

Thu, 07 May
|Readings Emporium
Launch: When Lemons Give You Life
Join us to celebrate the launch of When Lemons Give You Life by Anna Johnston
Time & Location
07 May 2026, 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Readings Emporium, Shop 1 - 016/287 Lonsdale St, Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia
About The Event
We are delighted to celebrate a new book by Anna Johnston, bestselling author of The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife.
When Lemons Give You Life follows retired Michelin-star chef Griff Barlow, who has lost his appetite. He’s done with grief, guilt and the beige slop they dare call food at Sunny Glen Aged Care Facility, where he now resides. Life’s given him all the lemons he can handle – so he breaks into the nursing home kitchen to bake himself one last tart. It’s supposed to be his final meal, but the act of cooking stirs a dormant joy. Soon, he’s regularly sneaking in after dark, serving up flavour and comfort to his fellow residents. Yet behind the apron is a lie so big it could destroy the one thing he has left to protect ...
A sharply funny, heart-stirring novel about rediscovering joy when life has lost its flavour.