The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-30 14:18:15
- Update Date：2025-09-24
- Status：finish
- Author：Matt Cain
- ISBN：147227508X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Albert Entwistle is a private man with a quiet， simple life。 He lives alone with his cat Gracie。 And he’s a postman。 At least he was a postman until， three months before his sixty-fifth birthday， he receives a letter from the Royal Mail thanking him for decades of service and stating he is being forced into retirement。
At once， Albert’s sole connection with his world unravels。 Every day as a mail carrier， he would make his way through the streets of his small English town， delivering letters and parcels and returning greetings with a quick wave and a “how do？” Without the work that fills his days， what will be the point？ He has no friends， family， or hobbies—just a past he never speaks of， and a lost love that fills him with regret。
And so， rather than continue his lonely existence， Albert forms a brave plan to start truly living。 It’s finally time to be honest about who he is。 To seek the happiness he’s always denied himself。 And to find the courage to look for George， the man that， many years ago， he loved and lost—but has never forgotten。 As he does， something extraordinary happens。 Albert finds unlikely allies， new friends， and proves it’s never too late to live， to hope， and to love。
At once， Albert’s sole connection with his world unravels。 Every day as a mail carrier， he would make his way through the streets of his small English town， delivering letters and parcels and returning greetings with a quick wave and a “how do？” Without the work that fills his days， what will be the point？ He has no friends， family， or hobbies—just a past he never speaks of， and a lost love that fills him with regret。
And so， rather than continue his lonely existence， Albert forms a brave plan to start truly living。 It’s finally time to be honest about who he is。 To seek the happiness he’s always denied himself。 And to find the courage to look for George， the man that， many years ago， he loved and lost—but has never forgotten。 As he does， something extraordinary happens。 Albert finds unlikely allies， new friends， and proves it’s never too late to live， to hope， and to love。
Reviews
Lili
，
As I was making my way through the Buzz Books Spring/Summer 2022 edition， I was intrigued by the introduction for The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain。 I read the excerpt and liked its quirkiness enough to add it to my to be read list。The book did not disappoint me in the least。 It was like a feel-good musical with some profound lessons。 It was such a delight to read that I made it through to 90-percent in just one day。 I could have finished it by joining the Bad Decisions Book Club， As I was making my way through the Buzz Books Spring/Summer 2022 edition， I was intrigued by the introduction for The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain。 I read the excerpt and liked its quirkiness enough to add it to my to be read list。The book did not disappoint me in the least。 It was like a feel-good musical with some profound lessons。 It was such a delight to read that I made it through to 90-percent in just one day。 I could have finished it by joining the Bad Decisions Book Club， but decided to leave Albert on the doorstep at the beginning of the second to last chapter。 I had such anticipation about the ending that I told my housemate about the book over breakfast - and I never talk to him about the books I’m reading！So， what about this book made me so happy？ It is difficult to put my finger on it。 It could be just that I enjoy personal treasure hunts， regardless of whether the treasure gets found。 Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close was a favorite for exactly that reason。 It could be that I loved Albert。 He comes across as a curmudgeon， but he’s just really shy and introverted。 He was so stuck in the past that he didn’t realize that times had changed enough for him to be himself。 By the end of the book， he talks about finally being able to “color himself in。” I felt myself cheering him on as he made the little everyday decisions - to say hello to a stranger， to be kind to someone， to follow through with a plan - that amounted to a big life change。 And I loved the wide variety of supporting characters who irritated and enriched Albert’s life。 It could be that this was such an unabashedly British book， and all the mannerisms amused me。 But really this book could have taken place in any Rust Belt small town because it was so character driven。 Or it could be that it was just the right book at the right time。Personally， I’m surprised that， with a publication date just before Pride Month in the United States， Albert hasn’t become more of a phenomenon。 The book was that good！ I would definitely recommend it to almost anyone， especially to those people who think I only read books with sexy times on the page。I received this book as a digital advance reader copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion。 。。。more
Shannon
，
If you like #uplit reads and stories about finding happiness late in life you don't want to miss this book！！ I absolutely adored Albert Entswistle， a closeted gay man who gets forced into retirement from his postal job and decides to track down his first love George。A beautiful cast of secondary characters help Albert come into his own and embrace his sexuality in a way he was never able to do as a young man with homophobic parents。 Eventually he tracks down his first love and is able to find re If you like #uplit reads and stories about finding happiness late in life you don't want to miss this book！！ I absolutely adored Albert Entswistle， a closeted gay man who gets forced into retirement from his postal job and decides to track down his first love George。A beautiful cast of secondary characters help Albert come into his own and embrace his sexuality in a way he was never able to do as a young man with homophobic parents。 Eventually he tracks down his first love and is able to find reconciliation and a second chance。Heartwarming and the ultimate feel good read。 Highly recommended for fans of A man called Ove or All the lonely people （but make it gay）。 I really do love books that feature older characters and remind us that they still have lives to live and are worthy of our affection and respect。Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance review copy。 This was also excellent on audio and I am so glad I got to know Albert Entwistle！！ 。。。more
Linda George
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I loved this book！ Probably one of my favorites in 2022 so far。 Some humor but I also shed some tears。。
Deana
，
Sweet and lovely coming-of-age story - except the coming-of-age is happening to a 64 year old gentleman！ Pacing was a tad slow and the ending was predictable but the engaging story and characters made up for it。
Han
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The perfect book for me to have read at this time。 My heart is so full。
Book Concierge
，
Adapted from the book jacket: 64-year-old Albert Entwistle is a postman with a regular route。 Each day he walks the streets of his small English town， delivering letters and parcels， and returning greetings with a quick wave。 Albert lives alone with his cat， Gracie; his work is his only interaction with people， limited as it is。 And then the letter arrives telling him that mandatory retirement will come with his 65th birthday in three months。 Without the work that fills his days， what will Alber Adapted from the book jacket: 64-year-old Albert Entwistle is a postman with a regular route。 Each day he walks the streets of his small English town， delivering letters and parcels， and returning greetings with a quick wave。 Albert lives alone with his cat， Gracie; his work is his only interaction with people， limited as it is。 And then the letter arrives telling him that mandatory retirement will come with his 65th birthday in three months。 Without the work that fills his days， what will Albert do？ He has no family， no friends， no hobbies， just a past he never speaks of and a lost love that fills him with regret。 My reactionsThis was just delightful。 My heart went out to Albert， who， like so many young gay teens， felt compelled to hide his nature and resign himself to a life of loneliness。 His story is tragic and all too common， with parents who berated him for who he was and forced him to hide his true nature。 And now that they are gone， he has no one but his cat。 I loved watching Albert bloom as he slowly made efforts to truly connect with the people on his route， and to begin searching for George， hoping against hope that he’d find him and， if nothing else， at least be forgiven。 It’s a wonderful journey and Albert finds surprising connections， from the elderly （and similarly lonely） Edith， to young single mom Nichole， and even the blustery Jack。 Cain also gives us insight into many of the other characters， chiefly Nichole and Marjorie （Albert’s boss）。 Once Albert comes out of himself a bit he learns that many other people have struggles and face heartaches of their own。 He learns much about compassion and friendship， and learns to open up and live rather than just exist。 There are a number of rather unrealistic plot points， but who cares。 Albert certainly deserves his HEA！ 。。。more
Angela
，
I was the lucky recipient of this gem via a Goodreads Giveaway。 And I really do mean lucky。 I found myself cheering for so many characters in this book and really found myself smiling at their wins。 With all the sadness and hatred in the world right now it was a comfort to be able to escape into something that radiated joy and a character that not only wanted a better life for himself but made sure to lift others up along the way。 Loved this book！ Out of the 41 books I’ve read so far this year…。 I was the lucky recipient of this gem via a Goodreads Giveaway。 And I really do mean lucky。 I found myself cheering for so many characters in this book and really found myself smiling at their wins。 With all the sadness and hatred in the world right now it was a comfort to be able to escape into something that radiated joy and a character that not only wanted a better life for himself but made sure to lift others up along the way。 Loved this book！ Out of the 41 books I’ve read so far this year…。hands down my favorite。 。。。more
Julia
，
This is the most precious， endearing story！
Terry
，
A heart-tugging novel about a lonely village postman， Albert， who has just received a letter informing him he must retire at 65。 He's never come out as gay， but he's never forgotten his first and only love George who he hasn't seen since they were 15。 When Albert finally starts opening up to people， he finds a world of friends who encourage him to find George and his life changes。 I found this to be very heartfelt， touching， and often humorous; it was lovely。 A heart-tugging novel about a lonely village postman， Albert， who has just received a letter informing him he must retire at 65。 He's never come out as gay， but he's never forgotten his first and only love George who he hasn't seen since they were 15。 When Albert finally starts opening up to people， he finds a world of friends who encourage him to find George and his life changes。 I found this to be very heartfelt， touching， and often humorous; it was lovely。 。。。more
Jai The Doodler
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This is the most beautiful book I've ever read and proves you can never be too old to discover yourself This is the most beautiful book I've ever read and proves you can never be too old to discover yourself 。。。more
Melissa
，
Even 64 year olds can have great "coming of age" stories and rediscover who they really want to be in life。 This one inspires happy tears as Albert begins to embrace the goodness of life and others just before his retirement。 Even 64 year olds can have great "coming of age" stories and rediscover who they really want to be in life。 This one inspires happy tears as Albert begins to embrace the goodness of life and others just before his retirement。 。。。more
Mary Kay McBrayer
，
I'm not normally one to be fascinated by a romantic journey， but this audiobook had me cleaning my house and doing my dishes so I didn't have to turn it off。The Libro。fm audiobook narration is excellent， too， and as an American from the south with trouble recreating a Yorkshire accent in my mind， it perfectly supplies the tone。 The story itself is a feel-good plot of Albert Entwistle， a postal worker who's being made to retire。 At this forced lifestyle change， he's made to undergo transformation I'm not normally one to be fascinated by a romantic journey， but this audiobook had me cleaning my house and doing my dishes so I didn't have to turn it off。The Libro。fm audiobook narration is excellent， too， and as an American from the south with trouble recreating a Yorkshire accent in my mind， it perfectly supplies the tone。 The story itself is a feel-good plot of Albert Entwistle， a postal worker who's being made to retire。 At this forced lifestyle change， he's made to undergo transformation into the person he's always wanted to become， from sexual orientation to friendly relationships to personality and personal interests。 I really enjoyed the nuance of the era and region， and I feel like I learned a lot from listening。 If you like coming-of-age narratives in a specific time and place with a lens toward queer identity as it's changed over decades， this one is for you！ 。。。more
Elizabeth King
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Uplifting！
Andrea
，
Four things…1。 What is it about me and geriatric fiction？？ I’m total sucker for the whole ‘toss the loneliness and build a new life’ plot。 It’s so， so satisfying。 2。 The journey forward for Albert seems to go exceptionally swimmingly。 The acceptance he receives feels like I’m reading through rose colored glasses。 But I like rose colored glasses， so it was all good。 3。 Kudos to Simon Vance whose narration brought such authenticity to the characters。 4。 You might want to take a chance on this one…
Pat
，
The characters were so sweet and the story so heartwarming that I didn’t want it to end。 This book was the perfect distraction from the mess that is happening within the Supreme Court。 Even though it was a fairly predictable plot， it sucked me in。 It was just the right book to read during pride month and a great reminder of the struggles in the past， accompanied by angst for the future （since all the progress we made on all fronts during the 70s seems to be yanked out from under us）。 This remind The characters were so sweet and the story so heartwarming that I didn’t want it to end。 This book was the perfect distraction from the mess that is happening within the Supreme Court。 Even though it was a fairly predictable plot， it sucked me in。 It was just the right book to read during pride month and a great reminder of the struggles in the past， accompanied by angst for the future （since all the progress we made on all fronts during the 70s seems to be yanked out from under us）。 This reminds me a bit of the book， A Man Called Ove。 。。。more
Charlie Colpaert
，
This is a delightful story I discovered by accident。 Albert Entwistle is about to turn 60， and will be retired from the Royal Mail。 His life has been quiet， long-suffering， and withdrawn， except when he was a youth and experienced love。 As a gay youth in the 1950s/60s， you risked arrest， so he ended things with a boy named George。 As retirement nears， Albert thinks back to those days， and decides he needs to find George and maybe love again。 Along the way， Albert comes into his own， makes friend This is a delightful story I discovered by accident。 Albert Entwistle is about to turn 60， and will be retired from the Royal Mail。 His life has been quiet， long-suffering， and withdrawn， except when he was a youth and experienced love。 As a gay youth in the 1950s/60s， you risked arrest， so he ended things with a boy named George。 As retirement nears， Albert thinks back to those days， and decides he needs to find George and maybe love again。 Along the way， Albert comes into his own， makes friends， and learns some valuable lessons。 I enjoyed this book from beginning to end， and highly recommend it。 。。。more
Michelle
，
Darnit。 I can’t read this one。 Albert’s absolutely wonderful kitty Gracie passes away in the book。 I was worried it would happen so I skimmed ahead a few pages and saw that kitty was diagnosed with cancer。 And StoryGraph has a content warning that kitty passes away。 This is a storyline I can’t read about， especially right now。 I know everyone says this is a wonderfully heartwarming book and maybe I’m missing out on a wonderful ending but I’m not going to get past Albert losing Gracie。
Dorothy Minor
，
I stumbled upon The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain。 I am delighted that I read the story。 Albert Entwistle is a postman， a postie， in a small English town。 He rarely engages with the people on his route beyond a hello and “must get going; these letters won’t deliver themselves。” He is the same with his fellow workers at the postal station。 He interacts with them as little as possible。At home， Albert lives alone with his cat Gracie。 His parents have passed away， leaving him the hous I stumbled upon The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain。 I am delighted that I read the story。 Albert Entwistle is a postman， a postie， in a small English town。 He rarely engages with the people on his route beyond a hello and “must get going; these letters won’t deliver themselves。” He is the same with his fellow workers at the postal station。 He interacts with them as little as possible。At home， Albert lives alone with his cat Gracie。 His parents have passed away， leaving him the house where he grew up。 Albert had cared for his mother in her illness until her death。 She was not kind to him even as he cared for her。 Now， turning 65， Albert receives a letter from the postal service telling him of the mandatory retirement at age 65。 He knows there is no recourse， so he begins thinking about what his life will be like without his job。His thoughts turn to George Atkinson， the love of his life。 They were both 15 when they last saw each other and under very unfortunate circumstances。 Life for gays in those days was painful。 They could be arrested; they were bullied and beaten。 As a result， when George moved away with his family， Albert simply shut down。 He went about his days doing his job， but his life was terribly restricted。Now， faced with mandatory retirement， Albert determines he will make changes in his life。 To that end， he buys a smart phone and starts learning to use it。 When he hits a snag， he decides to ask Nicole， a young single mom who is on his postal route for her help。 This move turns out to be a good one for both of them。 Nicole can help him with the technology and also with learning how to be a friend。 Albert， in turn， helps Nicole by giving her some advice about holding on to a guy she loves。 In the bargain， Albert becomes an uncle to Nicole’s young daughter， Rennie。Because of his decision to find George， Albert determines that he will tell his co-workers about his sexuality。 He also changes from his usual terse hello to conversing with the co-workers as well as customers on his route。 The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is a feel-good story。 It also depicts a theme I truly enjoy—the finding of family among people who need one another even though they are not blood related。 After spending many years closed off from others， Albert opens up to find friends and his life changes dramatically。 This story is excellent for a book club。 Discussions of what used to be and what can be will keep members discovering new ideas about the story。The story focuses on today and the ways Albert is changing， but readers do get the back story of the times Albert and George spent together before George moved away。 The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is a delightful story。 。。。more
Ariana （mostly offline）
，
What a lovely book！I came across Matt Cain in a newspaper article， talking about his book， and once I read the blurb I had to go for it！This is…… 100% British。 I loved it！ However， you might have to look up some items， like this for example: Albert offers a young woman a Bourbon in the afternoon。 Please don’t be alarmed: in the UK this is a traditional chocolate biscuit！…a very clever look at what being gay in the 50s meant。 Please do read the real life interviews at the end of the book！ They sh What a lovely book！I came across Matt Cain in a newspaper article， talking about his book， and once I read the blurb I had to go for it！This is…… 100% British。 I loved it！ However， you might have to look up some items， like this for example: Albert offers a young woman a Bourbon in the afternoon。 Please don’t be alarmed: in the UK this is a traditional chocolate biscuit！…a very clever look at what being gay in the 50s meant。 Please do read the real life interviews at the end of the book！ They shed a very realistic light on this。…a very quiet， tender and slow book which is generally a good thing， but I found the beginning a bit longwinded。… a heart-warming story about a 64-year-old man who （finally） discovers himself and his place in the world。 This is very much Albert’s journey， and while his search for his old boyfriend is a key part in it， it is not the most important thing。… really touching and wonderfully uplifting。 Albert’s loneliness is overwhelming， drowning him， and his sadness really resonated with me。 I loved how we are shown that with little steps at a time， he breaks out of his stifling routine to connect to other people。I dare you not to get a little teary-eyed about it。 I certainly was。What this is not ……a typical romance。 Tbh， I would be hesitant to call it that， although there is a lot of love going round！ It’s Albert’s search for George that sets him off on his journey of self-discovery， where he learns to accept himself and who he is without being ashamed or horrified。But while I really enjoyed all of this， I have to admit that I was a little bit disappointed how low key the thing with George panned out。 。。a single POV。 I liked Nicole， the young woman who becomes such a good friend to Albert， but I don’t really understand why her POV is there or why her own story takes up so much page-time。 On the whole the author brings across some very powerful messages about acceptance， being true to yourself and the strength of friendship。It is a very different book from what I’d normally read and I thoroughly enjoyed it。 。。。more
ChristiAne
，
This is one of those surprise page turners that makes reading it more important and fulfilling than anything else you could spend your time doing。 Got this book through Goodreads and was just expecting some light fare。 This story however， fills your whole heart and relates to basically all aspects of life。 Indeed a coming-of-age story as we never stop growing and developing our best self。 And Albert Entwistle shows that we never quite do this by ourselves。 The characters in the story are full of This is one of those surprise page turners that makes reading it more important and fulfilling than anything else you could spend your time doing。 Got this book through Goodreads and was just expecting some light fare。 This story however， fills your whole heart and relates to basically all aspects of life。 Indeed a coming-of-age story as we never stop growing and developing our best self。 And Albert Entwistle shows that we never quite do this by ourselves。 The characters in the story are full of life， all the exceptional and mundane of life。 The book is well crafted and transports you right to the place and in the midst of its characters。 There is nothing better than a book that opens your world and enriches your emotions as this book does。 。。。more
Dylan
，
Thank you to net galley for the ARC！This book is exactly the kind of book I would love but it was toooooo long。 Albert is a 65 year old gay man connecting with his community and looking for his lost love。 The story is so so sweet！ The friends he makes along the way are delightful。 I loved the way he was loved and supported。 I say it was too long because I found myself saying “haven’t I already read this？” Multiple times as his thoughts and conversations felt repeated。 There were no surprises for Thank you to net galley for the ARC！This book is exactly the kind of book I would love but it was toooooo long。 Albert is a 65 year old gay man connecting with his community and looking for his lost love。 The story is so so sweet！ The friends he makes along the way are delightful。 I loved the way he was loved and supported。 I say it was too long because I found myself saying “haven’t I already read this？” Multiple times as his thoughts and conversations felt repeated。 There were no surprises for me， so putting off the “big reveal” for so long was obnoxious。 I also was very annoyed by how in the course of a night a man who is clearly homophobic can completely change his mind and apologize。 That hasn’t been my experience。 People can change their minds， but processing takes more than a few minutes。 Every person he came out to was supportive and cheered for him and I love that， but it also wasn’t realistic for me。 Maybe I live in too conservative of an area to believe it。 Overall: I loved the story but would probably recommend people try the audio so it doesn’t feel so long。 。。。more
Beth Medrano
，
Lives the story！ I couldn’t put it down！ I wanted to know how his journey was going to end and how he got there in the first place！
Emma Presnell
，
3。5 starsI’m really sad I didn’t like this more， but I just felt the pacing was so slow and a lot of moments that should’ve been “this is where a lesson has clicked with the character” felt repeated。 And right when I was excited for moments to happen they felt anticlimactic or rushed。 Not bad but it should’ve been shorter ¯\_（ツ）_/¯
Isabelle Millan
，
This story was cute and had some really good parts， like the party at the end and Nicole’s ending， as well as the drag show， but overall it was eh。 The writing was legit 6th grade level （so much telling， no showing）。 Like where did Albert’s social anxiety go？ And what about grieving for Gracie？？ Also it was so millennial it was painful。 And so many chapters ended with “he knew what he had to do” or something similar🙄 Good idea for a book just not that well executed。
Manon
，
This book was incredibly heartwarming， and I loved every second of it。
Laura
，
This modern story about ending a career and beginning a new life was heartwarming and bittersweet。 It never seems to cross the line into a saccharin by dealing with more serious topics like death， homophobia and isolation。 The characters were all so likable and at times it is easy to guess what might happen next to a character but the journey that Matt Cain creates is worth the trip to be with these characters longer。
Colby
，
A Man Called Ove but make it gay。A heartfelt story of an older man seeking lost love。 Albert is quite endearing from the get-go and makes you feel at home in his little community。 Way more feel-good than I usually go for in my books， but something about it really connected with me。 A cozy read that is sure to warm your heart。
Racheal
，
A quietly powerful book on pursing your truth no matter how long it takes。
EmmaZL
，
Such an amazing book！ The story was funny but also very moving。 I really recommend this book！
Guillermo Perez
，