The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle: the most heartwarming and uplifting love story of the year

Product Information

My inspiration was a series of interviews I conducted with older gay men whilst I was Editor-in-Chief of Attitude magazine, as part of our celebration of the 50th anniversary of the start of decriminalisation. The story kept me enthralled and I just loved the details and description of Albert’s life, the way he became more open about himself, the sadness of his past but the happiness he found in his new friends Nicole and Edith, along with his work colleagues.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle (Audio Download): Matt The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle (Audio Download): Matt

Marjorie, his boss, has a terminally ill grandson, a diabolical digestive system, and is not coping well with menopause, a fact she is not at all reticent about sharing, much to Albert's embarrassment. Some other small things I really loved about the book are the use of bluebells to signify a flashback (the reason becomes apparent a bit way through the story, I obviously won’t spoil it for you, but it is super cute), the occasions where Nicole’s character is able to address the microagressions that exist in her community, and all the different characters that work with Albert at Royal Mail because even though they play relatively small roles in the book, they still feel incredibly well thought out. He explored the slow transformation of acceptance for gays and portrayed the shame, ridicule and need for secrecy they shouldered along the way. A few months before his 65th birthday, he receives a letter from Human Resources notifying him of his upcoming mandatory retirement.Watching Albert fill that role for Nicole and bring that energy back brought a tear to my eye and filled my heart with so much joy. You’d not catch many queer coal miners jotting down their stream-of-consciousness memoirs between shifts. This beautiful story about opening your life and your heart to those around you by offering up your truest self hit a sweet spot for me! A wonderful old-fashioned romance, with a serious side, a tender autumn love story that will have every reader cheering on Albert from the sidelines.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain - Book The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain - Book

This has made it all too easy for historians to erase our existence from the record and deny the contribution we’ve made to society. I quickly began to care about Albert and beyond the fact that he's lonely, a bit set in his ways, a little disagreeable, I felt he was in dire need of a great big hug.

As he's aged, Albert has morphed into someone who craves routine and privacy, preferring to live a quiet solitary life. He is a loner, not because he hates people but he is afraid of them and of theirs discovering his big secret. The audiobook narrator was perfect for the job, and he had the perfect voice and accent to make the story sound exactly as it should. And he must find the courage to look for George, the man that, many years ago, he lost - but has never forgotten . As a result, he'd gradually begun backing away from everyone and had first retreated into his work, later into caring for his mam.

The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle: A surprising, uplifting

Tuesday was egg and chips, Wednesday and Thursday were cottage pie (he always made enough for two portions), and Friday was takeaway. Despite the book containing just two very mildly suggestive sexual references, "everyone went berserk and it was banned", she says. When I’ve been upset by things, the only way I’ve been able to survive is by putting them behind me. The story switches between Albert's present life and events from 50 years ago, and the circumstances of his difficult past emerge, highlighting why he lives the way his does today. The subtle nuances of his character-voicing ensure that we never get confused about which character is speaking (and this is in a book with quite a lot of characters.

His journey was enlightening as I learned about others’ personal experiences, particularly those brave souls who laid the groundwork for changing not only the law but community attitudes. The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle by Matt Cain was a well written and heartfelt novel that reminded me of Fredrick Blackman’s works.