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Almost 4 in 10 people (39%) said feelings of loneliness have led them to experience low mood (or sadness) I think that this song can be interpreted many ways, but I'll just comment on, what I consider to be, the two most obvious interpretations. The first is based on the more superficial and tangible. The song begins and ends talking about lonely people, and asks the question, “where do they all belong”? The answer is obvious, with each other. If they were with each other they wouldn't be lonely. We all live in our own worlds. That's why Eleanor has a (public) face that she keeps in a jar by the door. We don't let others know the Real us. Why won't anyone hear the priest's sermon? It doesn't say nobody will be there, it says, “a sermon no one will hear”. The congregation will be there, they just won't hear, or understand the sermon. We tend to talk “at” each other, especially when given titles denoting authority or alleging expertise. We all live in our own world, by ourselves and that is why we are lonely. For Hubert, it was the death of his daughter that led him to a life of loneliness. Who in your life inspires you to live life to the fullest?
We also see him fall in love and marry Joyce (a white woman) and how they are treated as an interracial family. The ups and downs of their marriage and parenthood. As well as being deeply distressing for individuals, loneliness has wider implications for our communities and society. Evidence shows that loneliness leads to greater pressure on public services through, for instance, increased GP visits, longer hospital stays, increased likelihood of entering residential care and the costs of associated conditions such as depression and diabetes. Mehnaz's story: how my MS diagnosis affects my feelings of loneliness Yet loneliness is not especially a phenomenon of the elderly. The polling found no clear link between age and loneliness in America or Britain—and in Japan younger people were in fact lonelier. Young adults, and the very old (over-85s, say) tend to have the highest shares of lonely people of any adult age-group. Other research suggests that, among the elderly, loneliness tends to have a specific cause, such as widowhood. In the young it is generally down to a gap in expectations between relationships they have and those they want. All the Lonely People is the story of Jamaican immigrant Hubert Bird. With alternating chapters that show Hubert in the present time and past, readers get an encompassing look at Hubert's life. I thought the alternating chapters was a perfect structural choice as it pulled readers in with questions in the now, why is Hubert alone and answers revealed in the past chapters. This story is brimming and tipping over with wonderful characters. All are likable and each one adds a different dynamic to the mix. What a diverse group indeed. Hubert is my fave, of course! I just want to hug this man for all his wonderfulness! He's officially at the top of my list for "Best Character in 2021 Reads"!
Oh my goodness! If you haven't read this wonderfully charming book, add it to your list. Not only was this a solid 5 stars, it will definitely be one of my most favorite reads this year. Another book I wish I could read again for the very first time. I loved it so, so much! Lonely People" was Peek's standout contribution to Holiday, a simple tune that carried a universal message. The song came out of true experience, Dan says: "I wrote it probably within a month of getting married to my long-lost love, Catherine. I had always felt like the melancholy, lonely person. And now I felt like I'd won. It had become this quest, to get this woman and make things right. There was a joy, but also a sadness for everybody that didn't have somebody, 'cause I knew what that was like. The line that inspired it was from 'Eleanor Rigby': 'all the lonely people, where do they all come from ... where do they all belong?' That line haunted me and cut me to the core. After a couple of years of it being out, we'd do shows where, when we played that song, there would be a standing ovation in the middle of it. This was for all the lonely people, and I was one of them." So at the time it was written it was about the chalice used during the wedding ceremony. Along the way Hubert stumbles across a second chance at love, renews a cherished friendship and finds himself roped into an audacious community scheme that seeks to end loneliness once and for all . . .
This means, first, screening its 150,000 patients for loneliness. Those at risk are asked if they want to enroll in a “Togetherness Programme”. This involves phone calls from staff called “connectors” who help with transport to events and ideas for socialising. Patients are coaxed to visit clinics, even when not urgently ill, to play games, attend a “seniors’ gym” and just chat. I've had an inspiration about the meaning of this song and joined specifically so I could share my inspiration. I have not read all the comments because there are a lot but I read most of them and none of you got this. A few hinted at it but none of you got this. Mark Rowland, Chief Executive of the Foundation said: “We know some people are at a higher risk of loneliness than others. That’s why we need a fairly funded public mental health approach, that recognises these differences and targets action accordingly. The mental health impacts of loneliness must be taken seriously and tangible policy changes and investment decisions made to reduce loneliness and to improve people’s connections with one another.” This is for all the single people, thinking that love has left them dry.” Yeah. What could be more heart-wrenching than being ignored by one person who could hardly care about how I chaliced her? Nothing follows. The guitars, keyboard, and the dismal vocals just had to fade. Please. Anyone can be lonely, but certain factors increase the risk of severe or long-lasting loneliness which can affect our mental healthBuried along with her name" seems to indicate that she was the last of her family, having no relatives, siblings or children of her own to continue the family bloodline, maybe she was the last remaining "Rigby" from her family circle and nobody left to carry the surname on. At least that’s what he tells his daughter Rose when she calls each week from Australia. The truth is, other than trips to the store and the vet for his cat, he barely sees or speaks to anyone. Dotty, Dennis, and Harvey don't even exist. Hubert is tremendously lonely, but he can’t let Rose know or she’ll worry. When I saw the comparison to A Man Called Ove I knew immediately I was going to love this book. And although my shelves are bursting with books that continue to wait for me to read them, I decided All The Lonely People was going to be next. I mean, the cover alone is just so lovely. Hubert's cat Puss looks just like my Archie! :) Hubert Bird. I adore you. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a feel-good read. All The Lonely People would also make an excellent choice for book clubs. These discussion topics are reproduced from the All the Lonely People book club kit with permission of the publisher. The book club kit includes much more information including an interview with the author, an essay by the author on understanding history, reading lists, recipe and more.
I skim-read some of this book and found it a bit tedious and not particularly good writing, not descriptive and a little shallow. Millions of people’s mental health are harmed by loneliness, yet more than one third (35%) of those surveyed say they would never admit to being lonely and one quarter (25%) say they feel ashamed about being lonely.
We find that:
The story in itself is fine mostly, but it annoyed me immensely that the main character, our beloved Hubert, kept saying 'me' instead of 'I'. Sorry, but me just found this to be an insult to his intelligence!! (See what I did there?!) Just because he's from Jamaica we have to keep driving the point home in the way he speaks! I know a couple of West Indian's and haven't heard them once say 'me' rather than I. His good friend Gus, also from Jamaica, mostly managed to say 'I' rather than 'me'.... most of the time! I just felt this was unnecessary and was also rather inconsistent. This is a successful dual timeline in my opinion, I was invested equally in both and didn't mind the chapters hopping between the two.
Told in alternating timelines, we learn the story of Hubert Bird who travels to Englad from his hometown Jamaica in 1958. He dreams of making a better life for himself. And despite his initial difficulties, he does just that. Fast forward, Hubert meets the love of his life, a woman named Joyce. They have two beautiful children, David and Rose. Years later, when Joyce passes away, Hubert is heartbroken. These days he longs for his weekly phone calls with his daughter Rose, who lives in Australia. It's just him and his cat, Puss. The truth is, he's really lonely.For its part, England’s National Health Service is increasingly using “social prescribing”, sending patients to social activities rather than giving them drugs. More than 100 such programmes are running in Britain. Yet last year a review of 15 papers concluded that evidence to date was too weak to support any conclusions about the programmes’ effectiveness. This reflects poorly on the state of thinking about loneliness. There are plenty of reasons to take its effects on health seriously. But the quality of evidence about which remedies work is woeful. Sadly, therefore, loneliness is set to remain a subject that causes a huge amount of angst without much relief. But when Rose announces she’ll be visiting from Australia in a few months’ time and can’t wait to meet and spend time with Hubert’s friends, he doesn’t know what he’ll do. Does he tell her the truth or does he spend the next few months trying to build the life he said he had? I love the author's writing style and the plot is very interesting. I had to read this book 'til the end. I just had to see what happens. And that plot twist - aahhh. It blew my mind!
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