How could you not love a book that has this for its first sentence?
“The single drop of pee made a pitiful splash.”
I sure couldn’t! I loved The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston. I don’t want to give too much away because it’s such a delightfully fun journey reading this book. Fred Fife, through no fault of his own, is mistaken for Bernard Greer, a resident in Wattle River Nursing Home. The story turns every which way and back again. It’s definitely a feel good story with lessons along the way. It will make you laugh out loud in places and get teary eyed in others. I would definitely recommend it. Thanks so much to NetGalley for this wonderful ARC.

If you're in the mood for an incredibly heartwarming book, look no further! I'd love to see it made into a movie. This is a fabulous debut by this author and Fred is sure to provide you with all the feels. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review - pub day is 9/10/24!

“Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I’ll take excellent care of it.”

Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he’d return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is there’s nobody left in Fred’s life to borrow from. At eighty-two, he’s desperately lonely, broke, and on the brink of homelessness.

Fred’s luck changes when, in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Now he has a roof over his head, three meals a day, and, most importantly, the chance to be part of a family again. All he has to do is hope that his poker face is in better shape than his prostate and that his look-alike never turns up.

As Fred navigates life in Bernard’s shoes, he learns about the man’s past and what it might take to return a life in better condition than he found it.

Bittersweet and remarkably perceptive, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a feel-good, clever novel about grief, forgiveness, redemption, and finding family, from an exciting new voice in fiction.

My Take

There is no way this is a debut album! I fell in love with Fred immediately and then cheered his successes, cried his losses and cheered again for other wonderful things that happen! I found the book moved beautifully from the beginning to the end. I was particularly happy with all the characters and how Anna Johnston made each of the lovable with all their flaws. I wanted the book to end so I'd know the story, but then, I didn't want the book to end. My life is a little less hopeful without Fred. Fabulous humor.

About the Author

Anna Johnston is a former baby, aspiring octogenarian and emerging Australian author with a love for the heartfelt and hilarious. She grew up in country Victoria before moving to Melbourne where she lives joyously with her husband and daughters by the beach. Anna left an imminent career in medicine to follow her heart into her grandfather's nursing home where she became the social support coordinator, taking great delight in shaking up the usual program. When injury left her unable to continue working in aged care, she began to write about it, channelling her love for older people onto the page. Anna has enjoyed a lifelong passion for theatre, screenplay, travel, and creative writing.

Frederik Fife is about to find himself homeless at the age of 82, when a case of mistaken identity lands him in
a senior care center. Initally, he attempts to correct the case of mistaken identity with no success. As he becomes
involved with other residents and employees of the senior care center, his caring ways will have a great impact on their
lives. A heartwarming story.
#TheBorrowedLifeofFrederickFife #WilliamMorrow #NetGalley

Wonderful heartwarming story that will make you wish you knew Fred in real life. This was so well written and made you feel as if you were part of Fred's world. Loved this and highly recommend it!

Absolutely loved this book! It’s a marvelous feel good story that will make you laugh and make you cry. The characters were well developed, and the different personalities made the book even more interesting. The underlying current of dementia kept things real…..it is a sad disease that affects so many. Well written and an overall enjoyable read.

Yes, this book will remind you of the sub-sub-genre of “grumpy but really sweet old men” that has brought us “A Man Called Ove,” “The Pilgrimage of Harold Fry,” “The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper,” and the elevated-to-detectives-of-both-sexes, “The Thursday Murder Club” series. And rightly so. Debut author Anna Johnston has crafted another delightful character in Fred Fife whose luck (he’s nearly homeless) changes due to an unintentional switch with his really grumpy doppelgänger, Bernard, in the Wattle River Nursing Home. Now fed and sheltered and interacting with others again, Fred is at risk of being found out because he’s much kinder, and as he discovers more about Bernard’s life, Fred gets a chance to positively affect the characters of the nursing home. There are the usual themes of loneliness, isolation, grief, and health issues that occur in this old guy genre, but Fred comes out on top and pretty much everyone gets a happy ending.

It’s a quick and easy read with some sad moments, but “The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife” is a satisfying story of love and family. 4 stars!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Hannah has green eyes and brown curly hair.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The nursing home’s courtyard is overwhelmed by the scent of jasmine and Fred is a tad hesitant about edible flowers.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!

Is forgiveness only available to those who are forgivable? In "The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife", we join Fredrick Fife, an elderly widower, down on his luck and hitting a crossroads in his life. Fredrick has an encounter with his doppleganger, Bernard Greer, shortly after Bernard has passed away while on an outing with his nursing home. Fredrick is swept up into Bernard's life and begins a mission to right wrongs and help others a long the way. You see, Bernard was a mean old man, while Fredrick is a kind hearted man with an uncanny knack for helping others when they are down. Fredrick's big mission comes as he seeks to mend the broken relationship between Bernard and his estranged daughter, Hannah.

All throughout this book, I found myself constantly rooting for Fred, even though he really is doing something wrong in impersonating someone else. His heart is always in the right place and never seeks to take advantage of those in Bernard's life. In the end, the reader will be left with peace knowing that Fred helped so many people in Bernard's life, while mending hurts and regrets of his own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishing for allowing me to review this book as an ARC. It was a pleasure reading this one and it will stay with me for a long time!

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston is a story about Fred Fife, an 82 year old soon-to-be homeless widower who finds himself in quite the pickle when he’s mistaken for another elderly gentleman named Bernard. Fred ends up at Bernard’s nursing home and now just decide if he wants to “fess up” or live his life as Bernard.

I LOVED this book! The story was unique and funny but tactfully covered some important life issues that many of us face. Frederick is the most delightful old man and I loved loved loved his character. His inner dialogue was funny and he was so sweet and compassionate. I cried about four times while reading this. Themes related to grief, chronic illness (dementia), forgiveness, found family, and morals were all present in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me an ebook ARC. The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is expected to be published on September 10, 2024.

Thank you to the publisher for an ARC of this lovely book that reminds us all that kindness can make everything better-even loneliness and heartbreak. This is just as good as a Man Called Ove and manages to do so in way that avoids a teary ending. It also made me chuckle quite a bit

Frederick Fife is 82, still grieving for his wife, gone these several years. He's run out of money, and his landlord is giving him the boot. He has nowhere to go, when he stumbles into another man's identity.

He's the main POV, trading off with Hannah, some years before, when her family is hit by bad news.

How the two meet, and what Fred does with his new life, makes up this poignant story. Though life sometimes deals cruel blows, there is always room for kindness; the writing is vivid, sometimes painfully funny, especially in dealing with the indignities of age, but the story is imbued with how much being kind to one another matters. Even in little things.

I devoured this book in one day.

You know a book is going to be good when you read the first line, laugh and text your friends about it.

This charming, delightful book gave me all the feels.

Thank you to the author, publisher and. NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

This book was so completely sweet and lovely! The main character is so sincere and likable and even the unlikable characters have some satisfying growth and end up likable.

I loved the Australian elements, which were fun and interesting. I learned about some foods unavailable in the US that sound pretty yummy!

This book is like a warm hug nearly all the way through and I loved it. There is some mild peril but just enough to make the story interesting. It has a very similar vibe to Have You Seen Luis Velez by Catherine Ryan Hyde, which I also loved.

I would recommend this book to folks who like relationship stories that aren’t romances. It’s realistic fiction with the vibe of a cozy.

What an absolutely delightful story! Spending most of my healthcare career working with the elderly , I especially enjoyed this book which follows the story of 82 year old Fred as he navigates the unexpected.

The way the author layered the story with background on several of the characters as well as threw a couple of “surprises “ into the book really made it a page turner for me. You can’t help but root for Fred.

I found myself self tearing 😭 up at the end as it has such a sweet and satisfying ending.

I would recommend this book highly to everyone!

In “the Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife”, the book’s namesake is accidentally mistaken for Bernard Greer after Fred stumbles upon a river outing of nursing home residents. Bernard has died in his wheelchair unnoticed by the other residents and staff, but when Fred tries to wheel his body to the others, Fred stumbles, sending Bernard’s body into the swift currents of the river, where it is taken away. Fred, an octogenarian who bears a striking resemblance to Bernard, is mistaken for him by the staff, who take him to Bernard’s room at the nursing home, despite Fred’s protests that he isn’t Bernard. Since Fred and Bernard are so similar in appearance, and Bernard had been suffering from dementia, no one believes Fred’s protestations.

Fred soon resigns himself to the situation and comes to enjoy the company of the other residents and staff as well as the plentiful food and comfortable surroundings, particularly since he has been lonely since his wife of 60 years died of cancer 10 years ago. In addition, he was about to be evicted from his apartment, having lost all his money caring for his wife’s cancer treatments. However, despite the comfort he is enjoying at the nursing home, he occasionally feels qualms of guilt for his duplicity, but assuages his feelings of remorse by assuring himself that no one is being harmed by his actions, until he discovers that Bernard had an estranged adult daughter who hadn’t spoken to him in decades. When he meets her unexpectedly, his life at the nursing home is placed in peril, both by his fear of discovery and his feelings of guilt for making Bernard’s daughter believe that Bernard is still alive.

The book is full of interesting characters suffering from various stages of dementia and other ailments associated with aging, as well as staff members who have their own personal issues. Residents and staff alike are enriched by Fred’s caring, compassionate personality and he soon becomes beloved by all. Weighty topics such as grief, loneliness and poverty are also touched upon in the book. Overall, it was a satisfying read, full of well drawn, likable characters, (although the frequent jokes surrounding bodily functions got old at times, but that is a minor quibble).

Honestly this one had me feeling all the feels. I think we all need to reflect on our lives sometimes and readjust if needed. I want to share this with all my patrons at the library because it just SO GOOD.

A delightful feel good Story. Elderly Fred Fife is living a lonely existence missing.His wife passed away and having no other family around. After a mishap at the park one day a caregiver mistakenly identified Fred as their missing patient bernard. Fred decides to take advantage of this mishap.Even though he first tries to explain who he is, but no one listens.He decides that the three meals a day in the lovely room and activities at the nursing home are just what he needs.

The story moves back and forth between chapters about fred and the other patients at the Nursing home with chapters about a young girl named hannah who is losing her older sister to cancer and living through a lot of family trauma.

There are a lot of fun.Shenanigans as Fred meets the other patients and caregivers at the home.And begins to have a new rewarding life. Meanwhile, Hannah has grown up and is looking.
At becoming a single mother in the next three months with none of her family left to help support her.

You will find yourself rooting for fred and hannah and the other characters in the book All while reading forward in the book to find out what the relationship will be between fred and hannah. This was an enjoyable raid with a happy ending.

A delightful, heartwarming story that needs to be read by all! I was either smiling or choking back tears the entire time. The unique premise of "borrowing a life" is such a profound idea and really provoked my thoughts as I followed along with Fred on his journey. What started as an accidental case of mistaken identity turned into a nostalgic, life changing opportunity. A cure for loneliness and grief and lost love. There are so many beautiful messages in this book that resonated with me. What struck me the most was the importance of finding joy in the little things. I think the author did a tremendous job showcasing the shattered innocence of Fred and Hannah in their varying POVs. Hannah, as a traumatized child, and Fred as a lonely old man that time had forgotten. I fell in love with them both, especially Fred, and absolutely adored all of the characters. There's so much more I could say about how much I loved this book, but I will keep it short and to the point. This book is a definite must read and I highly recommend it!!

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for granting me early digital access in exchange for my honest review!

This was such a sweet, emotional story with many layers. Initially, I thought it was going to be a light, laugh out loud read and was quite surprised (almost halfway through) at the turn of events. You can’t help but fall in love with Fred and Albert as well as empathize with Bernard’s story. There are some sensitive and sad topics that brought me to tears but I also enjoyed the continued twists/turns and great characters of this book as well as the wonderful ending.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

What a great surprise! Received this read-now from Netgalley with no info or expectations as this is a new author for me!
What a lovely book!
A lonely 82 yo man, evicted and down in his luck soon takes over another man’s identity. Through a series of coincidences, he is in a nursing home under a new name. Genuinely kind and helpful, he makes friends with clients and staff.
A sweet sweet story! Yes, I shed a few tears along with some laughs. Highly recommend!
Out 9/10/24.