Becoming Ted - by Matt Cain (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

A Man Called Ove meets "Ru Paul's Drag Race," it's a vibrant, joyful, universally relatable story about kindness, self-acceptance, and blooming at any age from the acclaimed author of the LibraryReads and Indie Next Pick, The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle.

If Ted Ainsworth were to compare himself to one of the ice cream flavors made by his family's company, famous throughout his sleepy Lancashire hometown, it might be vanilla--sweet, inoffensive, and pleasantly predictable. At forty-three, Ted is convinced there's nothing remotely remarkable about him, except perhaps his luck in having landed handsome, charismatic Giles as a husband.

Then Giles suddenly leaves him for another man, filling his social media feed with posts about #newlove and adventure. And Ted, who has spent nearly twenty years living with, and often for, another person, must reimagine the future he has happily taken for granted.

But perhaps there is another Ted slowly blossoming now that he's no longer in Giles's shadow--funny, sassy, more uninhibited. Someone willing to take chances on new friendships, and even new love. Someone who's been waiting in the wings too long, but who's about to dust off a long-ago secret dream and overturn everyone's expectations of him--especially his own. . .

Review Quotes

Praise for The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle:

"Albert is one of the most endearing characters I've met in a long time, a man struggling to reclaim his authentic self. His tender, heartbreaking, agonizing, but ultimately joyous journey is proof that it's never too late to find a happy ending." --Susan Wiggs, # 1 New York Times bestselling author

"The Secret Life of Albert Entwistle is a heartfelt coming-of-age story--first love and first loss, new friends and new identities, the realization that your parents aren't who you think they are--except that the age Albert is coming-of is retirement. The most remarkable thing about the many wonderful love stories in this novel is how unremarkable they are after all." --Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author

"Wonderful. Written with such a good heart, filled with joy and strength and optimism. Like the best fiction, it's real; Albert's fears, the sour legacy of his parents, his colleagues' kindness, George flourishing from boy to man...It's inventive and fun but most importantly, true." --Russell T Davies

"This rollicking romance entrapped me! True in its detail and its scope, it is amusing yet heart-breaking. It will encourage tentative young gay people and reassure their parents. Its passionate declaration? That it's never too late to enjoy being yourself." --Ian McKellen

"A wonderful old-fashioned romance, with a serious side, a tender autumn love story that will have every reader cheering on Albert from the sidelines. An utter treat." --Kate Mosse

"Tender, witty and uplifting. I loved it." --Kate Eberlen

"A beautiful book... You will weep and yet have your heart filled with joy." --Arlene Phillips

"I raced through this heart-warming story of a closeted gay postman searching for a lost love that also examines the everyday bigotry that's blighted generations of the LGBTQ+ community." --The Guyliner

"What a beautiful, wonderful, life-affirming treat of a book. I challenge you not to fall in love with Albert from the very start!" --Charlie Condou

"I had to read it in one sitting. I loved it! Really heart-warming and joyful, but also so poignant. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It's such a beautifully authentically told story with vivid characters and you will miss them when you reach the end." --Lorraine Kelly

"Albert is such an endearing character--flawed, funny and awkward, but completely relatable. I wanted to give him a good shake and then a huge hug. This is a wonderfully warm story that completely drew me in." --Ruth Hogan

"Prepare to fall in love with Albert Entwistle! Another wonderfully heart-wrenching story from Matt. Touching and tender." --S. J. Watson

"I thoroughly enjoyed it. Albert is delightful and charming, and the book is too." --Jonathan Harvey

"A bright, clear sharply intelligent writer." --Jenny Colgan

About the Author

Matt Cain is an author, a leading commentator on LGBT+ issues, and a former journalist. He was Channel 4's first Culture Editor, Editor-In-Chief of Attitude magazine, and has judged the Costa Prize, the Polari Prize and the South Bank Sky Arts Awards. He won Diversity in Media's Journalist Of the Year award in 2017 and is an ambassador for Manchester Pride and the Albert Kennedy Trust, plus a patron of LGBT+ History Month. Born in Bury and brought up in Bolton, he now lives in London and can be found online at MattCainWriter.com.