Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Leisure Seeker


The Leisure Seeker

Michael Zadoorian

5 out of 5

Though this could have easily fallen into the “oh, poor me” genre of books, The Leisure Seeker redeems my faith in the ability of hitting a life experience head on and living what time you have left right between the eyes .

Yeah for John and Ella Robina, both in their eighties and both with end of life illnesses. After being married for more than fifty years Ella has decided to end her cancer treatments, her horserace soliloquy is hysterical, and John has Alzheimer’s. Ella decides that they need one more adventure, one more chance to be alive before they die, so she packs up the RV (a Leisure Seeker) and they head from Michigan to California. Their goal is to drive Route 66, remember their lives, and end up at Disneyland, the happiest place on earth.

Against their adult children’s wishes they kidnap themselves and head out. John still remembers how to drive and Ella is darn handy with a map, as long as her difficult periods can be contained by pain medication.

And adventure they have, often laugh out loud funny, these two “down-on-their-luck geezers” take on what most would be too terrified to do. With humor, though sometimes darker then you would expect, and a whole lot of gusto, this dynamic duo take on the ride of their lives.

To say that the end is an OMG moment is an understatement. I love this couple and the life lessons that they have taught me along the way. I just wish that when I am this age I have the courage to be Ella and have the adventure of my life.

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