Three Things About Elsie cover art

Three Things About Elsie

 Preview
Try Premium Plus free
1 credit a month to buy any audiobook in our entire collection.
Access to thousands of additional audiobooks and Originals from the Plus Catalogue.
Member-only deals & discounts.
Auto-renews at $16.45/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Three Things About Elsie

By: Joanna Cannon
Narrated by: Paula Wilcox
Try Premium Plus free

$16.45 per month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $26.99

Buy Now for $26.99

About this listen

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 little 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, Florence wonders if a terrible secret from her past is about to come to light; and, if the charming new resident is who he claims to be, why does he look exactly like a man who died 60 years ago?

From the author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, this book will teach you many things, but here are three of them:

  • The fine threads of humanity will connect us all forever.
  • There is so very much more to anyone than the worst thing they have ever done.
  • Even the smallest life can leave the loudest echo.

©2018 Joanna Cannon (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers Limited Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Literature & Fiction Mystery Small Town & Rural Women's Fiction Heartfelt Suspense Comedy

Critic Reviews

"Charming, wise and profoundly human. I lived every page of this book." (Erin Kelly)
"A warm, wise novel - brilliantly entertaining - that also manages to be a timely and profound take on ageing. I loved it." (Kate Hamer)
"A real treasure from Joanna Cannon's wry and amusing world, where the long view from the day-room is at once poignant and perceptive." (James Hannah)
All stars
Most relevant  
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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A tangled web about life and the people we’re all guilty of ignoring...enjoy it

Love it!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
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

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The most beautifully written, sensitively narrated, poignant and wonderful book that tells a life lived with love and secrets - and fading into old age. Five stars!

The best book of 2017!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I loved this book so much I immediately started listening again - and I’ve never listened to a book twice.
The writing is delightful, and it’s such a gorgeous handling of the characters and their concerns.
The story is engaging - almost too much so, as I often struggled to stop listening when I needed to do something else.
The narration is so well done that you don’t stop to think about it, which is exactly what I want in an audio book.
Highly recommended

A delight

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A masterfully written novel with unexpected twists and turns told in a truly creative way. It also commands reflection on both the process of aging and the human condition in general.
Brilliantly narrated, the characters were lifted off the page.

Gripping and thought provoking

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Anyone who has watched a loved one age will appreciate the depth of understanding revealed in this novel. Amidst the confusion there is still wisdom and the need to find a solution and resolution.

Profound and consoling.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An aged care insight. You will go through all your emotions in one book. Funny sad and delightful

Funny intriguing and lovely

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.