In a Nutshell: A heartwarming contemporary drama with a geriatric lead character. Amazing characters, great storyline, a couple of wow twists along the way. As impactful as Ove, but not at all like Ove. Read with your heart and not with your head to enjoy it better. My heart cooperated, for once.

Plot Preview:
At eighty-two, Frederick Fife is all alone in the world. Lonely, broke, and on the verge of losing his home, Frederick has nothing to look forward to. But in an unexpected turn of luck, a case of mistaken identity leads him to be taken for Bernard Greer, a grumpy resident at the local nursing home. Now Frederick has all that he wanted: a roof over his head, food in his belly, and most importantly, companionship. But how long will this last? What will happen when Bernard is found?
The story comes to us in three third-person perspectives: that of Frederick and of two other key characters: Denise and Hannah. (Discover their identities through the book!)

First things first!
These day, it is de rigueur for any book with a geriatric male lead to be compared to Fredrik Backman’s ‘A Man Called Ove’. While both books are brilliant, the comparison isn’t correct. Frederick is as similar to Ove as an apple is to red bell pepper. This isn’t the story of a grump who learns to open his heart again to love. This is the tale of a man whose heart is overflowing with love but has no one to share it with.

Bookish Yays:
🐨 Frederick. Dear sweet Frederick. The kind of man who makes the best husband and the best dad and granddad. He will warm the cockles of your heart.
🐨 The other characters at the care home. Loved so many of them, especially Kevin and Lin. A special shoutout to Patricia – never seen any senior citizen such as her in any book (and in real life too, thank heavens! 😂)
🐨 Hannah’s perspective – perfect as per her age. Loved how her emotions always come across realistically.
🐨 The themes. Quite a few but never overwhelming. For once, a debut work that does fill the kitchen sink but only up to capacity. My favourite was the found family one, but the others were great as well.
🐨 A separate yay for two of the themes - alcoholism and dementia – for being portrayed in a true-to-life manner. When you see me support alcoholism as a theme, you know the author did an awesome job.
🐨 The connection across the character perspectives. I can’t remember the last time my jaw dropped like that!
🐨 The genuine depiction of the issues faced by senior citizens inside and outside of care homes. (The author’s GR bio will tell you why her writing is so accurate.)
🐨 The myriad life lessons sprinkled throughout the plot. Lots of learnings here on friendship, responsibility, marital commitment, professionalism, and parenting.
🐨 Many emotions gets somewhat maudlin at times. But the writing is such that the sentimentality suits the plot well.
🐨 Though the book is emotional, the approach is balanced by a good dose of humour. The situation of the individuals isn't funny, but it is refreshing to see them approach challenges with a smile.
🐨 The Aussie setting comes out well.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🦘 The implausibility of the identity confusion and the multiple coincidences later in the plot. It might be better if you pack away your logical side as this book requires much suspension of disbelief. Your heart will find the book better than your head might. My heart adored it; my head liked it a lot.
🦘 The potty humour. Works decently but goes over the top many times. This might not bother many readers, but I found it a bit annoying after a point. It sullied the wholesomeness of the story.

All in all, this is a novel that delivers well on multiple factors. Some might label it ‘sweet’ and ‘sentimental’. Others will call it ‘saccharine’ and ‘schmaltzy’. The book is all of these. If the first pair of adjectives attracts you and the second pair doesn’t bother you, this can be a delightful read with some appealing twists along the otherwise straightforward path.
Much recommended to anyone looking for a *mostly* wholesome read (as long as you don’t mind potty humour.)
4.5 stars, happy to round up as it is a very promising debut. I’d love to read more by this author.
My thanks to William Morrow for providing the DRC of “The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Full of humor and heart, this is both a heartbreaking and heartwarming story that centers on grief, community, forgiveness, and the way society treats the elderly. Fred is a gift to those around him and deserves the world.

I give it 4.5 stars and one box of tissues.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. I really enjoyed this book, which reminded me a bit of A Man Called Ove. Definitely gave my tear ducts a workout.

This is a sweet, touching story about a lonely, elderly man who gets a second chance to have love and companionship. I see many reviews comparing Frederick to Ove but I don’t agree. Ove was a cranky, curmudgeon while Frederick is the kindest, loveliest man.

Thank you to NetGalley for my review copy

4 ⭐️

What an absolutely delightful and heartwarming (and heartbreaking too) book about growing old, the lives of elders, and found family. Even though you know what Fred is doing is inherently wrong, you can't help but root for him. He is goodness to his core, and we need more like him in our lives.

This was such a lovely read. I can't wait to share it with my fellow readers

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston is a delightful book. It brings to light some misconceptions about the elderly.

The fact this is a debut book BLOWS my mind! This story had everything I look for in a novel and deserves literally ALL THE STARS!

Fred is a lonely 82 man who has run out of funds to pay his rent. A huge portion of his money was spent treating his dearly beloved wife, Dawn’s, cancer which she sadly died from.

Facing eviction, he takes a walk; one that will be life changing. Seeing a man in a wheelchair by the edge of a river bed, Fred stops to say hello. Unfortunately the man was deceased. When Fred sees a retirement home van and workers nearby he does his best to wheel the gentleman back to the group to let them know. But 82 year old Fred, and the recently passed Bernard, tumble causing Bernard to fall in the river along with Fred’s ID.

Before Fred knows it, he’s mistaken for Bernard due to the fact they look alarmingly similar. Fred tries to correct the mistake, insisting he’s Fred, not Bernard but it falls on deaf ears as Bernard suffered from dementia.

Determined to stay just for a day or two in order to get a bed and decent food, Fred is surprised when he finds friends in the retirement home and wonders how much harm could be done by pretending to be Bernard.

Then the local TV runs a story about Frederick Fife being found in a river, leaving him no choice but to continue to be Bernard.

All is going well despite a little doubt from some caretakers, especially Denise. And then the unimaginable happens; Fred discovers Bernard has an adult daughter named Hannah. Fred has always lived with the guilt of coming home late one night to find his dear Dawn sobbing, having miscarried their own baby. Maybe the universe has sent this blessing to him. But, Hannah and her father were estranged because he walked out of the home when Hannah’s sister, Sadie, died from cancer at the age of 12.

Should Fred try to mend bridges with Hannah and continue to be Bernard? Will the caretakers doubts lead her to turn him in? And how long should Fred really keep up the charade?

This was one of those unique stories that had me laughing out loud one minute then wiping some tears away the next. I absolutely can not wait to see what Anna Johnston writes next! Again, this one deserves all the stars and is in my top five books I’ve read this year!

A sweet story. Perfect to pick up if you are in the mood for kindness and hope. The premise is a bit difficult to believe but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the story.

“Dawn, like her name, had made all his days begin. She’d been his only light.”

Oh my heart, I have fallen in love with Frederick Fife! I really can’t say too much about this story without giving too much away, which is usually only something I think about thrillers. However, I highly recommend going into this story blind and just letting Frederick make you believe in the goodness you can find in people.

Rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25

Read if you like:
Octogenarian stories
Found family
Flatulence and incontinence jokes
Forgiveness and redemption

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Publishing for the free ARC ebook.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife was a heartwarming story as Frederick goes on a journey that deals with love, friendship, and family but also dementia, death, grief, and cancer. Overall, this was a feel-good story that anyone can appreciate and enjoy! I hope you'll read this story!

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston is perfect for fans of A Man Called Ove. Frederick Fife isn't a curmudgeon, but he is elderly and lonely. His wife and all of his friends have passed away, He and his late wife were never able to have children, so Frederick is truly alone in the world. He is also about to be evicted from his apartment, too. To take his mind off his troubles, he heads to the park. While there, an epic mix-up occurs and Fred takes the place of a nursing home resident named Bernard. Fred tries to tell the staff who he really is, but no one will listen. Fred decides that maybe it would be okay to borrow Bernard's life. What ensues is equal parts humorous and heartwarming. I loved this book! Give it a read and I bet Fred and his friends will steal your heart.

Biggest thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for a review copy of this delightful book.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow, and Anna Johnston for an ARC of this book!**

"Our most basic instinct is not for survival, but for family." - Paul Pearsall

It all started with a blissful, sunny day by the river...

Frederick Fife has been biding his time and filling his days as best he can, but there's a hole in his heart. Ever since the love of his life, Daw, was taken from him by cancer, he's been left with so much love to give, but nobody to receive it. At 82, with his bank account dwindling after so many months of Dawn's failed medical treatments , he wonders not only how he can pay his rent, but who will keep him company during these twilight years...and the loneliness aches. But during said afternoon by the water, quiet contemplation quickly goes awry when Frederick sees a man in a wheelchair (on sojourn with a group from his nursing home) fall into the water after attempting to feed the gulls.

Horrified, Frederick tries to intervene...but it's too late. He realizes that this mystery man has died suddenly, and before Frederick can blink, the man is being taken downstream, along with his wallet and any chance at identification. As he tries to get someone to help, Frederick comes in contact with a worker from the nursing home...and she believes HIM to be the man who fell from the wheelchair, Bernard Greer. She shuffles him onto the bus and back to the nursing home, despite Frederick's protests which are chalked up to dementia. When Frederick arrives, he spends a lot of time trying to convince the residents he is NOT Bernard - after all, the poor man deserves everything that is rightfully his! - but to no avail.

But then Frederick thinks - 3 meals a day, a warm place to stay, and loads of kind, lovely people around...maybe living Bernard's life for a while WOULDN'T be so bad. After all, why should all of this go to waste? After forming some fast friendships, "Bernard" settles in with his found family and thinks maybe he can successfully ride the wave. When nursing home worker Denise (who is dealing with a mountain of her OWN personal traumas) begins to gather mounting evidence about Bernard's true identity, however, can he keep his secret? And when Bernard's daughter, who is estranged of her own will, pops up to see Bernard...will she realize that the man living her father's life isn't who he says he is...and will she choose to forgive him...or TRULY cut him off for good?

Coming into this read with lots of early rave reviews from friends, it was hard to keep my expectations grounded and realistic. After all, this is Anna Johnston's debut, but with comparisons to Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and A Man Called Ove, Johnston had her work cut out for her. And while I didn't mistake the identity of the AUTHOR for Rachel Joyce or Fredrik Backman, I DID soak in the warmth and cheer of this charming, and emotionally-driven cozy, found family read!

In some ways, it would be easy for this novel to get lost in a sea of comps; while it is somewhat unique, the premise didn't FEEL entirely new. But at the same time, Johnston's tale is fueled mainly by the bold and brilliant characters that give her story heart - namely, of course, Frederick Fife himself. While men like Ove are more of a curmudgeon with a warm and gooey center (sort of like a particularly hard shelled Cadbury Cream egg), Frederick Fife is more like a warm flaky croissant with chocolate inside - you feel soothed from the first bite, and the sweet goodness just continues. While this did make him a lovable character (I don't think I've ever read a more kind octogenarian character in my LIFE!) it DID give him a little bit less to go off in terms of character development. The true journey of the novel centers more around ALL of the ancillary characters, and the growth that Frederick inspires in THEM, not the other way around. We also do hear a LOT about his relationship with Dawn, and while this was heart-wrenching, it could have been toned down at times. While this book had plenty of cute moments, I was hoping for more actual laugh out loud levity (a la Ove.)

Which brings me to the next area of opportunity and probably the only reason I couldn't give this book a higher rating: a LOT of the humor revolves around the bathroom, in one way or another. Everything from Depends jokes (minus the name brand) to passing gas is fair game, and if that sort of thing bothers you, I would either prepare yourself to skim these bits or steer clear. I'm not sure if this is the only type of humor that the target audience was supposed to find appealing, but it got a bit exhausting for me. While I was hoping for more laugh out loud moments, I don't think I recorded a single laugh throughout the book, even during the most 'jinky' of hijinks. (Side note - is that why Velma from Scooby Doo says "jinkies?" These are the things that keep me up at night...)

While I do think the novel had room for growth in the humor department, once the Emotion Train got rolling, it was full steam ahead! The themes in this one can get pretty heavy, from pregnancy loss to alcoholism, so there is plenty of 'meat' for Frederick and his counterparts to tackle throughout the book. I'll be honest, at times it almost seemed like TOO much...I just wanted him to kick back and knit more baby booties. (No spoilers, but I couldn't write this review without mentioning that adorable moment!) It is a complicated web Johnston weaves, however, when she pulls in Denise's struggles in the middle of the book, not to mention plenty of backstory involving Bernard's daughter and her VERY complicated relationship with her father. Although the way things play out is a bit predictable, there are a few attempts at a 'gotcha' moment that at least had me hesitating (although to be honest, she didn't trick me!) so as long as you're willing to suspend disbelief for a bit, you'll be able to coast along with Frederick over the bumps along the highway to get to that HEA ending you just KNOW that this kind, elderly man just HAS to get...right?

And though you'll have to read this one to find out whether or not Frederick stays "Bernard" or not, I think he learned a very valuable lesson right at the beginning:

You should never, EVER feed the seagulls.

4 stars

THE BORROWED LIFE OF FREDERICK FIFE by Anna Johnston requires an ability to believe in coincidences, but this clever debut provides an entertaining read even if the premise is a bit far-fetched. Eighty-two-year-old Frederik Fife is widowed and destitute when he walks by the river one day and is mistakenly assumed to be Bernard Greer, a nursing home resident. His adventures in another life including befriending the residents like Albie (who has dementia and thereby ironically sees Fred/Bernard as his own long dead and much-loved brother named Fred), extroverted Patricia, or gentle Ruby and staff members like nurse Kevin, activities coordinator Linh, or troubled caregiver Denise. Through his natural display of kindness, Fred ends up having a positive impact on many of the other characters. The story is quite humorous in places although Johnston probably over-relies on similes ("yet the moment had been bittersweet, like tasting a Tim Tam for the first time only to be told you can never have another"); plus, she struggles to make the reactions of Hannah, Bernard's daughter, seem realistic. Like Catherine Newman, Johnston describes grief as "love with nowhere to go" and many parts of this text are quite poignant ("he let the memories sneak out of his tear ducts and roll down his cheeks"). THE BORROWED LIFE OF FREDERICK FIFE was a LibraryReads selection for September 2024 and received a starred review from Booklist ("This touching narrative explores themes of community, family, and the redemptive power of new beginnings"). 4.5 stars

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a lovely heartwarming story about an 82 year old gentleman who gets a second chance in life to have a family.
This was such a heartwarming and charming read. It’s a book about a found family, and second chances.
I definitely recommend this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ARC!

It was an absolute pleasure to read The Borrowed Life of Fredrick Fife! This is a sweet, zany story about a case of mistaken identity that allows a lonely old man one more chance at a found family. This book is heartwarming, funny and the perfect cozy fall read! If you enjoyed A Man Called Ove or Remarkable Bright Creatures, I think you’ll like this one!

What a charming novel about grief, forgiveness, and friendship! I can easily see this sweet story being translated to the screen. To draw comps, I would recommend this to fans of "A Man Called Ove." This was a genuinely funny story with pure heart.

Thank you to William Morrow and Netgalley for the eArc!

Wonderful and highly recommend. I’m not usually one to say “for fans of…” but it really does bring to mind Fredrik Backman and Claire Pooley.

If only there were more Fred’s in everyone’s life. He’s outrageously sweet and kind but endearingly imperfect. His journey is heartfelt but fraught. In fact, there are several journeys in this book and all are stressy but also balanced with humor and love. It’s a story about family and found-family, friends and partners, love and hate. Life and loss on small and grand scales. Everyone is just trying to find themselves and find a way forward. Lucky for them, and us, that Fred enters their lives, even if he doesn’t see it that way… yet.

My only critiques are in some of the pacing and in a misdirect, though I won’t spoil it for you. The layout just isn’t clear enough once all is revealed. I understand the choice, it’s ultimately a great one, but I would have added a sub header to some of the chapters for clarity.

Overall, though, it’s a must read for anyone who loves feel-good octogenarian stories.

CW: dementia, death, grief, cancer

I enjoyed this book a lot. At first it seemed farfectched the way the story started out but as it went on it all made more sense to me and I wanted to know what happened to all the characters.

Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for sending me the ARC to read for my honest review.

Frederick Fife has come to the end. He poured all his money into experimental cancer treatments to save his beloved Dawn, and all it got him was homeless and alone. When a twist of fate occurs and Fred finds his recently deceased doppelgänger at the park, an unbelievable misunderstanding turns into a life-altering adventure.

This book really gave me all the feels! After reading the premise and hearing how Frederick Fife was inspired by the author's friendship with her grandfather, I knew I needed to dive into this one immediately.

I audibly gasped at the twist and flipped back and forth multiple times to make sure I didn't miss anything while I was reading. Johnston really made me examine the assumptions I made automatically when diving into the first couple chapters. Outside of one character I couldn't get behind, I loved the quirky nature of the characters we were introduced to from the nursing home caretakers to Fred's friends in the center to Hannah. There were strong themes of forgiveness and growth throughout the novel, creating both a heartwarming and heartbreaking novel.

I despised Denise, and while she had a bit of a redemption arc, I ultimately could not get behind it. Her treatment of the residents was so hard to read and swallow, even though I know that happens all the time, which is absolutely heartbreaking. I understand that she was going through a tough time personally, but I still don't think that justified her actions and she was never really held accountable for them. The book dragged a little bit, but toward the end we got less of Denise and more of the other pOVs, which definitely kept me more engaged.

An incredible, character-driven debut and I cannot wait to see what Anna Johnston writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing me with complimentary electronic and physical copies of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fabulous debut, and it is easily one of my favorite books of 2024! I don't rate many books 5 stars, but this one totally deserves it! There are some potential trigger warnings (such as dementia, nursing homes, and loss), and these did give me brief pause, but I am so glad I stuck with the story. Frederick Fife is easily one of my favorite literary characters. I love that he is a non-traditional character (He's 82 years old.) He exemplifies that you are never too old to discover your purpose in life. While he is broken and has his own struggles, that doesn't prevent him from sharing kindness with others, even those who, according to some people, may not deserve it. Everyone could benefit from having someone like Frederick in their lives. This is such an emotional read, and there were numerous places that had me tearing up. However, there were far more hope filled moments to balance things out. I had a hard time sitting this book aside, and I can't wait to read what Johnston writes next.