Albert Entwistle is a postman and his job is his life. So when, nearing 65, he receives a letter with an information that Royal Mail’s policy is to let people retire at this age – no exceptions – he knows his life is going to be very lonely. Keeping himself to himself, he’s been living only with his cat Gracie since his mother died 18 years ago. Albert was in love once, when he was young, but it was in those times when it was illegal to be guy. Moreover, his father, a policeman, was homophobic, voicing his opinions on „perverts“ and „people like that“. In all those times, after his father realised Albert is „one of them“ and gave him an ultimatum, he has hidden his sexuality – and his real self. But perhaps now it’s time to come out? And to find his long – lost love, George? Assisted by a young single mum Nicole, who has her own battles to fight, Albert sets on a quest – will he succeed? Or is it too late?

Albert is a brilliant character, from the beginning to the end. Approaching the age of 65 and the mandatory retirement from his job, he truly is at crossroads, not knowing what to do with his life. And then he decides – and I am sure it needed so much courage from him! – to face the truth, to admit, to try and be happy again. He tells us his story, personally, reminiscing about the past – though I must admit that it was the present that has absolutely captured my attention, present that he started to share with another great character, the single mum Nicole. It was so lovely to see Albert opening up and making friends, accepting himself – there was so much more to him than met the eye. I hated to see him so sad, so burdened by his own memories, by his shame of betrying George and his trust but then, as he was slowly stepping out of his comfort zones, I wanted to give him a standing ovation.
Nicole is another character that has to fight against stereotypes. Misjudged by the community, she turns out to be a great friend to Albert – their friendship was great and felt realistic. Thanks to Nicole, I think, because she was open enough, but also thanks to Albert, who has finally summoned the nerve for step so huge for him as asking for help.
There was a lovely bunch of background characters in this book as well. They not only enriched Albert’s story, but they all had their own stories to tell and that added tons of depth to the novel. The writing style was flawless and run smoothly, enriched with lightness and gentle humour.

The author has ticked off all the boxes that are like focal points in today’s society and in the end we’ve got a good read, but too politically correct in my opinion. It isn’t bad, of course it isn’t, but it’s like an act of getting on the right side of the readers? I’m not sure and I’m also not criticising, but perhaps this is why I liked it, but not whole – heartedly. Also, novels featuring older main characters seem to be a thing now, don’t you think, and almost always guarantee a success. And it’s not a wonder, as the characters, when rightly pictured, with their rich lives and experience, grow on the readers and draw empathy – and it was the case here, because I can guarantee you’re going to fall for Albert immediately and you’ll be wanting to give him a standing ovation as he faces challenge after challenge and champions them with flying colours.

„The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle“ is a feel – good story, an emotional journey through times, poignant and uplifting at the same time. It is filled with secrets and regrets, love and hate and friendship. On the surface it’s an easy, light – hearted read but deep down it’s a protest against prejudice and stereotyping, but still – heart – warming and charming. I really liked it and will be recommending it left and right!

I’d like to thank Headline and Rosie Margesson for sending me a proof of this book.

All I can say is wow! How can I even begin to convey to you how incredible this book was? What Matt Cain has written is a pure gem and I am so pleased that I discovered Albert and his story.

Whilst reading this I felt so many emotions. Initially I was so sad for Albert and his lonely existence. The conversations he had with himself and Gracie showed he had so much insight to offer the world if only he would let himself be vulnerable. I cried for him and the life he could of lived, when he went into the locked room and found some memories from years ago. Then my sadness turned to hope as he embarked on his journey.

I felt so proud of him when he started to show his true colours but I could also understand his reservations about putting himself out in the world. I wanted to hold his hand as he took these brave steps and comfort him when he struggled. Luckily he had Nicole who was the perfect companion. She took Albert under her wing and helped him to soar into the world and land on his feet.

The mystery surrounding what happened to George and Albert was sprinkled throughout the book as Albert recalls memories from his past. During these moments it was clear to anyone just how much they loved each other and how happy they could be together. When their final moments were revealed I felt so angry and shocked. Matt Cain has opened my eyes to how life was for many people of the gay community in the 60’s and 70’s and I must admit I am slightly embarrassed at how little I knew. I had such admiration for George in those chapters for being brave enough to be who he was and stand up for what he believed in but I could also understand Albert’s reasons too. Had I been in his shoes I honestly don’t know what I would of done.

Whilst Albert and his story was incredible I couldn’t help but fall in love with all the other characters as well. Matt Cain delivered a cast of characters who all had their flaws and were very relatable. We had Nicole, the single mum who is a person of colour, trying to make something of her life and juggle a new relationship. The there’s Marjorie trying to send her terminally ill grandson on holiday and remain optimistic about her fundraising efforts. Dan and Daniel, were the new gay couple to arrive to the community and face the numerous questions about their lifestyle, and that’s just the top of the iceberg of characters. All the emotions I felt when reading this weren’t just for Albert but for all his new found friends .

To finish my review I am going to borrow a few words from Matt Cain that sum up exactly how I felt about this story…

“And if I love him a little bit more today, I’ll love him a whole lot more tomorrow.”

I can see why some people really enjoy this but it's not for me. It was very formulaic with way too many clichés and stereotypes, and the way the characters spoke felt like a Disney movie at times.

Parts I enjoyed were the exploration of tension within the gay community between those who were out in the 1960s when it was illegal for young men to be in homosexual relationships, and those who were not. Albert was a really endearing character who at times reminded me a little of Eleanor Oliphant and Linus from The House in the Cerulean Sea.

It really did put a smile on my face at points but I don't feel overall it was my cup of tea. As much as Albert was a great character I felt the plot was very contrived.

Thank you @netgalley for a free copy of this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Matt Cain has written a cracking, amusing and touching tale in The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle. Albert Entwistle is coming up to his retirement as a postman and is wondering what his future holds. Very much a loner who likes to keep to himself he is anxious about how he will occupy his time. He also has a secret but realises that now could be the time for him to be honest about who he really is...

The author's superb character creation and development is second to none. Albert, a cat lover of his beloved pet, Gracie has recently lost his mother who he looked after and has spent the last eighteen years living alone. But Albert is determined to make some friends and confront his past and as his emotions start to resurface, there is no stopping him. Along the way, the reader meets several people including Nicole and her daughter, Reenie, George, Marjorie and Edith to name only a few. Nicole is a single mother, trying her best to improve her own situation and Edith is a lady on his postal delivery round.

This was an impactful story that was funny, sad and exceptionally moving. All of the author's characters gave the book great dimension, and many of them were people I started to wish I knew personally. In a story dating back to the 1970s and spanning decades, I loved accompanying Albert on his journey of self-discovery. An uplifting, delightful, though occasionally harsh and bitter read topped with romance. The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is beautifully written and a 2021 favourite.

I read The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle in staves with other Pigeonholers as part of a group. A special thank you to Headline, Matt Cain, NetGalley and The Pigeonhole for a complimentary copy of this novel at my request. This review is my unbiased opinion.

I totally adored this story of Albert and his quest to find his first (only) love.

It was a pretty emotional ride along his road, both sad and funny and ultimately rather uplifting.

At times it felt like we were in an extended episode of Coronation Street as a lot of the characters were very broadly drawn and a wee stereotypical, but I was totally engrossed in Albert’s story both as a young man and as a soon-to-be retiree.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

A really sweet tale of Albert Entwistle who has lived a secluded life since being scared in his teens, faced with a retirement he doesn't want, he decides this could be an opportunity for him to change. I really loved this book, Albert is such a sweet relatable character, a gentle postman, who just does his job, then heads home to his cat, until one awful Christmas life forces a change upon him. I enjoyed the way that Albert changed it was totally believable, the friendships he made were really sweet, especially with young Nicole. I liked the message that the more he was himself the more people liked him. This book is also a great book about the history of gay men, Albert had realised he was gay just after homosexuality was decriminalised in 1967 but he was still under age, also as the book highlights more raids took place in the 70's. It was lovely to have a story that featured a 65 year old, going on adventures and coming out, it really is never too late. A joyous wonderful book.

With thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I totally loved this book and I fell ever so slightly in love with Albert. He is the nicest sweetest man you could meet and to hear his story was so sad. Lost love, prejudice from his own parents and then years of loneliness until he eventually takes control of his life and sets out to find his lost love.
This is a true love story, I cryed at times but I also laughed, Marjorie is a hoot and the development of his friendship with Nicole and Reenie is beautiful as well as him getting to know all his workmates better and Daniel and Danny too, you find yourself becoming invested in all the characters, Edith was another of my favourites and you will Albert to strike up a friendship with her to hear her story too.
But the real story is about Albert and George and will he ever find him again, you MUST read it to find out, you will not be able to put this book down until you know the whole story, I highly recommend.
Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for the absolute privilege in being able to read this early copy!

Albert Entwistle is a postman, a pretty ordinary one at that and one that I was interested to know more about, even with the pang of sadness that he appears to have no life outside work, which poses a challenge when retirement is on the cards.

I especially enjoyed getting to know Albert, George and Marjorie, as well as Nicole and seeing their lives unfold and how they are connected.

This is a very beautiful book that’s so quick to get into. It’s uplifting, with a cosy warmth. It also bridges the gap between younger and older generations, in some ways in the attitudes that and secrecy were around at certain times. It’s quite hard to put down as you uncover great characters and a life with secrets that may not be quite what you’re expecting and reasons why Albert hid part of his life for a time.

There are reunions and a love story that starts to play out and it is so lovely to watch it unfold. There’s travel and theatre and such life drama.

There are discoveries made and life can be more than what you think it might as no one can predict the future. It is so poignant and touching in parts. The journeys that are taken, both deep, personal ones and the actual moving around from Toddington to Blackpool add to the great life affirming adventure, that so easily reels you in.

The book is entertaining to read and just projects so much joy and also so much emotion, with a pinpoints of humour. There is strength of character and courage, which is absolutely fabulous!

There will also be Reading Group Questions at the end of the book.

Absolutely loved this one. Well written, interesting and emotional. Would recommend to all. The only negative is overuse of a couple of northernisms e.g "kid".

One of those reads that is something very special. Albert Entwistle is a postman and has been for the last forty four years. He loves his job but doesn't really like people so keeps himself very much to himself. When he gets a letter from HR about his forthcoming sixty-fifth birthday, life is about to change and Albert can’t see how this can be for the better. Albert has kept himself to himself for a reason, something he feared when he was younger but now the world is a different place- but Albert doesn't yet quite realise this and is about to make a first step towards his freedom at long last. Fifty years ago Albert fell in love for a brief time and since then has been lonely- something he has only just admitted to himself.. This is the story of his voyage of discovery in more than one way. Oh be still my beating heart! I so loved this- I wanted to wrap Albert up in the biggest hug and tell him that the world is now a very different place. Who doesn’t love Drag Race and Hairspray? A tale of oppression and bigotry in more than one world and overcoming negativity. A brilliantly written, very emotive, evocative read in more than one way for me. More than one man cowed, dictated to and belittled by their parents and then by the world, now emerging from his chrysalis to become the beautiful butterfly. There are some wonderful lines in this: “Be strong enough to show who you really are and let the world love you for it”. “ Face up to things not put them in the past where they drag along behind you, deal with the emotions and then you can move on”.
Each year about 10% of the total books I read ( about 250 a year) earn my special 5** rating. They are the ones that have that something extra- the ones I will always remember and have touched me in some way. This one deserves it in spades. I can't recommend this highly enough. Loved it doesn't begin to cover it. I love this a little bit more than yesterday and a little bit less than tomorrow (If you know- you know).
(rest of links when posted on blog)

Oh how I loved this book! This is a beautifully written novel that accurately depicts the changing attitudes to homosexuality . Being a similar age to Albert I have lived through the same times and can say it took me right back to my teenage days. Albert is a true gentleman who is intensely lonely and isolated, having been denied his true love as a teenager and spending his later life nursing his sick and bitter mother. This story follows Albert’s acceptance of his true self, his realisation that he has nothing to be ashamed of and that societal attitudes have changed. He comes to see the advantages of risking opening up to theirs, and is able to enlist help from new friends to search for his one true love. This is a book that has everything. Gentle humour, emotion, great warmth and a great story. I didn’t want to put this book down, and would love to see a follow up and learn more about Albert’s story and that of his community of friends.

I adored this book, it was my first by this author and certainly won’t be the last. Albert was just such a beautiful character and I loved following his journey of self discovery and making peace with his past. The changes in the narrative between the past and present really helped to add depth to his character and I was completely rooting for him from the start. The supporting characters were also fabulous and added a nice distraction at times to the main story which was often very intense as it covered some uncomfortable topics which were sadly based on true events. The ending was everything I hoped it would be. Overall just an absolutely brilliant book and a joy to read.

This is a dual timeline book set between a young gay couple in a tiny village in the 1970s and a postman coming up to his 65th birthday who is facing compulsory retirement and battling crippling loneliness.
Albert Entwistle was a postman. It was one of the few things everyone knew about him. And it was one of the few things he was comfortable with people knowing.

64-year-old Albert Entwistle has been a postie in a quiet town in Northern England for all of his life, living alone since the death of his mam 18 years ago. He keeps himself to himself. He always has. But he's just learned he'll be forced to retire at his next birthday. With no friends and nothing to look forward to, the lonely future he faces terrifies him. He realises it's finally time to be honest about who he is. He must learn to ask for what he wants. And he must find the courage to look for George, the man that, many years ago, he lost - but has never forgotten.
Trigger warning, I found the first part of this book very sad, it took us on Albert’s journey and how he came to be how he is and jumping between the present and the past. Gradually though, Albert began to blossom and we see that he hasn’t chosen to be on his own and he begins on the quest to find a past love.
This is up lit at it’s very best, showing us how Albert rediscovers himself.
LGBT plays a big part in this book, and it was so well written and woven through, showing past experiences and how they have changed with present experiences, and also how people’s perceptions, expectations and understanding have changed too.
I highly recommend this book to anyone, yes you need tissues as you ARE going to cry, but you will also find yourself falling in love with every one of the characters before the end of the first chapter.
Thank you to Netgalley and Headline for an e ARC of The secret life of Albert Enwistle in return for an honest review.

Best book I've read so far this year. My heart is so full of love for Albert, how could it not be? Parts of the book reminded me a little bit of Elinor Oliphant is completely fine, another favourite of mine-just with Albert's initial reluctance to allow people in and his traumatic past affecting his present day. I cried for Albert, I laughed, my heart broke, this book just had it all. It's a book that will stay with me for a long, long time. Some pretty hard reading at times. Shocks me how dreadfully gay people were treated not that long ago. It hurt my heart so much. A wonderful book that will leave you believing in love and craving a Crunchie.

Novels featuring older protagonists have become among some of my very favorites: Harold Fry, Ove, Missy, to name just a few. With much of their lives behind them, they have wonderful stories to tell and a richness to their character that draws empathy and compassion. I am now adding Albert Entwistle to this list.

Approaching the age of 65 and facing mandatory retirement from his job as a postie, Albert has reached a crossroads in his life. For years he has lived a lie, denying even to himself who he truly is. But times have changed. Being gay is no longer a crime. And so he sets out to track down George, the love of his life.

Albert’s story is beautifully told, in his own voice and in dual timelines, as he goes about his quest and reminisces about the past. His journey is poignant and at times desperately sad. But it is also uplifting and joyous.

Albert’s transformation is a joy to behold, as he opens up to who he is and makes discoveries and friendships that change and enrich his life. He’s an immensely likable character; one you take into your heart, care for and root for, as he at first tentatively then wholeheartedly embraces his reincarnation.

Matt Cain handles the issues surrounding homosexuality with sensitivity and a real depth of understanding. There is no triteness here. Just honesty and compassion. I truly loved this book and would recommend it to all fans of uplit.

If I could have given this book more stars 🌟 I would have done. Such a beautiful heartwarming story of Arthur - a most understated hero. Both funny and sad in parts - I cried more than once - I was willing Arthur on from the start. If you liked Finding Missy and The Authenticity Project then this book is for you. Thought everything maybe tied up too neatly at the end but it did work. All the little side stories were good too.

This story made me smile and moved to tears. I felt for Albert and rooted for him. I was hooked and kept on thinking about him.
A heartbreaking and heartwarming story, a character that blossoms.
Good storytelling and plot development, well rounded and interesting characters.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Oh Albert, he stole my heart, you know how I love a pensioner in a book and this was no exception.
Albert has worked all his life as a postman, he keeps to himself, preferring his own company and that of his cat.
The first part of the book was really very sad, following how Albert came to be like he was and jumping between present and his past, but gradually Albert starts to blossom and we see that he doesn't want to be on his own as he starts his quest to find a past love.
I loved this one, at first I thought, can I cope with reading something that is going to be this sad, but it was the ultimate uplit and showed how Albert rediscovered himself.
LGBT plays a big part in this book and it was so very well woven through, showing past experiences and how they contrasted with present experiences.
I am expecting this to be a summer hit and will be highly recommending this to everyone.

Fabulous book, read in one day. I loved meeting Albert, I wept when Gracie died. Great characters, so many reminders about how society has changed and how it took too long to do so.

I will be writing a full review for my book blog.

This is undeniably a feel good read, perhaps a wee bit too 'feel good'. I know we all like a happy ending but this just seemed a bit of a stretch.