I'm afraid I wasn't too taken with Mr Doubler and his taciturn and ingrained ways nor did I find the endless descriptive opening chapters necessary. I thought it was quite slow in getting going.

Absolutely loved it. Mr Doubler is my new hero. You could almost see him begin to shine as the book progressed and he ventured further out into the world. Thoroughly heart warming.

This is a nice story but oh so slow in places.
The characters are nice and it makes a nice read.
I guess you get the picture.
Nice.

Humorous and cute this book serves to be uplifting and refreshing in equal measure. great holiday read. Really will have to see if there are any more by this author to buy and read.

Mr Doubler has a valuable piece of land at the top of a hill where he grows, and researches potatoes. His arch enemy Mr Peele is desparate to buy the land for development, and has joined forces with Mr Doubler's son, Julian to try to force his hand. However, they didn't realize that Mr Doubler has an ally in the form of his cleaning woman Mrs Smallwood. Her daughter is a solicitor, who does some searching and discovers there is a covenant on the land, so it cannot be used for development.
Mrs Smallwood is in hospital recovering from chemotherapy for cancer, but telephones mR Doubler each day to try to reassure him, and to keep his spirits up. All throughout the book you think Doubler's first wife is dead, but it transpires that she went off with another man for an easier life.
Doubler's greatest wish is to see the publication of his research into a disease resistant potato by the Indian Development Potato Board, and in the process he realises he is in love with Mrs SMallwood, and asks her to marry him when she is better.
The characters in this book are vivid, and the plot bubbles along nicely. the end leaves you with the great hope that Doubler will be happy again.
Thanks to Net Galley and the Publisher for allowng me to review this book.

Mr Doubler is a potatoe farmer and knows everything about them! Since he lost his wife he brought up his children alone. But they have left home and have their families. Doubler is happy with his own company and the daily visits from his housekeeper. But when she is taken ill everything starts to change. This is a beuatiful book, it is gentle and you cannot help but fall in love with Doubler and each of the characters who cross his path (well there are some exceptions!!!!). Would really recommend.....

This was a really pleasant and uplifting read. Who wold have thought you could make the life of a potato farmer in a self-confessed slough of despondency come to life in the way Glaister has. Mr doubler wants to leave a legacy to potato farming, his whole life has revolved around producing the perfect spud despite climactic changes. His wife left him and his children despise him for it. There is humour and pathos in equal measure alongside lots to make you think about how we interact with others. The characterisation is the thing that takes this book to another level, Doubler's housekeeper is so well portrayed. I could feel myself in the village and in the conversations of all the characters

Sometimes in life you need something heartwarming, charming and uplifting to remind you that kindness exists in this world, and Seni Glaister delivers right on cue with her latest novel, Mr Doubler Begins Again.

Mr Doubler, cynical of the world, lives on a potato farm, on top of a hill, away from his family, away from the village, just within distance of a rival potato grower, and is working on a theory to grow the perfect potato. He can tell you the best way to mash, boil, roast but he can't tell you much about the connection he has with his grown up children or face up to the wife who left his decades ago. He only has his housekeeper, Mrs Millwood, who visits daily.

But then she goes into hospital, and his life goes from being potatoes from dawn to dust to much much more. A grumpy old man starts to learn that there's life outside the boundaries of his farm, and he finds himself becoming involved with rescuing a donkey, making potato based gin, having friends over for afternoon tea. The power of having a community gives Mr Doubler a second chance at life which reminded me Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine and A Man Called Ove.

Slowly, Mr Doubler, starts to realise that being an island but that friendship and companionship are needed in his life. Mr Doubler Begins Again celebrates the passion of food, kindness, friendship and second chances.

If you're looking for a funny, book full of hope and leaves you feeling a bit more positive about humanity then this is the book for you. You can buy Mr Doubler Begins Again from your favourite bookshop.


I was sent a copy of the ebook version from Negalley.

A book that initially appeared to be based on a rather uninteresting lead character which normally results in an early shelfing. However, such was the quality of the writing and character development one kept reading to find out what would happen as the storyline spread into family relationships.
The narrative was well written and gave very clear pictures of the main characters.
An enjoyable read in the end with a satisfactory conclusion.

Mr Doubler is Begins Again is about an older man, very set in his ways, and who hasn't left his potato farm for many years. He spends his days working on the farm, and every lunch is spent talking to his cleaner.



But, life changes when his cleaner is too ill to work, and he finds himself becoming more interested in things outside of his farm for the first time in a long time.



I read a comment about enjoying this is if you enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, and I agree, it is the same kind of journey that our protagonist goes on, with the kindness of others to help them to get more out of life.



It was a very charming book, and one that made me think of the film The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, (which I've just discovered is a book, so another for the to be read pile!).



Mr Doubler Begins Again was published on 24th January this year, and is available on Amazon, and everywhere else you can find books!



I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to HQ (the publishers) for this book.



Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Such a charming, beautiful story- at times sad, melancholy but weaved amongst touching, heartwarming moments of companionship and friendships Nac community. A brilliant tale of Mr Doubler and his potato farm, a bid from a rival farm owner to take over, and friendship. Fantastically done- I didn’t want it to end.

What a treat this book is! From the beginning you can’t help but fall in love with potato farmer Mr Doubler who, apart from his daily visits from Mrs Millwood and the occasional visits from his children, leads a very lonely life. But when Mrs Millwood becomes ill and has to stay in hospital it forces Mr Doubler to have to venture out and finally he finds new friends and realises there is a life outside of Mirth Farm. If you enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant you will love Mr Doubler. Thank you Seni for a delightful, loveable character! Thank you NetGalley and Harper Collins for letting me review this book.

Mr Doubler is a, well, mature gentleman who lives alone. He is also the second biggest potato grower in the country. Now, to some people that could mean he's grown the second biggest potato or that he must be planning to overtake the person who grows more potatoes than him but neither is true. He isn't in the potato growing business for the money - he has enough to get by - or just to be the biggest: he wants to change the face of potato cultivation for everyone. He isn't lonely either, although his wife is long gone and his children only ever seem to visit in order to tell him he should sell his farm and stop potato farming, because he has a housekeeper, Mrs Millwood, who calls in each day. When Mrs Millwood falls ill, however, Doubler finds that although he can cope with the practical things she did for him (shopping, cleaning and the like) it is their conversations he really misses. So, from being a virtual recluse who never leaves his home, Mirth Farm, Doubler gradually learns to interact with the world again.

This was a lovely book - gentle but with some fairly big messages about loneliness, kindness and family. Doubler was a great character - a bit of a curmudgeon but willing to change - and just the sort I'd like to meet in real life, I think. I'm going to enjoy recommending this to people who've enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant, Hendrik Groen or Harold Fry and adding it to my list of books that made me cry a bit. But in a good way.

I enjoyed the way Mr Doubler discovered himself, both good and bas, but I did find myself wishing things would move on a bit at times. However, It was enjoyable—most of the time

A quite different take on a love story. An enchanting relationship between Doubler and Mrs M but it also covers a very philosophical look at family life and relationships. An enjoyable read with a rich cast of characters.

A bit of a weird book this was I thought - one minute I am really enjoying it, because of the subtle messages it was giving, then the next I am thinking what a pile of rubbish this is!

A warm, uplifting tale with an unlikely hero and a colourful cast of characters, in a similar vein to 'A Man Called Ove'. I enjoyed Mr Doubler's gentle awakening to the joys of life and friendship and will never look at a potato in the same way again!

An unusual storyline. I liked most of the characters despite being exasperated by some of them some of the time. Certain parts I loved, in particular the telephone conversations, but at other times it felt a bit slow.
Maybe I'm too impatient and feel the need to whizz through a book.
I thought I knew how the story would end - I didn't.

It took me a little while to get into this title, but when I did I was hooked. I fell in love with the characters and so enjoyed seeing them develop and find each other and the joy that can be found with human connection. The relationship between Mr Doubler and Mrs Millwood was so lovely and made me cry and I even got some great tips about gin tasting! This is a beautiful book and so worth your time.

This book was a delight to read. I was initially a little unsure, but by the end of the second chapter I was hooked. Mr Doubler initially appears to be a standoffish loner, but as I got to know him I felt like he was an old friend who I was quite fond of. My only complaint was that the book ended before I was ready for it to - i wish it could have continued for another couple of chapters. I do hope that there's a sequel. A really charming book, one of my favourites this year.