This is well written and the characters were likeable but it was a little whimsical for my taste. DNF

Firstly I have to apologise for the fact that I read and wrote my review for Three Things about Elsie way back in January and I was absolutely certain that I’d published it on my blog. In doing some sorting out this week I discovered that it had gone back into my drafts folder. January is a tough month for me due to it being the anniversary of my mum’s death and I just hadn’t realised that WordPress had messed up. Anyway, here (finally) is my review for the wonderful Three Things about Elsie!

I’m a huge fan of Joanna Cannon’s writing so when the publicist for Three Things about Elsie offered to send me a copy I immediately said yes! I didn’t read it straight away because it felt like a book to be saved for the right moment, and I was right. It’s been near impossible to write this review for two reasons: the first being that I loved it so much and I just don’t have enough superlatives to use, and the second is that I feel like the novel is now interwoven with my own emotions.

The novel opens with Florence having had a fall in her flat within the care home that she lives and she’s waiting for someone to come and help her. As she’s waiting she begins to think about her friend Elsie, and a new resident to the home and her mind goes back and forth in time as she mulls over what might be going on. Florence has started to be a bit more forgetful and the past and present begin to merge in her mind so she has to try and untangle the mystery and to work out if there is danger to be feared from the new resident. Florence is such a great character; she is so real and I was absorbed in her story from the very beginning.

I started reading Three Things about Elsie at the weekend and I fell in love with the novel in the first chapter. A few chapters in and I’d already had a little cry. I knew this book was going to be special. I deliberately read it slowly because Joanna Cannon has a wonderful ability to perfectly capture the essence of people, to make you feel like you’re reading about real people. The way she gets turns of phrase so exactly right warms my heart.

Monday was the anniversary of my mum’s death and I knew that combined with Florence’s story that this novel might be too much, and yet I was drawn to continue reading. I sobbed through the final few chapters of this book, it completely and utterly broke my heart. And yet as I turned the very last page it was all the beauty in the book that came to the fore in my mind, it was all the paragraphs that made me smile and remember. It feels like this book climbed inside my heart and it gave me real solace over a weekend full of such sad memories.

Florence is a wonderful character, I’m sure that anyone reading this book will see elements of their own loved ones in her. There were moments where she reminded me of my lovely nan, who died before old age took anything away from her. The idea of Florence lying on the floor after falling made me think of my Grandma, whose memory is beginning to get a little muddled and who has had a couple of horrible falls. The way Florence holds the people she can remember so dear to her made me think of my mum, who when her cancer spread to her brain began to speak as if she were still in her childhood home with her mum and sisters. More than these things though it spoke to me because whilst I’m not elderly I am disabled and I have had horrendous falls and been stuck on the floor until someone could come and help me. I try to keep my phone on me at all times so that I can ring my husband but occasionally I’ve forgotten it and I can’t express how frightening it is to be lying on the floor unable to get up. Joanna Cannon captures this fear, and later the resignation so perfectly that at times it was like she was expressing my own thoughts.

There is a sense of loneliness in this novel that I wasn’t expecting. It hovers around the edge of the story but it’s definitely there. Older people like Florence, and vulnerable people, and people like me can so easily disappear to the edges of our own lives, and to the very, very edge of other people’s lives. There can be people around but many of them no longer see you as who you feel you still are. The outside of you might look older, or more disabled, but the inside is still the same. I felt such an affinity with this aspect of the book, and it makes me want to cry now writing about it and yet the sensitivity of the writing makes this a book that I know I will go back to time and again when I need to be reminded of the Handy Simons of this world.

Three Things about Elsie is an incredible novel; it will break your heart but it will also heal it. It will give you solace and smiles; and it will make you hold your loved ones, the people who still see you, a bit tighter. Without a shadow of a doubt this book will be in my favourite books of 2018 and I urge you to go buy a copy now, you won’t regret it!

Life as an octogenarian. Lovely story even if I figured it out.

I liked Florence, and hearing about her life in the residential care home. But I figured out one of the main plot devices early on, which reduced some of the reading enjoyment for me.

It’s a good interior look at Florence’s life, with the view from the floor after a fall particularly effective. Her mate Jack is a wonderful character, and of course we love getting to know Elsie.

But not a book that will stay with me for a long time.

I remember giving feedback on this one as I loved it. However, perhaps I never saved it. It’s too late now to be accurate but I know it has been one of my favourites from Netgalley.

Really enjoyed this new book from Joanna Cannon.Sometimes it made me cry and sometimes made ne laugh out loud.
Would recommend all to read as old age comes to us all ,only too quickly.

Unfortunately this book wasn't really for me - I realised the twist in the opening pages and I found I didn't really connect with the story.

Three Things About Elsie is a pleasant, heartfelt story, Lovable characters, mostly OAPs living in a sheltered housing community and a mystery that happened many years ago but has repercussions in the current day.
The story starts at the end of it. Introduces you to Elsie who may be old but is very young at heart, she takes you on her adventure, her story, her friends. An enjoyable read that left me "feeling" at the end. A little part of me has been opened forever to have patience and kindness for our older community.

I loved this book and could not put it down.
Well written and a touching subject.
Have a read you will not be disappointed.

This is a beautiful gem of a book. The second novel by Joanna Cannon, it is told mainly from the perspective of Florence, an elderly resident in sheltered accommodation who revisits her past when she recognises a newcomer to her community. This is a crime thriller, a mystery but above all a love letter to the elderly. Written with sensitivity and compassion, the novel is beautifully observed.

This is another one of those books. A book that I can’t stop recommending to people - just like Eleanor Oliphant last year. The first thing you’ll notice about this book is its gorgeous cover. It’s a Battenberg cake and just like Mr Kiplings, this book is definitely exceedingly good Three Things about Elsie is my new favourite book and I hope you’ll love it as much as I did.
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.
84-year-old Florence has had a fall in Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly. As she waits to be rescued, Florence wonders whether an awful hidden secret from her past is about to resurface; and, if the charming new resident is who he claims to be, why does he look identical to man who passed away sixty years ago? I’m determined to review this book with no spoilers, as you should definitely uncover the truth about Elsie for yourself. I really got lost in this book and felt like the characters were real people whose lives I was getting a peek into. Joanna Cannon’s new book asks us whether we can ever really know what’s going on below the surface in people’s lives and makes us think more deeply about the fact that tiny decisions we make can have huge and far reaching consequences. This book is just as delicious as the cake on its front cover and should definitely be enjoyed this Easter with a cup of tea and a slice of Battenberg cake – you’re in for a treat.

In my opinion, this book is better than The Trouble with Goats and Sheep. The story of Florence and Elsie will stay with me for a long time. I loved Florence's attitude to life even though she had health problems and was stuck in a care home and treated like a naughty child. I loved how the story progressed and how I was kept guessing to the end.

Three Things About Elsie is a sweet, poignant and funny story - Flo is a terrifically unreliable narrator, whose memory loss has a habit of blurring stories together and missing out key bits of information.

The book felt fairly predictable, and throughout the novel I kept bumping into the thought that "Elizabeth Is Missing did it better". However, this story brings with it its own originality through the characters (Flo and her posse at the sheltered accommodation) and the sly humour with which the story is narrated.

A touching look into how memory loss and dementia can affect a person, Three Things About Elsie is a story about compassion, friendship, loneliness and aging. Because of this, at times it felt like the mystery plot around which the story is told was redundant and unnecessarily confusing, though it ultimately provided key insights into Flo and Elsie's past that were critical in the final parts of the book.

For me, Three Things About Elsie was... boring. I found the pacing off, the mystery quite silly, the twist rather obvious and some plot points very convenient. I listened to the audiobook at double speed and got a refund on it. It's a shame as I like Joanna Cannon's writing in general, she has lovely turns of phrase, but both this and The Trouble with Goat's and Sheep could have done with a good pruning. As this is only her second novel I don't want to write her off just yet, but if twee mysteries are her thing I probably won't pick up anything else by her.

This is, on the surface, a sweet tale about friendship as you age and, on the other, a tragedy of life and mental health. A twisty, sometimes frustrating, sometimes overly saccharin story, that wraps up neatly and confidently. A fun read.

This is a beautifully written, carefully constructed, delicately balanced gem of a story. Florence, 84 and in a care home, has a best friend Elsie who is with her in the home and she takes us back through her life as she lies on the floor of her room after falling, waiting for help. Almost instantly I loved Florence, wanted to travel with her and enjoy her spark and her observations of life. There are some lovely passages that describe memories and the passing of time in prose loaded with meaning but never too drawn. In particular Florence - and Elsie - refer to a long second which is when the clock hesitates, just for a moment, long enough to give the extra time needed to make the right decision. The book is crammed with memorable characters both good and bad and there is a mystery that teeters throughout the story. I laughed out loud at parts, and I cried a bit too.

What a great book, Last of the Summer Wine meets Miss Marple, gentle humour with a dark edge. Flo was a great character, although I wasn't sure whether us readers were supposed to realise that Elsie wasn't really there. Also reminded me of Elizabeth is missing, using dementia as an obstacle in solving a crime.

Thank you for a review copy of this novel. Full review and thoughts on my blog soon

A beautifully descriptive story, told from the perspective of Florence, a lady living in sheltered accommodation and suffering with Alzheimer's. When a new resident arrives at the home, Florence's fractured memory is challenged with dredging through her past. Very interesting and loveable characters. I found the narrative a little difficult to follow with various revelations in terms of the plot not being explicitly stated or clarified, but it does reflect the mental state of the central character. An excellent read.

Told in the 1st person, Florence Claybourne, known as Flo by her close friends, (especially Elsie) has dementia. She wants to go back and remember precious events and pull forward her rich memories but just can’t find & retrieve them.

The story starts with Flo being taken to hospital. She is matter of fact, and quite wise as she tells of her life 1 month prior whilst living in sheltered accommodation.

Mainly via Flo’s voice a poignant, funny, dry and entertaining story is told. There is the insight of somebody who is forthright and uncompromising trying to manage workarounds for her memory loss; how she holds her tongue in some situations despite her strong points of view or loss of recollection. She thinks she’s perfectly able to live independently, but how do you cover up the surprise of having a cupboard full of Battenbergs, which you cannot account for? Mystery runs through the story when Ronnie Butler, a nasty blast from the past who died under mysterious circumstances is brought into the present when a suspicious doppelganger like gentleman called Gabriel Price moves into the accommodation. This triggers a wave of fractured memories for Flo, with something important and tangible just waiting to be grasped and remembered. There is something she cannot shake off and endeavours to recollect. Elsie her omnipresent friend, confident and guide is always there to provide company and support her whenever it is needed.

There are the ups and downs of living in sheltered accommodation and the shenanigans around the staff and their perspective on how they need to operate to keep residents safe - even if this makes them somewhat controlling, benignly eroding the residents independence, thinking they know best. But the oldies push the barriers and assert their wishes and points of view, usually out manoeuvring the none too sharp sheltered accommodation staff.

All the characters in the book are distinctive and memorable in their own right. Flo is lovable despite her cranky ways. It has the air of a sitcom about it, but with a more sober undertone. A really great, entertaining, quality read, that offers something a bit different with the most wonderful characterisation and an endearing revelation at the end.