Looking for novels and memoirs with an older lead character? Whether you’re participating in the Lifetime of Reading Challenge or simply want to read a book featuring an 80-something (aka octogenarian), we’ve handpicked a list of great reads for you.
We focused primarily (but not exclusively) on contemporary stories that help readers understand what life in your 80s is like today. We also prioritized diversity across ethnicity, religion, class, background, lifestyle, and more. Each book is highly rated on Goodreads, and when available, we’ve also included ratings from our own readers.
Some of the titles on our list look deeply at the challenges of aging, while others are funny, feel-good reads with elderly lead characters. Several of the recommendations feature characters reflecting on long lives and the changes they’ve witnessed over the decades.
Books with Protagonists in Their 80s
Book Club Fiction
When the Cranes Fly South
Lisa Ridzén
Publication Date:
08/19/2025
Setting:
Sweden
Book Summary
Bo is 89 and still living at home with his beloved elkhound, Sixten, to keep him company. He also receives daily visits from a care team, but otherwise, it’s a quiet and lonely life. His wife is still alive, but is in a care home with Alzheimer’s. He has a son, Hans, but their relationship is rocky.
When Hans decides that Bo can no longer care for Sixten and that his beloved pup must be rehomed, Bo disagrees. The threat of losing Sixten makes Bo take stock of his own life and relationships.
What to Expect in This Novel
This heart-wrenching, yet beautiful, read is a Swedish bestseller and extremely highly rated, but don’t pick it up unless you’re okay with a tear-jerker.
In addition to seeing the inner perspectives of both Bo and Hans, each chapter ends with notes from the carers, providing an impartial snapshot of reality.
Eighty-three-year-old Helen has lived abroad in Australia for six decades, but after the death of her husband and daughter, she’s returned to her English village and is ready to die. And she’d like that to happen quickly.
Before she gets her wish, she has a chance encounter with an abandoned pet mouse, who unexpectedly changes her future. She names him Sipsworth, and over the course of one week, her life improves bit by bit as she takes care of him.
While the main story takes place over one week, this moving novel also explores Helen’s backstory through her memories.
Why You Should Consider the Audiobook
Sipsworth is a 2025 Libby Award Nominee for Best Audiobook, so it should be especially good if you enjoy audiobooks! Although the narrative is slow-paced and character-driven, it’s also a short read at 240 pages.
Back in college, Abe Winter and Ruth Warneke went on a terrible blind date. Against all odds, that date led to a seven-decade-long marriage. Together, the two built a life on a farm on Bainbridge Island, where they raised children, fell in and out of lockstep, and endured losses. Through it all, they forged a dependable partnership.
Now Ruth is 87, and the life they’ve created together is beginning to fall apart when her health begins to fail. As she struggles with the loss of her independence, Abe wants nothing more than to take care of her. But their adult children are unconvinced of his ability to do so and encourage their parents to sell the farm.
A Bit More About The Heart of Winter
This character-driven novel provides readers a look at Abe and Ruth face their present circumstances, and also flashes back from the time they meet in the 1950s and through impactful moments in their life. It is described as a “bighearted and profound portrait of a marriage.”
Frederick was born 82 years ago, and ever since, he has approached life with a huge heart full of kindness. But now, he’s desperately lonely, broke, and on the brink of homelessness. Then, he’s mistaken for grumpy Bernard from a local nursing home. As long as the real Bernard doesn’t show up, Fred has warm meals in his belly and a roof over his head.
Denise is a middle-aged mom who works at the care facility while struggling with a crumbling marriage and other challenges that have zapped her joy. She vowed never to let a man deceive her again, making her suspicious of Fred since Bernard would never be as kind as he had been.
Why We Picked This Book
Author Anna Johnston was the social support coordinator in her grandfather’s nursing home until an injury left her unable to continue the position. She used what she learned working in the home in this highly-rated debut novel, and she based the characters of Frederick and his late wife on the loving relationship she observed between her dear grandparents.
The first chapter had Angela laughing out loud, and while there were many more laughs throughout the book, it was the heart of this book that made it one of the best books she read this year. It’s perfect for fans of Remarkably Bright Creatures.
Eudora has lived a long, full life, but at the age of 85, she’s decided she’s done with it all. She’s already witnessed the indignities and suffering of old age, and she wants the end – her end – to be on her own terms. She’s called a clinic in Switzerland to set her plan into motion. But then she meets 10-year-old Rose.
Rose is rainbows and sparkles and cheer. And as much as Eudora just wants to be left alone, she can’t help but be drawn into her young neighbor’s world of adventure. Along with her affable and recently widowed neighbor Stanley, they join Rose for afternoon teas, shopping sprees, trips to the beach, and birthday celebrations. As they all await the arrival of Rose’s new baby sister, Eudora is secretly waiting for approval to go ahead with her plan.
As this unlikely trio grows closer, the joy that her new friends bring to her life forces Eudora to reconsider whether she’s really ready to say goodbye.
Our Thoughts on This Book
This book quickly became one of Melissa’s all-time favorites after she read it for our Lifetime of Reading Challenge. The author did a beautiful job relaying what it’s like to be alone in your 80s with no family, but also the uplifting power of found family.
While Rose and Eudora pull at your heartstrings in different ways, the novel also addresses the deeper topic of medically assisted suicide.
Gina has been married for 43 years and is thrilled to be approaching the retirement era with her husband. But then her husband declares his need to find himself and heads to Sedona alone, leaving divorce papers in his wake.
Dorothy is 89, and her family thinks it’s time for her to have help around the house. This is an urgent need as the family has a week-long wedding extravaganza right around the corner. Having someone hired to keep an eye on Dot at the event would relieve a lot of stress for everyone.
When Gina accepts the job as part of her effort to make a new life for herself, she has no idea that Dot has an ulterior motive. She needs Gina to help her solve the mystery of a missing painting that she believes is hidden on the wedding estate. Because who would suspect two older women of being sneaky and mischievous?
Why We Selected This Book
We love that the younger character, Gina, is 71, making the average age of this fantastic duo 80!
Eighty-four-year-old widower Hubert Bird spends days at his English home, never seeing a single soul. However, his real life is much different than the stories he weaves on his phone calls with his daughter, Rose, who lives in Australia. He paints a picture of the ideal retirement life, full of friendship and fun.
But then he receives the big news that Rose is coming to visit. This leads to a seemingly impossible task – he must make his real life resemble his fake life before his daughter learns the truth. On his quest to find new friends, Hubert discovers that he’s not the only senior suffering in the loneliness epidemic.
Additional Details About This Book
Hubert Bird will steal your heart (and maybe break it a little, too) as he braves the world that he’s been hiding from for far too long.
In addition to the topic of loneliness in aging, this book addresses the challenges Hubert faced as a Jamaican who immigrated to England in 1958.
Eighty-five-year-old Veronica is estranged from her family and searching for a cause worthy of inheriting her estate. After seeing a documentary about penguins being studied in Antarctica, she contacts the scientists and tells them she’s coming to visit—and she won’t take no for an answer.
After traveling from Scotland to Antarctica, she convinces the reluctant team to rescue an orphaned baby penguin. Veronica’s curmudgeonly heart can’t help but be warmed as the penguin becomes a part of everyday life at the base.
Veronica’s grandson, Patrick, travels to Antarctica to make one last attempt to get to know his grandmother. Together, Veronica, Patrick, and even the scientists learn what family, love, and connection are all about.
Why We Loved This Book
This book is charming and funny, but it’s also more profound than it first appears, thanks to a series of diary entries from WWII. We highly recommend the audiobook because the narration and accents add to the story!
We loved this book so much that we interviewed author Hazel Prior; she was delightful! You can watch the replay here.
In the 1980s, Augusta was 80 years old and finally retired from her career as a pharmacist. It’s the perfect time to move to the Florida retirement community of Rallentando Springs. It’s there that she unexpectedly encounters the boy who broke her heart 60 years earlier, Irving Rivkin.
In 1920s Brooklyn, Augusta’s father was her role model. He owned the neighborhood pharmacy and was the expert on everything their neighbors needed. After Augusta’s mother died, her great aunt Esther moved in to help the family and brought her own unique healing remedies for the pharmacy’s customers.
As Augusta heads to pharmacy college to follow in her father’s footsteps, she is torn between the very different healing methodologies of her dad and her great-aunt. She’s also forming a new relationship with their delivery boy – Irving. One day, Augusta impulsively uses Esther’s most potent elixir, and that decision has disastrous consequences.
Sixty years later, Augusta is still haunted by the mistake.
Reader Thoughts on This Book
Our readers report enjoying both the 1920s Brooklyn and 1980s Florida timelines, especially because of the many characters who appear in both decades of Augusta’s life.
The book is a blend of historical fiction and mystery, with touches of romance and a subtle incorporation of magical realism.
It wasn’t easy growing up as the teenage daughter of a notorious New Jersey mobster, but Honey managed to escape her father’s circle of influence and created a life for herself working in the world of art and beauty for a high-end auction house in Los Angeles.
Many years later, at the age of 82, Honey returns to her New Jersey hometown seeking to reconcile with her tumultuous past. Not only does she find unexpected love, her homecoming also introduces a cast of characters that further challenge her solitary existence: Jocelyn, a troubled neighbor entangled in an abusive relationship; Nathan, a much younger artist drawn to Honey’s sharp wit and elegance; and her grandnephew Michael, whose personal struggles echo the family’s complex dynamics.
This literary novel depicts love in all its forms, female rage, moral ambiguity, and familial bonds. It paints a portrait of an octogenarian redefining her identity in the twilight of her life.
Betty Stern turned 18 in 1951 and was looking forward to her last summer at her grandparents’ Jewish summer resort before heading off to college. She had big dreams of becoming a fashion editor in NYC.
During that life-changing summer, Betty collapses at the end of the beauty pageant, which ends up being the last time the pageant is held. In 2020, a financially-struggling manicurist decides to bring it back. By this time, Betty is in her late 80s, and no one knows she was the last winner or why the pageant ended.
Our Thoughts on This Book
Melissa enjoyed how the author highlighted the changing societal expectations between the 1950s & 2020s. While this is an easier read, it will still give you plenty to think about.
How do you sum up a life? After selling most of his possessions and making his final arrangements, 84-year-old Maurice spends the night at the Rainford House Hotel in Ireland before moving into a retirement home, where he’ll presumably live out the remainder of his days. Throughout that evening, from a bar stool in the grand hotel, Maurice raises a toast to the five most significant people in his life.
This novel is said to read like a one-man theater production, where Maurice is speaking directly to the audience. As we listen to his toasts, we learn the story of his long life – one shaped by both love and revenge. But we’ll come to discover that he is an unreliable protagonist who’s been hiding his true motive.
An Important Note About This Book
No one makes it to age 80 without experiencing loss and grief, which is certainly true of Maurice. As a result, some readers may find topics in this book emotionally triggering. Be sure to check content warnings if needed.
Rosemary has lived in London for her entire 86 years, and she’s distressed by all the recent changes. The library she worked for closed, the grocery store became a trendy bar, and worst of all, the outdoor pool she’s swum at daily since it opened is being threatened by a developer.
The pool was where she met her husband, it was her respite during WW2, and it’s where she found community after her husband passed away.
Kate, a twenty-something reporter, has been assigned a story about the pool’s closure. As she investigates, it becomes clear that the entire story can focus on Rosemary’s lifetime of swimming and how the pool has changed her life again and again. As Kate and Rosemary visit for the story, their bond develops well beyond a reporter and subject, and their lives are transformed in surprising ways.
Alternate Title for This Novel
This book was previously published under the title The Lido.
At 84 years old, Florence has a lifetime of secrets. However, her dementia makes it hard to recall details. Sometimes, she can’t understand her emotional reactions to unexpected things. However, her lifelong best friend, Elsie, can always fill the gaps for her.
When a new resident arrives at their nursing home, Flo feels very uneasy but isn’t sure why. And her reactions to him have her on thin ice with the nursing home director, who has already been tempted to transfer Florence to a higher level of care facility. So she needs to figure out who this man is, and quickly!
Why You May Love This Book
This is an excellent pick for anyone who loves unreliable narrators.
Every day, 85-year-old Arthur has lunch at his wife’s grave. One day, he meets Maddy, a teenager who hides in the cemetery at lunch to avoid bullies at school. As their relationship slowly grows, they draw each other out of the isolation they had condemned themselves to. Lucille, Arthur’s noisy, elderly neighbor, begins to join their conversation to escape her own loneliness.
Thoughts on This Book
This is a sweet and simple story of creating a family outside the one you were born into. It’s perfect if you’re looking for a charming, heartwarming read that restores faith in strangers.
It’s New Year’s Eve 1984, and 85-year-old Lillian Boxfish decides to walk all ten miles to the party she plans to attend. Along the way, she looks back over her long life in the city. Her walk is both a quintessential New Year’s Eve reminiscence and a love letter to New York City.
In the 1930s, Lillian was a copywriter for Macy’s, working her way up to become one of the highest-paid ad women in the country. Throughout her life, she has witnessed a great deal in her changing city and country – from the Jazz Age to the onset of the AIDS epidemic, and from the Great Depression to the birth of hip-hop.
If you’ve seen the delightful videos of Dick Van Dyke singing and dancing in recent years, then you know that he’s never lost his zest for life!
In this 2015 memoir, published at the very end of his 80s, this Hollywood icon shares his secrets and tips for embracing old age with a positive attitude: “you don’t have to act your age” and “just keep moving!” The chapters are filled with his anecdotes on various aging themes, including dealing with the loss of friends and loved ones, falling in love again, dealing with changes while staying current, and living every day like there’s no tomorrow.
Why You Should Consider The Audiobook
Dick Van Dyke brings his trademark glass-half-full optimism to this memoir. We always enjoy memoirs in audiobook form because they are often read by the author, and this one is no exception!
At the age of 80, Hannah is a twice-widowed mother of three. Living on a rural farm in the fictional town of Port William, Kentucky, Hannah recounts her love for the land and her community. In this short, 190-page novel, Hannah remembers her two husbands, reflects on the ties that bind a community together, and observes the ways that those community connections are threatened by technology.
About the Author
Author Wendell Berry is a renowned poet, author, essayist, and farmer. The New York Times called Berry the “prophet of rural America.” He was just nine years younger than his narrator, Hannah, at the time of the 2005 publication.
This is a collection of short stories about Maude, an 88-year-old Swedish woman who is less “little old lady” and more “little bold lady.”
She has no friends, no family, and no qualms about a little murder. That’s right – she’s an octogenarian serial killer.
Format of This Book
We aren’t typically drawn to short stories, but we’ve seen this collection of humorous mysteries described as binge-watching multiple episodes of your favorite Netflix series.
Now that’s speaking our language, and we’re adding this book to our TBR. And best of all, there’s a sequel in case you can’t get enough of Maude:An Elderly Lady Must Not be Crossed.
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Printable Version of the Challenge Booklists
Readers who support The Book Girls’ Guide through our Buy Me a Coffee (BMAC) membership site as Inner Circle or BFF members can access printable versions of the reading challenge book lists. As we update the Lifetime of Reading Challenges throughout the year according to the challenge schedule, the lists will become available in a single-page printable format for our BMAC members.
We offer two membership levels. Both our BFF members and our Inner Circle members get access to the single-page printables for the year-long reading challenges. Visit our Buy Me a Coffee membership page for a full list of benefits for each level.
Our BMAC members help cover the cost of running the challenges so we can keep them free for everyone!
Book Lists By Character Age
Links to our book recommendations for all twelve of the Lifetime of Reading challenge prompts can be found below:
Throughout the Lifetime of Reading Challenge, we’ve written an intro like this about each decade of life. In each age group, up through the 70s, our research finds that people generally don’t view themselves as old. And they specifically reject terms like senior and elderly. But after the age of 80, that perspective seems to shift. And that’s good news because a new study shows that people with a positive attitude about getting older actually live longer and have better mental health.
When psychologist Katharine Esty turned 80, she decided to interview other 80-somethings, and she published her findings in a book called EightySomethings. Over a period of three years, she spoke to 128 octogenarians about life in their 80s, and she discovered that most felt happy. Even those dealing with pain and disease generally felt at peace and reported experiencing less anger, worry, and stress than they did in past decades. Most of Esty’s interviewees said they had few regrets in life. Those with regrets typically pointed to wishing they’d changed jobs/careers or that they’d opted to leave an unhappy marriage sooner than they did.
We’ve all heard that one of the keys to happiness is to slow down and live in the moment. With the demands of work and family life, however, that often feels hard to do. Esty finds that when you reach your 80s you have likely already experienced major loss, and you understand that the future is short. This reality makes it easier to focus on and enjoy the present.
Additionally, reminiscing has been proven to have very positive benefits for octogenarians and their loved ones alike. Recalling happy memories, and especially sharing those memories with others through engaging conversation, helps seniors improve their outlook on life and find even greater satisfaction in their old age. Of course, in sharing those memories, they are helping to pass on and preserve family and cultural histories. Reminiscence therapy – which helps individuals remember the past through sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell – is often used with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients to reduce agitation and stress while boosting their mood.
Global Perspectives on Aging
Studies have found – not surprisingly – that a culture’s attitude toward older citizens can have a profound effect on the well-being of that population. Orb Media conducted a study that used a five-point scale to rank each country’s attitudes – 1 being very low respect and 5 being very high respect. Orb found that the global average is 3.75, with individual countries ranging from 2.75 to 4.8. Hungary and Uzbekistan tied for the top spot with a respectable score of 4.8, and Pakistan was also very near the top. The United States, on the other hand, was in the bottom 10 countries, tied with Venezuela as having the eighth worst attitude toward its aging population.
The Book Girls are best friends who jointly read over 200 books per year. We started Book Girls' Guide in 2019 to help others de-stress and find joy through the power of a great book. We do in-depth research on thousands of novels and non-fiction titles each year to provide curated book lists covering a variety of genres.
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2 Comments
I’m already planning for Eudora Honeysett, but so many of these sound like great reads! My TBR list just got much longer.
Well into my 80s, I am an avid reader and usually have read at least two or three books in your lists. This month, to my surprise I have read none, but will check out a couple of them.
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I’m already planning for Eudora Honeysett, but so many of these sound like great reads! My TBR list just got much longer.
Well into my 80s, I am an avid reader and usually have read at least two or three books in your lists. This month, to my surprise I have read none, but will check out a couple of them.