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R J Gould
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Nothing Man: A tender and humorous quest for a fresh start Kindle Edition

by R J Gould (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 295 ratings
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One man in need of an overhaul. Two women determined to drag him there.

Neville Watkin’s life is so dismal surely things can’t get any worse. Yes they can, because his wife leaves him, he loses his job, has a car crash and ends up in hospital.

Feisty Laura, the other party in the car crash, befriends him and sets out to turn his life upside down. For reasons he struggles to understand, Caroline, her equally feisty mother, seems to like him. Rather a lot.

All in all things are looking up, but is Neville courageous enough to seize these new opportunities?

What reviewers are saying about Nothing Man:

“More than a feel good read, it’s a feel great read.”

“Interesting, funny, sad and so very enjoyable.”

"A wonderful observation of life that’s uplifting, humorous and realistic."

“There is a wonderful realism and humanity to the book.”

“Utterly refreshing throughout.”

“Addictive, well written and full of memorable characters.”

“A book that leaves you with a smile on your face.”

“An absolute gem told with the perfect amount of humour and emotion.”

“A completely unique funny, heartwarming contemporary novel.”
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  1. Print length
    313 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    March 14, 2021
  4. File size
    818 KB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  8. See all details
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From the Publisher

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Editorial Reviews

Review

Well written and funny, a must-read if you like a romcom with a difference.
I love a story from the bloke's point of view, and a middle aged bloke at that! Neville is an absolute sweetie and it was a joy to accompany him on his journey. He has a dry sense of humour, is wonderfully naïve in some respects, is self-deprecating, and all I wanted to do was to give him a cuddle. The two women who were instrumental in bringing him out of himself, are an absolute hoot, and if either of them need a friend I'll happily send them my details! As for the scrapes Neville gets into, they are hilarious.
Lilac Mills, The Home of ChicLit

Perfect for anyone who wants a comfort read with some awkward moments.
Gould is a wonderful observer of life, adding humour to tricky situations. Neville is a character it is easy to relate to, and I found myself completely involved in what was going on, and staying up late to see how things would turn out. 5*s from me, as, even with the complications in Neville's life, I found this uplifting and humorous. This author's writing is neither heavy nor frivolous, and looks at life (in particular romance) with a realistic, but upbeat outlook.
EmmabBooks

A really enjoyable read with tender and humorous moments.
Loved it! It's all about starting over, unlikely friendships, stepping outside your comfort zone and seizing the day. The story is also about letting things go and moving on from past trauma. Neville is like a Phoenix rising from the ashes and his transformation is really nothing short of remarkable. And Neville is anything but a Nothing Man!
Rachael at Reedsy Discovery

I was so connected to these people in this story and thought the author balanced the humour and emotions perfectly.
R.J Gould has managed to write a book that you get slowly drawn into and you realise you can't tear yourself away, it immerses you so much, right from the off you are with Neville and then as time goes on his new friends too.
Beyond the Books

Nothing Man is more than a feel good read, it's a feel great read.
This is one of those novels where the characters just kind of stick with you. RJ Gould's writing style reminded me of Fredrik Backman in his slightly humorous, yet insightfully honest views on life. It seemed like there were all of these beautiful observations and truths sprinkled throughout a ridiculously entertaining romantic adventure.
Amy's Booket List

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08YZ813VZ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (March 14, 2021)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 14, 2021
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 818 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 313 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 295 ratings

About the author

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R J Gould

R J Gould

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R J Gould is a rare male member of the UK Romantic Novelists’ Association, writing contemporary fiction about relationships using a mix of wry humour and pathos to describe the tragi-comic life journeys of his protagonists. He has been published by Headline Accent and Lume Books and also self-publishes.

Before becoming a full-time author he worked in the educational and charity sectors. In addition to his addiction to telling stories, he has somewhat milder addictions to playing tennis, watching film noir cinema, completing Wordle and eating dried mango slices.

R J Gould lives in Cambridge, England.

You can connect with him at www.rjgould.info, on twitter and Instagram @rjgould_author, and on Facebook at RJGouldauthor

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
295 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • susan m.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Very enjoyable
    Reviewed in the United States on November 12, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I enjoyed this book. It’s nice to read about regular people who get (or make) a second chance. I liked all of the characters- they were all well written.
    Reading this book is like a lovely cup of tea
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  • Elisabeth Carey
    4.0 out of 5 stars A dreary, empty life takes a sudden, entertaining turn
    Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Neville Watkin's life has never been spectacular, but over the last year or so, it's taken a real turn for the worse. He and his wife, Stella, have been distant for years. Now, she has moved out, and is divorcing him. Then he's laid off from his job at the bank--where he's been working since leaving school, thirty years ago.

    He really, really doesn't need the accident he has not long after, backing out of a parking spot, into the minivan of a woman and her two kids. The woman is yelling at him for his carelessness, and he can't really defend himself. Especially once his attempt to voice any defense at all ends in him passing out and collapsing at her feet.

    He wakes up the next day in a hospital, not very badly injured, and receives an unexpected visitor--Laura, the woman whose car he hit. His life is about to take a truly strange change of direction.

    Laura invites him to her house; they work on the insurance paperwork for their accident together. Neville figures that will be the end of it. It's not.

    After finding that he is very familiar with all the same old albums her mother likes, she starts encouraging him to get out of his funk and open up to the world. She introduces him to her mother, Caroline. They convince him to use his current free time and severance package from the bank to take a vacation for the first time in, well, ever, it turns out. They get him to buy a more current and more lively wardrobe. They encourage him to get outside more--and a newspaper article about a volunteer conservation group that's looking for more volunteers catches his interest.

    Caroline invites him to dinner.

    It's a strange, funny, heartwarming journey.

    Neville starts to rediscover some of the joys and passions of his youth, including the guitar.

    The conservation group doesn't see Neville as the boring guy with the job that is being taken over by computers; they see him as the guy who shows up for every conservation project, and has a background in budgeting and finance.

    He discovers along the way that he also has, when doing something he enjoys, interesting and creative ideas.

    There are some rough bumps for him along the way, of course. There are also some rough bumps along the way for me as the reader, but my advice is, when you hit them, keep going. It's worth the trip. Neville learns more about himself, more about those around him, and that even a bad mistake isn't necessarily all there is to a person.

    Recommended.

    I received a free electronic galley of this bookk from the publisher, and am reviewing it voluntarily.
    3 people found this helpful
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  • JanLPN
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2022
    Eye opening tale of a quiet man, who’s tried to live a dutiful life, to his marriage, to his job, all to have it come crashing down. A story of how we become wounded, damaged by our upbringings, & flounder through life accepting less when we believe we are unworthy.
    Lovely man, who through an accident, meets an extended family who open their hearts, their homes, to include him in their lives, & help him find a new way to live, find happiness.
    Lovely!
    One person found this helpful
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  • LISA
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not for me
    Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2021
    I am leaving this review after receiving a free copy. It was humorous in parts. I honestly found it a bit boring. Neville seemed flat to me.
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  • Beverly Jones
    4.0 out of 5 stars Nothing Man
    Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I liked this book. Lots of ups and downs. Just goes to show you it’s not too late to be happy
    One person found this helpful
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  • Gina R Mitchell
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very entertaining read.
    Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2021
    Nothing Man by R J Gould is an entertaining story of one man’s journey to become what he was always meant to be.

    Life seemed to pass Neville by without his participation or realization. One day he woke up, and his wife had left him, he was let go from his banking job because young computer-savvy employees were in demand, and he had no idea how his life had come to this. He was a dull, unloved man with no friends.

    After a minor automobile accident brought him into Laura & her family’s world, his life would never be the same. They bring color and life to his dreary existence.

    The author takes what seems to be a simple story and makes it into a page-turner. Could Neville change? Could he be the man he always wanted to be? So many subtle small happenings build upon each other until a major turnaround happens without realization.

    The story will make you look at your own life through different eyes. If all your comfort zones were taken away, would you have the strength to thrive? No matter the age of the reader, there are lessons to be learned from the Nothing Man.

    Don’t think for a moment this is a sad, dreary story. It’s full of subtle and laugh-out-loud humor. Romance, happiness, and fun abound throughout the chapters. It’s not easy to classify a genre for this book, but do we need to? The answer is a resounding no from me.

    Pick up a copy of this book today and see for yourself.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Dennis H.
    4.0 out of 5 stars Though it deserves a 4.5
    Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Wish the rating system could go by half stars. It deserves more than a 4 but not quite a 5. Not the kind of book I normally read but I did enjoy it. Reading about Neville's trials and tribulations was entertaining. Some items hit close to home. Others were just funny. It was a good story overall. I'll read more by the author.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Angie Hardy
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good
    Reviewed in the United States on April 9, 2021
    I thought it was entertaining. I enjoyed it I was given an arc. I choose to give an honest honest review.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Mary
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and funny
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 17, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Loved this book and didn’t want it to end. A true to life male mid life crisis for Neville who revolves between a state of utter misery and happiness, often in the same day. Very believable characters and I’d like to know more about them especially Laura and Dorothy and of course Neville. Would happily read a sequel or two as I didn’t want to stop reading. R J Gould has a very likeable sense of humour, never cruel, and very true to life, especially the countryside volunteers. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend to all. He has several other books all as excellent as Nothing Man, all well worth reading. Try them all you won’t be disappointed.
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  • Highway Star
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 21, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    I discovered this book by accident & I'm pleased that I did. I could sympathise with the main character as I had gone through the same things he had.

    Great characters, funny & sad at the same time. A bit like real life.
    A feelgood story that we can all sympathise with.
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  • Zac's Mum
    5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly entertaining.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 2, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    Neville doesn't have a lot going for him. He is in his 50's recently divorced and also recently redundant. He is a man stuck in his ways and there is only one way he is going which is downhill. That's until the day that he encounters Laura in a supermarket car park and through Laura he meets Caroline who is Laura's mum.
    Is it possible for a man who is going nowhere to change direction? You'll have to read Nothing Man to find out.
    Really enjoyed this book. Thoroughly entertaining.
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  • Rowena
    5.0 out of 5 stars The Nothing Man
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 18, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Absolutely loved this book so much insight into life.
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  • Bonni Lincoln
    2.0 out of 5 stars sorry but so boring
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 22, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Thousands of conversations….building mundane things and attempting to make them bigger than they were. Sorry, just boring, I don’t know how I finished, it, was so glad when it ended, which is so unlike me. Also, how did this guy have sooo much money to spend, his redundancy, bank pension and house sale would no way have funded his lifestyle.
    Report

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