Actually, my favourite Boyd is A Good Man in Africa. Hilarious stuff. Almost everything I’ve read by him is good, though – The Blue Afternoon, Brazzaville Beach, An Ice-Cream War, especially. Even Stars and Bars, which didn’t quite hit the mark as a parody of gothic Dixie, was enjoyable. The only one I didn’t really like was Armadillo, which was some kind of mystery story about insurance fraud.
Armadillo was the only other Boyd I’d read. It was marketed here as an edgy, modern British thriller along the same lines, and at the same time, as Rancid Aluminium, which sucked, and therefore it fulfilled its role for me. I’ll be looking out for all his other stuff now. Thanks.
Roberston Davies often touched on or explored the lives of older men in his books.
A passage in (I think) the Cornish trilogy comes to mind, about an old priest wondering how to identify with a Christ who never lived as an old man. But the concerns of aging and the aged are throughout his work, some of which follows the lives of men through boyhood to senior citizen status.
I was sure that it was in this thread where someone mentioned Mrs. Bridge by Evan Connell, and I wanted to thank them (it’s excellent). But it must have been somewhere else.
How appropriate, that I don’t remember where I heard about the book. 
I’ll be reading The Widow’s Adventures next. I had to buy two copies. The first one I bought was a soiled battered paperback from an Amazon seller. Since I’m naturally optimistic, I ordered a second copy from another Amazon seller, and for a penny (plus shipping) I ended up with a mint condition hardcover.
How about Balzac’s Old Goriot?
I’ll be thrilled to hear your reaction. (Sorry bout the bogus seller; make sure you complain to Amazon.)
lissener, Ina and Helene are about to hit the road, and I’m loving this book. I’m so glad you recommended it. I like Dickinson, but it might have been ages before I got around to it.
I bought another book today featuring older characters – The Autumn Quartet by Barbara Pym.
I’m starting to believe that old people really are different from their younger selves. The phone conversations Ina has with her adult kids – I’ve had those conversations, and they’re not the same as when I was my kids’ mom, in a mom’s role.
I love these two brave old ladies. 
You’re Only Old Once by Doctor Suess
The Man in the Holocene by Max Frisch.
From amazon
I read this book in college about 12 years ago. A lot of the imagery still stays with me. A good read.
This is not a novel, but I enjoy visiting this79 year old Swedish lady’s blog. She’s pretty cool!
Peg Bracken’s “On Getting Old For The First Time.”