Marianne Cronin

Lenni is 17 and a patient in the terminal ward of a Glasgow hospital. Margot is 83 and a patient in the same hospital, awaiting heart surgery. This is the story of their friendship and of how they ended up sharing their collective 100 years with each other.

An excellent story (or pair of stories, really), beautifully told. Both Lenni and Margot are fascinating and wonderful characters, and they’re so well drawn that you quickly feel that they’re your friends as well, which makes losing show more them all the tougher. I haven’t full-on wept because of a book in a long time, but I cried for this one and I don’t regret a second of it. show less

4.5⭐️

Having read and loved The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin, I was eagerly looking forward to her most recent novel and I’m glad to say that Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love did not disappoint!

Ninety-year-old retired academic Eddie Winston spends his days sorting through donations at The Heart Trust Charity Shop, where he volunteers. As he goes through boxes of donations both from those who visit the shop personally or items collected from the estates of show more the deceased, he endeavors to gain a deeper understanding of the lives of the original owners. Items he feels to be of special significance find a place on his “Eddie Shelf” at home, often intending to return them to their rightful owners under special circumstances or if they decide to come back for the same. Eddie lives alone with his pet guinea pig and has never been in a relationship despite having fallen in love once in the past and has never even been kissed. In the course of his work, he meets twenty-four-year-old Isabella “Bella” Williams, who has recently lost someone close to her. As Eddie and Bella become friends, Eddie tries to help Bella through her grief and Bella takes it upon herself to find Eddie a romantic partner. The story follows Bella and Eddie as they embark upon a beautiful journey of friendship, hope and healing.

With its endearing cast of characters, consistent pacing and beautiful writing I found this novel to be an immensely moving and heartwarming read that touches upon themes of intergenerational friendship, found family, love and kindness, grief, hope and healing with compassion and humor. Eddie is a lovable character and my heart went out to Bella. The story also features an interesting cast of secondary characters and, of course, Pushkin the guinea pig, for whom Eddie makes an effort to find a companion! The author deftly combines past and present timelines into a fluid narrative featuring short chapters. Both timelines are well-developed, and at no point does the story lose momentum.

Overall, this was a delightful and uplifting read with memorable characters that left me with a smile on my face! The perfect read to top off my 2024 reading journey!

Many thanks to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the digital review copy via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. Eddie Winston Is Looking for Love was published in the USA on December 31, 2024.

“The remnants of a life don’t add up to much, really. Not once the big things–the fridge freezer, the three-piece suite, the body–are all boxed up and gone. What remain are the little things.” show less

Sweet old man story - Eddie is 90, works in a charity shop and has never been kissed. He has a heart as big as the sky and is always attuned to the donations people drop off and their reasons for doing so - most often death. That is how he meets Bella, a twenty-something pink-haired woman who dumps off some notebooks and inked up Converse All-Stars. Eddie has a sense for these tender-hearted people and usually puts their things aside so they don't go up for sale, knowing they might want them show more back after they heal. Bella's boyfriend Jake died and she is clearing out his stuff in the anger phase of grief. She and Eddie cross paths a few times and start a tenuous friendship. When she learns he had a great love of his own that never came to fruition, Eddie becomes her project. He had met Bridey Beckett when they both worked at Birmingham University in the sixties, but she was married. To a cheating, pompous jerk. The Catholic church does not present well here as she is urged to uphold her wedding vows. So she and Eddie, though clearly in love with each other, remain friends. She eventually moves to Cambridge with the pompous professor, and is pregnant, and that is that. Her prized locket with her BB initials is left behind at Salvation Army in the move, and Eddie has made it his life's quest to find it, and ideally return it, though he has no idea where she is or how she has fared. Bella is more practical and just wants Eddie to be kissed, so she sets him up online dating, which has some funny turns., and lots of misses, and no kisses. This is a sweet story about finding love and being open to whatever life hands you in a way that prevents bitterness and unhappiness. Quaint British-isms made this a good listen and the story's trajectory is definitely a feel-good one. Eddie is really the reason this is 4 stars rather than an average 3. He is a gem! show less

Heartwarming, poignant, and beautifully written, Eddie Winston is Looking for Love is a touching tale of friendship, resilience, and the enduring power of love.

Eddie Winston, a 90-year-old romantic at heart, has lived a full life, yet he has never been kissed. He spends his days volunteering at The Heart Trust Charity Shop, salvaging letters and keepsakes from donations, preserving the stories of the past. Bella Williams, a 24-year-old grieving the loss of her boyfriend, stumbles into show more Eddie’s world when she donates his belongings—marking the start of an unexpected and deeply moving friendship.

Determined to help Eddie experience love for the first time, Bella embarks on a mission to find him a first kiss, while Eddie, in turn, helps Bella navigate her grief. Their intergenerational bond is the heart of the novel, built on trust, understanding, and selfless care. Cronin’s storytelling shifts between past and present, giving depth to Eddie’s history while unfolding Bella’s healing journey.

This novel captures a rare magic—mixing humor, sorrow, and joy in a way that feels both timeless and deeply personal. Eddie’s character is unforgettable, his kindness and wit making him someone you wish you could meet in real life. The short, impactful chapters make the story fly by, though the ending leaves you yearning for just a little more time with Eddie.

With echoes of The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot, Eddie Winston is Looking for Love is a tender, bittersweet reminder that love—romantic or platonic—has no expiration date. A must-read for fans of uplifting, character-driven fiction. show less