The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife cover art

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

A Novel

Preview

Audible Standard 30-day free trial

Try Standard free
Select 1 audiobook a month from our entire collection of 900K+ titles.
Listen to your selected audiobooks as long as you're a member.
Get unlimited access to bingeable podcasts.
Standard auto-renews for $8.99/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife

Written by: Anna Johnston
Narrated by: Tim Carroll
Try Standard free

$8.99 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $36.30

Buy Now for $36.30

About this listen

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

A zany case of mistaken identity allows a lonely old man one last chance to be part of a family.

“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, at age eighty-two, there’s nobody left in Fred’s life to borrow from, and he's broke and on the brink of eviction. But Fred’s luck changes when he's mistaken for Bernard Greer, a missing resident at the local nursing home, and takes his place. Now Fred has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head—as long as his look-alike Bernard 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.

Friendship Genre Fiction Literature & Fiction Marriage Funny Witty Heartfelt Feel-Good Tearjerking
All stars
Most Relevant
Narrator did an amazing job with this book. I giggled out loud several times and could picture the story in my head like it was a movie! Loved the plot line.

Cute, funny, charming, and heartwarming

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

Made me laugh out loud &, at the same time,story brought me to tears several times! Highly recommend!

Fun & Thoughtful

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

While doom scrolling my way through the Washington Post or the NYTimes, I came upon a list of feel good books that might serve to lighten a dark mood. I followed a harmless little sale book involving time travel with this 1 credit gem.
Living in Canadian ski country, I've heard the particular Aussie accent many times but the dizzying array of idioms and food was a bit challenging. The plot was contrived and predicable but lovely. Neither book is Booker or Pulitzer material but 2.99 and a credit are infinitely cheaper than a therapist and I feel better.

Choose Joy

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

A broken man manages to find joy...and those around him are able to experience his care and humor.

A feel good story

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

I needed this book at this time. So many emotional moments bringing back memories of my Dad, the fear of aging, and my work as a paediatric oncology nurse. I laughed, cried, reflected, and even got angry a time or two. This book has it all. The performance was flawless.

Just What I Needed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

See more reviews