I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle Narrator: Ben Onwukwe
Published by Hachette Audio on July 13, 2021
Genres: Fiction
Length: 12 hours 20 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Publisher
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If you loved A Man Called Ove, then prepare to be delighted as Jamaican immigrant Hubert rediscovers the world he'd turned his back on this "warm, funny" novel (Good Housekeeping).
In weekly phone calls to his daughter in Australia, widower Hubert Birdpaints a picture of the perfect retirement, packed with fun, friendship, and fulfillment. But it's a lie. In reality, Hubert's days are all the same, dragging on without him seeing a single soul.
Until he receives some good news—good news that in one way turns out to be the worst news ever, news that will force him out again, into a world he has long since turned his back on. The news that his daughter is coming for a visit.
Now Hubert faces a seemingly impossible task: to make his real life resemble his fake life before the truth comes out.
Along the way Hubert stumbles across a second chance at love, renews a cherished friendship, and finds himself roped into an audacious community scheme that seeks to end loneliness once and for all . . .Life is certainly beginning to happen to Hubert Bird. But with the origin of his earlier isolation always lurking in the shadows, will he ever get to live the life he's pretended to have for so long?
This was fantastic! I decided to read this book because I liked the sound of it and it was better than I could have hoped it would be. I was drawn into this story of Hubert Bird’s life right away and became more and more enthralled as I worked my way through the book. I am so glad that I took a chance on this book!
Hubert Bird is an older gentleman living alone and he rarely sees or talks to anyone except for his cat. Once a week, his daughter calls, and he makes up stories about his life that he believes she wants to hear. When she tells him that she plans to come for a visit and wants to meet all of his friends, he knows he needs to find some friends quickly. Meanwhile, his new neighbor and her little girl seem determined to work their way into his life. Before he knows it, he has a rather active life and is part of a group hoping to end loneliness for everyone.
I love the characters in this book. Hubert immigrated to England from Jamaica as a young man. The racism that he faced was eye-opening. When he meets Joyce and they fall in love, they both went through a lot because of the reaction to their interracial relationship. Hubert goes through a lot of really difficult things over the course of his life and there were times my heart broke from him. The twist took me completely by surprise which was a big point in this book’s favor.
Ben Onwukwe did an amazing job with this book. After listening to this book, I couldn’t imagine experiencing this book in any other way. I really felt like he brought Hubert to life. I loved the accents and the different voices that he used in narrating this story. I thought that he had a very pleasant voice and was able to bring out the emotion in the story.
I would highly recommend this book to others. I found this to be a wonderful story about the life of a man with an interesting story to tell. I definitely plan to read more of this author’s work in the future.
I received a copy of this audiobook from Hachette Audio via Libro.fm.
I am a huge fan of Ove! So glad you found a similar story. I like reading about old people in novels, they’re set in their ways but sometimes, it only takes a simple moment to change the trajectory of their lives. Can’t wait to read this one!
The way you describe it reminds me of Phaedra Patrick’s writing style when it came to older people characters and life struggles. It does sound great and I like that it didn’t shy away from his struggles due to race.
Life fiction is a great read when well done and this sounds well done. So glad you enjoyed it. Fantastic review!
That does sound like a good book. I’m glad you liked it.
This sounds like such an uplifting story. And it sounds like the audio version is the way to go!
I think I read a Mike Gayle almost 20 years ago
This does sound like a book that would be fantastic in audio. I love when the accents and the narrator really bring a book to life. I haven’t heard of this one but you’ve got me curious. It sounds like a wonderful read.