A lighthearted, but touching tale of a senior gentleman's second chance at life - and how he makes the most of it.

Frederik Fife is an 82 year-old widow, a few short days from being forced to evacuate his apartment and unable to make ends meet. In an unexpected (and somewhat hilarious) turn of events, Fred accidentally swaps identities with a recently-passed Bernard Greer, a senior at the Wattle River Nursing Home recently diagnosed with dementia. Thus, despite Fred's attempts at explaining the situation, his protests are simply overlooked and he comes to accept his new life and identity - which comes with the comforts of a place to sleep and regular meals.

Alternating Fred's story is Hannah's perspective; as a child, she watches her stable family fall apart once her older sister Sadie is diagnosed with cancer and her father becomes a stranger to her. Many years later, Hannah is an adult but unable to let go the bitterness of her father's departure - but when she meets him again, he's almost a completely different person.

This was a quick but enjoyable read for me, and even though I found some of the initial humor and jokes a little gauche (there's only so many incontinence jokes one can take), I found myself charmed with the cast of characters and Fred's character. In the nursing home, Johnston build out a whole community of individuals with backstories and personalities that you can't help but love (or laugh at). It's in these initials interactions that we get to see just how kind and compassionate Fred is; from trying to nudge the young staff to each other, to helping another senior recreate his wedding day, to supporting Denise, a struggling staff member, through her failed relationship and addiction - there are so many touching and inspiring moments that do a phenomenal job of tackling difficult subject with care.

Overall, a satisfying and heartwarming read that will remind readers of what's truly important in life.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

This story is definitely a bittersweet one but it’s also a heartwarming one as well.
Fred was more than down on his luck when he came upon Bernard Greer’s slumped form.
When Fred tries repeatedly to explain that his doppelgänger Bernard was lost down the river and he was not him but looked remarkably like him, no one believed him.
Once in the nursing home Fred found out being Bernard for a bit wouldn’t be so bad , he could borrow his life and no one would get hurt and he wouldn’t be alone anymore. No harm , no foul, except when the best laid plans are all set , life and setting things right gets in the way.
This story was a treat to read and I enjoyed it so much. The characters and the story line was a perfect combination of sad and sweet.
4 smilingly stars

Every now and then, I just need something truly sweet and heartwarming. The Borrowed Life of a Frederick Fife fits that bill.
Things aren’t going well for Fred - he’s being evicted from his apartment and he’s out of money. When through a fluke, he’s mistaken for a man from a nursing home (a man that had the misfortune of dying and floating away in the river) he decides to go with the flow, just long enough to get a decent meal and a good night's sleep. But one thing leads to another and he decides to borrow Bernard’s life.
Fred is the polar opposite of Bernard - sweet, willing to go the extra mile. While no one questions the physical differences, many notice the improved outlook on life. And then, Bernard’s estranged daughter shows up and she’s not looking to forgive. But the story is a great reminder about the power of kindness.
This story has a lot to say about grief, loneliness and the invisibility of the elderly. But it also has positive messages about not giving up on life and finding new friends and family.
There’s a great twist that led to lots of tears on my part. (Have the Kleenex handy.)
My thanks to Netgalley and Harper Collins for an advance copy of this book.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a heartwarming, uplifting and wonderful story about a homeless man who accidentally finds himself in another man’s life. The story follows Hannah who has lost her whole family including her father who she hasn’t seen in 30 years. The story follows Fred who is filled with sadness, guilt, love and compassion. His presence affects and changes the people he meets in positive and loving ways! I highly recommend this book!!

“The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife” by Anna Johnston
LOVE, KINDNESS, FORGIVENESS and LEARNING
It has been just short of forever since I last read a story that had my tear ducts flowing so furiously and at such a volume. There were so many quotable tidbits that anyone thinking of making a life long commitment to another should read, commit to memory, and agree with their life-partner to live up to. IF you are already in a committed relationship read this story and learn that it takes both partners to be committed and to make a loving relationship a happy and life-long joyous journey (even when the bad, hard, times occur, which they will). This is also a very happy, and whacky fun story. If this is not the best story I have read this year, it is in the top two. Happy Reading ! !

A wonderful story that made me laugh and cry.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Beautiful, heartwarming, hilarious and precious! The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is an amazing story of love and how we find it in the most unexpected ways. Laugh aloud funny, the book grabbed me from the first line, immersed me in the story and didn’t let go until the uplifting end.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for the opportunity to read this glorious ARC.

What a lovely heartwarming story! This will definitely be one of my best books read for 2024.

Eight two year old, lonely, widowed Frederick Fife is on the verge of being homeless. He gets in a situation and is mistaken for Bernard who is on a nursing home outing. As Fred borrows Bernard’s life, he starts to have a purpose in life again. The story talks about loneliness, dementia, addiction, found family and finding new family.

Get your tissues ready! This story is funny at times and tear jerking at times. The ending was just perfectly written.

Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Johnston and William Morrow for the advanced copy of this wonderful written book.

Frederick Fife, 82, is homeless and completely alone. As he wanders in a park trying to find a place where he can sleep that evening, he sees a man in a wheelchair who looks as if he needs help. Fred is a kindly man, so he asks, “Mate, are you all right?” He then realizes the man is dead. He notices a group of elderly people near a van from a nearby nursing home. Thus begins The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston. As readers of this blog know, I am truly fond of found-family stories, and this is one of the best I’ve read lately! And it all stems from a case of mistaken identity.
As Fred pushes the wheelchair toward the van, the wheelchair tips over because of the uneven, rocky ground. The dead man falls out of the chair, and Fred, too, falls, hitting his head on a rock. As he struggles to put the man back into the chair, he loses his hold, and the man falls into the river and floats away! Suddenly, Denise, one of the nurses, notices Fred and rushes to him calling him Bernard. She puts Fred into the wheelchair and finds a pair of glasses on the grass. She puts those on Fred causing his vision to be blurred.

As hard as he tries to tell her that he is Fred, not Bernard, Denise does not listen because Bernard has been diagnosed with early dementia, so she assumes he is confused from the fall. The group is hustled onto the van, and everyone returns to the nursing home. Although he wants to come clean, Fred finds that people won’t listen to him. Then he realizes he has a room, a clean bed, and food, so he thinks to himself he will at least stay the night and figure out what to do next.

It becomes more and more difficult to extricate himself from this mistaken identity. Fred says to the missing Bernard, “Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I will take good care of it.” Fred overhears that Bernard has no family and no one visits, so he thinks he is doing no harm by becoming Bernard. However, there are many differences between Fred and Bernard. Fred is a much more compassionate person, and he is not suffering from dementia or incontinence, both of which plagued Bernard.

Suddenly, a new problem arises when Bernard’s estranged daughter, Hannah, shows up at the nursing home. She is angry with Bernard because he abruptly left the family when her older sister died of cancer when they were children. That left Hannah and her mother destitute, so Hannah is angry and wants little to do with her father. Bernard/Fred tries to apologize to Hannah, but she abruptly leaves. However, a few days later, she returns and begins a tentative relationship with the man she believes is her father.

Fred and his beloved wife Dawn did not have children, so he is delighted to have Hannah in his life, and he does all he can to apologize for Bernard’s bad behavior and to make up for it by being a loving dad.

Read The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife for a feel-good story about love, redemption, caring, and kindness. You will be glad you did. Book club members will enjoy a good story that also has depth about aging, parental woes, and forgiveness along with other topics. The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is Anna Johnston’s debut novel and will be available September 10th.

At the beginning of the book book, we meet Fred, an octogenarian who is practically homeless. He's taking a walk along the river when he runs into a nursing home group. One man in a wheelchair is quite far from everyone else near the riverbed. Fred realizes the man has passed away and tries to push the chair up to where the others are so they can get help. The wheelchair ends up falling over in the man falls into the river and is swept away. Fred falls down and hits his head. The nursing staff is convinced that he is Bernard, the man that was in the wheelchair. This is Fred's lovely story and how he ended up with Bernard's life. It's a heartwarming read and I recommend it!

What a charming story! While caring for my parents, a nursing home became my second home. This resonated. It made me chuckle and it made me cry. A beautiful tale of loss, with the lesson that it’s never too late for love to be found.

Thank you to Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review this delightful novel. Fred Fife is a lonely octogenarian who accidentally switches places with another elderly man who has passed away. Fred gets to teach his caregivers and fellow residents of his nursing home about the gifts of love, kindness and thoughtfulness. This book is such a delight. The author made we giggle at times and tear up at others. The writing is tender. I wish she wasn’t so fixated on “bodily functions” but those passages did make me laugh. Fred, in the guise of Bernard, touched many lives, and in turn he was touched by them. The mix up was quite plausible as the author points out ways in which the elderly can be overlooked or disregarded. I highly recommend this novel. It is nice to read a feel-good

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow books for this ARC. This was just an adorable book. Frederick Fife is desperate, lonely, and about to be homeless. and has nothing left. Then he stumbles upon Bernard Greer. They look a lot alike. It's a case of mistaken identity and Fred really does try to make things right, but all the sudden, he has a place a nice nursing home with 3 meals a day, warm clothes, and the chance to part of a family again. As Fred navigates Bernard's life, he tries to make things better in every way. This book made me tear up in the best way possible as sometimes people come into your life just when you need them the most.

A fun, heartwarming and delightful read. Thank you to Netgalley and the Publsher. Review to follow later.

Australia - Present Day

Life is getting difficult for 82-year-old widower Frederick Fife. Broke, achingly lonely, and on the verge of homelessness, with no family or friends left in the world, Fred has no idea what he's going to do next. Ten years after the death of his wife, Dawn, he still gets hit with a jolt of grief when he least expects it. And now he must somehow figure out how he will survive his last years. Wandering by the river where he finds a bit of peace, he comes across a man in a wheelchair, all alone. Fred approaches and realizes that the man has died. Always one to do the right thing, Fred covers the old man with his own jacket, and proceeds to wheel him away from the shore. But the uneven ground forces the wheelchair to tip over, and the man slides into the river, and is washed away!

As she sees one of her charges out of his wheelchair, Denise, a carer at the Wattle River Nursing Home, panics. Helping the old man back into his chair and then into the transport vehicle, she just hopes she doesn't lose her job! Grumpy old Bernard had insisted on feeding the seagulls, and now he's jeopardizing Denise's position. Settling Bernard back in his room at the nursing home, Denise just hopes nothing more comes of this incident.

Fred wakes up in a strange room, with no clue how he got there. On the table next to him is a photo of him at his 83rd birthday party. But he's sure he's 82, and he doesn't remember this cake! What is going on?

Fred and Bernard could easily have been brothers, looking so much alike that no one in the nursing home has any doubt that it's Bernard being, well, Bernard. Although today, he seems different. He's less grumpy, he seems friendlier, in fact, and that's not the Bernard the staff knows. How will Fred deal with this sudden change in his life? Well, he tries to explain to everyone that he's not Bernard, but the staff was aware of Bernard's growing dementia since his stroke, and no one believes him. What's a man to do but go with the flow? A warm bed, three delicious meals a day, and people to take care of him.

THE BORROWED LIFE OF FREDERICK FIFE is an absolutely wonderful story of a lovely man who deserved a better life, and the cockeyed way he may have got it. Fred is a kind, gentle soul who has always done what is right, and while he feels a little unsettled about being "Bernard", he is relishing the feelings of being cared for, and cared about. As Fred learns more about Bernard's past, however, he wonders what he would have done in the man's shoes. A story that also shows the plight of the elderly in our world, THE BORROWED LIFE OF FREDERICK FIFE is so worth everyone of every age reading.

Frederick Fife is an 82-year-old man, down on his luck in a small town near Sydney, having just learned he's been evicted from his apartment, when he comes across a man about his age, dead in his wheelchair while on an excursion with his care home. This man, Bernard, looks strikingly similar to Fred, and due to a comedy of errors, Fred takes over his life, and makes some new friends and has a second chance at a family in the process.
This is a quick little read, with multiple narrators, Fred, Denise, and Hannah. How their lives all tie together is the main plot of the book. Overall for me, while it was a lovely story, I don't really see it sticking with me for the long term. Yes, it was heartwarming, but it lacked something as well. The writing was well done, each narrator had a distinct voice, and it certainly seems I'm in the minority when I say that for me this book was average at best. I will round up from 3.5 stars to 4 for my rating.
Thank you to Book Club Girl, William Morrow, and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

So precious and heartwarming! I loved this story about elderly and homeless Fred, and how he came to "borrow" the life of Barnard, another old guy with a significant case of dementia. Fred, because of mistaken identity, moves into the nursing home where Barnard has lived and assumes his identity, contributing love, help, and guidance to the staff and other residents. A special person enters his life, and he begins to have purpose and dignity. This story is sweet (maybe a little sappy!) and satisfying. Anna Johnston moves the action along at a well-paced clip so I was never bored, and I never needed to reread for details. I read the book in record time - just couldn't put it down. Highly recommend for those who love a sweet story!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife.

Frederick Fife. A flatulent octogenarian with a heart of gold. This was a story about feeling loved and seen in a world where being invisible and heart-broken is something that can happen at any age. “Wattle River Nursing Home” was a place of comfort, friendship and found family not only for the residents, but for anyone and EVERYone crossing paths with this memorable man. A friend who had a way of filling up anyone's “tank” who crossed his path, even mine.

I’m so happy to have had the chance to read the Advanced Reader’s Edition e-copy of The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston; thank you NetGalley and William Morrow.

This was the heart warming story of Fred, who mistakenly takes over the life of another older gentleman after an accident. He moves into his home at the senior care facility and the reader gets to see what happens as a result.

Favorite parts:

+ Fred’s character was endearing, quirky, and easy to love.
+ I loved the found family troupe and seeing Fred find “his people”, even if it was later in life.
+ I enjoyed the commentary on the treatment of seniors and the plights that they face that are often overlooked, such as, loneliness, financial instability, loss of purpose, dementia, less than stellar care, etc.

Parts I could’ve done without:

- The pacing felt a little slow to me at times. This is a much more character driven novel; I wish a little more had happened in the plot.
- It definitely requires a suspension of disbelief.
- Lots of senior citizen “potty talk”, sometimes it was funny, sometimes it felt over the top.

Overall: This was a heart warming read with some deeper social commentary on problems that senior citizens face. I recommend it for readers who are looking for a feel good story with a slower pace and a charming protagonist.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing a digital ARC of the book to read and review.

Fred has completely warmed my heart. I was rooting for him the entire time, he was such a delight to everyone who got the pleasure of meeting him. The mishap that brought him to the nursing home was such a blessing to him and to the other residents. I absolutely adored this book, it is the same style of feel good story as those written by Phaedra Patrick. I will absolutely be looking out for the author's next book!