The People on Platform 5 is nothing short of sheer and utter delight. It presents the best of humanity - the sweet and bashful kindness and generosity that lives in all of us. I can't think of a more joyful book! Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A For Aunties

People on Platform 5: A feel-good and uplifting read with The People on Platform 5: A feel-good and uplifting read with

This book is bursting with the kindness of strangers, and I was bursting with hope by the end of it * Jenny Bayliss * A glorious triumph of a novel; warm, funny and moving, with an unforgettable cast of characters * Rosie Walsh * The People on Platform 5 is nothing short of sheer and utter delight. It presents the best of humanity – the sweet and bashful kindness and generosity that lives in all of us. I can’t think of a more joyful book!Balancing that sort of realness with the feel-good sense that life can become miraculously better (though, to be fair not without some hard work and pain; there’s no wand waving going on here) is a feat in and of itself and it’s one Pooley manages impressively well, forming up in the process a story that feel accessibly honest even as it inspires you to dream and hope big. With nothing in common but their commute, an eclectic group of people learn that their assumptions about each other don't match reality. But when Iona's life begins to fall apart, will her new friends be there when she needs them most?

People on Platform 5: A feel-good and uplifting read with The People on Platform 5: A feel-good and uplifting read with

The People on Platform 5 is a friendship-affirming novel about the power of relationships and how important it is to avoid preconceived assumptions about people. The answer, of course, with the unconditional friendship of the newly connected commuter group who find in each other a chance to face up to some very real challenges, the kind that are always easier to handle when you have others standing in the corner with you. At first Iona seemed like she would be an Eleanor Oliphant type which initially raised hope. But as the story plays out we come to realize she's little more than an aging lesbian who enjoys counseling strangers she sees regularly on the train.To be honest, that sense of being enveloped in love and support is so profoundly present in The People on Platform 5 that it often feels like a great big warm hug; that’s not meant in any kind of flippant way at all but rather in the sense that being made to feel like you belong and matter is the one of the most powerful things you can do for anyone. It might all seem a bit fairytale-ish but is there really a bad thing? Not even a little bit; frankly I love the idea that you can find just the right people to help you, that they all end up overcoming any reluctance they have to form bonds with people they’ve only ever cursorily nodded at, and that they form the kind of supportive grouping capable of turning lives around. The audiobook narrator, Clare Corbett, does a fabulous job delivering the one-liner comments creatively written by the author. With ageism, bullying, anxiety, dementia, and sensitive relationship issues to cover it's easier to digest these hard topics when served with a happy dose of humor on the side. A magnificent, heart-warming novel celebrating the power of human connection - it's an absolute joy * Freya Sampson, author of The Last Library *