Lunch at the Piccadilly
By Clyde Edgerton
(Ballantine Books, Paperback, 9780345476784, 288pp.)
Publication Date: September 21, 2004
Categories: Humorous
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Welcome to the Rosehaven Convalescence Center in beautiful Listre, North Carolina. Recuperating after a recent fall, Lil Olive sits on the front porch, chitchatting with and rocking right alongside the regulars. There’s tiny Maudie Lowe with her cane that seems too tall; Beatrice Satterwhite, whose fancy three-wheeled walker is a Cadillac among Chevrolets; Clara Cochran, who cusses as frequently as she takes a breath; and L. Ray Flowers, the freelance preacher who strums a mean guitar, and who reveals his dream of forming a national movement to unite churches and nursing homes (“Nurches of America”). Keeping a watchful eye on them all is Carl, Lil’s middle-age bachelor nephew with a heart of gold and the patience of a saint. But Lil is restless, eager to get back to her own apartment. She wants some adventure. And before long, tranquil Rosehaven is turned upside down. . . .
“Graceful and often painfully funny . . . Among the delights here are the smart dialogue, the pointed satire . .. and most of all, the chorus of idiosyncratic, opinionated characters.”
–The New York Times Book Review
“A DECEPTIVELY SIMPLE TALE THAT BRIMS WITH COMPASSION AND WISDOM, weaving laugh-out-loud set pieces with infinitely tender observations about the human condition. . . . Once again, Edgerton has crafted a little treasure of a novel–funny, wistful, packed with truth and humanity.”
–Charlotte Observer
“[A] Southern tale-spinning master . . . The bonus of the novel is its vintage sense of humor–trademark Edgerton–strewn throughout the story.”
–Rocky Mountain News
“[Edgerton’s] characters’ love of life shines in the joy of their talk, which makes even their sorrows glow with art.”
–The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC)
“A vivid and affecting portrait of the way many of us struggle– and, when possible, take comfort–in the real world.”
–People
“A zany tale about old folks and those who love them . . . Honor and respect abide in this gentle tale of the twilight time.”
–Southern Living
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