For Margot, life has always been about looking after those around her.

With a family often in crisis, there has been no time to explore her own future and what she wants from it – writing a book and having it published.

Dot, meanwhile, is still campaigning for a better life for women but this mission has lost its sense of direction. Until, that is, she meets a young woman who enlists her help.

This is a story about the choices we make in life. A story about women and how they deal with getting older. They struggle with the everyday while trying to give themselves the freedom to finally be who they really are.

Last Chance Café is well written and an easy read. While I can’t necessarily relate to the exact point in time in which these older women find themselves, I can certainly relate to the fears that come with ageing and the concept of losing physical beauty to the passing of time.

Verdict: A nice mix of characters who at first seem so different but manage to find common ground in the end. This is a good glimpse into the life of the woman who finds herself suddenly older and unable to account precisely for the passage of time. 

Last Chance Café, by Liz Byrski, is published by Pan Macmillan Australia, Price $32.99.

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