Most heroes have six-packs, swords, or at the very least, an unreasonably good set of knees. But sometimes, the most daring adventures don’t belong to the muscled twenty-somethings leaping across rooftops—they belong to the octogenarians who need a nap after climbing the stairs but still manage to climb into your heart.
Books with octogenarian protagonists remind us that turning 80 doesn’t mean turning invisible. These characters are witty, stubborn, wise, mischievous, and often far braver than anyone gives them credit for. They might walk a bit slower, but make no mistake—their stories move at full speed.
So pull up a chair (and maybe a heating pad while you’re at it). Let’s celebrate the books where the heroes trade car chases for crossword puzzles… and then surprise you by doing both.
The One Hundred Years of Lenni & Margot by Marianne Cronin
Protagonist: Margot, 83 years old
Genre: Fiction
A heartfelt story about a terminally ill seventeen-year-old and an eighty-three-year-old woman who form an unlikely friendship in a hospital and decide to celebrate their shared 100 years by painting artworks that tell the stories of their lives.
The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
Protagonist: Arthur Moses/Truluv (85 years old)
Genre: Fiction
An 85-year-old widower who visits his wife's grave daily for lunch meets a troubled teenager who nicknames him "Truluv." Together with his elderly neighbor Lucille, they form an unlikely family that helps each heal from their respective losses.
The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston
Protagonist: Frederick Fife, 82 years old
Genre: Fiction
This debut features a case of mistaken identity that gives a lonely old man one last chance to be part of a family.
Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig
Protagonist: Aunt Kate, age approaching 80
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction
The story, while primarily focused on a child, features Aunt Kate, whose role as co-protagonist is central to the narrative about second chances in old age.
Coming of Age by Simone de Beauvoir
Protagonist: Simone de Beauvoir, age 80+
Genre: Memoir, NnonFiction
Memoir, first-hand aging reflections from the author herself.
Eightysomethings by Katharine Esty
Protagonists: Real-life interviewees, all aged 80-89
Genre: NonFiction
Nonfiction drawing from 120 interviews, exploring the happiness, struggles, and wisdom of American octogenarians.
An Elderly Lady Is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten
Protagonist: Maud, 88 years old
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
A witty crime collection about Maud, an irascible Swedish woman who solves her problems—including murder—in her own unconventional ways.
Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey
Protagonist: Maud, 82 years old
Genre: Fiction, Mystery
An elderly woman with dementia tries to solve the mystery of her missing friend, blurring the lines of memory and reality.
The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons
Protagonist: Eudora Honeysett, age 85
Genre: Fiction
A prickly 85-year-old planning an assisted-dying trip finds unexpected purpose in a friendship with a 10-year-old neighbor and a widower.
Frankie by Graham Norton
Protagonist: Frankie, age 83
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction
A decades-spanning novel about an elderly woman who, after a fall, shares her poignant life story—marked by love, loss, and enduring friendship—with her young Irish caregiver, journeying from post-war Ireland to 1960s New York and beyond.
Grandma Gatewood’s Walk by Ben Montgomery
Protagonist: Emma Gatewood, age: 67-85 (memoir, spans late 60s to 80s)
Genre: Memoir, NonFiction
The biography of the first woman to hike the Appalachian Trail alone, beginning at age 67; her adventures continue well into her 80s.
The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett
Protagonist: Cohen the Barbarian, age: 87
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novel, Comics
Elderly fantasy heroes set out on their final quest, poking fun at both age and the hero’s journey tropes.
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
Protagonist: The Professor, in his 80s
Genre: Fiction
The Professor lives with only eighty minutes of short-term memory following an accident. A housekeeper and her son help him find routine, beauty, and connection.
The Lido by Libby Page
Protagonist duo: Rosemary (86) shares lead
Genre: Fiction
Intergenerational friendship between a twenty-something journalist and an octogenarian swimmer fighting to save a beloved pool.
Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
Protagonist: Lillian Boxfish, 85 years old
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction
On New Year’s Eve, Lillian strolls through Manhattan, reflecting on her life, career, and the changes she’s witnessed.
Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Protagonist: Major Ernest Pettigrew, late 60s/early 80s
Genre: Romance, Fiction
A retired English major forms a bond with a local widow, and together they confront social expectations and stereotypes.
The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise by Colleen Oakley
Protagonist: Louise Wilt, 80s
Genre: Fiction
A witty road trip story featuring the unlikely duo of Louise Wilt (in her eighties) and 21-year-old Tanner Quimby. Their cross-country journey explores friendship, personal growth, and the power of human connection.
No! I Don’t Want to Join a Book Club by Virginia Ironside
Protagonist: Marie, age: 60s-80s, follows her into her 80s
Genre: Fiction
Opting out of the typical "active retirement," Marie humorously navigates the quirks of her ninth decade.
How the Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior
Protagonist: Veronica McCreedy, 85
Genre: Fiction
Eighty-five-year-old Veronica McCreedy, estranged from her family, travels to Antarctica to support a penguin research project, where rescuing an orphaned penguin helps her rediscover love, family, and connection.
Old Filth by Jane Gardam
Protagonist: Sir Edward Feathers, age: 80s
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction
A retired judge reexamines his life and lost loves with wit and poignancy as he confronts old age and loss.
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
Protagonist: Olive Kitteridge, in her 80s
Genre: Fiction
This sequel to Olive Kitteridge shows Olive navigating friendships and family in old age.
The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 1/4 Years Old by Hendrik Groen (pseudonym)
Protagonist: Hendrik Groen, age: 83
Genre: Fiction
With biting humor and honesty, octogenarian Hendrik records his daily life and tries to inject mischief into his retirement home.
Stone Mattress: Nine Tales by Margaret Atwood
Protagonist: Various, several in their 80s
Genre: Fiction, Story Collection
Short stories featuring aging and elderly protagonists confronting past traumas and unique twists in later life.
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
Protagonist: Grandmother, age: 80s
Genre: Fiction
A wise grandmother spends summer months on a tiny Finnish island with her 6-year-old granddaughter; quiet vignettes explore nature, grief, and intergenerational bonds.
Travels with My Aunt by Graham Greene
Protagonist: Aunt Augusta, age inferred well into her 80s
Genre: Fiction
A wild, unconventional aunt draws her staid nephew into a series of eccentric adventures in old age.
An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine
Protagonist: Aaliya Sohbi, 80 years old
Genre: Fiction
Aaliya, a reclusive in Beirut, spends her days translating literature and pondering a lifetime of solitude and books.
Two Old Women by Velma Wallis
Protagonists: Ch’idzigyaak and Sa’, both in their 80s
Genre: Fiction
Based on an Athabascan Indian legend passed along for many generations from mothers to daughters of the upper Yukon River Valley in Alaska, these two elderly women are abandoned by their tribe and must survive the winter on their own.
And so, we wave a fond farewell (but not too vigorously—some of our heroes are saving that energy for tomorrow’s crossword) to the vibrant, stubborn, occasionally mischievous protagonists in their eighties. These characters remind us that the years don’t diminish a person’s ability to love fiercely, fight smartly, and surprise us in ways that make us laugh, tear up, or both at once.
If the octogenarian years were a novel, they’d be the section where the pacing picks up—where wisdom and humor fuse to create adventures that younger heroes would never think to attempt (nor survive without a hip replacement).
But what happens when the calendar flips to 90? Surely that must be the epilogue, right? Not even close. As we’ll see in the next post of our series—“Late Bloomers: Heroes Aged 90 and Beyond”—life in the tenth decade isn’t about slowing down. It’s about proving, against every stereotype, that nine decades of living can fuel stories filled with sharper insight, deeper laughter, and a little mischief that age alone can justify.
So take a deep breath, refill your coffee mug, and pull up a chair. Our next set of heroes are waiting—and trust me, they’re not about to let a little thing like being 90 stop them from stealing the spotlight.
After all, at ninety, the story isn’t winding down—it’s just finally getting to the good part.
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