all-too-real warehouse for the elderly and infirm. There's even a quirky preacher (not at all in the southern fundamentalist tradition) with a mildly sordid past and the grand idea of combining churches and nursing homes into one institution and inviting all faiths to participate. His small sermons throughout the novel are a definite high point as are the songs he composes with protagonist Carl during visits to his dying aunt. Again as with all Edgerton tales, the dialogue and descriptions redole Southern grace and charm. Readers of earlier Edgerton such as RANEY, WALKING ACROSS EGYPT, and THE FLOATPLANE NOTEBOOKS know what to expect and will delight in this work, which to new readers, will serve splendidly as an introduction. If you enjoy gentle humor, well-written, such as is found in the novels of Miss Read, Philip Gulley, and Jan Karon, you'll like Edgerton too.

If you're a fan of literature that captures dialogue, settings, and people (think McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD or Flagg's FRIED GREEN TOMATOES) then this is the book for you. Edgerton's ear for dialect and inflection is unsurpassed and this funny, charming, irreverant, and wonderful look at human nature is not to be missed. Highly recommended.

What a wonderful idea! Those of us with aged parents know how often loneliness is mentioned as a component of their lives. L.Ray Flowers and Lil and friends come up with an idea to cure that loneliness-unite the churches and nursing homes-think globally, act locally.Edgerton has created a group of old people with spunk and humor and love of life. He has given Lil's nephew, Carl, the patience and kindness to truly spend real time with his aunt and her friends. The description of Carl bringing his Aunt back from "jail in South Carolina" should be read by everyone who is called upon to care for an elderly person. It is a model of humor, creativeness and love.

I cannot remember when I've gained so much wisdom from such a small novel. In his first book in several years, Clyde Edgerton tells a haunting tale of Aunt Lil, her nephew Carl and L. Ray Flowers along with several other memorable characters, several who "live" at Rosehaven Convalescence Center in Listre, North Carolina. The time is the present; the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou" is still playing at the local theatre. The themes are timeless, however: old age with all its problems and sorrows, missed opportunities, the ills of fundamentalist religion, the warehousing of those who can no longer look after themselves--and trite as it may seem-- the redeeming power of both music and love.Truth breaks through on every page. Homecooked, delicious meals have been replaced by cafeteria lunches and/or-- heaven help us-- fast food chains. On religion, Reverend L. Ray wonders why the local Baptist church sends missionaries to Alaska , England and South Africa. "It seems like church members often have a desparate need to be unaware of the local needs of the local wrecks of local women stacked along the local grim halls of local nursing homes, places in conditions far sadder than merry Rosehaven--places like Shady Rest." (All too soon L. Ray will witness firsthand the awfulness of Shady Rest.) Then there is the sad truth of the lot of women like Aunt Lil, women who because of their age and community, had their entire lives determined by whom they selected for a husband. Neither Aunt Lil nor her friends got out of a bad marriages. "Until death do us part" was taken quite literally, often to women's great detriment. Edgerton with much grace and compassion depicts the truth of these women like Lil-- they always outlive their spouses-- who are in out and of nursing homes and often in and out of reality because of advancing dementia. Sure, the author makes much gentle humor of Aunt Lil's driving skills or lack thereof. But she also says on a rare visit to her old apartment, "I used to come home. . . Now I visit home." She describes life in a nursing home as "life after life." Finally it is no accident that the novel ends with Carl, who is an altogether decent man, feeding the words to L. Ray of one of the saddest bluegrass songs ever written, "Rank Stranger."This gem of a novel with make you smile, even laugh out loud in places, but be careful. It will ultimately break your heart, particularly if you have just spoken to a parent who isn't sure what day of the week it is or who talks to you about you in the third person.One final note: Mr. Edgerton has Reverend Flowers come up with the plan to unite churches and nursing homes as one where "The First Breakfast" would be served instead of "The Last Supper." While this may be a novel idea, Messers Edgerton and Flowers have been trumped by a progressive thinking Presbyterian congregation in Atlanta that has turned their sanctuary into a dormitory for homeless men during the week. On Sundays volunteers come in and r

Lunch at the Piccadilly is an impossibility: Edgerton manages to create a nursing home environment that sounds downright like fun, even a place you might want to settle in for a stay sometime. This master of humor (esp of the Southern border state variety), makes the halls of Rosehaven Convalescent Home ring with laughter, debate, religious fervor, and general hilarity. Maudie Lowe and Beatrice Satterwhite can't agree on whether Clara removes her glass eyeball at night. Lil Olive won't give up her driving license. Period. I still think Walking Across Egypt and Raney are Edgerton's best ones ever, but Lunch at the Piccadilly is pushing at the gates, close on their heels.You'll love it. If by some bizarre chance you haven't read Edgerton before, you have a rare treat in store.