Preview
  • The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

  • A Novel
  • By: Anna Johnston
  • Narrated by: Tim Carroll
  • Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (29 ratings)

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The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

By: Anna Johnston
Narrated by: Tim Carroll
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Publisher's summary

A zany case of mistaken identity allows a lonely old man one last chance to be part of a family in this warm, life-affirming debut novel.

“A funny, heartfelt story about found family and seeing the silver lining in life. Fans of Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove and Shelby Van Pelt’s Remarkably Bright Creatures will especially enjoy this new novel.”—Library Journal

“Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I’ll take excellent care of it.”

Frederick Fife was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he’d return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is there’s nobody left in Fred’s life to borrow from. At eighty-two, he’s desperately lonely, broke, and on the brink of homelessness.

But Fred’s luck changes when, in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of grumpy Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Now he has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head—as long as his poker face is in better shape than his prostate and that his look-alike never turns up.

Denise Simms is stuck breathing the same disappointing air again and again. A middle-aged mom and caregiver at Bernard's facility, her crumbling marriage and daughter's health concerns are suffocating her joy for life. Wounded by her two-faced husband, she vows never to let a man deceive her again.

As Fred walks in Bernard’s shoes, he leaves a trail of kindness behind him, fueling Denise's suspicions about his true identity. When unexpected truths are revealed, Fred and Denise rediscover their sense of purpose and learn how to return a broken life to mint condition.

Bittersweet and remarkably perceptive, The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife is a hilarious, feel-good, clever novel about grief, forgiveness, redemption, and finding family.

©2024 Anna Johnston (P)2024 HarperCollins Publishers
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What listeners say about The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

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A Perfect Surprise

A story of surprises and the gift love and kindness and a bit of luck can bring

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Good stuff!

I liked it, it was feel good without utter tragedy. Try it you'll like it unless your the type that uses words like derivative in your reviews.

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Beautiful Story

I have not read/listened to a book in years that made me feel good the whole time I read it. The author’s spot on humor, insight to the characters and beautiful story telling coupled with the narrator’s warmth, made this a memorable read. I loved it so much, I bought the hardcover to share with others!!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Froth on my cappuccino of favorite books.

This story captivated me from the beginning. The story is engaging and narrating was spot on. Ended up buying the hardcover so I can share this story and keep it to read when I need a pick me up,

‘It’s amazing what the brain can hang onto and the power of music… If only there was a way of making loved ones into melodies so they too would be remembered.’ <3
-Borrowed Life of Fredrick Fife

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Sweet endearing story

Great narration. Loved the Aussie accent of the reader. It made it feel authentic and real. The book itself was such a clever and sweet story. Loved the characters. My husband stopped his day to listen as well and was excited for the ending.

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Somewhat engaging but predictable

I was a huge fan of A Man Called Ove and Remarkably Bright Creatures so seeing the summary of this book, and the comparison to those books I tried it. Now having listened to it, I feel it has very little in common with those books, except the ages of the main characters.

I did find this book somewhat engaging and there were moments that were touching, but overall it was predictable and I grew extremely impatient and annoyed by all of the detail around bodily functions - sometimes several sentences describing how a character felt after passing gas and how those around them reacted. This happened constantly throughout the book and I felt it really detracted from the story.

The narration was good and it is for sure a sweet story overall, but nowhere near as beautiful or meaningful as the books to which it was compared in the summary. Also a little far fetched as far as being in any way believable.

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