In October 2020, thirtysomething writer Ben Aitken needed an affordable place to live in London. Eighty-five-year-old widow Winnie Carter needed a companion to help with odd jobs and provide a bit of company. Thus, the unlikely pair become housemates during the pandemic, weathering several lockdowns together. This warm, tenderhearted, and truly hilarious memoir recounts their crossgenerational friendship forged over everyday interactions, including their daily breakfast of toast with marmalade (unless the marmalade was running low, in which case Ben wasn't offered any). Filled with witty banter, sensitive insights, and Ben's oft-thwarted attempts to break through Winnie's suffer-no-fools exterior, The Marmalade Diaries is a delight from beginning to end, a pleasant antidote to reports of an ever-deepening generation gap.