Reviews with content warning for Dementia - All The Lonely People

Reviews tagging 'Dementia'

All The Lonely People by Mike Gayle

32 reviews

mj_j's review against another edition

4.25

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted 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: Complicated

I was really taken with the characters and the developing relationships.

Content Warnings

christinefitz's review against another edition

5.0

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective 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

Mike Gayle has delighted me again with a sweet but sometimes painful story that had me gasping (more than once). Another pandemic novel, Gayle examines loneliness through 82-year-old Jamaican immigrant Hubert. He’s on a quest to prove to his daughter that he’s got plenty of friends and she shouldn’t worry about him from Australia. Alternating flashback chapters give Hubert’s present circumstances a deeper poignancy. As all my favorites do, this novel turns a group of trauma-inflicted misfits into a real community. A great examination of relationships and aging.

Content Warnings

flowersfordes's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

Content Warnings

dirrtydeenyul's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Wow. This book is so beautiful. Start to finish I was locked in. I gasped, I cried, I questioned everything. This story is thought provoking and a great reminder to hold your people close and to love your neighbor.

Content Warnings

lizziaha's review against another edition

4.0

Group of lonely misfits turned found family waged war against loneliness and Hubert Bird comes to grips with his past. I really enjoyed the beginning half of the book, but the ending fell a little flat for me. The main conflict of the book was not exactly resolved, it was sort of dissolved, which meant there was no payoff for the tension, which didn’t work for me.

Content Warnings

elliemayxox's review against another edition

5.0

emotional hopeful reflective 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

If you like books that will make you sad for all the right reasons this is the one! It gives 'A Man Called Ove' vibes and I'm here for it.

This narrative follows an elderly man called Humbert Bird. In his weekly phonecalls with his daughter, Rose, he paints the picture of a perfect retirement including fun and friends, in reality this is not true. When his daughter announces she is visiting soon so Humbert needs to make his real life as close to his fake life as he can. The story follows as he tries to renew a cherished friendship and joins a community group, will he succeed or will he always be one for those lonely people?

I love the split timelines within the book. It adds tension in just the right places, creating almost a mini cliff hanger, and helps you get to know and love Humbert as a character. It breaks your heart just that bit more when you come to realise his resilience and constant optimism despite the many hurdles he faced when he moved away from his family and country.

I like the ending but I'm still conflicted about it. It was sweet, especially the found family elements and seeing everyone still together and happy. Without giving spoilers, there was simply an element that I'm not entirely sure was necessary, yes it pulls on the heartstrings and the ending would without the element would have read completely different. It just felt a bit cut short, almost as if it was an afterthought, especially as it was a particularly short chapter in the novel.

The way the narrative voice changes to a couple different characters was also quite clever. It really emphasized not only Humbert's sadness and loneliness but also the impact of people choices, but not in a victim blaming way, the characters did what they thought was best in that moment for them, and it felt realistic.

The love between Humbert and Joyce was beautiful as well, very much forbidden love vibes because of the time setting of the novel but they preserved and worked super well a couple. Humbert was truly dedicated to Joyce, and the juxtaposition between Gus the Lady's man and dedicated Humbert further emphasized the strength and love within Humbert and Joyces marriage.

This book really touched my heart and I hope it touches yours. I feel this would be a good match for people who like elderly, lonely characters or if you enjoyed 'A Man Called Ove'. Would possibly work for people who like historical fiction because of the split timelines.

Content Warnings