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Three Things About Elsie

LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN’S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2018

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Three Things About Elsie

By: Joanna Cannon
Narrated by: Paula Wilcox
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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 …

 Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Mystery Small Town & Rural Women's Fiction Heartfelt Suspense Comedy
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Critic Reviews

Praise for Three Things About Elsie:
‘Compassionate, thoughtful and tender, it is a novel exploring the pain of nostalgia and personal truths so painful we hide them even from ourselves’ HANNAH BECKERMAN, Observer
‘A tale of ordinary lives and buried secrets … a well-written, entertaining, effortless read with some arresting insights’ Mail on Sunday
‘Charming, wise and profoundly human. I lived every page of this book’ ERIN KELLY
‘Powerful and profound’ Guardian
‘Irresistibly good-hearted … captivating’ Telegraph
‘Another sure-fire hit for Cannon … abounds with Alan Bennett-esque humour, as well as heart-wrenching sadness’ Daily Mail
‘Emotional, sweet, funny, hauntingly sad and poignant. I loved it’ DJ Sara Cox, Stella
‘Funny, melancholy, acutely observant … your heart will finally crack in two on the last page’ Sunday Express
‘A warm, wise novel – brilliantly entertaining – that also manages to be a timely and profound take on ageing. I loved it’ KATE HAMER
‘Light yet heartbreaking, a joy to read’ i Newspaper
‘Funny, touching, and peppered with astute observations … a future classic’ CLARE MACKINTOSH, author of I Let You Go
‘[Cannon] conveys the legion indignities of overlooked old age with touching perception’ Sunday Times Culture
‘A moving, bittersweet story’ Good Housekeeping
‘Cannon is on her way to becoming a national treasure – no one does quirky, funny and soul-searing the way she does’ Emerald Street
‘Poignant, witty and original’ Woman & Home
‘More brilliant, generous storytelling… (a) funny, melancholic tale’ Psychologies
All stars
Most relevant
Really slow starting off but with while to keep reading. There is a great twist and overall lovely story.

Slow to start but great finish

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The narration was just perfect and made the characters come to life wine sensitivity. The story of these characters in a residential home was refreshingly different and I grew to love them. Not sure if it would appeal to young readers but it resonated well for me and illustrated the emotions and complexities of aging, friendship, memories and unfinished business with poignancy. Recommended.

Sweet story beautifully told

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I always read the negative reviews and if other books I've disliked are mentioned, I do shy from buying the book. In this instance I am so glad that I bought the book. I've laughed out loud. I've cringed. I know every single person in this book. They live in my neighbourhood. Our children and grandchildren are the same ages.

I've reached, not middle age, not old age, but the Age of Guess Who or the Age of Charades. The differences in memory of a group of people about the same single incident not only come in each person's telling but also in each person's telling each day. And usually the differences are accompanied by laughter. I just love living in the world of Guess My Next Word. It Fled While I Was Getting To It.

S C Bates, I understand your dislike of this book. I'm sad to report that one day you will realise that you simply are too young for this book. Now.

S C Bates is too young for this book

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A tangled web about life and the people we’re all guilty of ignoring...enjoy it

Love it!

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I did enjoy this story very much. I read in one of the reviews I read before I purchased the book, the reviewer said that they would miss pending time with Florence, Elsie and the gang at Cherry Tree Home. I have to agree, they became like friends and I look forward to hearing what they had been up to. Lots of fun and a well constructed story line.

Fun time with new friends

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