Books With Characters in Their 80s

by Annie Lyons
Eudora, 85 years old

Eudora has lived a long, full life, but at the age of 85 she’s decided that 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 placed a call to 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 reflects back on her own childhood and the devastating impacts of WWII on her entire family.

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.

The Book Girls Say… This highly-rated novel is often compared to the emotional power of Me Before You meets the charm of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. That’s pretty much our book equivalent of “you had me at hello,” and we’re both looking forward to reading this novel!

by Anne Griffin
Maurice, 84 years old

How do you sum up a life? After selling most of his possessions and making his final arrangements, 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, 84-year-old 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.

The Book Girls Say… 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.

This book is included with Kindle Unlimited as of 9/14/22.

by Libby Page
Rosemary, 86 years old

Rosemary has lived in London her entire 86 years, and she’s distressed by all the changes that have recently happened. 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 twentysomething 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 they both have their lives transformed in surprising ways.

The Book Girls Say…This book was previously published under the title The Lido.

by Mike Gayle
Hubert, 84 years 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, 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 the daughter 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.

The Book Girls Say… 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.

by Betty White
Betty, 89 years old at the time of publication

Regarded as a pioneer in television, seven-time Emmy winner Betty White enjoyed a Hollywood career lasting more than seven decades. She wrote numerous memoirs over the years, including If You Ask Me, which was published in 2011 when she was 89 years old. In this book, she shares stories of her life and career with an emphasis on life in her late seventies and throughout her eighties.

She tackles topics including friendship, romantic love, and aging, among many others - all in her signature upbeat style. She shares funny stories from her life in Hollywood, takes on rumors, chats about her beauty regimen ("I have no idea what color my hair is and I never intend to find out"), and reveals how a Facebook campaign finally persuaded her to host Saturday Night Live at the age of 88, despite her having declined the hosting job many times before.

The Book Girls Say… There's no way you can pass up listening to the delightful and hilarious Betty narrating her own memoir (the audiobook even won a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album). The audiobook is a short 2 hours and 16 minutes, but the printed book also includes lots of photos, so you might want to pick up a copy to flip through the pages after you finish listening.

by Elizabeth Berg
Arthur, 85 years old

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.

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.

by Judith Viorst
Judith, early 80s at the time of publication

This collection of poems written by octogenarian author Judith Viorst details the highs of lows of what it’s like to be in your 80s today. From love and friendship to being a grandmother, her poems and observations about this decade of life are both funny and inspirational.

The Book Girls Say… This is a quick read at only 80 pages, but there’s wisdom packed into those pages. Some readers may recognize the author from her most famous work, the classic children’s book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. She also has poetry books about every other decade of her life, from her 20s through her 90s.

by Hendrik Groen (aka Peter de Smet)
Hendrik, 83 years old

Hendrik supposes that technically, he is elderly, and concedes that his legs don’t cooperate with long daily strolls anymore. But he’s also certain that there’s more to explore in life, even if you are 83 1/4 years old.

So Hendrik starts a new group at his care home in Amsterdam - the Old-But-Not-Dead Club. And he begins documenting a year in his life in a new diary. When Eefje, the woman Hendrik has always had a big crush on, moves into the home, he’s even more motivated to make the most of his remaining years.

The Book Girls Say… This book is a work of fiction and humor. Though published under the name Hendrik Groen, that is a pseudonym for the real author. The author’s identity was unknown for many years before finally being revealed as Peter de Smet.

There are two additional titles in the series, On the Bright Side: The New Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 85 Years Old and Two Old Men and a Baby: Or, How Hendrik and Evert Get Themselves into a Jam.

by Michael Zadoorian
John and Ella, 80-somethings

John and Ella Robina have been happily married for more than sixty years. Now, in their twilight years, John has Alzheimer’s, and Ella has cancer. Tired of their lives being dictated by their adult children and doctors, the couple craves one last adventure. So they kidnap themselves from their suburban Detroit and set out on a forbidden vacation to rediscover life.

With Ella by his side, John pilots their ‘78 Leisure Seeker RV along Route 66 toward Disneyland. They are determined to reclaim their past (one they sometimes have a hard time remembering) and prove that in life, you can go back for seconds.

The Book Girls Say… This humorous book was turned into a 2018 movie starring Donald Sutherland and Helen Mirren. It’s available for streaming via Amazon Prime Video.

by Emma Healey
Maud, 82 years old

Eighty-two-year-old Maud is extremely concerned about her best friend, Elizabeth. Maud believes that Elizabeth is missing and in great danger, but no one will listen. That’s because Maud is slowly losing her memory as she descends into dementia. Since no one will take her concerns seriously, Maud becomes obsessed with finding clues and solving the mystery on her own.

Relying on a pocket full of handwritten sticky notes, clues lead her further and further into the past, ultimately leading her to another unsolved disappearance - her sister, Sukey, who vanished shortly after World War II. As she rediscovers vivid memories of that long-ago tragedy, she feels closer to discovering the truth about Elizabeth.

The Book Girls Say… This book is described as a darkly riveting psychological thriller with an element of historical fiction. It’s also an exploration of the fragility of memory and identity. Through Maud’s eyes, we experience the anxiety, fear, and frustration she feels when family members and caretakers dismiss her concerns and beliefs, as well as the frustration of trying to grasp reality as it slips through your fingers.

by Helen Tursten
Maude, 88 years old

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.

The Book Girls Say… 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 (or season 2, if you will) in case you can’t get enough of Maude: An Elderly Lady Must Not be Crossed.

by Joanna Cannon
Florence, 84 Years Old

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!

The Book Girls Say…This is an excellent pick for anyone who loves unreliable narrators.

by Leslie Larson
Cora, 82 years old

Cora Sledge is 82 years old and has been sent to The Palisades, an assisted living facility, against her wishes. She'd rather stay in her home and live on junk food, pills, and cigarettes. Her first instinct at The Palisades is to take to her bed and die as soon as possible.

But instead, she decides to get back at her family by writing a tell-all journal revealing all her secrets from the past 80 years. The entries vary from profane to profound, and the telling of her life story is intertwined with both hilarious and mysterious present-day events from life at The Palisades.

The Book Girls Say… You'll enjoy reading Cora's journal entries if you love irreverent and outrageous main characters.

by Kathleen Rooney
Lillian, 85 years old

On New Year’s Eve 1984, 85-year-old Lilian 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 a quintessential reminiscence of a long and full life and a love letter to New York City.

In the 1930s, Lillian was a copywriter for Macy’s who worked her way up to being one of the highest-paid ad women in the country. Throughout her life, she’s seen a lot 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.

by Amy Sue Nathan
Betty, late 80s

Back in 1951, Betty Stern was 18 and looking forward to her last summer at her grandparent's 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.

The dual timeline book alternates between Betty's life during the summer of ‘51 and a present-day gathering of her best friends from that summer. It's a great look at societal expectations between the two time periods and how your own views can evolve over time.

This book is included free with a Kindle Unlimited membership as of 9/16/22.

by Hazel Prior
Veronica, 85 years old

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.

The Book Girls Say... 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 that provide insights into Veronica’s earlier life. We highly recommend the audiobook because the narration and accents add to the story!

This book was originally published in the UK under the title Away with Penguins. The sequel - Call of the Penguins - has not yet been released in the US, but the UK edition is available for a good price on Amazon.

by Dick Van Dyke
Dick, 89 years old at the time of publication

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.

The Book Girls Say… Dick Van Dyke brings his trademark glass-half-full optimism to this memoir. We always enjoy memoirs in audiobook form, and this one is no exception!

The audiobook version is currently included free with an Audible membership as of 9/14/2022.

by Wendell Berry
Hannah, 80 years old

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.

The Book Girls Say… 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.