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    Three Things About Elsie: A Novel
    Three Things About Elsie: A Novel
    Three Things About Elsie: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    Three Things About Elsie: A Novel

    Written by Joanna Cannon

    Narrated by Paula Wilcox

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    The bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep delivers a suspenseful and emotionally satisfying novel “infused with warmth and humor” (People) about a lifelong friendship, a devastating secret, and the small acts of kindness that bring people together.

    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 “breathes with suspense, providing along the way piercing, poetic descriptions, countless tiny mysteries, and breathtaking little reveals…a rich portrait of old age and friendship stretched over a fascinating frame” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). This is an “amusing and heartbreaking” (Publishers Weekly) story about forever friends on the twisting path of life who come to understand how the fine threads of humanity connect us all.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateAug 7, 2018
    ISBN9781508260394
    Author

    Joanna Cannon

    Joanna Cannon’s first two novels, The Trouble with Goats and Sheep and Three Things about Elsie, were both Sunday Times bestsellers and Richard and Judy picks. She worked as a hospital doctor before specialising in psychiatry, and lives in the Peak District with her family and her dog.

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    Reviews for Three Things About Elsie

    4/5

    205 ratings20 reviews

    What did you think?

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    • 5/5
      One of the best books I’ve listened to! Loved it
    • 5/5
      This book was wonderfully written with a lot of meaning. It is well worth the read. The reader was terrific. I enjoyed it!
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book. Relatable characters and real dialog. Seeing through the eyes of an elderly woman trying to make sense of a confusing world was facinating. I could feel her frustration throughout.
      The narrator was perfect for the story and characters.
    • 5/5
      This book really put you inside the head of a woman with dementia. Fascinating mystery with surprising twists.
    • 5/5
      Rich story of friendship and the worth of even the aging.
    • 5/5
      Three things you should know about this book: one, it's not really about Elsie; two, its a story which will stay with you long after the last page and three; well, three is whatever you get personally out of reading this lovely engaging story. I loved the narrator Flo and I also loved listening to a story where an elderly person is the main character. I read another book, Elizabeth is missing, which also has an elderly person as a main character. In some ways this book reminded me of this one, but it is a very different story. I recommend both this book and Elizabeth is Missing.

      There were many parts of this story which touched me personally, the most significant being when Flo talks about losing someone and how you just hate the empty space where they used to be. She said you keep looking for them and I really understand this. I lost my cat last year which was more like losing a child and sometimes I think I see him out of the corner of my eye.

      There were parts of this story which made me smile, laugh out loud, cheer for Flo and cry. I loved this book and I hope if you read or listen to the audio version you will love it too. I would also like to add the narrator was fantastic.
    • 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
      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.