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This was such an emotional and heartwarming read. Albert‘s story really hit close to home, and I found myself tearing up throughout most of the book. I loved Albert‘s relationship with Nicole, his coworkers, Edith, and the people he meets along the way on his quest to find George. The narrator was phenomenal and I agree this is a good book for Backman fans, even if it was a bit sappy and a bit too long. I‘m sad it took me so long to start!

Albert has spent his whole life hiding who he is til his upcoming forced retirement (& a significant loss) prompt him to make some changes. Soon he's connecting w his coworkers, dressing better, & searching for a lost love. He makes a connection w 19 year old single mom Nicole who is grappling w a difficult situation with her boyfriend & they help each other in ways both practical & emotional. A couple quibbles (spoiler comment) but it's a pick.

How heartbreaking. Albert is giving me all the feels.🥺

As postman Albert Entwistle approaches compulsory retirement memories haunt him of the love he lost as a teenager. After all these years can he reconnect and find forgiveness?

The book does come close to suggesting that if you are not much of a people person it's because of bullying or other bad experiences. Nevertheless it is a feel-good romance that wears its heart on its sleeve and sucks you in, so I had a good time reading it.

#coffeeandabook

If you enjoyed A Man Called Ove, you‘ll probably like this novel. A tad too twee, but the message is a good one.

Cute second-chance romance
When 65-year-old Albert gets told he‘s being forced to retire, his cat passes away, and he spends yet another Christmas alone, he decides to make some changes in his life. Starting with finding the boy he loved when he was 16.
He finally opens up to the people around him and finds a community that welcomes him with open arms.

The protagonist of this book is so introverted at the start of this book, that I almost put it down. I like a little more of a bad ass character. But, I‘m glad I stuck with it. Once he gets news of his upcoming forced retirement, he realizes how stagnant he‘s become and decides to search for his one love of 50 years past. It‘s charming as he forges friendships and the sense of community it brings and the changed attitudes of LGBT+ since the 70‘s

Our January book club pick and a really good one. It was heartwarming and emotional. A lovely comforting read for this time of year

#adventrecommends

@emilyrose_x

About to turn 65, Albert realises his padlocked closet door has left him friendless and miserable. He sets about making new connections and tracking down his one and only love from 50 years before. I wanted to like this more than I did. It stretched my ability to suspend disbelief a bit too far.

Enjoyed this story of a soon to retire postie and how the doom of retirement shows him who he really is.

Moving story of gay men in the 1970s and how the LGBTQ+ community changed within the last 50 years.

While searching for George, Albert found himself. This story reminded me of Ove, Arthur Pepper & the movie Letters To Juliet with a Great Britain LGBTQ+ history thrown in.

A really sweet and tragic story about Albert, who had to give up love bc of the homophobia rampant in the fifties. Now he's about to retire and realizes that the times are different and maybe it's not too late to be himself. Very cute and heartbreaking, mostly follows Albert's story but we also follow Nicole's story, which tbh felt less developed #pridemonth #gay

Rounding out Pride Month: A Hallmark Movie in a book. Albert Entwistle is a postman in northern England, who has been in the closet since he was a teenager. His pending mandatory retirement at age 65 is the jolt that starts him on a quest to find George, who he once loved, and who loved him. Despite the Hallmark comment, and the fact that it's overlong I really enjoyed it. And, I admit I teared up at the end.

Full review: https://bit.ly/3Nw5f6u

This was a 3.5⭐️ audiobook for me but if I read it on paper it might have been lower 😕. The voice actor is fabulous and the LGBTQ rep is wonderful, but there are overly sentimental passages and lots of direct statement of feelings/hitting you over the head with how you‘re supposed to feel in a moment. Plus, I get bothered by the use of a sick person as a “lesson” or prop (midway thru book). Just not my favorite if you only see a character once.

This loner-senior-finally-blossoming saga is a pleasant, if predictable, story. Publication is expected May 31. Read my full review here: https://debbybrauer.org/#the-secret-life-of-albert-entwistle

#NetGalley #RBMedia #TheSecretLifeofAlbertEntwistle

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC audiobook for an honest review! First impression: if you are at all interested in this book, you must get it on audiobook! The vocal actor is AMAZING and the British accent is a must!!

5 stars for its handling of one basic message: you are never too old to make new choices in how you live your life. Being now in my mid-50s, I‘ve found less and less of that messaging seems directed to my generation and those older than me. The strength of this book is it unpacks everything that goes along with making a wholesale change of perspective late in life – at the age of retirement in Albert‘s case. Thanks to #Netgalley for the #ARC.

“Albert Entwistle was a postman.“

#FirstLineFridays

@ShyBookOwl

Sweet and heart warming, this is the perfect read for a sunny Sunday. I enjoyed Albert‘s journey from an anxious man with little left in his life to enjoy to a man that has the courage to put himself out there, enjoy the little joys of life and above all, recognise some hard truths about himself. But underneath it all, there‘s also a story of hiding oneself, of never living one‘s life because of fear, judgement and repercussions.

When I started this, I thought it would be a five-star read for sure. I thought Albert would be a less grumpy and more anxious #AManCalledOve. However, the constant need of the author to unnecessarily spell out everyone‘s thoughts quickly got annoying, and I felt myself lose interest and had to force myself through the last ~100 pages.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

#novel #kindle #thesecretlifeofalbertentwistle