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The Inconvenient Need to Belong
In the summer of 1953, twenty-year-old Alfie steals away from his troubled childhood home in London to start a new life in Exeter. His own life. And at first it's everything he ever dreamed it would be. For the first time in his life Alfie feels like he belongs.
Today, in a care home in the Midlands, eighty-six-year-old Alfie is struggling to come to terms with his dark past.
Alfie's story is one of regret, the mistakes we make, and the secrets even the most unassuming of us can hold. But it is also a story about family, friendship, the things we should treasure and protect, and how the choices we make can shape our lives and the lives of others.
Today, in a care home in the Midlands, eighty-six-year-old Alfie is struggling to come to terms with his dark past.
Alfie's story is one of regret, the mistakes we make, and the secrets even the most unassuming of us can hold. But it is also a story about family, friendship, the things we should treasure and protect, and how the choices we make can shape our lives and the lives of others.
- GenresFiction
294 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 3, 2020
27 people are currently reading
492 people want to read
About the author
Paula Smedley
1 book16 followersPaula Smedley is the debut author of "The Inconvenient Need to Belong", an emotional novel about love, loss and how the choices we make can shape our lives and the lives of others.
She began writing at a very young age, winning acclaim and awards for her poetry and short stories. An extensive traveller, Paula has encountered vigilantes in Nigeria, escaped post-tsunami radiation in Japan, partied in a favela in Rio de Janeiro and left her debit card in a cashpoint in Sri Lanka. She lives in London with her husband.
She began writing at a very young age, winning acclaim and awards for her poetry and short stories. An extensive traveller, Paula has encountered vigilantes in Nigeria, escaped post-tsunami radiation in Japan, partied in a favela in Rio de Janeiro and left her debit card in a cashpoint in Sri Lanka. She lives in London with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
September 5, 2020
This was the story of Alfie who is of an old age and in a nursing home. The book is written from his perspective and flows back and forth telling his story from being a young man into adulthood and up to the current day.
It is one of those nice and easy books to read, nothing too complex and I read it quickly. I found the writing style to be quite simplistic and stronger towards the end of the book. The fact that some surprises in his story came about are good. Things I would not have predicted. Alfie is a likeable character.
I enjoyed other characters in the book also, there are quite a few that come and go in his life story. I won't reveal my favourites as that would really spoil it for you. I was hoping this may be up to par with books like A Man Called Ove or The Unlikely Pilgramage of Harold Fry which are both excellent. This book isn't on that level but being a debut novel I can see lots of potential for more books in the future.
If you enjoy a tale, being told a story, especially in the first person and are looking for a non-complicated read that this is recommended for you.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own and totally unbiased.
It is one of those nice and easy books to read, nothing too complex and I read it quickly. I found the writing style to be quite simplistic and stronger towards the end of the book. The fact that some surprises in his story came about are good. Things I would not have predicted. Alfie is a likeable character.
I enjoyed other characters in the book also, there are quite a few that come and go in his life story. I won't reveal my favourites as that would really spoil it for you. I was hoping this may be up to par with books like A Man Called Ove or The Unlikely Pilgramage of Harold Fry which are both excellent. This book isn't on that level but being a debut novel I can see lots of potential for more books in the future.
If you enjoy a tale, being told a story, especially in the first person and are looking for a non-complicated read that this is recommended for you.
Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley. All review opinions are my own and totally unbiased.
June 4, 2020
Alfie is a resident in a care home, he really doesn’t like other people and he’s a grumpy loner. But, every Saturday he sneaks out and visits a local park to feed the ducks. Here he meets Fred, a young man and Alfie starts to tell his story….
Alfie left his home, parents and sisters in London in the middle of the night, he needed to make a life of his own. At the toss of a coin he arrives in Exeter.
It’s here he meets Grace, but when things don’t go as he dreamed, he turns to drink…
He runs away and joins a travelling funfair and life is good…….but will he stay sober?
This is a tale of a lonely man….as an old man he’s looking back at his life and how his behaviour has left him alone. It is about love, loss, guilt and regrets.
I found the detail as of life in a care home heartbreaking, the monotony and loneliness just so realistic…( my mum is a resident of a lovely care home, but is bed ridden and days are spent alone in a room with only a tv for company….apart from her wild adventures in her mind due to dementia).
Alfie is a complex, troubled man and I really felt for him…..
A beautifully written story that I couldn’t put down. I loved every emotion packed moment.
Thank you to The author, the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.
Alfie left his home, parents and sisters in London in the middle of the night, he needed to make a life of his own. At the toss of a coin he arrives in Exeter.
It’s here he meets Grace, but when things don’t go as he dreamed, he turns to drink…
He runs away and joins a travelling funfair and life is good…….but will he stay sober?
This is a tale of a lonely man….as an old man he’s looking back at his life and how his behaviour has left him alone. It is about love, loss, guilt and regrets.
I found the detail as of life in a care home heartbreaking, the monotony and loneliness just so realistic…( my mum is a resident of a lovely care home, but is bed ridden and days are spent alone in a room with only a tv for company….apart from her wild adventures in her mind due to dementia).
Alfie is a complex, troubled man and I really felt for him…..
A beautifully written story that I couldn’t put down. I loved every emotion packed moment.
Thank you to The author, the publishers and NetGalley for an eARC of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.
May 24, 2020
I enjoyed the storyline and got into it, liked the characters but the ending fell short for me. There was a lot of detail in building up the story and his life and then end seemed very blunt. It left wanting a bit for closure/explanation.
September 29, 2020
I chose to read this book as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team and the author sent me a copy. This does not affect my review in any way.
Alfie Cooper is in his mid-eighties and lives unhappily in the Pinewood care home, but with no family to look after him he has no other option. The Inconvenient Need to Belong is the story of Alfie’s life told in a series of flashbacks either during his Saturday morning escapes to the park to feed the ducks where he chats to a young man, Fred, or via the computer at the library where he starts up a penpal conversation with a young, single mother in America, Anne.
Alfie leaves his home in London, keen to be away from his domineering father, and ends up in Exeter where he quickly finds work, somewhere to stay and friends. Other than him missing his family, well, his mother and younger sister Betty, his new life goes smoothly. He even finds a girl he likes, if only he could pluck up the courage to ask her out. Sadly, things sour when Alfie drinks more than he should, then sees the girl out with another man.
This is a well written story and steadily paced throughout. There isn’t a lot of action but the story unravels gently and as you get to know the younger Alfie and he faces the challenges of life you end up willing him on, hoping against hope that what you suspect might be up ahead for him isn’t really going to happen.
I really enjoyed the dedications Alfie made up for Rosalind each week and they showed a fun side of him that as a grumpy octogenarian was hard to see at times as he mulled over his life and reflected on the regrets he had about it. Recommended for all those who enjoy a gentler tale that draws you in.
Alfie Cooper is in his mid-eighties and lives unhappily in the Pinewood care home, but with no family to look after him he has no other option. The Inconvenient Need to Belong is the story of Alfie’s life told in a series of flashbacks either during his Saturday morning escapes to the park to feed the ducks where he chats to a young man, Fred, or via the computer at the library where he starts up a penpal conversation with a young, single mother in America, Anne.
Alfie leaves his home in London, keen to be away from his domineering father, and ends up in Exeter where he quickly finds work, somewhere to stay and friends. Other than him missing his family, well, his mother and younger sister Betty, his new life goes smoothly. He even finds a girl he likes, if only he could pluck up the courage to ask her out. Sadly, things sour when Alfie drinks more than he should, then sees the girl out with another man.
This is a well written story and steadily paced throughout. There isn’t a lot of action but the story unravels gently and as you get to know the younger Alfie and he faces the challenges of life you end up willing him on, hoping against hope that what you suspect might be up ahead for him isn’t really going to happen.
I really enjoyed the dedications Alfie made up for Rosalind each week and they showed a fun side of him that as a grumpy octogenarian was hard to see at times as he mulled over his life and reflected on the regrets he had about it. Recommended for all those who enjoy a gentler tale that draws you in.
November 3, 2020
I found this book a difficult one to review.On the one hand there was much to enjoy about the story, it's an interesting account of a man's life: the friendships and relationships formed over a lifetime, the honest self realisation of someone nearing the end of his life, living within the controlled regime of a care home. A regime he rebels against in small ways,which emphasis the greater rebellion in his earlier life when he left home and the controlling rigid rules of his father. On the other I think an extra edit would have shortened and tightened the story, making it much stronger'
On the plus side I liked the portrayal of the protagonist, Alfie. Nicely rounded, the internal dialogue adds layers to the character as he recounts his life story. Unfortunately I didn't get much of an insight to a lot of the other characters and I wonder if this is because there are too many minor ones, whose limited input add little to the story. However, there is another storyline that runs parallel to Alfie's story, that of Julia. This is a much stronger portrayal and I think this character is worthy of a separate story of her own. But this is only my thought
On the whole the dialogue is good and differentiates the characters. And there are evocative descriptions to give a few of the settings a good sense of place. And it is a poignant easy read that, I'm sure, will appeal to any reader who enjoys what reads as a fictional memoir
On the plus side I liked the portrayal of the protagonist, Alfie. Nicely rounded, the internal dialogue adds layers to the character as he recounts his life story. Unfortunately I didn't get much of an insight to a lot of the other characters and I wonder if this is because there are too many minor ones, whose limited input add little to the story. However, there is another storyline that runs parallel to Alfie's story, that of Julia. This is a much stronger portrayal and I think this character is worthy of a separate story of her own. But this is only my thought
On the whole the dialogue is good and differentiates the characters. And there are evocative descriptions to give a few of the settings a good sense of place. And it is a poignant easy read that, I'm sure, will appeal to any reader who enjoys what reads as a fictional memoir
May 3, 2023
Made me melancholy
This is a lovely book. It makes you think of your own mortality and regrets in life, to enjoy life while we are still able..
This is a lovely book. It makes you think of your own mortality and regrets in life, to enjoy life while we are still able..
May 20, 2020
This story follows Alfie across two timelines of his current experiences in a care home compared to leaving London and embarking on a new life in 1953. His character and experiences are really capturing to the reader. We learn of Alfie's background from leaving home to explore work opportunities, and meeting new acquaintances.
Similarities within the timelines include writing to others to inform them of his current experiences. In 1953 these are letters are sent back home to his family, desperately hoping they will forgive him for having left so abruptly. Whilst in Pinewood, Alfie seeks a new friendship with Anne over email, which grows into a trusting bond that Alfie tends not to share with anyone else. With no other immediate family visiting, Alfie often observes the lives of those around in instead.
There's a real sense that something in Alfie's past has been kept quiet through guilt, shame, and remorse. But as he begins to be more trusting, slowly he opens up and the truth of his life revealed. Throughout the story the theme of family relationships is explored and portrayed so beautifully, giving the reader so many emotions to ride on. This was in great contrast to the slower and more simple nature of Alfie's life in Pinewood.
An Inconvenient Need To Belong was so moving, absorbing, and intimate that I read it fully in one sitting! It was absolutely marvellous and captured me completely from start to finish. Bravo Paula!
This was such a touching story that I had to email the author directly (just as Alfie had to Anne) to let her know that I would be giving her book a five star review on Goodreads. I was really impressed with this novel, and will certainly be recommending it to others.
Similarities within the timelines include writing to others to inform them of his current experiences. In 1953 these are letters are sent back home to his family, desperately hoping they will forgive him for having left so abruptly. Whilst in Pinewood, Alfie seeks a new friendship with Anne over email, which grows into a trusting bond that Alfie tends not to share with anyone else. With no other immediate family visiting, Alfie often observes the lives of those around in instead.
There's a real sense that something in Alfie's past has been kept quiet through guilt, shame, and remorse. But as he begins to be more trusting, slowly he opens up and the truth of his life revealed. Throughout the story the theme of family relationships is explored and portrayed so beautifully, giving the reader so many emotions to ride on. This was in great contrast to the slower and more simple nature of Alfie's life in Pinewood.
An Inconvenient Need To Belong was so moving, absorbing, and intimate that I read it fully in one sitting! It was absolutely marvellous and captured me completely from start to finish. Bravo Paula!
This was such a touching story that I had to email the author directly (just as Alfie had to Anne) to let her know that I would be giving her book a five star review on Goodreads. I was really impressed with this novel, and will certainly be recommending it to others.
August 7, 2020
This was everything I thought it would be (and so so much more)
🌟
This is the story of Alfie Cooper.
Summer 1953, Alfie is a young 20 year old man struggling with his troubled home and family, he decides to run away from it all and starts up a new life in Exeter.
Fast forward to the present, where Alfie is now 86 years old and living at Pinewood Care Home with an extremely noisy roommate. Alfie only ever leaves the care home for their weekly library trip where he begins writing to his penpal, Anne. I absolutely loved their emails back and forth, they were so heartwarming and honest despite being total strangers to each other.
He also takes a trip on a Saturday morning to feed the ducks at a local lake.
It is by this lake that Alfie befriends Fred and together, they sit on the bench and Alfie tells his story and tries to make sense of his life at the same time. 🌟
Told in alternating time lines, which I absolutely love, I got to know Alfie as a young man and Alfie now, looking past that grumpy old man front. And of course, I fell in love with them, despite his life choices.
This book really did take me by surprise. It’s that type of book, that makes you stop and look at life a little bit differently. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel!!
🌟
This is such a beautifully written, heartbreaking novel about the mistakes we make in life but also about how each one can shape our future. This book is full of family, friendship and love. I absolutely loved Paula’s writing and I have already recommended this book to many people, and, I think this book would be a perfect book club pick.
This was everything I thought it would be (and so so much more)
🌟
This is the story of Alfie Cooper.
Summer 1953, Alfie is a young 20 year old man struggling with his troubled home and family, he decides to run away from it all and starts up a new life in Exeter.
Fast forward to the present, where Alfie is now 86 years old and living at Pinewood Care Home with an extremely noisy roommate. Alfie only ever leaves the care home for their weekly library trip where he begins writing to his penpal, Anne. I absolutely loved their emails back and forth, they were so heartwarming and honest despite being total strangers to each other.
He also takes a trip on a Saturday morning to feed the ducks at a local lake.
It is by this lake that Alfie befriends Fred and together, they sit on the bench and Alfie tells his story and tries to make sense of his life at the same time. 🌟
Told in alternating time lines, which I absolutely love, I got to know Alfie as a young man and Alfie now, looking past that grumpy old man front. And of course, I fell in love with them, despite his life choices.
This book really did take me by surprise. It’s that type of book, that makes you stop and look at life a little bit differently. It’s hard to believe that this is a debut novel!!
🌟
This is such a beautifully written, heartbreaking novel about the mistakes we make in life but also about how each one can shape our future. This book is full of family, friendship and love. I absolutely loved Paula’s writing and I have already recommended this book to many people, and, I think this book would be a perfect book club pick.
March 26, 2023
Loved this book. What an unexpected find. Couldn’t help but race through it. Loved and totally understood Alfie. Loved all the characters actually.
April 6, 2023
Beautifully written book.
March 4, 2023
This book made me feel a lot of big feelings. Sadness. Empathy. Anger. But the best books make you feel things in a large way.
June 12, 2020
Oh my gosh this is such a heart breaking story to read, and although not every elderly person would have lived a life like Alfie I CAN imagine how many of the elderly feel how Alfie does, disconnected to the world, unimportant, full of regret, loneliness and just sad!
I absolutely LOVED reading Alfie’s story, we follow Alfie from when he was a young boy leaving home in London and moving to Exeter to gain some freedom from his very controlling parents, where he leaves 2 sisters behind!
Alfie gets lucky and gains a job very quickly and a place to live! He soon makes friends and settles in to work and loves his new life. However after a few months when something happens he goes down a very slippery path where his life starts to fall apart and becomes very dark, and with things as they are with his parents he decides it’s time to move on!
He again, very luckily, manages to get another job and somewhere to live very quickly and this is a fresh start, he’s learnt some valuable lessons and he’s learnt to be a lot more careful and sensible!
Things couldn’t be better, apart from how things are with his parents and he meets a wonderful lady and eventually gets married.
But again some way down the line things very QUICKLY slide, and things go down hill and Alfie makes some big mistakes AGAIN and struggles to live with them!
This story is told through Alfie as an 86 year old man, the story is told through him talking to a young guy who he meets every week and through e-mails to a pen pal! These 2 people are really his only 2 friends!
We get to experience Alfie’s life as an old man in the Care home, and how all his previous choices in life have changed him and effected him and the relationships he holds!
There’s so many things to learn about Alfie along the way so much heart break, regret, love, passion, troubled mental health, poor choices and so much more!
But then at the end there are some big shocks and big twists which I thought were BRILLIANT!
I loved reading about Alfie coming to terms with what had happened in the past and everything he had gone through!
I really honestly fell in love with Alfie, I felt so much for him he really did get himself into such a dark and awful place and didn’t ever manage to get the help he needed! I found myself wanting to be the one sat next to him on that bench listening to his life stories!
I found Alfie so relatable! He’s struggled to trust people and build relationships and trust is something I’ve always struggled with, and in places it did scare me reading it thinking could I end up like Alfie, but hopefully that won’t happen as I have 2 beautiful boys and an amazing husband!
But to read this book and start considering all those things about the future, well how powerful is a book if it can make you do that, and to start considering the mistakes you, yourself have made in your own life etc!
Julia was an amazing character, she was a carer within the home that Alfie was in and had many of her own struggles, but cared so much for the people she looked after and made it her mission to help Alfie!
I also felt so much for Betty his sister, in a different way, she had lost her brother and experienced a completely different life to him, just as hard but in a Different way and it’s so sad to think so many families split throughout the years!
I honestly found this book so emotional and gut wrenching, heart breaking, sad, devastating, but thought provoking, relatable and just truely powerful and for that I have to give this book 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ !
I absolutely LOVED Alfie’s story, sometimes it’s not always about reading the horror, fast paced books or the funny, lovey dovey, romance novels but actually just reading something hard hitting and relatable and very true for many people is actually just as amazing and I just completely loved Alfie despite his mistake!
I absolutely LOVED reading Alfie’s story, we follow Alfie from when he was a young boy leaving home in London and moving to Exeter to gain some freedom from his very controlling parents, where he leaves 2 sisters behind!
Alfie gets lucky and gains a job very quickly and a place to live! He soon makes friends and settles in to work and loves his new life. However after a few months when something happens he goes down a very slippery path where his life starts to fall apart and becomes very dark, and with things as they are with his parents he decides it’s time to move on!
He again, very luckily, manages to get another job and somewhere to live very quickly and this is a fresh start, he’s learnt some valuable lessons and he’s learnt to be a lot more careful and sensible!
Things couldn’t be better, apart from how things are with his parents and he meets a wonderful lady and eventually gets married.
But again some way down the line things very QUICKLY slide, and things go down hill and Alfie makes some big mistakes AGAIN and struggles to live with them!
This story is told through Alfie as an 86 year old man, the story is told through him talking to a young guy who he meets every week and through e-mails to a pen pal! These 2 people are really his only 2 friends!
We get to experience Alfie’s life as an old man in the Care home, and how all his previous choices in life have changed him and effected him and the relationships he holds!
There’s so many things to learn about Alfie along the way so much heart break, regret, love, passion, troubled mental health, poor choices and so much more!
But then at the end there are some big shocks and big twists which I thought were BRILLIANT!
I loved reading about Alfie coming to terms with what had happened in the past and everything he had gone through!
I really honestly fell in love with Alfie, I felt so much for him he really did get himself into such a dark and awful place and didn’t ever manage to get the help he needed! I found myself wanting to be the one sat next to him on that bench listening to his life stories!
I found Alfie so relatable! He’s struggled to trust people and build relationships and trust is something I’ve always struggled with, and in places it did scare me reading it thinking could I end up like Alfie, but hopefully that won’t happen as I have 2 beautiful boys and an amazing husband!
But to read this book and start considering all those things about the future, well how powerful is a book if it can make you do that, and to start considering the mistakes you, yourself have made in your own life etc!
Julia was an amazing character, she was a carer within the home that Alfie was in and had many of her own struggles, but cared so much for the people she looked after and made it her mission to help Alfie!
I also felt so much for Betty his sister, in a different way, she had lost her brother and experienced a completely different life to him, just as hard but in a Different way and it’s so sad to think so many families split throughout the years!
I honestly found this book so emotional and gut wrenching, heart breaking, sad, devastating, but thought provoking, relatable and just truely powerful and for that I have to give this book 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ !
I absolutely LOVED Alfie’s story, sometimes it’s not always about reading the horror, fast paced books or the funny, lovey dovey, romance novels but actually just reading something hard hitting and relatable and very true for many people is actually just as amazing and I just completely loved Alfie despite his mistake!
June 10, 2020
A long life is made up of many things; memories, actions and regrets. Alfie is a man who finds himself in a care home with all its petty rules and time tables and so makes his small acts of rebellion. He knows that the man he is now, lonely, frustrated and angry is the product of his past actions, the choices he has made, but also the reaction to his strict upbringing. He has kept his past a secret for so long, almost from himself, but his angry loneliness is noticeable. His rituals allow him to begin to recall his past in all its pain, but also in the little touches of joy he relates. His interest in others leads to small kindnesses and compassion for them. This is a book written with enormous understanding and empathy, answering the question of what happens to leave a person without apparent family or friends. It is a careful and honestly written account of a life of people in difficult circumstances at different ages and for different reasons. I found it a very readable novel and I was pleased to have the opportunity to read and review this book.
Most of the narration of Alfie’s story is not straight forward. He is a resident of a very basic and underfunded care home, who rebels by sneaking away to a local park and feeding the birds during visiting time on a Saturday. He encounters a young man who has nothing to say, so he begins to recount his life story.
This book is so well constructed that it gives an accurate picture of life in a care home, with the small touches of well observed dialogue and behaviour, such as the jokey alternatives to Rosalind’s plaque. Life is restricted to discussion of meals, the obvious sadness of those ignored by relatives, and the changing of library books.
Alfie first appears as a twenty year old in 1953, departing from his family home at night. The details of exactly why only emerge gradually, but he is especially sad to leave his younger sister Betty from the very beginning. His strict upbringing means that he struggles to chat freely with others, he has no or very little experience of women outside his family, and he has no tolerance for the alcohol he soon encounters in a social setting. He meets with kindness and opportunity from the first, partly in the form of his landlady to take in lodgers for company as much as money. His innocence means that he falls in love with the first young woman he sees, leading to problems which change his life. The continuation of his story is informative and asutely written, showing careful and effective research into life in the period.
Julia is a character which reveals much about the difficulties she encounters as a woman in today’s society. There are also the touching glimpses into the contemporary life of Anne, a young American woman. It is touches like this that lifts this book from a fictional biography to a realistic story of a life as it is lived. I found this to be a profound story, a lovely explanation of how a man gets to be alone in a care home. It is at once a contemporary story and historical fiction. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys an honest novel of a life.
Most of the narration of Alfie’s story is not straight forward. He is a resident of a very basic and underfunded care home, who rebels by sneaking away to a local park and feeding the birds during visiting time on a Saturday. He encounters a young man who has nothing to say, so he begins to recount his life story.
This book is so well constructed that it gives an accurate picture of life in a care home, with the small touches of well observed dialogue and behaviour, such as the jokey alternatives to Rosalind’s plaque. Life is restricted to discussion of meals, the obvious sadness of those ignored by relatives, and the changing of library books.
Alfie first appears as a twenty year old in 1953, departing from his family home at night. The details of exactly why only emerge gradually, but he is especially sad to leave his younger sister Betty from the very beginning. His strict upbringing means that he struggles to chat freely with others, he has no or very little experience of women outside his family, and he has no tolerance for the alcohol he soon encounters in a social setting. He meets with kindness and opportunity from the first, partly in the form of his landlady to take in lodgers for company as much as money. His innocence means that he falls in love with the first young woman he sees, leading to problems which change his life. The continuation of his story is informative and asutely written, showing careful and effective research into life in the period.
Julia is a character which reveals much about the difficulties she encounters as a woman in today’s society. There are also the touching glimpses into the contemporary life of Anne, a young American woman. It is touches like this that lifts this book from a fictional biography to a realistic story of a life as it is lived. I found this to be a profound story, a lovely explanation of how a man gets to be alone in a care home. It is at once a contemporary story and historical fiction. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys an honest novel of a life.
April 3, 2020
Alfie Cooper is an Octogenarian who lives at Pinewood Care Home. To escape the rigid, boring regime, he sneaks away every Saturday morning to feed the ducks and sit on the bench, marked with a dedication to Rosalind. For his own amusement, Alfie makes up his own dedications to her. Rosalind is a stranger, so without having met her, Alfie’s dedications are both weird and wonderful, and not shadowed by any preconceptions.
Whilst venturing out on one of his Saturday morning jaunts, Alfie meets Fred, a teenager who has little to say about his own life. Alfie begins to recount his past, starting with running away from London, his controlling family including his two Sisters, in the 1950’s. Whilst sat on the bench in companionable silence Fred learns a great deal about Alfie’s past, how he began living in Exeter, which opened up a world to Alfie, one of which he had never previously come across. After a bad experience Alfie finds himself staring at the bottom of a glass on too many occasions, and it’s only when he hits rock-bottom that he knows he needs to leave Exeter and start afresh.
By chance, Alfie comes across a travelling fair and joins, without giving it a second thought. Alfie is soon fully integrated into the travelling community and has a well-balanced life. He is then knocked sideways by the arrival of Evie, a petite American who joins the fair. With the help of his friends, Alfie plucks up the courage to ask Evie for a date, and as their relationship progress, they become engaged and later they marry. Alfie’s previous insecurities start to resurface, and holes begin to appear in his marriage.
The arrival of Alfie’s Sister at the fair initially brings him joy, but is soon followed be resentment, as Alfie returns to his old ways. After an accident, Alfie finds he is soon in a bad situation which changes his life forever.
Returning to the current day, Alfie has no friends or family to speak of. Julia, one of the Nurses at the care home feels sorry for Alfie and his situation, and vows to track down his estranged family. When one of his Alfie’s Sisters arrives at the care home the missing pieces of the puzzle of Alfie’s life fit together in a very satisfactory conclusion.
I found Alfie’s character very likeable and felt lots of empathy for him during his struggles. It was sad to read how much his past affected his future and life in general. An enjoyable read with a pleasing end.
Whilst venturing out on one of his Saturday morning jaunts, Alfie meets Fred, a teenager who has little to say about his own life. Alfie begins to recount his past, starting with running away from London, his controlling family including his two Sisters, in the 1950’s. Whilst sat on the bench in companionable silence Fred learns a great deal about Alfie’s past, how he began living in Exeter, which opened up a world to Alfie, one of which he had never previously come across. After a bad experience Alfie finds himself staring at the bottom of a glass on too many occasions, and it’s only when he hits rock-bottom that he knows he needs to leave Exeter and start afresh.
By chance, Alfie comes across a travelling fair and joins, without giving it a second thought. Alfie is soon fully integrated into the travelling community and has a well-balanced life. He is then knocked sideways by the arrival of Evie, a petite American who joins the fair. With the help of his friends, Alfie plucks up the courage to ask Evie for a date, and as their relationship progress, they become engaged and later they marry. Alfie’s previous insecurities start to resurface, and holes begin to appear in his marriage.
The arrival of Alfie’s Sister at the fair initially brings him joy, but is soon followed be resentment, as Alfie returns to his old ways. After an accident, Alfie finds he is soon in a bad situation which changes his life forever.
Returning to the current day, Alfie has no friends or family to speak of. Julia, one of the Nurses at the care home feels sorry for Alfie and his situation, and vows to track down his estranged family. When one of his Alfie’s Sisters arrives at the care home the missing pieces of the puzzle of Alfie’s life fit together in a very satisfactory conclusion.
I found Alfie’s character very likeable and felt lots of empathy for him during his struggles. It was sad to read how much his past affected his future and life in general. An enjoyable read with a pleasing end.
June 3, 2020
Alfie is not the most likely protagonist, he's slightly arrogant, self absorbed and a tough nut to crack but underneath there is a softer, vulnerable side.
Alfie is eighty-six and lives in a care home. He has to share a room with someone who is messy and talkative and needs help getting out of bed in the morning. He doesn't know any of the staff's names, except for Julia and would rather not join in with any social activities apart from their weekly trip to the library. All in all you can excuse Alfie's lack of socialism and mood as he doesn't really have anything to look forward to and has no visitors. Alfie's highlights are when he sneaks out on Saturday mornings to the local park to feed the ducks and his library visits.
On Saturdays, Alfie talks to Fred, a teenage boy, who he starts to tell his life story to: from his early home life escaping the confinements of his parents, his time in the travelling circus and revealing his greatest loves and regrets. He also finds a pen pal who he starts to write to, a woman in her thirties living in America. This communication he has with Anne is heartwarming; both are lonely and open up to each other despite being strangers. Through their correspondence we see a different side to Alfie and learn more about the secrets he is hiding.
Having read and enjoyed books like A Man Called Ove and Three Things About Elsie I was delighted to read this book. The sadness of old age and deteriorating health is always an interesting topic to read about as it can hold so much emotion for the reader. Loneliness was definitely a key theme running through the book as was remorse and sorrow. I think we all look back on our lives and have some regrets or are embarrassed by some of our actions and The Inconvenient Need To Belong accentuates this brilliantly in Alfie's tale. You really feel for him during certain parts of the novel and want to comfort him. However, as well as being sympathetic towards Alfie I also felt infuriated by his actions and choices. I think this book will definitively divide readers and their feelings towards Alfie, thus promoting lots of discussions.
I loved how the book alternated between Alfie's present day to the past and how the character's had their own back story that we got to hear a bit about. I found it to be a moving, thought-provoking novel and one I will definitely put forward as a book club recommendation.
Alfie is eighty-six and lives in a care home. He has to share a room with someone who is messy and talkative and needs help getting out of bed in the morning. He doesn't know any of the staff's names, except for Julia and would rather not join in with any social activities apart from their weekly trip to the library. All in all you can excuse Alfie's lack of socialism and mood as he doesn't really have anything to look forward to and has no visitors. Alfie's highlights are when he sneaks out on Saturday mornings to the local park to feed the ducks and his library visits.
On Saturdays, Alfie talks to Fred, a teenage boy, who he starts to tell his life story to: from his early home life escaping the confinements of his parents, his time in the travelling circus and revealing his greatest loves and regrets. He also finds a pen pal who he starts to write to, a woman in her thirties living in America. This communication he has with Anne is heartwarming; both are lonely and open up to each other despite being strangers. Through their correspondence we see a different side to Alfie and learn more about the secrets he is hiding.
Having read and enjoyed books like A Man Called Ove and Three Things About Elsie I was delighted to read this book. The sadness of old age and deteriorating health is always an interesting topic to read about as it can hold so much emotion for the reader. Loneliness was definitely a key theme running through the book as was remorse and sorrow. I think we all look back on our lives and have some regrets or are embarrassed by some of our actions and The Inconvenient Need To Belong accentuates this brilliantly in Alfie's tale. You really feel for him during certain parts of the novel and want to comfort him. However, as well as being sympathetic towards Alfie I also felt infuriated by his actions and choices. I think this book will definitively divide readers and their feelings towards Alfie, thus promoting lots of discussions.
I loved how the book alternated between Alfie's present day to the past and how the character's had their own back story that we got to hear a bit about. I found it to be a moving, thought-provoking novel and one I will definitely put forward as a book club recommendation.
June 29, 2020
I know a lot of people loved The Five People You Meet in Heaven and I think if you liked that you would like this, but unfortunately I strongly dislike that book. I’m sure a lot of people will like this book but it was definitely not for me.
It tells the story of Alfie, an octogenarian, telling the story of his life to Fred, a young boy he meets in the park.
At the start I thought this would be like Three Things about Elsie, which I loved, but straight away I found the narrative technique (Alfie telling his story to Fred) too contrived and convenient and not realistic, and instantly realised this was going to be “heart-warming” and for me, too sentimental.
As Alfie he starts to tell his story, everything seemed to move too quickly, Alfie’s character suddenly began to act completely different for no reason, the plot with Grace was so creepy and bizarre I thought it was satire, and the incident with Adam was just completely unrealistic and overly dramatic, as well as coming from nowhere. Alfie changes completely from who he is at the start of his time in Exeter to the end and it happens too quickly and dramatically. I’m still trying to work our if I missed something.
I don’t complain about characters not being likeable, but in this case I didn’t find any of them even believable. Everyone felt too one-demensional, characters actions were either unrealistic or plot lines too contrived or convenient. One thing I did like was Alfie’s letters to Anne, but Anne ended up being purely a plot device (and a means to throw in some irrelevant pop culture references?!) and didn’t feel realistic at all.
I didn’t find Alfie relatable or even sympathetic. I didn't find him likeable at all and a story like this relies on a likeable but relatable narrator.
As I said I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy this but for me it was too cliche, too sentimental and lacking in development.
3 stars.
It tells the story of Alfie, an octogenarian, telling the story of his life to Fred, a young boy he meets in the park.
At the start I thought this would be like Three Things about Elsie, which I loved, but straight away I found the narrative technique (Alfie telling his story to Fred) too contrived and convenient and not realistic, and instantly realised this was going to be “heart-warming” and for me, too sentimental.
As Alfie he starts to tell his story, everything seemed to move too quickly, Alfie’s character suddenly began to act completely different for no reason, the plot with Grace was so creepy and bizarre I thought it was satire, and the incident with Adam was just completely unrealistic and overly dramatic, as well as coming from nowhere. Alfie changes completely from who he is at the start of his time in Exeter to the end and it happens too quickly and dramatically. I’m still trying to work our if I missed something.
I don’t complain about characters not being likeable, but in this case I didn’t find any of them even believable. Everyone felt too one-demensional, characters actions were either unrealistic or plot lines too contrived or convenient. One thing I did like was Alfie’s letters to Anne, but Anne ended up being purely a plot device (and a means to throw in some irrelevant pop culture references?!) and didn’t feel realistic at all.
I didn’t find Alfie relatable or even sympathetic. I didn't find him likeable at all and a story like this relies on a likeable but relatable narrator.
As I said I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy this but for me it was too cliche, too sentimental and lacking in development.
3 stars.
June 29, 2020
I know a lot of people loved The Five People You Meet in Heaven and I think if you liked that you would like this, but unfortunately I strongly dislike that book. I’m sure a lot of people will like this book but it was definitely not for me.
It tells the story of Alfie, an octogenarian, telling the story of his life to Fred, a young boy he meets in the park.
At the start I thought this would be like Three Things about Elsie, which I loved, but straight away I found the narrative technique (Alfie telling his story to Fred) too contrived and convenient and not realistic, and instantly realised this was going to be “heart-warming” and for me, too sentimental.
As Alfie he starts to tell his story, everything seemed to move too quickly, Alfie’s character suddenly began to act completely different for no reason, the plot with Grace was so creepy and bizarre I thought it was satire, and the incident with Adam was just completely unrealistic and overly dramatic, as well as coming from nowhere. Alfie changes completely from who he is at the start of his time in Exeter to the end and it happens too quickly and dramatically. I’m still trying to work our if I missed something.
I don’t complain about characters not being likeable, but in this case I didn’t find any of them even believable. Everyone felt too one-demensional, characters actions were either unrealistic or plot lines too contrived or convenient. One thing I did like was Alfie’s letters to Anne, but Anne ended up being purely a plot device (and a means to throw in some irrelevant pop culture references?!) and didn’t feel realistic at all.
I didn’t find Alfie relatable or even sympathetic. I didn't find him likeable at all and a story like this relies on a likeable but relatable narrator.
As I said I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy this but for me it was too cliche, too sentimental and lacking in development.
3 stars.
It tells the story of Alfie, an octogenarian, telling the story of his life to Fred, a young boy he meets in the park.
At the start I thought this would be like Three Things about Elsie, which I loved, but straight away I found the narrative technique (Alfie telling his story to Fred) too contrived and convenient and not realistic, and instantly realised this was going to be “heart-warming” and for me, too sentimental.
As Alfie he starts to tell his story, everything seemed to move too quickly, Alfie’s character suddenly began to act completely different for no reason, the plot with Grace was so creepy and bizarre I thought it was satire, and the incident with Adam was just completely unrealistic and overly dramatic, as well as coming from nowhere. Alfie changes completely from who he is at the start of his time in Exeter to the end and it happens too quickly and dramatically. I’m still trying to work our if I missed something.
I don’t complain about characters not being likeable, but in this case I didn’t find any of them even believable. Everyone felt too one-demensional, characters actions were either unrealistic or plot lines too contrived or convenient. One thing I did like was Alfie’s letters to Anne, but Anne ended up being purely a plot device (and a means to throw in some irrelevant pop culture references?!) and didn’t feel realistic at all.
I didn’t find Alfie relatable or even sympathetic. I didn't find him likeable at all and a story like this relies on a likeable but relatable narrator.
As I said I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy this but for me it was too cliche, too sentimental and lacking in development.
3 stars.
July 2, 2020
The ARC of this book was provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I need to confess that the first thing that caught my attention was the title of this book. We all know that the human being is the kind of animal that needs to be in contact with others from the same species, therefore we have a need to belong, which can be pretty inconvenient sometimes, so, well, in some days, we can relate to a title so strong like that.
When I stared to read this book, I immediately fell in love with the lonely eighty-six-year-old Alfie. He had so much to say and no one to talk to but a teenage boy who he kept meeting at the park every saturday.
At first I didn't want to dig in Alfie's past. I thought it was much more fun to read about him struggling with his on moodiness at the care home, towards everything and nothing at the same time. But as I kept reading, I wanted to know more and more about his past and how that shaped him, without a family, without friends, without a support.
I love how the author dropped hints about Alfie's story little by little, in the past or in the present, it was so smart and it kept me wondering what had happened. I did think the end was a bit fast, at least faster than the pace of the rest of the book, but it's still an amazing read.
I'm really glad I got the chance to dive into this story, into Alfie's past and present. It's a great book to think that our actions have consequences and that we may think life is short, but we still get old and what we do when we're young reflects on who ourselves later on.
I need to confess that the first thing that caught my attention was the title of this book. We all know that the human being is the kind of animal that needs to be in contact with others from the same species, therefore we have a need to belong, which can be pretty inconvenient sometimes, so, well, in some days, we can relate to a title so strong like that.
When I stared to read this book, I immediately fell in love with the lonely eighty-six-year-old Alfie. He had so much to say and no one to talk to but a teenage boy who he kept meeting at the park every saturday.
At first I didn't want to dig in Alfie's past. I thought it was much more fun to read about him struggling with his on moodiness at the care home, towards everything and nothing at the same time. But as I kept reading, I wanted to know more and more about his past and how that shaped him, without a family, without friends, without a support.
I love how the author dropped hints about Alfie's story little by little, in the past or in the present, it was so smart and it kept me wondering what had happened. I did think the end was a bit fast, at least faster than the pace of the rest of the book, but it's still an amazing read.
I'm really glad I got the chance to dive into this story, into Alfie's past and present. It's a great book to think that our actions have consequences and that we may think life is short, but we still get old and what we do when we're young reflects on who ourselves later on.
May 29, 2020
A story told in two time lines of a carefree youngster Alfie in 1953 England and then moving to his late eighties living out his days in a care home.
Cantankerous now, keeping everyone out, socially inept Alfie has not changed especially the social part. Brought up by a strict dominant father whose word was law and who was to be feared, whose mother just followed his father's orders, the only person he loved was his sister Betty. But to get out from these suffocating circumstances, he crept out in the dead of the night and a reconciliation was never possible.
Now Alfie reminisces about his past with Fred a youngster who joins him on Saturday mornings on a park bench. Alfie sees in Fred a younger version of himself and gives an account of how his life panned out hoping that Fred will not make the mistakes he made. Befriending Anne on a pen pal site was a way of reaching out of his solitude and putting to paper what he has bottled up for decades.
I seem to be reading a lot of stories of people who are loners, who are socially not upto fitting into groups in a casual way and as a result are thought to be arrogant, evasive and just difficult. Alfie fits all the descriptions of being a cantankerous old man, whilst deep down he is just lonely and someone who has never got around to not being judgemental and to accept people as they are.
This was an eye opener of a read for older people - to live and let live, to realize that the end is closer than one thinks.
Cantankerous now, keeping everyone out, socially inept Alfie has not changed especially the social part. Brought up by a strict dominant father whose word was law and who was to be feared, whose mother just followed his father's orders, the only person he loved was his sister Betty. But to get out from these suffocating circumstances, he crept out in the dead of the night and a reconciliation was never possible.
Now Alfie reminisces about his past with Fred a youngster who joins him on Saturday mornings on a park bench. Alfie sees in Fred a younger version of himself and gives an account of how his life panned out hoping that Fred will not make the mistakes he made. Befriending Anne on a pen pal site was a way of reaching out of his solitude and putting to paper what he has bottled up for decades.
I seem to be reading a lot of stories of people who are loners, who are socially not upto fitting into groups in a casual way and as a result are thought to be arrogant, evasive and just difficult. Alfie fits all the descriptions of being a cantankerous old man, whilst deep down he is just lonely and someone who has never got around to not being judgemental and to accept people as they are.
This was an eye opener of a read for older people - to live and let live, to realize that the end is closer than one thinks.
June 4, 2020
Alfie is a resident in a care home, he really doesn’t like other people and he’s a grumpy loner. But, every Saturday he sneaks out and visits a local park to feed the ducks. Here he meets Fred, a young man and Alfie starts to tell his story….
Alfie left his home, parents and sisters in London in the middle of the night, he needed to make a life of his own. At the toss of a coin he arrives in Exeter.
It’s here he meets Grace, but when things don’t go as he dreamed, he turns to drink…
He runs away and joins a travelling funfair and life is good…….but will he stay sober?
This is a tale of a lonely man….as an old man he’s looking back at his life and how his behaviour has left him alone. It is about love, loss, guilt and regrets.
I found the detail as of life in a care home heartbreaking, the monotony and loneliness just so realistic…( my mum is a resident of a lovely care home, but is bed ridden and days are spent alone in a room with only a tv for company….apart from her wild adventures in her mind due to dementia).
Alfie is a complex, troubled man and I really felt for him…..
A beautifully written story that I couldn’t put down. I loved every emotion packed moment.
Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, for the promotional materials and an eARC of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.
Alfie left his home, parents and sisters in London in the middle of the night, he needed to make a life of his own. At the toss of a coin he arrives in Exeter.
It’s here he meets Grace, but when things don’t go as he dreamed, he turns to drink…
He runs away and joins a travelling funfair and life is good…….but will he stay sober?
This is a tale of a lonely man….as an old man he’s looking back at his life and how his behaviour has left him alone. It is about love, loss, guilt and regrets.
I found the detail as of life in a care home heartbreaking, the monotony and loneliness just so realistic…( my mum is a resident of a lovely care home, but is bed ridden and days are spent alone in a room with only a tv for company….apart from her wild adventures in her mind due to dementia).
Alfie is a complex, troubled man and I really felt for him…..
A beautifully written story that I couldn’t put down. I loved every emotion packed moment.
Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, for the promotional materials and an eARC of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.
Read
September 15, 2020Alfie sat in the corner and watched them all. Getting on. Talking. Laughing even. He couldn't remember the last time he'd laughed. Really laughed. He envied them. He pretended he didn't care with his curmudgeonly demeanour, and to an extent it was true.
He'd always been awkward around people, never knowing what to say, how to behave. Which meant he'd always felt like an outsider. Except with Betty. And Evie, for that brief, glorious time. Yet even at his most social, he'd never felt completely at ease, comfortable in his own skin. And after a lifetime of feeling separated from the rest of the world by some sort of invisible divide that even he couldn't quite put his finger on, he thought he might have been immune to it by now.
But every now and again when he watched people interacting so naturally, so easily, he was envious. Followed closely, if he was honest with himself, by an even bigger sense of loneliness. He didn't want to need people or company and it irked him. This inconvenient need to belong.
Read the Lovereading.co.uk review of The Inconvenient Need to Belong and find out why it's one of their "Indie Books We Love"
https://www.lovereading.co.uk/book/19...
He'd always been awkward around people, never knowing what to say, how to behave. Which meant he'd always felt like an outsider. Except with Betty. And Evie, for that brief, glorious time. Yet even at his most social, he'd never felt completely at ease, comfortable in his own skin. And after a lifetime of feeling separated from the rest of the world by some sort of invisible divide that even he couldn't quite put his finger on, he thought he might have been immune to it by now.
But every now and again when he watched people interacting so naturally, so easily, he was envious. Followed closely, if he was honest with himself, by an even bigger sense of loneliness. He didn't want to need people or company and it irked him. This inconvenient need to belong.
Read the Lovereading.co.uk review of The Inconvenient Need to Belong and find out why it's one of their "Indie Books We Love"
https://www.lovereading.co.uk/book/19...
August 18, 2020
The inconvenient Need To Belong is the book of Alfie’s life. We meet him in later life, in his 80’s, living in Pinewood Retirement home. Pinewood is not a great retirement home, a sad reflection on how some our elderly find the last years of their lives.
Through his regular Saturday chats with a young lad called Fred, we start to learn of Alfie’s younger life. Alfie is determined to share his life with his young friend, so he can learn from the older man’s mistakes. We learn how, in 1953, he left his oppressive and controlled upbringing. With the optimism of youth in his heart, a spring in his step, and all of his dreams for his future bursting through, sometimes too enthusiastically.
We know from Alfie’s current life, that he has closed himself off from forming any attachments. There is obviously something that has made him so curmudgeonly, something very deeply rooted. We can feel his regret, and have a sense that he feels he doesn’t deserve a happy life.
The book is the story of getting to know Alfie. I felt that the end of the book, the culmination of what we had been working up to, was a little rushed.
For this reason, it’s a 4* from me.
Through his regular Saturday chats with a young lad called Fred, we start to learn of Alfie’s younger life. Alfie is determined to share his life with his young friend, so he can learn from the older man’s mistakes. We learn how, in 1953, he left his oppressive and controlled upbringing. With the optimism of youth in his heart, a spring in his step, and all of his dreams for his future bursting through, sometimes too enthusiastically.
We know from Alfie’s current life, that he has closed himself off from forming any attachments. There is obviously something that has made him so curmudgeonly, something very deeply rooted. We can feel his regret, and have a sense that he feels he doesn’t deserve a happy life.
The book is the story of getting to know Alfie. I felt that the end of the book, the culmination of what we had been working up to, was a little rushed.
For this reason, it’s a 4* from me.
June 9, 2020
This book was a moving book to read. I felt such loss and sadness for Alfie, both when he was younger and when he was older. I enjoyed the manner in which the book was written, with one narrator but two timelines. They were woven together well so the story progressed nicely and there was no confusion. While the book was not overly descriptive I found myself sitting in the seniors home with Alfie and the other residents. The ending had a nice unexpected twist. I found myself thinking of my mother and other seniors and wondering what exactly their lives had been like when they were 20 and 30, the time that most of us know nothing about. These were the years when so many things happen to people but as senior citizens we don’t think of them as young. I believe you will enjoy this book and it will leave you thinking differently about the senior citizens in your life. There were a few parts in the book that didn’t really seem to make a difference in the story but they didn’t detract too much from the book. I thank NetGalley and Books Go Social for the chance to read this lovely novel.
June 9, 2020
86 year old Alfie is currently residing in Silverwood Nursing Home, he doesn't like to join in and generally keeps to himself, but he sneaks out every Saturday to feed the birds and reminisce about his life to Fred.
I loved how we got to know Alfie from his perspective and also from his chats with Fred and the new penpal he makes in America, it was very clever by the author. Get us to love him before revealing the tougher aspects of Alfies life.
If we knew at the beginning about Alfie, would we still like him as much? Would we make a snap judgement as we can sometimes do in real life?
Something to ponder. Anyway, I cannot say more for fear of spoiling the journey for others, suffice it to say I did have a soft spot for Alfie, despite his life choices, but the ending for me was a bit abrupt, the story feels incomplete somehow.
My thanks to the publisher for the gifted book.
I loved how we got to know Alfie from his perspective and also from his chats with Fred and the new penpal he makes in America, it was very clever by the author. Get us to love him before revealing the tougher aspects of Alfies life.
If we knew at the beginning about Alfie, would we still like him as much? Would we make a snap judgement as we can sometimes do in real life?
Something to ponder. Anyway, I cannot say more for fear of spoiling the journey for others, suffice it to say I did have a soft spot for Alfie, despite his life choices, but the ending for me was a bit abrupt, the story feels incomplete somehow.
My thanks to the publisher for the gifted book.
August 17, 2020
I enjoy reading books when one or more of the main characters are of the older generation. I was attracted to this book because of that fact. The main character Alfie Cooper is an 86 year old living in Pinewood Care Home for the Aged Residents. In the US, this would be equivalent to an assisted living faculty. It’s very interesting to meet the other people in this care home. Some are annoying, some are very lively and then there is Alfie, who keeps to himself and is pretty much a grump all the time.
Viewing these elderly residents on the surface, you would take them just as they present themselves and not think about what happened in their prior life that influenced who they are now in their later years. This book tells the story of Alfie’s life. The reader comes to understand the experiences which shaped his life. Some people overcome their difficulties and some make the difficulties an excuse for how their life unfolds.
This is a debut novel by Paula Smedley. I liked her writing style. She did a great job of developing her characters. The plot is believable. I personally did not like the ending of the book. After reading Alfie’s life in meticulous detail, the ending seemed to very rushed and over before I fully realized it was ending. (I read the eBook and did not focus on the percent read.)
Also, I want to mention I disliked the undercurrent of the author’s opinion on the politics in the US. (This is a small part of the book, but I want to express my feelings.) This comes through in a character’s voice, but I could have done without this subject in the book. I read to escape real life and I was surprised to be reading comments about politics. A quote from this book “My own daddy always told me that you don’t discuss politics or religion”. I wish the book held to that statement. If I want to read opinions of US politics, I am sure I could find many books on that subject.
I want to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for allowing me to read the advanced reader copy. My review is my own opinion not influenced by receiving the ARC.
Viewing these elderly residents on the surface, you would take them just as they present themselves and not think about what happened in their prior life that influenced who they are now in their later years. This book tells the story of Alfie’s life. The reader comes to understand the experiences which shaped his life. Some people overcome their difficulties and some make the difficulties an excuse for how their life unfolds.
This is a debut novel by Paula Smedley. I liked her writing style. She did a great job of developing her characters. The plot is believable. I personally did not like the ending of the book. After reading Alfie’s life in meticulous detail, the ending seemed to very rushed and over before I fully realized it was ending. (I read the eBook and did not focus on the percent read.)
Also, I want to mention I disliked the undercurrent of the author’s opinion on the politics in the US. (This is a small part of the book, but I want to express my feelings.) This comes through in a character’s voice, but I could have done without this subject in the book. I read to escape real life and I was surprised to be reading comments about politics. A quote from this book “My own daddy always told me that you don’t discuss politics or religion”. I wish the book held to that statement. If I want to read opinions of US politics, I am sure I could find many books on that subject.
I want to thank NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for allowing me to read the advanced reader copy. My review is my own opinion not influenced by receiving the ARC.
June 9, 2020
What an absolutely delightful read this was and for a debut novel I'm bowled over. I was invested in Alfie's character and story from the first couple of pages. The book and storyline is beautifully written, and throughout we move between Alfie's life, as a cantankerous and lonely 80 year old in Pinewood Care Home, to his past life from a a young 20 year old who run away from his troubled home life. We experience all the events both happy and tragic that shaped his adult life.
The book highlights how actions, decisions and regrets can alter the path of your life, good or bad.
The book also touched on loneliness and how friendships can come from the most unlikely sources.
I thought the story of Alfie is truely lovely and I'll be recommending this book to many.
The book highlights how actions, decisions and regrets can alter the path of your life, good or bad.
The book also touched on loneliness and how friendships can come from the most unlikely sources.
I thought the story of Alfie is truely lovely and I'll be recommending this book to many.
June 10, 2020
An uplifting, beautifully written tale!
I really enjoyed how Smedley wove together Alfie's present-day and his past, she reels you in so seamlessly I sat and read the whole book in one sitting.
It just missed out on 5⭐the ending felt very abrupt to me and I wanted more Alfie, hopefully, we hear from him again soon!
Overall, a moving debut with engaging characters that are hard to leave behind. Perfect for fans of The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared.
A huge thanks to Anne Cater & SilverWood Books for sending me a copy in return for an open & honest review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I really enjoyed how Smedley wove together Alfie's present-day and his past, she reels you in so seamlessly I sat and read the whole book in one sitting.
It just missed out on 5⭐the ending felt very abrupt to me and I wanted more Alfie, hopefully, we hear from him again soon!
Overall, a moving debut with engaging characters that are hard to leave behind. Perfect for fans of The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared.
A huge thanks to Anne Cater & SilverWood Books for sending me a copy in return for an open & honest review.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
May 30, 2020
The Inconvenient Need to Belong... An elderly man recounts his past through a series of stories to a young man he meets in a park. The book is extremely detailed, showcasing mundane details of the man's life and adventures in his many careers after leaving his childhood London home and meeting a love. The book felt very familiar with Alfie conferring with an international penpal online at the library, but I can't recall what book I've read this in before. Events and people were believable, but dull.
November 30, 2023
This had the makings to be a heart-warming story about and old mans reflection on decisions he made when he was younger and their impact on his relationships (or lack thereof) but I felt that the story never really got off the ground. The characters were pretty dull and one-dimensional, seeming only to appear to push on a plot point rather than enhance the story. I also found the ending rather abrupt and unsatisfactory making me feel a little cheated. Overall... disappointing.
April 24, 2020
This is an excellent first novel which I throughly enjoyed reading.
The book moves seamlessly from the past to the present eras following the stories of Alfie which draws the reader in and makes you want to get to know more about them whilst the ending takes you completely by surprise.
I look forward with anticipation to reading any future novels the author may write
The book moves seamlessly from the past to the present eras following the stories of Alfie which draws the reader in and makes you want to get to know more about them whilst the ending takes you completely by surprise.
I look forward with anticipation to reading any future novels the author may write
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