All The Lonely People
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- Create Date：2021-03-15 03:12:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Mike Gayle
- ISBN：B084QC7T13
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Summary
Hubert Bird is not alone in being alone。
He just needs to realise it。
In weekly phone calls to his daughter in Australia， widower Hubert Bird paints a picture of the perfect retirement， packed with fun， friendship and fulfilment。
But Hubert Bird is lying。
The truth is day after day drags by without him seeing a single soul。
Until， that is， he receives some good news - good news that in one way turns out to be the worst news ever， news that will force him out again， into a world he has long since turned his back on。
Now Hubert faces a seemingly impossible task: to make his real life resemble his fake life before the truth comes out。
Along the way Hubert stumbles across a second chance at love， renews a cherished friendship and finds himself roped into an audacious community scheme that seeks to end loneliness once and for all 。 。 。
Life is certainly beginning to happen to Hubert Bird。 But with the origin of his earlier isolation always lurking in the shadows will he ever get to live the life he's pretended to have for so long？
From bestselling author Mike Gayle， All the Lonely People is by turns a funny and moving meditation on love， race， old age and friendship that will not only charm and uplift， but also remind you of the power of ordinary people to make an extraordinary difference。
He just needs to realise it。
In weekly phone calls to his daughter in Australia， widower Hubert Bird paints a picture of the perfect retirement， packed with fun， friendship and fulfilment。
But Hubert Bird is lying。
The truth is day after day drags by without him seeing a single soul。
Until， that is， he receives some good news - good news that in one way turns out to be the worst news ever， news that will force him out again， into a world he has long since turned his back on。
Now Hubert faces a seemingly impossible task: to make his real life resemble his fake life before the truth comes out。
Along the way Hubert stumbles across a second chance at love， renews a cherished friendship and finds himself roped into an audacious community scheme that seeks to end loneliness once and for all 。 。 。
Life is certainly beginning to happen to Hubert Bird。 But with the origin of his earlier isolation always lurking in the shadows will he ever get to live the life he's pretended to have for so long？
From bestselling author Mike Gayle， All the Lonely People is by turns a funny and moving meditation on love， race， old age and friendship that will not only charm and uplift， but also remind you of the power of ordinary people to make an extraordinary difference。
Reviews
Jacqueline
，
What a wonderful book。 Warm， funny sad it has all of the emotions。A book of relationships， racial tensions， family relationships。You will love Hubert Bird from the start by the end of the book you will have fallen in love with him。The books span 1957 until present day and tells Hubert Birds journey from Jamiaca to London， his treatment at the hands of white people who cant see beyond the colour of his skin， falling in love with Joyce a white girl who's family disown her。 Huberts family and their What a wonderful book。 Warm， funny sad it has all of the emotions。A book of relationships， racial tensions， family relationships。You will love Hubert Bird from the start by the end of the book you will have fallen in love with him。The books span 1957 until present day and tells Hubert Birds journey from Jamiaca to London， his treatment at the hands of white people who cant see beyond the colour of his skin， falling in love with Joyce a white girl who's family disown her。 Huberts family and their challenges from drug addiction to dementia and finally Huberts own mental health problems。Hubert learns to open up and trust again in the final years of his life but not before opening up about how he has been living for the last five years。Well done Mike Gayle a wonderfully written story。 。。。more
Olivia Tarn
，
The story of Hubert， an elderly man who is nothing if not lonely。 After losing his beloved wife， his daughter moving to Australia， and becoming estranged from his son， Hubert has no one to talk to， that is， until his neighbour knocks on his door one day。 This random meeting leads on to the rest of the story， showing how ordinary people can do the most amazing things and how we can all be there for each other。I loved the way this story was written， from present day time to flashbacks to different The story of Hubert， an elderly man who is nothing if not lonely。 After losing his beloved wife， his daughter moving to Australia， and becoming estranged from his son， Hubert has no one to talk to， that is， until his neighbour knocks on his door one day。 This random meeting leads on to the rest of the story， showing how ordinary people can do the most amazing things and how we can all be there for each other。I loved the way this story was written， from present day time to flashbacks to different points in Hubert's life。 It was predictable at times， but contains twists I didn't expect。 A really enjoyable and significant read。Some quotes:1。 "Sometimes， thought Hubert， you have to try the impossible to work out whether it is impossible。 Sometimes， as his Joyce used to say， instead of waiting around for somebody else to do something， you have to be that person。 Sometimes you just have to go big or go home。"2。 "And that's the funny thing about life。 Extraordinary things can happen to ordinary people like you and me， but only if we open ourselves up enough to let them。"3。 "In fact， to continue living was to honour the memory of those he had loved and lost， a celebration of the life they had once shared。" 。。。more
Lucy M
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A lovely story， Hurbert was a great character and it was a joy getting to know him， I shed a few tears and the subject of loneliness is quite emotive， but still a throughly good read
MISS L E MURRAY
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Heart warmingSuch a lovely read， and what an amazing main character。 I wish I'd known Hubbert Bird。 I stumbled upon this book and I'm so glad that I did。 I look forward to reading the authors other books Heart warmingSuch a lovely read， and what an amazing main character。 I wish I'd known Hubbert Bird。 I stumbled upon this book and I'm so glad that I did。 I look forward to reading the authors other books 。。。more
Kirsten Bett
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Just what the doctor ordered。 I loved this book because it's not a happily ever after book in the way that everything gets wrapped up tidily。 But it is a comforting and encouraging book that I will revisit。 Just what the doctor ordered。 I loved this book because it's not a happily ever after book in the way that everything gets wrapped up tidily。 But it is a comforting and encouraging book that I will revisit。 。。。more
Charlotte Jeal
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So sweet yet heartbreaking！ Could not put it down ❤️
Sue Parker
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Not as enjoyable as half a world away。
AnnaG
，
I loved the blurb of this book， but was expecting a more plot driven book， it's much more of a character study and more "literary" than it is being advertised as。 Unfortunately that kind of book is not so much to my taste， but if you want a character exploration of how people become lonely and how it changes a person - this is the book for you。 I loved the blurb of this book， but was expecting a more plot driven book， it's much more of a character study and more "literary" than it is being advertised as。 Unfortunately that kind of book is not so much to my taste， but if you want a character exploration of how people become lonely and how it changes a person - this is the book for you。 。。。more
Abbi Beattie
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Beautifully written。A warm， engaging and emotional story about a very special man and his life with its tribulations and happiness 。Nothing preachy but some telling reminders of how life was for those choosing to explore a new country。A brief but accurate reminder that for some， nothing much has changed！ Sadly。 Several modern social and emotional struggles faced by many are included 。I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 It made me laugh， cry， whince， regret and it contained a heartfelt message about Beautifully written。A warm， engaging and emotional story about a very special man and his life with its tribulations and happiness 。Nothing preachy but some telling reminders of how life was for those choosing to explore a new country。A brief but accurate reminder that for some， nothing much has changed！ Sadly。 Several modern social and emotional struggles faced by many are included 。I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 It made me laugh， cry， whince， regret and it contained a heartfelt message about combating loneliness which must resonate with so many。Great characters， Ashleigh and our reluctant hero Hubert， were ， for me， so well drawn and the author chose each of the support cast with care， humour and conviction。Very happy to have chosen this book。 。。。more
Emma
，
Wow！ What an incredible， emotional read。 If there’s only one book you read， make it this one。 Loneliness is the key theme highlighted in such an amazing way， this was so emotional and I cried many times whilst reading this。 More important now than ever， loneliness is so prevalent in today’s pandemic affecting so many people and the effect this can have are so damaging， which really makes you think having read this book。 This follows a beautiful story of how Hubert Bird is affected by loneliness Wow！ What an incredible， emotional read。 If there’s only one book you read， make it this one。 Loneliness is the key theme highlighted in such an amazing way， this was so emotional and I cried many times whilst reading this。 More important now than ever， loneliness is so prevalent in today’s pandemic affecting so many people and the effect this can have are so damaging， which really makes you think having read this book。 This follows a beautiful story of how Hubert Bird is affected by loneliness and the beautiful friendship and support that is developed along the way！ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more
Sarah
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Beautiful。 Mike Gayle does it again
Frances
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5 starsThis one certainly brings out all the emotions ， but a wonderful storyBrilliant narration
Fiona Keates
，
I lovely gentle story that makes you fallnin love with the characters and who they are。I'm not sure this sort of thing would happen in real life but it's heartwarming to think it just might。Not sure about the telephone calls with his daughter though - really didn't get that？ I lovely gentle story that makes you fallnin love with the characters and who they are。I'm not sure this sort of thing would happen in real life but it's heartwarming to think it just might。Not sure about the telephone calls with his daughter though - really didn't get that？ 。。。more
Gina Cardwell
，
Hubert Bird is a cranky old man who spends all his time alone。 But， in the weekly updates he gives to his daughter （who lives overseas） he's friendly， exuberant and most importantly surrounded by friends。 When his daughter decides to visit home for the first time in years he has just 3 months to make his real life match the yarn he's been spinning all this time。This book is beautiful and heart warming， and reminds you of the human capacity for kindness。 Everyone will get something out of this st Hubert Bird is a cranky old man who spends all his time alone。 But， in the weekly updates he gives to his daughter （who lives overseas） he's friendly， exuberant and most importantly surrounded by friends。 When his daughter decides to visit home for the first time in years he has just 3 months to make his real life match the yarn he's been spinning all this time。This book is beautiful and heart warming， and reminds you of the human capacity for kindness。 Everyone will get something out of this story because everyone feels isolated sometimes especially now during a Pannacotta。 。。。more
Richard Burke
，
Hubert Bird is in his eighties。 His daughter， who lives in Australia， is about to pay him a visit。 The problem is that for the last few years， Hubert has been telling her about his friends - none of whom really exist。Told through past and present， this was a heart-warming tale of a man who endured a life of racism and sadness， and fought to return to a life worth living。A feel-good story that is both shocking and moving。
Vanessa Van der biessen
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Heartbreakingly beautiful
Jaqui
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Such a lovely heart warning and moving story。 I loved it。I discovered the books of Mike Gayle last year and this is third book of his - and the best - so far。 It is about Hubert a man beset by loneliness - but it is also about family， friendship and love。 It's about not giving up on people despite being pushed away ; "I had to help you even if you didn't want to be helped。 It's just what friends do。" It's about hope， " 。 。。。。。 "Out of the blue there was a knock at my door and that's when me met Such a lovely heart warning and moving story。 I loved it。I discovered the books of Mike Gayle last year and this is third book of his - and the best - so far。 It is about Hubert a man beset by loneliness - but it is also about family， friendship and love。 It's about not giving up on people despite being pushed away ; "I had to help you even if you didn't want to be helped。 It's just what friends do。" It's about hope， " 。 。。。。。 "Out of the blue there was a knock at my door and that's when me met someone who changed my life 。"。 It's about bravery and stoicism in the face of racial prejudice 。"。 It is， simply， a wonderful story with Hubert our quiet hero a man in his eighties as the central character and Rose and Joyce and Ashleigh and Gus all beautifully portrayed。I finished it with tears in my eyes。 Hubert reminded me of the real life Captain Tom who in the midst of a pandemic raised millions for the NHS charities in his hundredth year with a simple quiet determination by walking in his garden and with the same strength of character as here， the fictional but so real， Hubert began A campaign to combat loneliness in Bromley。 Simply a wonderful read。 Lots of gentle twists and surprises。 Yes， a bit of a modern fairy story the cynical night say， but let's live in hope these things are possible。 Lovely read。 Tissues required。 。。。more
Johnboy Somerville
，
This was a book that came to me as a Facebook recommendation。 I purchased it and put it on a shelf until yesterday。I am a forty something single male who lives alone who was chided by a twenty something colleague of mine that I am a machine incapable of emotions， so this is not exactly the sort of book that would appeal to me。 - however: this is without doubt one of the most endearing， heartwarming and beautiful books I have ever read。 The characters are so enveloping that you don't want the boo This was a book that came to me as a Facebook recommendation。 I purchased it and put it on a shelf until yesterday。I am a forty something single male who lives alone who was chided by a twenty something colleague of mine that I am a machine incapable of emotions， so this is not exactly the sort of book that would appeal to me。 - however: this is without doubt one of the most endearing， heartwarming and beautiful books I have ever read。 The characters are so enveloping that you don't want the book to end。 I could read about Hubert， Ashleigh， Gus etc for days and not have enough。 Hubert may be double my age and a completely different life from me， but there were traits and bits of his story that I recognised in me and so I empathised with him through his journey。As miss Melody says near the end， Hubert's story "got me right in the feels"。 。。。more
Laura Hands
，
My favourite book of the year so far。 Filled with gorgeous characters that were brought to life so wonderfully that I'm missing them all already。 Heartbreaking and heartwarming throughout， Mike Gayle left me sobbing as well as wanting to be a better person and neighbour。 My favourite book of the year so far。 Filled with gorgeous characters that were brought to life so wonderfully that I'm missing them all already。 Heartbreaking and heartwarming throughout， Mike Gayle left me sobbing as well as wanting to be a better person and neighbour。 。。。more
Anisha Nawalrai
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This book broke my heart but I loved it
Beth Sandland （Beth’s Book Club）
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A story of community， loneliness and unlikely friendships。 The book successfully swaps between present day and London in the 50’s to tell the story of 84 year old Jamaican man， Hubert Bird。 It explicitly tackled themes of racism and loss whilst remaining a charming， easy read。I didn’t find it especially gripping and at times it could’ve picked up the pace。 There are a few gentle twists along the way but on the whole it is what you expect it to be - the power of community。 I listened on audible a A story of community， loneliness and unlikely friendships。 The book successfully swaps between present day and London in the 50’s to tell the story of 84 year old Jamaican man， Hubert Bird。 It explicitly tackled themes of racism and loss whilst remaining a charming， easy read。I didn’t find it especially gripping and at times it could’ve picked up the pace。 There are a few gentle twists along the way but on the whole it is what you expect it to be - the power of community。 I listened on audible and enjoyed the narration。 。。。more
Lynseyherbert
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Loved it， beautifully written。
Mrs P A Bury
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I read so many books and very rarely write reviews but I can’t keep quiet about this book， I absolutely loved it。 Not sure if it’s a spoiler alert but it had me in floods of fears and also joyful laughter。 A very emotional book which is making me reflect on some thought-provoking issues。 I highly recommend this book but make sure you have tissues to hand。 I loved this book Mike Gayle。
Mary Louise
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this book。。。 broke my heart， but in a good way？ idk all I know is i’m sobbing， but it was so so so good。 （it comes out in the US in July！！ definitely recommend for fans of Fredrik Backman）
Suzanne Griffin
，
Made me cry。 I wasn't expecting such an emotional read， with such an important message。 Made me cry。 I wasn't expecting such an emotional read， with such an important message。 。。。more
Andrea Roveri
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A very nice， heartwarming but at the same time soul destroying simple story of an immigrant man and his struggle with life in a brand new country。 It's definitely on the lighter side of things， but Mike Gayle fills this with a cast of lovely characters。 A very nice， heartwarming but at the same time soul destroying simple story of an immigrant man and his struggle with life in a brand new country。 It's definitely on the lighter side of things， but Mike Gayle fills this with a cast of lovely characters。 。。。more
Roxanne Rampage
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 2。5 stars for me really。 I was really surprised by all the 5 star reviews of this to be absolutely honest。 I was really hoping for better things。The story in itself is fine mostly， but it annoyed me immensely that the main character， our beloved Hubert， kept saying 'me' instead of 'I'。 Sorry， but me just found this to be an insult to his intelligence！！ （See what I did there？！） Just because he's from Jamaica we have to keep driving the point home in the way he speaks！ I know a couple of West Indi 2。5 stars for me really。 I was really surprised by all the 5 star reviews of this to be absolutely honest。 I was really hoping for better things。The story in itself is fine mostly， but it annoyed me immensely that the main character， our beloved Hubert， kept saying 'me' instead of 'I'。 Sorry， but me just found this to be an insult to his intelligence！！ （See what I did there？！） Just because he's from Jamaica we have to keep driving the point home in the way he speaks！ I know a couple of West Indian's and haven't heard them once say 'me' rather than I。 His good friend Gus， also from Jamaica， mostly managed to say 'I' rather than 'me'。。。。 most of the time！ I just felt this was unnecessary and was also rather inconsistent。 Ashleigh was just annoying and pushy。。。。 and leaving her adored baby girl with a virtual stranger？ Really？？The whole Rose story was quite good but again I felt there was something off with how she remembered every detail of Hubert's "friends" and I felt a bit let down by the reveal。 I'm not sure why that had to be the case。。。。 it just seemed like piling on unnecessary tragedy！ And what actually happened to David？ I'm not sure if he died too。。。was the body in the river his？ Maybe I skimmed the bit that explained what happened to him？I know racism is the "thing" at the moment and was particularly bad in 'those days'， but again I felt this whole issue rammed down my throat， with having Latvian delivery drivers， some sort of Chinese great-niece and so on。 I just felt all these multicultural references were over-done to be honest。 I don't give a fig where people are from and I think having to mention it makes it more racist than not。I found the whole 'Loneliness Campaign' a bit far fetched with the huge hype and making them into celebrities。 I skim-read some of this book and found it a bit tedious and not particularly good writing， not descriptive and a little shallow。I'm sorry I didn't enjoy this and people probably won't agree with my review but I'm being honest。 。。。more
Linda
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Absolutely loved it。
Ellie Kakoulli
，
Siri play “All The Lonely People” by The BeatlesFirstly， I’ll put my hands up and say I initially picked this up with the intention of giving it to my mum， as after reading the blurb I wasn’t quite sure it’d be my cup of tea。 Though after a pretty crappy start to the month （lol it’s only the 3rd of March） I wanted something light and easy breezy， which is exactly what I got， and more！ Seamlessly switching between the past and present。 We begin with the arrival of our main protagonist Hubert， in Siri play “All The Lonely People” by The BeatlesFirstly， I’ll put my hands up and say I initially picked this up with the intention of giving it to my mum， as after reading the blurb I wasn’t quite sure it’d be my cup of tea。 Though after a pretty crappy start to the month （lol it’s only the 3rd of March） I wanted something light and easy breezy， which is exactly what I got， and more！ Seamlessly switching between the past and present。 We begin with the arrival of our main protagonist Hubert， in 1950’s Britain， as part of the Windrush generation。 Full of prosperous ideals of a better life， filled with hope and unlimited opportunities。 Only instead to be met with a very cold （both literally and figuratively） welcoming of racial segregation and discrimination。 Then we have our present day octogenarian Hubert， who’s life though since then has been filled with work， friendship， family and love -despite the onslaught of prejudice that was against him， now currently finds himself at a bit of a stalemate。 Where his life is very sparse when it comes to human connection。 In fact， the only company he presently keeps comes in the form of his beloved cat Puss， and his only real form of human communication， are his weekly international phone calls with his daughter Rose。 Where Hubert proceeds to engage in a fictitious narrative， of a life filled with an abundance of friendships and adventures so as not to worry her。 However when Rose suddenly announces she plans to visit， Hubert realises he needs to turn his life around and make some real friends， quick！The book then proceeds to follow Hubert on such a mighty quest for friendship， alongside a array of fellow vibrant， yet deeply despondent soon-to-be chums。 Proving that loneliness can affect anyone， anytime and at any age。 Gayle has managed to expertly craft very real and well-rounded characters and settings。 His depictions of south London -in particular Bromley and Brixton were spot on （and that’s coming from a south Londoner！） Hubert especially was such an endearing， exuberant chap and one I would happily befriend。 I could instantly picture his cheeky smile and his charismatic charm practically leaps of every page！Another thing that really surprised me about this book was how Gayle managed to balance tackling such heavy （and important） topics and human emotion with such sensitivity and precision， whilst also retaining a great sense of warmth and humour throughout -pat on the back my friend。In particular I really admired how Gayle approached the theme of loss。 Exploring how it can manifest itself in many ways。 How loss can be seen in both the literal form of losing someone through death， but also how you can sometimes lose people before they’re actually ‘gone’ through illnesses such as dementia。 Honestly this an absolute GEM of a book， that’s both heart-warming and heartbreaking。 Exploring the importance of community and friendship and showing how even the smallest， seemingly insignificant of acts can have the power to change the course of someone’s life。 “𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦。 𝘌𝘹𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘦， 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘶𝘱 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮。"4 stars 。。。more
Debbie Hall
，
This is such a lovely and heart-warming book and Hubert Bird is now one of my favourite fictional characters。 Hubert is an elderly man who tries and succeeds in making friends in his local community and thus enriches his life and helps those around。 I really loved the glimpses of Hubert's earlier life， it was an insight into what the Windrush generation had to overcome and it made me feel angry and sad at how they were treated by some。 I totally loved this story full of heart and lovely warm cha This is such a lovely and heart-warming book and Hubert Bird is now one of my favourite fictional characters。 Hubert is an elderly man who tries and succeeds in making friends in his local community and thus enriches his life and helps those around。 I really loved the glimpses of Hubert's earlier life， it was an insight into what the Windrush generation had to overcome and it made me feel angry and sad at how they were treated by some。 I totally loved this story full of heart and lovely warm characters。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=All The Lonely People
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=All The Lonely People&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,All The Lonely People&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0