The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach is a fantastic book!  I seriously could not put it down!  Don't worry, if you've already seen the movie (which is also excellent by the way!)  The novel is definitely worth reading and very different from the film.

The story is about a group of seniors from England who travel to a retirement community, The Marigold Hotel, in Bangalore, India.  They each come for different reasons, but many of them have found that their retirement savings will not last as long as they had hoped.  The Marigold Hotel promises luxury retirement living with a full staff including an on call doctor (who is not what he appears to be.)  Though the hotel is not quite as luxurious as was promised in the brochure (phones and electricity don't always work and the place is a little shabby) strong friendships are quickly forged and India has a dramatic and profound influence on each of the characters as they begin a new chapter of their lives.

The eccentric British characters are well written, well developed, and thoroughly entertaining.  Norman's character is especially funny.   Norman is a dirty old man who has been thrown out of several retirement homes and now makes life difficult for his daughter and her husband, which is why they decide to send him to The Marigold Hotel.  The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a poignant novel full of humor and the unexpected.

Also by Deborah Moggach: