Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    Three Things About Elsie: LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2018
    Unavailable
    Three Things About Elsie: LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2018
    Unavailable
    Three Things About Elsie: LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2018
    Audiobook10 hours

    Three Things About Elsie: LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2018

    Written by Joanna Cannon

    Narrated by Paula Wilcox

    4/5

    ()

    Unavailable in your country

    Unavailable in your country

    About this audiobook

    The Sunday Times Bestseller

    ‘Lovely, lovely, lovely… Sue Townsend meets Kate Atkinson meets Nina Stibbe’ MARIAN KEYES

    ‘Powerful and profound’ Guardian

    ‘Another sure-fire hit’ Daily Mail

    ‘Funny, melancholy, acutely observant’ Sunday Express

    ‘Cannon is so attuned to other people’s stories… a chronicler both of the human condition and the quotidian details which speak to who we are’ Guardian

    84-year-old Florence has fallen in her flat at Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. As she waits to be rescued, she considers the charming new resident who looks exactly like a man she once knew – a man who died sixty years ago. His arrival has stirred distant memories she and Elsie thought they’d laid to rest. Lying prone in the front room, Florence wonders if a terrible secret from her past is about to come to light …

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateJan 11, 2018
    ISBN9780008196950
    Unavailable
    Three Things About Elsie: LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2018
    Author

    Joanna Cannon

    Joanna Cannon is a psychiatrist with a degree from Leicester Medical School. She lives in England’s Peak District with her family and her dog. She is the author of Three Things About Elsie and The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, a top ten bestseller in the UK.

    More audiobooks from Joanna Cannon

    Related to Three Things About Elsie

    Literary Fiction For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Our Unconventional Love Affair

      Mar 16, 2020

      Our Unconventional Love Affair
      6 min read

    • Article

      Cherie Jones

      Jan 7, 2021

      Cherie Jones
      3 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Sep 1, 2022

      First prize 10 and under Tang Li, age 9 Palmetto Bay, FL My name is Anisa. I was in Hawaii on vacation. I enjoyed sipping refreshing drinks, overlooking the turquoise ocean, and dancing with others, before I overheard that the priceless Fire Ring wa

      10 min read

    • Article

      Finding Peace—and Briefly, Freedom—at My Grandfather’s Funeral

      Oct 11, 2019

      “Saying goodbye with the people who loved him—and me—I remember that I am not the tomb that imprisons me.”

      6 min read

    • Article

      Performance

      Nov 10, 2022

      “Wait here,” the guard said as he shut the door behind him, leaving me by myself. The floor inside the lab was polished, and the air smelled of disinfectant, and yet the room felt unclean. Leaves shook on a tree outside the window, making shadows on

      18 min read

    • Article

      Sylvie Baumgartel

      Jun 15, 2018

      I walked in the door, took off my coat, took off my sunglasses, set them down with my keys, took off my shoes and socks, my jeans, my shirt, my bra and underwear, set them all on the chair by the door, walked into the house naked, went to the fridge,

      10 min read

    • Article

      Coming To Terms

      May 25, 2021

      Coming To Terms
      14 min read

    • Article

      Side Gig

      Aug 8, 2019

      Side Gig
      6 min read

    • Article

      Six Stories

      Sep 8, 2020

      I’m on the train, traveling alone, with two seats to myself. I have to use the restroom. Without thinking about it carefully, I ask a couple across the aisle if they would please watch my things for me for a moment. Then I take a closer look at them

      8 min read

    • Article

      Search and Destroy

      Oct 24, 2017

      My daughter has bugs living in her hair. It is my job to kill them. The post Search and Destroy appeared first on Guernica.

      7 min read

    • Article

      Small Tortoiseshell

      Mar 8, 2022

      Small Tortoiseshell
      5 min read

    • Article

      The Family Plot

      May 7, 2020

      The Family Plot
      10 min read

    • Article

      Come with Me

      Dec 1, 2022

      Come with Me
      12 min read

    • Article

      Proverbs Of A Faceless Time

      Dec 1, 2023

      Proverbs Of A Faceless Time
      9 min read

    • Article

      The Portrait

      Mar 1, 2018

      I WAS BORN almost completely deaf, and by the time I was seven I had already become a prisoner to my education. In the morning, I had speech therapy and tutoring with Mr. Bishop. We sat at my family’s long dining-room table, which was always covered

      9 min read

    • Article

      How Postcards From My Mother Helped Me Survive Childhood

      Mar 3, 2017

      For years, my mother wrote to me every day. I’d been sent away to boarding school and for the first weeks was forbidden to call home­. I was eleven. This was just before mobile phones came beeping and clicking into the lives of everyday people. I di

      4 min read

    • Article

      I Failed My Daughter

      Jul 29, 2022

      I Failed My Daughter
      9 min read

    • Article

      Touch

      Nov 4, 2021

      Touch
      8 min read

    • Article

      Rising Sign

      Feb 4, 2021

      Rising Sign
      10 min read

    • Article

      Ask A Silly Question

      Aug 5, 2022

      I SIT IN THE DOCTOR’S OFFICE. He asks: “So, when did you know?” I say: “Always.” Because I’ve heard that simplicity gets results. It is one phrase that has spanned my lifetime. No matter what setting, country or occasion, it remains un defeatable. Li

      12 min read

    • Article

      The Space Between Us

      Oct 9, 2019

      The Space Between Us
      8 min read

    • Article

      When Wendy Asked What We Dream

      Jul 1, 2019

      When Wendy asked what we dream, I wanted to say war and drowning. Not drowning exactly, but the moment when the choice is made to drown or not drown, before the mouth opens. Instead I said I never dream of cats. But that night I remembered the cats I

      16 min read

    • Article

      Don’t Have A Bird

      Aug 2, 2020

      There are so many rites of passage you’ve already missed out on, and the school ball is destined to become another item on that ever-growing list. You try to delay the inevitable until every breath from your lungs sounds as if cystic fibrosis is cack

      12 min read

    • Article

      An Afternoon In Her Shoes

      Jul 26, 2022

      An Afternoon In Her Shoes
      6 min read

    • Article

      One Word: Understand

      May 7, 2019

      One Word: Understand
      5 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Three Things About Elsie

    4/5

    220 ratings23 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      I picked it up because of the rave reviews. The book is well written and the plot is really interesting but overall I somehow found it pretty average. It's a nice book no doubt. Maybe I just picked it up at the wrong time.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      There are three things you should know about Elsie. The first thing is that she's my best friend. The second is that she always knows what to say to make me feel better. And the third thing…might take a bit more explaining.

      Eighty-four-year-old Florence has fallen in her flat at Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. As she waits to be rescued, she thinks about her friend Elsie and wonders if a terrible secret from their past is about to come to light. If the charming new resident is who he claims to be, why does he look exactly like a man who died sixty years ago?

      From the acclaimed, bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, Three Things About Elsie is a story about forever friends on the twisting path of life. As we uncover their buried secrets, we learn how the fine threads of humanity connect us all.
    • 5/5
      Fantastic plot. Filled with humour as well. Enjoyable and interesting "read"
    • 5/5
      Absorbing, moving and uplifting, if you liked The Thursday Murder Club, you'll love this.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely amazing! Loved every second of this book, didn’t want it to end. Funny and heartwarming
    • 3/5
      Full of twists and turns but takes awhile for the story to get going. The author has managed to capture the essence of the stereotypical elderly person.
    • 5/5
      Such a great read that keeps you hocked and guessing until the very end.
    • 5/5
      I have to say, this is a most marvelous book. It's so filled with forgiveness ( you are not the sum of the worst thing you've ever done etc) and kindness, not only to other people but to ourselves. Also, it also shows , in the case of Ronnie Butler, that when bad people grow old, they remain bad.
    • 3/5
      Three and a half stars really, but it didn't feel right to round up.

      I liked reading from the point of view of an elderly character. What I would have loved even more would have been to read from the point of view of an elderly person not suffering from Alzheimer's.

      The mystery involving Florence's past was pretty lukewarm at best, and there was no mystery about Elsie.

      This was a little too quiet and meandering to fit my mood right now, so maybe I could have appreciated it more under different circumstances. As it is, this was mostly just a really depressing and drawn out story about an elderly woman who is both losing her memories as well as being gas lighted by a man from her past.

      I seriously feel ten times worse about life in general having read this, which I know is not the point of the book at all.

      Definitely a case of a book not living up to my expectations, while not being in any way a bad book.
    • 4/5
      Such a lovely story. We can all learn through Florence how to treat our seniors. Is it dementia? Forgetfulness ? Or is it the truth they speak? Florence teaches us that there is so very much more to a person than they sometimes can articulate. This goes also for supportive characters in this novel like the handyman Simon and the Cherry Tree manager Miss Ambrose. There is a nice dash of mystery too in this novel when a new resident appears from Florences’ past who isn’t who he claims to be. An adventure in Whitby with a disappearing resident sends Florence to the rescue and we love her even more. At the heart of this novel also, is Florence’s relationship with her best friend Elsie who she talks to throughout the novel.I didn’t want this novel to end especially when we know the first 2 things about Elsie but what is the third????
    • 4/5
      This was sweet and sad, though also long winded at times. But I guess if one lives to be in their 80s they would have a lot to say. I had to sit and think about this book for a few days before I could really write anything. Growing older and watching everyone you know pass on has to be hard. I had just what was going on with Elsie maybe halfway through, but it wasn’t a spoiler of any kind. I think it actually just made everything more sad. This book is a perfect reminder that we are all human and we all face the same ending.
    • 4/5
      Florence is in an old folks' home and is struggling with memory issues, even showing signs of dementia. Luckily, her best friend, Elsie, is there to help her focus. Then a new patient moves in....someone Florence was sure died years ago. The story takes us through Florence's past and the developing mystery that surrounds her present. Very well written. I'd figured out a central plot twist early on, but that didn't matter at all because the characters are so well done.I loved the message about how small things can make a big difference.
    • 4/5
      Great way to write a mystery! You start out thinking this is just a book about old people in a nursing home.... HANG ONTO YOUR HATS! And along the way there are lessons to be learned.
    • 5/5
      Three things you should know about this book. 1. It is character driven. 2. It may seem slow moving but its currents run deep and strong. 3. The end certainly makes it worth the journey. Flo has dementia and gets confused, but her moments of clarity are enlightening. Watch for clues along the way, and take note of things that may seem unimportant, for at the conclusion of the tale, it all comes together. This author did an excellent job of unraveling the present to recapture the past, and then almost tying it all up neatly. Readers will still have to conclude some things for themselves, and somehow, it makes for a better story. Recommended.
    • 5/5
      Florence and Elsie have been best friends since forever. Currently residents of the Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly Florence has fallen and is awaiting assistance. As she waits Florence ruminates onone of the newest residents who bears an uncanny resemblance to a boy she knew in her past and knows to be dead. No one believes her initially except for Elsie. The two begin a campaign to alert the staff that Florence is speaking the truth and doesn’t need a higher level of care. There are so many twists and turns in this with a shocking and surprising conclusion
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. It's one part murder mystery, and one part a journey along with a lady's descent into senility. Written in first person, you get to follow Flo as she slowly remembers secrets, and allows those secrets to come out, and the fallout that results
    • 4/5
      You may recall my review of one of my favorite books of 2017 titled The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon which centered on a small cul-de-sac in England and the mystery of a missing child. While I was discussing this book with a patron she asked, "Have you read her newest book?" then grabbed it off the shelf to show it to me. I took Three Things About Elsie home that very night and began it with pretty high expectations. I'm happy to report that I was not disappointed. The main character, Florence, is an elderly woman living in an assisted living facility called Cherry Tree. The reader discovers that she's fallen down in her apartment and is awaiting imminent rescue. (What a way to start off a story!) The chapters flip flop between her lying there fantasizing about who will come to her aid and remembering incidents from the last several days and the distant past. Florence's best friend is Elsie and she talks at length about the reasons why she values her friendship beyond all others but over the course of the book she adds to her social circle Jack (retired military man and fellow inmate), Handy Simon (groundskeeper and handyman), and Miss Ambrose (second in command of the facility and at first Florence's sworn enemy). As with Cannon's previous book, this is a mystery set within a confined location (with a few brief journeys away) with one doozy of an ending. (I worked out one vital piece of the puzzle halfway through and agonized up to the very end that I had it wrong.) This book is not only about a mystery but also gives the reader a peek into the world of the elderly and what it's like caring for them. Topics like dementia, mental illness, loneliness, and self-worth are rather obliquely worked into the narrative. [A/N: Check the tags to this post if you want a bit of a spoiler-y sneak peek to another theme of the book.] This is a great book for a cozy weekend at home where you're happy to just sit and read for hours. The characters are fully realized and it's obvious that Joanna has a gift for localized mystery and drama. 8/10
    • 4/5
      I found this book slow at the beginning and it took me a bit to get into it, but once I did, I LOVED it!
    • 5/5
      Three Things About Elsie is the newly released second book from Joanna Cannon."There are three things you should know about Elsie. The first thing is that she’s my best friend. The second is that she always knows what to say to make me feel better. And the third thing…might take a bit more explaining."And so begins the story of a life, a friendship and a secret told by eighty-four-year-old Florence. Florence lives in the Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly and has fallen. As she awaits rescue, she worries about that secret finally coming to light.Oh my - prepare to have a tissue (or two or three) handy. Three Things About Elsie is a moving, powerful, heartbreaking, heartwarming listen. It's about friendship, growing older, the foibles of memory and a life well lived. All of that is surrounded by the mystery of the new resident at the care home. Could he really be the man from Flo and Elsie's past?I adored Florence's voice, her outlook on life and her sense of humour. Supporting players Elsie and Jack were also brilliantly drawn. Two employees of the home were also given a voice. Their humaneness belied the 'Nurse Ratchet' mindset I was afraid I would find.I chose to listen to Three Things About Elsie. Listening always immerses me in a story, making it more 'real'. The reader was Paula Wilcox and she was wonderful. Her voice matched the mental image I had for Flo. Her accent was perfect, easy to listen to and easily understood. And yes, her voice seemed to belong to a senior. She interpreted Cannon's characters and story very well. Cannon is a psychiatrist and has an 'interest in people on the fringes of society.' Her writing benefits greatly from these interests. Flo's narrative is full of keen observations, ruminations and truths. I do have to say I cried each time Flo imagined what her rescue would be like and who would come. And those final pages.......
    • 5/5
      Very well written and author seemed to understand dementia and psychiatric issues. People changed and grew during the story.
    • 4/5
      Oh Lord, I would love to have a friend like Elsie. Someone to listen to me any time of the day or night. Someone to sort out all my confusion, someone to help me remember, someone who gently reminds me to calm down and think before I rage against the moon. What a very special friend. I loved this book, I loved the characters, I loved that it reminded me to persevere, listen carefully, not judge too quickly, and to be kind especially when patience wears thin. The story was everything it should be, everything it needed to be and yet I wanted more. My fault, Joanna Cannon told this story with humor and compassion and managed to insert more than a little intrigue. It sometimes seemed to be a great puzzle with only the corners fitting together but pieces get turned over and fitted in and the “aha” moments are satisfying.Thank you NetGalley and Scribner for a copy.
    • 2/5
      I'd say I'm at about 2.5 stars on this one. We learn the first two things about Elsie pretty quick, and then I think the third is supposed to be a surprise, but honestly I knew almost straight away. I think that may have lessened my enjoyment as I kept waiting for something surprising throughout the story. Now the story itself was interesting and I did love Florence - she was really a total hoot and quite honestly is the reason I kept turning the pages. Her voice was immediately strong and I could picture her from almost the first sentences. But having guessed what was going on with Elsie right away I felt like the rest of the story just dragged through most of the 450 pages. I'm wondering if this would have been a better read if we knew the three things right at the start and then the plot had a bit more twists and a bit of suspense??
    • 5/5
      Oh! This is the most wonderful book. I liked The Trouble With Goats and Sheep but Three Things About Elsie is on another level.Miss Florence Claybourne is a fabulous character. She's 84 and says exactly what she wants, but she's on probation at Cherry Tree, her sheltered accommodation, because Miss Ambrose, one of the people who helps to run it, thinks that maybe she should be moved to Greenbank where people go when they start to forget and get confused. This is one facet of the story but the other is that Ronnie Butler has turned up at Cherry Tree and he drowned in 1953. Didn't he? Florence decides to try and piece together the mystery of what might have really happened to Ronnie.One of the most compelling things about this book is not knowing if Florence is an unreliable narrator or not. She has her best friend, Elsie, to keep her on the straight and narrow and new friend, General Jack, but as Florence tells her own story we have to just go through it with her and see where it takes us. What left me in awe at the end of the book was all the little clues that were dotted throughout. This is definitely not a book to be rushed because if you do you are in danger of missing the nuances, the tiny little facts and signs that are there. They don't seem important at the time but they are a huge part of the jigsaw. I had to flick back through when I got to the end because I needed to remind myself how a certain bit fitted in. So clever and so incredibly well-plotted.As well as Florence's story there are also sections in the third person from Handy Simon, who works as a handyman at Cherry Tree, and Miss Ambrose, which help to fill in any blanks in Florence's narrative. These two characters are very interesting in their own right though and are definitely not just there as fillers.The characterisations are perfect. Florence and Elsie are just wonderfully imagined - I could see them scurrying around Cherry Tree, sitting in the day room with Jack, plotting, with Elsie calming down the rather more volatile Florence. The descriptions are perfect too, enabling me to exactly imagine in my own mind how it all panned out. And whilst I guessed the main twist in the tale, there are many other twists that left me marvelling at how ingenious they were.This is a story about the complexities of the human mind and about ageing. Joanna Cannon's writing is sublime, perfectly judged and utterly charming. She captures the care of the elderly so well and how it feels to be that older person, no longer listened to or taken seriously.I can't quite believe the sheer beauty of this book. I don't think I have the words to do it justice. There are so many components, all of which work together to make this a superb tale of growing old, of loss and love, of being frightened, of friendship. Just stunning.