Ladybird Adrift

4.5/5 ( ratings)

"I can't remember the last time something as trivial as a gray hair had even crossed my mind. We have bigger problems these days. Different transformations."

Claudia "Ladybird" Johnson has always had a difficult life. With her 30th birthday fast approaching, she moves to the city in a desperate attempt to turn it all around. In a short period of time, her basic needs are met--she has new friends, a new job, and a place to live... but she soon realizes that New York City is not the band-aid she thought it would be.

Enter Victor Raines, a kindred spirit 30 years her senior. A professor of literature at Columbia, his confidence draws Claudia in, despite her initial reluctance. As their relationship develops, Claudia discovers a clearer sense of self than she thought possible.

However, as Claudia blossoms, Victor begins to deteriorate. Moody and withdrawn, every day he is less like the man she fell in love with. Together they must struggle to make each moment count... but how long can she keep the fog from closing in?

What Others Are Saying

"Love knows no age barriers, and in Ladybird Adrift, Alison Downs writes a bittersweet novel about love between a younger woman and an older man. As their love grows, so does the realization that a health issue threatens their relationship and happiness. This moving and tender love story highlights the heartbreak of a loved one's descent into Alzheimer's, depicted through the eyes of both victim and caregiver. This book will move every reader's heart as it opens a window into this pitiless illness that has no cure."

-- Lurlene McDaniel, best-selling author of Losing Gabriel: A Love Story

..". gracefully rendered prose ... this is a novel notable for its compassion and authenticity."

-- Walter E. Butts, late poet laureate of New Hampshire

"A beautifully written story about how a chance encounter has the power to transform..."

-- Cindy Dorminy, author of Left Hanging and In a Jam