A #1 international bestseller in the vein of Fredrik Backman’s A Man Called Ove: a funny and tender-hearted tale about friendship, love, and an old man who is young at heart.Technically speaking, Hendrik Groen is….elderly. But at age 83 1/4, this feisty, indomitable curmudgeon has no plans to go out quietly. Bored of weak tea and potted geraniums, exasperated by the indignities of aging, … indignities of aging, Hendrik has decided to rebel – on his own terms. He begins writing an exposé: secretly recording the antics of day-to-day life in his retirement home, where he refuses to take himself, or his fellow “inmates,” too seriously.
With an eccentric group of friends, he founds the wickedly anarchic Old-But-Not-Dead Club, and he and his best friend, Evert, gleefully stir up trouble, enraging the home’s humorless director and turning themselves into unlikely heroes. And when a sweet and sassy widow moves in next door, he polishes his shoes, grooms what’s left of his hair, and determines to savor every ounce of joy in the time he has left, with hilarious and tender consequences.
A bestselling phenomenon that has captured imaginations around the world, The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen is inspiring, charming, and laugh-out-loud funny with a deep and poignant core: a page-turning delight for readers of any age.
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It’s like sitting down with the best Grandpa ever, and listening to him tell stories about the assisted living facility he calls home. Hendrik is a non-conformist at heart; he loves stirring up trouble. He and his friends in the Old But Not Dead club raise a little havoc, stir things up a bit, and in general, find ways to make what could be a bleak existence lots of fun. The book chronicles Henrik’s life for one year. He comments on some world affairs, tells of the hot new lady who moves in (and he moves in on her right quick!) and keeps us appraised of the cast of characters, both good and bad, throughout the year. Not a stilted sentence in the book–it moves and keeps you engaged through the whole story. If you have a relative in any kind of senior group facility, you will recognize characters throughout the book. All in all, a fun read.
boring
Being Dutch I loved the way he wrote about us in a nursing home or any other facility where care is given on a humorous level. How the perceptions differs as we age about life, friendships and things in general. Reading his second book is also hilarious but reading a physical book is harder then an e book or an audio. Must say it is a page turner, steamy and funny all these 3 categories a must to input for full clarity.
Very entertaining description of life in a Dutch retirement home, especially for a resident of such an institution in the U.S. Many parallels.
Nice portrayal of nursing home life for the people who are not demented.
I had high expectations for this book. I wanted to read it for a while and finally was able to. I love old people. I love stories about them, especially when they are taking place in an environment with mostly older people. I also like the writing style of a diary. So all that added up to this book being for me!
I am sorry to say that this book did not meet my hopes for it. I think a lot of that can be accounted to it being translated from Dutch. The names were difficult for me to remember, so I just sort of skipped over them. As time went on, I recognized the name and knew who that was, but for me, that lost some of the pleasure of getting to know the characters. The second thing I truly disliked was all the politics in the book. Most of the politics was of the Netherlands, so I did not understand what was being complained about. Some of the political comments were about the US and I will say about that, I don’t choose to read about politics and would not have picked up the book if I would have know so much would be discussed (complained about).
What I enjoyed was the story that was truly about the elder population of the assisted living center and their lives.
I was really tried of reading the book about two thirds of the way through it. I pushed to finish it, since I like to completely read a book.
Amusing but tedious.
I love this book!! It was a great read and could not put it down. Would love to read more by this author!!!
Is it fiction? A memoir? A combination? The only people who might now (the publisher?) aren’t telling. in any case, it’s great. Hendrik Groen is – duh – 83 years old. He lives in an assisted living facility that, despite being in the heart of Amsterdam, embodies every complaint I ever heard either In my great-grandfather or my husband’s grandparents make about their facilities, long-time denizens all. First, the old people. It does not matter that my grandfather was perhaps the oldest resident in his final years – the litany of complaints about “all these old people” was never ending. And truly, the petty behavior of other residents (“the pineapple pickers,” so named for their selective raids on the fruit salad were my grand-father-in-law’s most frequent target) and disputes with management over a twenty cent raise in a cup of coffee are also a regular feature of assisted living life, both on paper and IRL. But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself.
First, Hendrik Groen. It’s a pseudonym, and of the book, released as fiction, he says only that “there’s not one sentence that’s a lie, but not every word is true.” So, in other words, believe what you want. As the title says, the book is his secret diary, in which he records the minutiae of a year, but from the perspective – real or not – of an octogenarian. As such, it’s a fairly unique perspective: the value of friendship is central to the book, but the nature, naturally, is a bit different between the very elderly. Death, too, is a constant presence here, and Hendrik and his friends are regularly coming to terms with its approach, as well as with the ailments that so often precede it.
Although the humor is far less pronounced, I was regularly reminded of A Man Called Ove, although I think Hendrik is much more optimistic and much less crotchety than Ove. (His friend, Evert, could give Ove a run for his money, though.)
(This review was originally posted at http://www.thisyearinbooks.com/2018/03/the-secret-diary-of-hendrik-groen-83.html)
Lost the book 1/2 way through, but what I read had some laugh out loud moments, though it is about old folks and a little bittersweet at times.
Hendrik is such an endearing character. A delightful “memoir” story, if rather sad at times.
Was nothing like Ove. Disappointing.
It gives us a glimpse into aging and it’s challenges. Funny and entertaining.
Funny book about living in a retirement home in the Netherlands.
I laughed and cried. A sweet story about old people that aren’t ready to give up and die.
ONE OF THE FUNNIEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ/ EVERYONE OVER 60 SHOULD READ THIS BOOK.
fun read
Reading this book was a real joy. Characters were quirky and original. Loved every word. Don’t pass this one up.
Not as funny as a couple of other books I have read recently set in Old people’s homes but it was amusing.
I enjoyed meeting Hendrik and his friends in the senior living facility. There aren’t enough stories about living in the “golden years”. It’s good to know meaningful life goes on.