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4.16 AVERAGE
4.16 AVERAGE
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked the premise of this book and thought the characters, especially Hubert and Ashleigh, were sweet. I liked the flashbacks to Hubert and Joyce's life together. As the present-day story got further along the campaign against loneliness plot got a little far-fetched for me. The twist that Hubert's daughter Rose had died five years ago was very sudden and didn't match the cheerful, cozy vibe the rest of the story had up to that point. And I wish we had gotten resolution about Hubert's son David, even just a scene of the two of them talking one last time. Overall it's a sweet book about finding unexpected friends and building community.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Xenophobia
Minor: Addiction, Death, Dementia
Easy, cozy read. It gets a little preachy at parts re the loneliness epidemic, and comparing it to A Man Called Ove set a high bar that I felt it fell rather short of. But still a solid book with a fun ensemble of characters. And a cat!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
After losing his wife, Hubert must navigate his way out of loneliness after his daughter, who’s living in Australia, tells him she’s coming to visit.
And so begins the story of how Hubert, who’s lied to his daughter about his full life, goes about ending his loneliness. With the help of his new neighbour Ashlee, a single mum who’s moved from Wales, they set about helping all the lonely people.
And so begins the story of how Hubert, who’s lied to his daughter about his full life, goes about ending his loneliness. With the help of his new neighbour Ashlee, a single mum who’s moved from Wales, they set about helping all the lonely people.
I wasn’t a big fan of this one. The plot was an improbable version of an “isolated curmudgeonly elderly person reluctantly finds a community with a mismatched cast of characters and their heart grew two sizes that day.” This has been done so many times, and generally better (for example, The Love Story of Missy Carmichael and A Man Called Ove).
The characters were poorly drawn cliches, with the women done particularly badly. The “twist” at about 3/4 through was just silly (and also done to death). I
The characters were poorly drawn cliches, with the women done particularly badly. The “twist” at about 3/4 through was just silly (and also done to death). I
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book took my breath away!! I loved every second of it. I can’t remember the last time I sobbed so much, it was such a beautiful, heartbreaking and bittersweet read. I’d give it 6 ⭐️’s if I could.
I will never forget Hubert, Gus & all the other incredible characters along the way. This tackles so many important topics including the loneliness epidemic, ageing, addiction, racism, grief - the list goes on. I’ll never be the same again
I will never forget Hubert, Gus & all the other incredible characters along the way. This tackles so many important topics including the loneliness epidemic, ageing, addiction, racism, grief - the list goes on. I’ll never be the same again
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
Sweet, sad tale. Beggars belief inability to recognize friends, and Jamaican accent difficult to adjust to.
Do yourself a solid and get the audiobook! The reader is great with accents!
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced