I have been reading and loving Mike Gayles novels since My legendary girlfriend. All the lonely people did not disappoint.

This is the story of Hubert Bird who came to England from Jamaica for a better life as part of the Windrush generation.

It’s a story of friendship, love, life, loss, prejudice, good times, bad times, family but also loneliness.

The book goes back and forth over Hubert’s life and current times. How his past has made him the man he is today.

Hubert is a great character that’s easy to connect with and I’d love him as my grandad. He makes an unlikely friendship with a neighbour who’s a single mom and that’s when his life now changes.

This book is heartwarming, easy to read with a cast of lovable characters throughout.

A wonderful, emotional read.

Loved it. 5*

Why can I not give this book more than 5 stars?? If I could I would. I thought nothing could be better than Half A World Away as there is always that fear that an author you have loved in the past may one day write something that disappoints you. This was better than I expected.

This beautiful book is about love, loss and loneliness. It is so sweet, heartbreaking, heartwarming, tear inducing, and I adored every minute.

Hubert is a man in his 80s and he lives an isolated life, until he meets his new neighbour Ashleigh and her toddler daughter Layla. The book switches between Hubert’s arrival in the UK in the 1950s (and follows his life throughout the next 4 decades) and the ‘now’.

It is another book which has educated me about the Windrush generation and I was appalled at the racism Hubert had to face, not only when he first arrived but throughout his life. He does note that things have changed in the 2010s (when he is out with Layla and no one questions an elderly Back man with a White child) but he still carries the burden of racism with him when, for example, when he hesitates to join a social club for fear of being different or standing out. His relationship with his White wife is also marred by racism but their relationship is the stuff of dreams; they have their hurdles but they support one another though thick and thin. It was a beautiful relationship to read about.

The book is full of beautiful relationships and one of the things I loved is the fact that there is not this huge focus on romantic relationships and sex. The strongest relationships are friendships; between Hubert and his longtime friend Gus, and between Hubert and Ashleigh (despite his belief that he cannot be friends with a girl young enough to be his granddaughter).

Mike Gayle knows how to write a book that is heartwarming and sweet without being sickly or false. He also does not shy from the harder issues or stick to the ‘happily ever after’ that often characterises similar feel good books. I was certainly left with tears in my eyes at some unexpected revelations.

I could go on about this much more but the best way to find out what I mean is to grab your own copy and see for yourself.

Thank you so very much to Mike Gayle, the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC, I feel blessed to have gone on this journey with Hubert.

A sad story of old age and social isolation that is sure to touch anybodies heart; Mike adds bones to the ‘uplit’ genre here elevating it to current and relatable topics while still having that fictional magic.

A book that hit me right in the feels! 🤗 Starting from the first page, you love the main character Hubert who is lonely but all he needs to do is open his front door and that could all change!
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Mike Gayle really has done it again, it has everything I loved about and that had me crying with #HalfAWorldAway and more. All the Lonely People shows the power of community and friendship, and is a heartwarming read that also covers heartbreak, death, loneliness and prejudice but with love, laughter, friendship and happiness alongside that.

For lovers of The Lido, it's the read that you've been waiting for! It's out on 23 July and was lucky enough to get an earlier copy via @netgalley, thanks to @hodderbooks.

📖 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.

He receives some 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.

It’s set partly in the present day and partly in the 1950s when Hubert first came to the UK from Jamaica. With recent publicity of the Windrush generation this seemed particularly topical. Equally at one point when Hubert is looking for lodgings he sees a poster saying ‘No blacks, no dogs, no Irish’ – which again is very relevant currently with all of the discussions about race in the UK and US. It is clearly an integral part of the storyline – and his mixed race relationship with his wife Joyce – and is really well written and I found really informative and thought provoking.

The alternate flashback chapters race through the years at key times in Hubert’s life – between arriving in England and the present day explaining the relationship with Joyce and their children, Rose and David, and the twists and turns of their relationships.

In another highly relevant sentence – the long drive between London and Durham is referenced too!!

In the present day Hubert meets Ashleigh and her daughter Layla who have moved in next door and they strike up an unlikely friendship. Now I have a silly niggle about Ashleigh. When she’s in Hubert’s house for the first time she is looking at some of the books that Hubert’s professor daughter Rose, who lives in Australia, has written. Ashleigh struggles over the world ‘Millenium’ in the title. However, Ashleigh is Welsh – and until 2016, the home of Welsh rugby in Cardiff was the Millenium Stadium (now the Principality Stadium) – so I just don’t think it’s a word a valleys’ girl would struggle with! But I realise I am a totally overthinking pedant………..

Hubert and Ashleigh set about starting up a group to combat loneliness in Bromley. Interestingly I also found this uber relevant. At the start of the coronavirus crisis I was involved with setting up a group in our Worcestershire village to help people. Initially this was for emergency shopping / prescription collection for the elderly and infirm who were shielding – but it quickly became evident that loneliness was a massive factor for people too – and lockdown was amplifying this.

The community feel of the group to combat loneliness also reminded me of the book ‘The Lido’ by Libby Page – I really think Hubert and Rosemary would have got along! It was all so lovely.

There were a couple of moments that were quite shocking and took the plot in a different direction – but it was all beautifully written, as you would expect from the author.

The final chapter was a surprise and not what I expected it to be at all – and I cried (although at the moment I cry at almost anything!)

I said on Twitter yesterday that ‘Half A World Away’ was my favourite lockdown read – but I think Mr Gayle has just usurped himself and takes Gold and Silver lockdown book awards from me – I really, really enjoyed this. A great story – but also relevant, thought provoking. informative, emotional and just plain lovely.

Mike Gayle is one writer that never disappoints and by heck he's done it again with this smasher.

We meet Hubert Bird, an 84 year old man who lives on his own and the highlight his week consists of a single phone call from his daughter Rose from Australia to see how he is doing. He regales Rose of stories that he's been doing with his fellow pensioner friends and loves listening about Rose's life down under. The only thing is, all of Hubert's stories are completely made up. He has no friends, he has no contact with anyone apart from his weekly phone calls...but Hubert doesn't want to guilt trip his daughter into returning home because he feels desperately lonely.

When Rose announces that she is coming for a 6 week stay with her dad, Hubert panics. He has no idea how he is going to explain that he has no network of friends.

Then his new next door neighbour, a young single mum called Ashleigh knocks on his door asking for help, Hubert knows that in order to connect with people he must open his heart a little. Can he make friends in time to show Rose that he hasn't been faking it all along?

We flit between 2 time frames - present day and 1958 when Hubert arrives in Britain having left his family in Jamaica for better job prospects. We learn about how Hubert experienced hellish racism both in his personal life and at work. When he falls in love with Joyce Pierce he knows he has found 'The One'. We see how much he wants to protect her from the racism of his daily life and in turn Joyce's own family when they reject them both after an inter-racial marriage.

Oh how I loved this book. Hubert stole my heart, broke it, then patched it up again. This book is so relatable, especially with the fact that loneliness for so many is crippling (especially in the current lockdown situation). Also the issue of racism both in the past and present day Britain is one that's a very hot topic and gives much food for thought. It personalises the issue and makes you think of the individuals that have (and still are) experiencing prejudice on the colour of their skin. Gayle shows us that the power of ordinary folk, when they come together, can really make a difference. A much needed reminder of humanity in the strange times we are living in.

I don't have enough words to praise this book. It is utterly wonderful - it made me laugh and cry. If you need a feel good book this summer, then pick up a copy.

A beautiful 5 star read for me.

I would like to thank Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This is another brilliantly written heart warming story by this wonderful author. It tackles prejudice, loneliness, friendship, death, substance misuse, love after loss, homelessness, losing a child amongst other very relevant and prevalent topics. I was blown away and I should have known I would be after reading The Man I Think I Know and Half a World Away and loving them both.

A definite 5🌟 read! I’d say for lovers of books such as The Lido and Three Things about Elsie.

Mike Gayle has done it again with this timely, poignant, uplifting book.

Hubert Bird is old and lonely. He barely leaves his London home, the one highlight of his week a call to his daughter Rose, an academic who lives the other side of the world. But he doesn't want Rose to worry about him, so he has made up a life, one with friends and activities, laughter and happiness. So when she announces she's coming to stay, Hubert realises he's going to have to make some changes before he breaks his beloved daughter's heart. But where to start? Luckily for Hugo an isolated young mother has moved next door and she is determined to put down some roots, including befriending her neighbours. Hubert doesn't know what to make of bubbly Welsh Ashleigh but he realises that if he is going to start making changes he needs to accept her offer of friendship and soon finds himself enjoying spending time with her and her daughter.
It doesn't take Ashleigh long to realise that there are plenty of people out there just as desperate for human contact as she and Hubert are and she starts a campaign to tackle loneliness - and to Hubert's horror he finds himself figurehead and spokesperson, making real friends along the way and starting to face up to the circumstances that left him so isolated.

Interwoven with the present day is Hubert's past, from his decision to move to London, what it was like being part of the Windrush generation, the racism he faced and the difficulties of falling in love with a white woman and raising a family amidst prejudice. We follow Hubert as he moves from young man to a middle aged father and into old age, until past and present collide as he grapples with a truth so painful he has been hiding from it for five long lonely years.

The current pandemic has brought loneliness into public consciousness and the injustices suffered by so many of the Windrush generation are never far from the headlines, meanwhile the UK is at last beginning to face up to the racism and unconscious - and conscious - biases embedded in the country. All of this makes All the Lonely People not only a good read, but painfully timely.
Heartbreaking, thought provoking and beautifully written All the Lonely People deserves to be the book everyone is talking about this summer.

The title of Mike Gayle's latest offering, All The Lonely People, had me humming The Beatles's Eleanor Rigby, it is part of the first line of the song, as I was reading this. This is an emotionally moving story of the life and times of 84 year old Hubert Bird, arriving on British shores in 1958 as part of the Windrush generation from Jamaica, looking for a better life and work. Instead, he finds himself living through the shocking racism of the time, personally in everyday life, at work and in British society, amidst the unbearable cold, and the awful food. He finds himself working at the warehouse of Hamilton's store, where he meets the lovely Joyce Pierce, the two of them falling in love. This is a love they are going have to fight for, Joyce's white family from Bromley are so prejudiced they refuse to have anything to do with her when she gets pregnant and marries Hubert, not even when their two children, Rose and David, come along.

Against all the odds, Hubert and Joyce's love remains strong in the face of the slings and arrows of misfortune, as Hubert becomes a plumber, they move to Bromley to raise their two children, having to cope with all the prejudices that litter their lives. They have both had to be strong, resilient and resourceful in a life of challenges, joys, sorrow, loss, grief, the problems of parenting, dementia, mental health issues, addictions and tragedies. However, at 84, Hubert has taken one knock too many, living a lonely life, rebuffing all and sundry, including his life long best friend and lothario, Gus. Rose is a professor at an Australian University, ringing Hubert every week, insisting on knowing the details of his life to satisfy herself he is managing and thriving. To reassure her, Hubert, has lied, spinning stories of rich friendships with pensioners that enrich his life, lies that threaten to be exposed when Rose tells him she is coming to visit him.

Hubert is now being forced to be outgoing, hoping to find age appropriate friends, getting involved with new neighbour, the single mum, Ashleigh Jones, and her young daughter, Layla, becoming close and supportive of each other. Before Hubert knows it, he is becoming the face of their campaign to tackle the loneliness epidemic in Bromley, a project that goes viral, snowballing beyond their wildest dreams. This is a great novel that resonates in so many ways, such as the insights it gives of a mixed marriage that survives through the years, being a parent, giving us a picture of the British social and political attitudes through time, and the ugly racism that has persisted with the government's recent hostile environment and the consequent horrors that the Windrush generation have had to endure. Then there is the fact that almost everyone has experienced periods of loneliness in their lives, I know I have, not to mention there has been the mental health crisis triggered by the loneliness experienced by so many with lockdown.

All in all, this is a brilliant read, with a great diverse cast of characters, such as the Latvian Emil, and Jan, and issues that mirror our contemporary realities and a captivating and engaging family drama that feels all too authentic. Many thanks to Hodder and Stoughton for an ARC.

Love it! Love it! Love it!
Mike Gayle does it again! Another brilliant book that hits every emotion you have and leaves you a blubbering mess.
I fell in love with Hubert Bird instantly, he’s a mesmerising character. The book follows Hubert through his long, eventful life that is packed full of laughter, love, fun and happiness but is also darkened by racial discrimination, heartbreak, loss and loneliness.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone, Mike Gayle is always at the top of my most recommended author list.

Really good read. Would recommend to friends and family. I could sympathise with characters (important for any fiction novel!) and looked forward to picking it up and reading the next few chapters! Interesting plot line and a good ending. Will look out for more novels by the author. Thank you.

Well, Mike Gayle has done it to me again! I’m mush after reading this book - I loved it! Hubert Bird comes to Britain from Jamaica in 1958 and makes a life for himself despite initial difficulties. He meets Joyce, they have a happy life and two children, Rose and David. By the time we meet Hubert in the book he is 84, he’s a curmudgeonly lonely old man waiting for his weekly phone call from Rose who lives in Australia. Then one day young mum Ashleigh knocks at his door with daughter Layla and asks him a favour. Ashleigh is new to the area, originally from Wales and can talk the hind leg off a donkey!! From this moment on Hubert’s life becomes very different and infinitely richer. The story is told in alternating timelines from Then - 1958 onwards and Now which works really well.

There is so much to like in this book. I love the way the author writes as he has a deft, light touch which I really admire and there’s vibrancy and humanity in the storytelling which draws you in effortlessly. I like the comparison between the ‘50’s and now and shows just how difficult settling into this country must have been for the Windrush Generation and what a culture shock that must have been. The characters in the book are fantastic- if Joyce hadn’t snapped Hubert up I might have been tempted myself!!! You can hear his beautiful Jamaican lilt so strongly it’s like he’s standing right next to you. Ashleigh is an amazing character too but the whole book is crammed with wonderful characters which is a Mike Gayle trademark. The growing friendship between Hubert and Ashleigh is a thing of beauty and they realise just how lonely they both are and they realise that London and so many other places are full of lonely people so they try to do something about it. It really makes you think and do something positive even if it’s just saying hello. This book elicits s whole range of emotions from laughter to both sad and happy tears, from shock and occasional anger but the message is clear and it’s a lovely one, that friendship is vital.

Overall, a wonderful and enthralling book which is to be published at a time when many people have been in Covid19 lockdown which makes this book extremely relevant.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton and Mike Gayle for the ARC.

A story even more relevant for current times.
Hubert Bird comes to London from Jamaica in 1958.He finds work and love with a white girl.They come up against much prejudice but battle on and settle down to have a family.
Years go by and Hubert finds himself living alone and lost touch with friends.A new neighbour comes calling with her daughter and circumstances lead to Hubert getting involved in starting up a lonely people group.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book,it had lots of thinking and talking points.I liked the characters and could visualise them in my mind.
Another great Mike Gayle book.

I am a long term Gayle fan so I jumped at the chance to read this and it did not disappoint. I find Gayle always writes characters that get into my heart they are always soulful and relatable and just always beautifully told. It was strange reading this story during lock down and even more so that racism was a theme (considering the current protests). Gayle dealt with these topics in a thoughtful and powerful way and I just loved it. highly recommend.

With shades of Saving Missy by Beth Morrey and the wonderful Eleanor Oliphant, Mike’s latest read – I defy you not to cry – concerns Hubert Bird, pensioner, widower and liar. He doesn’t engage with others but when he gets some good news, news that will change everything, he’s terrified. Because all those lies are going to flare up and be revealed unless he does something about it. Life takes a turn for the better, when he meets acquaintances who become friends, a friend who could become a partner, and old friends who need his help more than ever. While Hubert is helping others, it’s clear they’re helping him too. Funny and sincere, sweet and emotional, this is the sort of thing to read in one sitting, and it’ll make you more appreciative of the people around you.

** spoiler alert ** As always with Gayle,there is so much to like.
Heart warming characters doing good for themselves and for others.
Hubert was a charmer,and often put a smile on my face.
There were a few things that didn't quite feel right to me,the main one being the situation with Rose,but overall it was an enjoyable read.
A lovely cast of characters that should leave you wanting to move and be their neighbour.

I could not put this book down. It drew me in right from the very first page and held me captive throughout, I was powerless in its thrall. Hubert is in his 80s. His daughter Rose lives in Australia and calls him every week to check on him. Hubert is lonely and doesn't really go out but, to placate his daughter, he has invented a bunch of friends and tells her of their escapades. He has it all written down in a notebook so he doesn't forget what he has already said. But in one such call, Rose tells him she is coming home in a couple of months. Hubert is both delighted and scared. He yearns for his daughter but, at the same time, she will find out all his lies. He has three months to do something...
And then a young woman, Ashleigh, knocks on his door...
I cried, I laughed, I was shocked, angry, appalled... long story short, I ran the gamut of emotions during my time with this book. In among what is happening in the present, we hear Hubert's story from before he left his native Jamaica, through his arrival in the UK, the prejudice and racism he suffered, and how he eventually made a life for himself, and his family, against the odds.
I'm not going to bore you with any of the detail of all that as I believe it's better learning everything else about Hubert, Ashleigh, and a whole bunch of other interesting and very real characters as the author intended. Suffice to say that I wish I lived in Bromley cos I'm a bit lonely myself at times. Even more so in the days of Covid. Maybe I'll take some inspiration from this book...
I've only read a few of this author's books and I did say after the last one that I would have to go back and play catch-up. I failed that time but I am determined to sneak at least a couple of his back catalogue into my tbr in the not too distant future. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Hubert Bird lives alone, having lost his Wife to illness, becoming estranged from his wayward Son, and having his Daughter move to Australia. During the weekly telephone calls to his Daughter, Hubert builds up an imaginary life, spending much time with his three friends, thus proving he is by no means lonely. However, the truth is far from that and Hubert spends the most of his time at home with only his cat, Puss for company.
One day Hubert has a knock on the door and there stands his new neighbours and withing a matter of weeks his life and circle of friends changes for the better. He is soon surrounded by friends, new and old, as he tries to make his real life match the fictitious stories, he has told his Daughter.
The story dips into Hubert’s past, starting when he left his family home in Jamaica and made the journey to England. Hubert encounters some heart-breaking acts of racism during his early life in England whilst searching for and during his employment, as well as in his personal life, particularly when he meets his soon to be Wife.
The subject of loneliness and its’ isolation is dealt with sensitively in this book. The story is beautiful in the way that it moves seamlessly between Hubert’s past and the present day and draws to a satisfying conclusion. Another enjoyable book by Mike Gayle.

Oh boy! I knew from the blurb I was likely to enjoy this, what I wasn’t prepared for was that even just a few pages in that I would be so engaged with Hubert. Hubert is a lonely old man of 84. His daughter lives in Australia and on their regular phone calls he tells her of his life and his activities and his friends- except every word is his imagination. He rarely goes out and sees very little of the human race. He even has notes about his three friends so that story lines add up and make sense. His daughter is coming home in a few months and he doesn’t know quite how he is going to tell her that it's all made up. One day he gets a knock on the door and there instead of a parcel delivery for someone else, stands a young woman and her daughter who have just moved in close by. Alternate chapters take us back to 1958 and Huberts arrival from Jamaica and his meeting with the love of his life Joyce. Sometimes in amongst the many books I read comes along something special, something life affirming and one to make me stop and think, smile and cry and take stock of the world we are in. This is currently a very topical subject as Hubert and his family have suffered racism for almost as long as he can remember. The major topic is loneliness, something we can all do something about. When passing someone, instead of nodding hello, maybe pass the time of day albeit briefly. Even just a few kind words may mean the world to someone and change their day- we don’t know what they are going through. I really didn’t want this to end. Each year about 10% of the books I read (250+) earn a 5** rating for having that something extra. This one has earned this and more. A book I have taken to my heart. Loved it really doesn’t cover it.

(links as part of blog tour)

I’m a huge mike Gayle fan and absolutely loved this book! Mike has the unique ability to get into the heart and soul of his characters making them so relatable, open and true warts and all! Reading this book at this time seemed very apt especially with all the protests that are going on at the mo and the enforced isolation that many elderly are experiencing due to lockdown. Racism, Alzheimer’s and loneliness are all addressed in a sensitive thoughtful manner, it was eye opening to revisit how times have changed regarding racism in so many ways, Alzheimer’s is always a sensitive topic but huberts care of his wife and love and devotion for her was exemplary, loneliness is such a real problem for the elderly but even more so during this pandemic but this book illustrates the importance of friendship and neighbours and the true worth that the elderly have in our society, fantastic loveable characters, great very apt storyline and such a powerful message portrayed, would highly recommend this book to all!
Thank you netgalley for this early read.