Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
From Nina Stibbe, the acclaimed author of Love, Nina and Man at the Helm comes "another deft helping of absurd social comedy and unconventional wisdom" (Kirkus).
After succeeding in her quest to help her unconventional mother find a new "man at the helm," 15-year old Lizzie Vogel gets more 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. What begins as a way to get spending money (for important items like real coffee and beer shampoo) quickly turns into the education of a lifetime as Lizzie encounters a colorful cast of eccentric characters. But when Paradise Lodge faces a crisis, Lizzie must find a way to save her job before she loses the only place she's ever felt like she belongs. A hilarious, heartfelt coming-of-age tale, PARADISE LODGE proves that it's never too early--or too late--to grow up.
Synopsis
It's 1977, and fifteen-year-old Lizzie Vogel is working in an old people's home. The place is in chaos, and it's not really a suitable job for a schoolgirl - she'd only gone for the job because it seemed too exhausting to commit to being a full-time girlfriend or a punk. She's also distracted by her family's financial troubles, keeping up with schoolwork, and deciding which brand of shampoo to use. When a rival old people's home opens, offering better parking and daily 'chairobics', business at Paradise Lodge takes a turn for the worse, and everyone must chip in to save the home before it's too late - from the crazed Matron, to the assertively shy nurse who only communicates via little grunts, to the very attractive son of the Chinese takeaway manager...