Will I love The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen?

The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83¼ Years Old, translated by Hester Velmans, is a delightful exploration of aging, filled with humor and wit.

As someone living in a multigenerational home and providing care to aging parents, I found Groen's honest depiction of life in his eighties deeply relatable and touching. The book offers a unique perspective on the joys and challenges of growing older, which resonated with me as I navigate the daily realities of caregiving.

Groen's diary entries, filled with his observations and experiences, serve as a heartwarming reminder that age is just a number. Highly recommended for… show more.

I simply couldn’t resist the combination of the title of this book – a nod to Sue Townsend’s The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, aged 13 ¾, which I enjoyed many years ago – and its ironic setting of an Amsterdam aged care home. The novel is supposedly an exposé by an anonymous care home resident, although the author was subsequently revealed as Dutch writer, Peter de Smet. Told in the form of a diary, the book portrays the frustrations, indignities, and occasional small victories of Hendrik and his buddies in the Old-But-Not-Dead-Yet club as they fight to… show more.