Mr Doubler is a very nice man, a very caring and charming man, and the most charming thing is that he doesn’t know it. From being friendless, he becomes the centre of so many lives, helping them and being helped in return.
A very satisfying book.

This book is an absolute masterpiece! Poignant and elegantly written with extraordinary attention to all that which makes us human - with a particular focus on ageing independently. Sensitive, moving, tremendous and a book to savour. It will give you cause to examine your relationships with all those you hold dear and also those you hold at arms length.

I was looking forward to reading this book after seeing it on Goodreads. It is the story of a potato farmer who lives alone on his farm after the departure of his wife leaving him to bring up his two children.
The only person in his life is his daily cleaning lady with whom he shares lunch everyday. When she is taken ill she ensures that he doesn't continue his solitary existence by getting her daughter to introduce him to her fellow charity workers.
I really wanted to enjoy this but found it rather turgid and the writing didn't flow like it should. I almost gave up reading several times but I hate giving up on a book so stuck to it.
I can only give three stars unfortunately.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read.

I loved being part of Mr Doubler's life. He seemed such a sad, boring character at the start with his know it all attitude and focus on potatoes. But when disaster strikes and his only contact with the outside world, Mrs Millwood has to go onto hospital, his entire world changes. we see a different Doubler. One who is helpful, kind, a problem solver. As his secret is gradually revealed the humour shines through. Although he's been living in a chasm for years, he's been imagining himself saying things but keeping them back. It's great when he actually manages to say these things. And to leave the farm for the first time in 20 years to help Mrs Millwood. Their phone calls from her hospital bed become a lifeline to Doubler, and entertaining to the reader, and we really see his development. A lovely group of characters; Doubler, the enabler, the inventor, the entrepreneur. Mrs Millwood, the kind centre of his world; Midge, her competent daughter; Colonel Maxwell, the brusque leader of the volunteers at Grove Farm, and Olive and Maddie, Doubler's projects who provide a lot of the humour and also the pathos. We see people getting older, what they are thinking and how what they want may not be what their grown up children think they do. This was an eye opener and really gave pause for thought. #netgalley #mrdoublerbeginsagain

This book is a delight! Billed as "uplifting, funny and feel-good" -I concur absolutely.

It is a heartwarming story - perhaps a little slow to begin with - filled with fabulous characters, not least Mr Doubler himself. The book makes one think about life, family - and one's own legacy - not in terms of what wealth we leave behind, but what we achieve in real terms.

It's not often that I am so taken with a book that I write down a quote, but this is one such case. I was struck by this phrase "Goodness left inside you, unshared, is worthless". Doing something good for others is an admirable cause, and reminds me of my old Girl Guide habit of doing a good deed every day - not in a "goody twoshoes" way, but just knowing that one's made someone else's life a bit better by going the extra mile is a good feeling :)

My heartfelt thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC in return for my honest review.

What a quirky charming novel! Mr Doubler starts as someone cold and Grey, living alone with his potatoes. His friend Mrs Millwood has to go into Hospital, so he is forced to branch out beyond the farm and makes new friends. Along the way he comes to life in full colour. Rich with characters and stories, the tragedies, the gin making, and the sinister plot to make him sell his farm, this book has it all. The only Thing is, there could easily be another chapter, the author leaves us wanting more. Will there be a Sequel, will we ever find out what was in the envelope?

A lovely,feelgood novel about a reclusive farmer whose passion is growing potatoes.His housekeeper Mrs Millwood is his main source of company,although he has grown up children who show little interest in him.When Mrs Millwood becomes ill, he is forced to change his ways and gradually begins to take an interest in life beyond his farm.
It's a charming story of people no longer young but not over the hill either- guaranteed to make you smile by the end.

A quirky and entertaing book - well worth reading. .

Mr Double lives on his own, on his potato farm. He leads a solitary life, but all that changes on day.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary and honest review.

What an absolutely delightful read. Our main character, appears to be totally insular. Circumstances change that.
In the pages of this delightful story we encounter humility, humanity, compassion, humour, love, friendship loneliness and much more. I particularly smiled at the humorous reference to paying a Kings ransome to park in the hospital car park. Oh how true that one is!
This character eventually finds true friendship and support from those around him - which he’d never had with his family. Although fiction, the story was truly uplifting. All of these human emotions can be found and nurtured within our relationships.
Finally, he acknowledges the true love which has been right under his nose all along.
An absolute joy of a book. A must read.

Have been asked to post a review, but I haven’t read it yet! Will post another one when I’ve read it shortly.

Really charming story and very easy to read. I really enjoyed it! It was a lovely read and made a nice change from all the murder books that I have been reading.

Promising start, I looked forward to finding out more about him and how the story would develop. I’ve not read this author before and found my interest started to wane. Some clever writing in parts, but not enough to really ‘grip’ me.

A delightful story that draws you in as gently as the story unfolds. Mr Doubler is a recluse by choice, but circumstances and a good friend ensure that he slowly expands the limits of his world. We start to learn more about Doublers past and his family as he learns the value of friendship.

I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful, uplifting story, with characters you can fully believe in and root for, and the ending just leaves you wanting more.

A charming story about a widowed potato-farmer who likes order and routine. He is almost a recluse but enjoys the companionship of his housekeeper. When she has to go into hospital, he realises how much he depended on her and how lonely he is on his own. This forces him to make changes in his life and embrace society again.

The story is sad yet uplifting and my only criticism is that it is a little slow to get started, but well worth sticking at it as it is a delight to read as it progresses.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

I nearly stopped reading when I first started this book, I mean what interest do I having in an ageing potato farmer?!
Carry on reading and you'll be glad you did. Such a heartwarming story of family, love and friendship, and how Mr Doubler finally allows himselfbto rediscover himself.

I was very excited to read this book as soon as I saw the reference to the historical figures in the opening pages – I am a genealogy nut and expected to read a family history. As it happens, that wasn’t what the book was about at all but I loved it nevertheless.

Mr Doubler is a lovely man and there were so many other characters who I immediately warmed to as well. The book has some very funny moments as well as some sadness and I was gripped throughout.

I did think the book was maybe a little on the long side and this is why I didn’t give it four stars. I will definitely look out for more books by this author.

This is the first book by Seni Glaister that I have read. Why did I choose this book? Well, I was lured by the vague synopsis which piqued my curiosity and I am also a sucker for an attractive front cover, so it ticked some of the boxes for me!

Mr Doubler, a potato farmer, lives alone at Mirth Farm, on top of a hill. He doesn’t need anyone else for company as he is content with just his potato plants and Mrs Millwood, his housekeeper. However, she is taken ill and Mr Doubler starts to feel lonely and his life is no longer as complete as he thought. Before he lost his wife, her friends were always around. Can the kindness of the village strangers bring a lonely man out of his melancholy?

Although ageing, illness, death and the difficulties arising from family relationships are pivotal throughout this book, it is also a story very much about hope.

For me, this is a charming and endearing book and I love the way that Seni Glaister has written about rural life. There are some wonderful descriptions that make me want to make a trip to Mr Doubler's farm and she has created a fantastic set of characters. Whilst they are not all likeable, there are some lovely interactions between some of them as Mr Doubler's life alters course.

I like that Seni Glaister has included plenty of humour in her writing and the story is, for me, very poignant and thought-provoking.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Mr Doubler Begins Again and I would definitely recommend that you add it your reading list.

[Thank you to NetGalley, HQ and the author, Seni Glaister, for a free ARC of this book in exchange for a voluntary, honest review.]

I adore this story. I also love the fact that I am now, courtesy of Mr Doubler somewhat of a potatoe aficionado and thanks to Mrs Millwood also able to debate the pomology of breeding a Granny Smith. I have to admit the latter isn’t completely new to me after reading an excellent novel with the core themes of apple and tree breeding. Anyway, I digress.

At the heart of this tale is a man called Mr Doubler. He lives on an isolated farm, which is surrounded by land owned by rich businessman, who is determined to have the land Doubler lives on too. Mr Doubler has withdrawn since the death of his wife a few decades ago, almost to the point of agoraphobia. The only contact he has to the outside world are the occasional visits from his children and grandchildren, who are trying to force him into selling his land, and Mrs Millwood the woman who cleans his house.

Until Mrs Millwood is unable to come to work Mr Doubler doesn’t realise how much he has come to enjoy their discussions and her company. He retreats even more and neglects himself, but he hasn’t reckoned with the stubbornness of Mrs Millwood and her daughter.

It truly is an adorable, heart-warming and amusing story about loneliness and friendship. It might seem like a contradiction to mention loneliness and amusing in one sentence, but this story highlights the perfect contrast between chosen solitude and the descent into an almost hermit-like existence. It’s a breathe of fresh air that shows the true breadth of human kindness.

It also shows the magnitude of small acts of goodwill. We live in an era that is known for being almost forgetful, neglectful even, to the elderly and the more isolated in our society. Glaister shows the reader what can happen when we pay attention to someone other than ourselves. It’s a beautiful read.

I really enjoyed this book. I found Doubler easy to like and while set in his ways (to an extreme!) he was quite self-aware. His relationship with his housekeeper was a joy to see unfold throughout the book and she really helped him to develop a life outside his farm. I found the story kept my attention from beginning to end and I cared about Doubler and Mrs Millwood and the whole cast of other characters. I’ve seen the book described as ‘Charming’ and that’s exactly what it is. My only complaint is that it ended a bit too ambiguously- maybe there will be a follow up? I’ll be first in the queue if there is.

The story centres on Mr. Doubler living a solitary life in a hill top farm bereft of wife, at odds with his grown up children, happily intent on the work of breeding a new potato species. However he does enjoy the regular visit of his house keeper who engages him in lively conversation over lunch. When the house keeper is taken ill in hospital they continue their regular conversations on the phone and she decides to somehow gently move him back into society. What happens thereafter makes a most enjoyable read about interesting characters with scintillating dialogue punctuated with many hilarious moments. A story observing old age and solitude and exploring what it takes to get out of the rut and find a new life. The many asides about human relations and old age with the need to adapt to changing roles will strike a note with many readers. A most thoughtful and delightful read.