Baxters Requiem by Matthew Crow - Review and Blog Tour
Baxters Requiem by Matthew Crow
Follow the Blog Tour here on Beadyjans Books for the heartwarming new book by Matthew Crow entitled Baxters Requiem which I have read, loved and reviewed.
If you're looking for a genuinely uplifting, sweet and captivating book, please consider Baxters Requiem - it's just adorable.
My Review
Baxters Requiem is a gentle and heartwarming tale of thwarted love and dealing with loss.
Perfect for fans of Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon, it’s about an elderly man, the eponymous Baxter who in his twilight years decides he must have one last attempt to say goodbye to the one true love of his life. In doing so he forges new friendships, and helps a young man come to terms with his own grief.
I found it a quick and easy read, which I galloped through, enjoying every word. Simple yet meaningful, hauntingly beautiful and a real testament to companionship and self-forgiveness.
Baxter himself is a delight, irascible, humorous and forthright at the age of 94, having reluctantly allowed himself to be admitted to Melrose Gardens nursing home where the residents are in turn doddery yet full of life.
Greg is a typical 19-year-old of the “whatever” generation, he is at a los and ends up working at Melrose Gardens as an interim measure just to get out of his fathers way. The two men just can’t understand each other as poles apart Father and son try to deal with the sudden and senseless death of Gregs younger brother.
Baxter sees a glimmer of potential in Greg and enrols his help in a seemingly ill-advised crazy venture, to France, to visit war graves and pay tribute to Thomas, the man he waved farewell to, more than half a lifetime ago, yet has never really said goodbye to.
Greg is a real enigma, described as surly and shy, a lad of few words I found him perspicacious and actually rather eloquent, quite lovable and I just wanted to mother him.
Even the secondary characters are sublime.
The unstoppable Winnie, cherished lifelong friend of Baxter, charges through life in her motorised disability scooter, imbibing too much alcohol, being the best friend imaginable and the worst influence possible.
Suzanne who tries to run a tight ship at Melrose but turns a blind eye now and again to Baxters antics and Jamila, reluctant receptionist in the family business which is the care home who daydreams her way through her work, an eyebrow tattoo pen grasped between her immaculate blinged-up nails and a glint of romance in her well-outlined eye.
Baxters requiem is a joy to read for anyone of any age. It blends teen angst with the frustration of old age, poignancy with fun and shows that no matter what age you are it’s never too late to do something meaningful.
My thanks go to RandomThingsTours for inviting me to participate in the blog tour, thus introducing me to Baxter and this wonderful book.
The Blurb
A tender, witty, uplifting story about friendship, family and community written with great humour that will appeal to fans of Rachel Joyce, Ruth Hogan and Joanna Cannon.
Let me tell you a story, about a man I knew, and a man I know...
Mr Baxter is ninety-four years old when he falls down his staircase and grudgingly finds himself resident at Melrose Gardens Retirement Home.
Baxter is many things - raconteur, retired music teacher, rabble-rouser, bon viveur - but 'good patient' he is not. He had every intention of living his twilight years with wine, music and revelry; not tea, telly and Tramadol. Indeed, Melrose Gardens is his worst nightmare - until he meets Gregory.
At only nineteen years of age, Greg has suffered a loss so heavy that he is in danger of giving up on life before he even gets going.
Determined to save the boy, Baxter decides to enlist his help on a mission to pay tribute to his long-lost love, Thomas: the man with whom he found true happiness; the man he waved off to fight in a senseless war; the man who never returned. The best man he ever knew.
With Gregory in tow, Baxter sets out on a spirited escape from Melrose, bound for the war graves of Northern France. As Baxter shares his memories, the boy starts to see that life need not be a matter of mere endurance; that the world is huge and beautiful; that kindness is strength; and that the only way to honour the dead, is to live.
Baxter's Requiem is a glorious celebration of life, love and seizing every last second we have while we're here.
The Author
Matthew Crow was born and raised in Newcastle. Having worked as a freelance journalist since his teens he has contributed to a number of publications including the Independent on Sunday and the Observer. He has written for adults and YA. His book My Dearest Jonah, was nominated for the Dylan Thomas Prize.
Follow the Blog Tour here on Beadyjans Books for the heartwarming new book by Matthew Crow entitled Baxters Requiem which I have read, loved and reviewed.
If you're looking for a genuinely uplifting, sweet and captivating book, please consider Baxters Requiem - it's just adorable.
My Review
Baxters Requiem is a gentle and heartwarming tale of thwarted love and dealing with loss.
Perfect for fans of Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon, it’s about an elderly man, the eponymous Baxter who in his twilight years decides he must have one last attempt to say goodbye to the one true love of his life. In doing so he forges new friendships, and helps a young man come to terms with his own grief.
I found it a quick and easy read, which I galloped through, enjoying every word. Simple yet meaningful, hauntingly beautiful and a real testament to companionship and self-forgiveness.
Baxter himself is a delight, irascible, humorous and forthright at the age of 94, having reluctantly allowed himself to be admitted to Melrose Gardens nursing home where the residents are in turn doddery yet full of life.
Greg is a typical 19-year-old of the “whatever” generation, he is at a los and ends up working at Melrose Gardens as an interim measure just to get out of his fathers way. The two men just can’t understand each other as poles apart Father and son try to deal with the sudden and senseless death of Gregs younger brother.
Baxter sees a glimmer of potential in Greg and enrols his help in a seemingly ill-advised crazy venture, to France, to visit war graves and pay tribute to Thomas, the man he waved farewell to, more than half a lifetime ago, yet has never really said goodbye to.
Greg is a real enigma, described as surly and shy, a lad of few words I found him perspicacious and actually rather eloquent, quite lovable and I just wanted to mother him.
Even the secondary characters are sublime.
The unstoppable Winnie, cherished lifelong friend of Baxter, charges through life in her motorised disability scooter, imbibing too much alcohol, being the best friend imaginable and the worst influence possible.
Suzanne who tries to run a tight ship at Melrose but turns a blind eye now and again to Baxters antics and Jamila, reluctant receptionist in the family business which is the care home who daydreams her way through her work, an eyebrow tattoo pen grasped between her immaculate blinged-up nails and a glint of romance in her well-outlined eye.
Baxters requiem is a joy to read for anyone of any age. It blends teen angst with the frustration of old age, poignancy with fun and shows that no matter what age you are it’s never too late to do something meaningful.
My thanks go to RandomThingsTours for inviting me to participate in the blog tour, thus introducing me to Baxter and this wonderful book.
The Blurb
A tender, witty, uplifting story about friendship, family and community written with great humour that will appeal to fans of Rachel Joyce, Ruth Hogan and Joanna Cannon.
Let me tell you a story, about a man I knew, and a man I know...
Mr Baxter is ninety-four years old when he falls down his staircase and grudgingly finds himself resident at Melrose Gardens Retirement Home.
Baxter is many things - raconteur, retired music teacher, rabble-rouser, bon viveur - but 'good patient' he is not. He had every intention of living his twilight years with wine, music and revelry; not tea, telly and Tramadol. Indeed, Melrose Gardens is his worst nightmare - until he meets Gregory.
At only nineteen years of age, Greg has suffered a loss so heavy that he is in danger of giving up on life before he even gets going.
Determined to save the boy, Baxter decides to enlist his help on a mission to pay tribute to his long-lost love, Thomas: the man with whom he found true happiness; the man he waved off to fight in a senseless war; the man who never returned. The best man he ever knew.
With Gregory in tow, Baxter sets out on a spirited escape from Melrose, bound for the war graves of Northern France. As Baxter shares his memories, the boy starts to see that life need not be a matter of mere endurance; that the world is huge and beautiful; that kindness is strength; and that the only way to honour the dead, is to live.
Baxter's Requiem is a glorious celebration of life, love and seizing every last second we have while we're here.
The Author
Matthew Crow was born and raised in Newcastle. Having worked as a freelance journalist since his teens he has contributed to a number of publications including the Independent on Sunday and the Observer. He has written for adults and YA. His book My Dearest Jonah, was nominated for the Dylan Thomas Prize.
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