The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

I'm a fan of the DVD so was excited to read the book. It's a fun account of a number of retired people who decide against going to a 'home' in the UK but choose to go to a hotel in India instead.

There's a real mix of characters, all with different stories, including a retired BBC career woman, a middle class couple who are very well-travelled, a randy elderly man, and a working class pensioner from the East End who has been mugged.

The one thing they all have in common is the loneliness of old age. Some hide it better than others, but it's ever present.

Thrown together at the Marigold Hotel, they form a tight knit community where they are free to be themselves.

Hinduism is mentioned from time-to-time but not in a way that is uncomfortable or intrusive to the story line.

I'm glad I saw the film before reading the book (I pretty-much always prefer book over film).

It was an enjoyable read and I'm happy to award it 4*.