I really enjoyed this. Wood finds herself with her elderly female relatives on a beach in Goa and takes the reader back in time to understand how she got here. The breakup of a long term relationship, the loss of a father figure without warning, and a general sense that life isn't where or what it should be, leads her to spend more time with her grandmother and grand aunts, appreciating them for their own life experiences, and the staunchness with which they approach the world. Wood spends weeks with these women, finding her own pace as she hears their stories and hopes that- somewhere inside her- there's something just as staunch. Lovely read, and on more than one occasion I laughed out loud with tears rolling down my face. Really adored these light hearted moments.

I really enjoyed going on Eleanor's Indian adventure with her grandmas! The format flits between a present day trip to India (her Grandmas' homeland) and her experiences prior to the trip. Mostly dramatic ones! - a few bad relationships thrown in etc. (Trigger warning for abuse).

This is an honest account of her messy 20's and her journey to finding where she wants to be, and where she fits in by her late 30's. All whilst surrounded by a fascinating family.

I enjoyed learning the history of her family who originated in British India, eventually moving over here to a much different way of life. Throughout this memoir runs the theme of the womens' experience within her family, and how they are all amazingly 'staunch', (the keep calm and carry on mentality) and how Eleanor strives to be part of that staunch clan, despite feeling a whole lot more emotional and sensitive than her fellow females!...

A good read. Especially if on/heading on holiday as you can lose yourself in the Indian trip Eleanor undertakes! I can almost hear the waves and feel the sand under my toes!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t realise until after I’d requested this that it is a memoir. That’s no problem though, as I do enjoy NF books as much as fiction.

I was worried before I started as I’d read a few reviews that the author felt a bit sorry for herself and was whiny. I could see that a little bit but probably wouldn’t have got that sense if it hadn’t been pointed out to me, but I did feel that the book was a little repetitive, particularly about the author herself. There wasn’t much of a story there, as much as she tried to make one. Far more interesting was the story behind her Nan and great-aunts and more should have been made of this.

The blurb on the front – ‘How three old ladies saved my life’ - is rather hyperbolic and is perhaps a reflection of the book as a whole – too much made of too little.

Still, it was enjoyable, if a little light on substance.

I'm not sure what I was expecting when I requested this book, but I definitely didn't realise it was a memoir of sorts, not that that's a bad thing!
A heartfelt account of a woman going through a lot of mental anguish, after the break up of a long term relationship, and the subsequent finding of herself, with the aid of her older female relatives, on a wonderful trip to Goa.
I enjoyed reading it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Staunch by Eleanor Wood

Eleanor is in her thirties and her life is in crisis! Her long term boyfriend has left as the relationship is no longer what he wants. She has lost her job and is struggling to pay her mortgage. She is offered the chance to go to India and retrace her family tree as British in India at the time of partition. Eleanor flies to Goa with her Nan and her nan’s sisters who are in their eighties. She learns about their life before and leading up to the partition and their life coming to England all of whom had never been her before. This all gives Eleanor a different concept to her life.

Really good book a bit jumpy but really shows the importance of family. A bit repetitive but on the whole a nice read once it gets going. 3.5/5

To be honest, I originally thought this was a chick-lit single girl goes on holiday with older relatives & meets love of her life story. It isn’t, it’s actually Eleanor’s auto-biographical story of a key part of her life & the lives of her family.
I don’t think I would have picked this book up in a bookshop, but I’m really glad I read it.
I admire the positivity applied to staunchness, being hard as nails and getting on with things, not getting over them.
I admire her elder relatives & found the stories of their younger lives fascinating.
At times I did become a tad impatient with the introspective thoughts & meandering, but in reality we are all guilty of this to some extent. It is what makes us human & personally it reassured me that over-thinking, obsessing over individual events & generally focussing on the negative rather than the positive is very human, very real & very true.
In this harsh world of social media, instant judgement, trolling, political & economic disruption, it was good to hear pragmatic recognition that whilst care & consideration for others is vital to society, Eleanor recognised that self-care, internal strength & self value are key steps to being staunch & finding her own internal strength.
A really engaging book that completely differs from my usual reading genre, that pulled me in from start to end & finished in a positive way, encouraging those who are not at that point in the journey to stop, reflect & take the time or action to make their own journey to a similar point.

I realised that his book is a tale of old and young. When Elenor goes on holiday with her 80+ grandmother and her two aunts this was going to be a lively read. Elenor who to be honest has a life full of crises learns an awful lot about her relatives and discovers the truth about herself.

I really enjoyed it and found it amusing. A great read.

I didn’t realise that the book was actually a memoir when I requested it.
It was slow to start however I did enjoy it.
The book was descriptive and really felt like you were there. I’ve been to India and I felt I was back there again which was great.
Enjoyable thank you

I didn’t realise that this is a memoir or I would not have read it, I never review biographies, auto biographies or memoirs....It’s reviewing a person...too personal....the review too easily for me could slip into personal comment, that is too unkind. When I read this I thought that it was a work of fiction. It is however, well written and compelling and I really hoped that Ells would get her act together by the end....she seems to have at least got things into perspective with the help of her family.

Enjoyable, introspective version of Eleanor Wood’s own life, on her website she describes this book as being her “memoir....a funny/sad book about heartbreak, mental health, history and holidays”. After reading this book I agree that this is totally accurate description and why should I, a non-writer type person, rephrase an accurate description.
During the last chapter she describes herself, and this seems to apply to many young adults of her social demographic, as an “overprivileged, mentally unstable white girl”.


My favourite line in this memoir “For some time now, I’ve felt like I am in the world very lightly” and thank you Netgalley for this free copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

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I actually quite liked this, but it equally annoyed me. Eleanor tries to be some hippy chic distressed 30-something, with few prospects. But then, as the story develops, it turns out she is surrounded by an amazing matriarchal family, with an awesome grandmother and elderly relations, with whom she has a fantastic and supportive relationship. So it was nice in the sense of family ties. But annoying in the sense that the author chose to portray Eleanor as a 'poor me' princess that the world owes something. Wouldn't recommend, as the annoyance outweighed the good. Just.

I knew after the first couple of pages that I was going to like this book. Told in the first person, Eleanor’s personality jumps off the pages and quickly draws in the reader. What I didn’t realise until way through the book is that this isn’t fiction, it’s a memoir of the authors life so far. This made it even more fascinating and a lot more meaningful.

After first setting the present day scene on a beach in Goa, India, you’re then taken back in time through all the trauma and upset set out in the blurb for the book.

The narrative is captivating, well I thought so. It’s like sitting down with someone you’ve just met while they pour out their life story so far. You wouldn’t think someone in their 30’s could have a particularly huge life story but so much has happened in Eleanor’s life not of her making, that you can’t help but feel huge empathy for her.

To quote the book description “A late 30s The Wrong Knickers meets Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”, having read neither I couldn’t comment on whether that is a true description or not. The writing style is chatty and fast paced, never dwelling for too long on each of the heartaches and heartbreaks in Eleanors life and there’s been a lot of heartache, not just with previous partners and boyfriends but the loss of her step-dad was a crushing blow to Eleanor who had a wonderful relationship with him.

It’s not just about Eleanor and her troubles, she describes the very close relationship she has with her nan. Her family – her grandmother and her grandmothers sisters were born in India and grew up there until India was given it’s independence from British rule in 1947. I learned so much about what happened in India and the partition when India was split up, with part of it becoming Pakistan. I didn’t know any of the history until reading this book.

The story isn’t told in any particular chronological order. It really is like sitting chatting to a friend who divulges their deepest thoughts. Always told with humour and kept light but then that is a part of who Eleanor is.

She shares the love and fondness she has for her family and what it is about her grandmother and her aunts that makes them, in the authors eyes, Staunch. Throughout the book, most of which is set on their holiday there, you get to meet the many different people they encounter on their holiday, you get a deep insight into Eleanor’s thoughts and life so far and you meet her lovely Nan and great aunts and learn about their lives both in India and here in England. A riveting read which I enjoyed very much.

Couldn't ever get to the point to decide if I did like this book or not. I found the main character to be rather self involved but did really enjoy the elements from her family.

Tough reading this as it is very tempting to stop!

I agree with other reviewers the start is heavy but eventually it seems to get to the main reason for the story. I throughly enjoyed the trip to India and was so drawn in that I was actually sad to leave too. The descriptiveness is lovely and I got to live it with the characters. I was annoyed with Ells, her naivety and insecurities but understood her journey to understand herself, it’s reflective and it resonated with me. Loved it eventually.

I desperately wanted to be part of this book and to be friends with all these wonderful staunch women. Following several generations of a family as they take a trip to India, this book neatly sidesteps the messy memoir category whilst still being true to life. Thanks NetGalley!

I found the beginning of the book a little heavy on the trials and tribulations of Eleanor who is trying to understand what the future might hold for her. As I got to know Eleanor better, I developed considerable empathy for her and sympathised with her disappointments in life.
How courageous of her to agree to accompany her grandmother and great aunts on a holiday to Goa. The book then began to be a real page turner. The family history was so interesting and enjoyed hearing how Eleanor spent her time in India..
What I particularly loved reading about was Eleanor's relationship with the three octogenarians. What wonderful characters! Each one different but all well rounded individuals. Through being kind and patient Eleanor listens and learns from their wisdom and experience. She develops a commendable maturer view on life. As Nan says "Find out what makes you happy and make the most of what you have."
Good luck Eleanor and thank you for letting me share your wonderful holiday and the company of your very special nan and aunts.

This book spoke to me on so many levels, absolutely nailed many characteristics of my own life and personality on the head! I binge read this in 2 sittings on a beach in Thailand and fell in love with the characters and internal struggles that befall us women as we hit middle age! I would live to read more and pray there will be further stories to come!

I struggled with this book. Had I realised at the start it was a memoir I don’t think I would have selected it.
It rolls along at a good pace and contains lots of history. The plot is a refreshing change from the usual and as Eleanor spends more time with her elderly relatives the more she learns about their past lives and of course it’s her history too.

Like other readers, I wasn't aware this was a memoir; the blurb for this book isn't very clear.
At the beginning it was quite a challenging read: a lovely person had got herself into a negative spiral due to a series of events.
However, a trip with her grandmother and great aunts empowers her to address her current situation and move on. The book is interspersed with stories of her relatives that is very inspiring.
I found this an interesting read and I am sure women in their 30s in particular will be inspired by this talented writer's story.
Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a truthful review.

I loved this book. It took a while for me to fully get into it but after that I was loving it. I loved the chances between time frames and how her life seemed to fall apart but actually helped her see what her life could become. Over I think this book should be read by young adults to prove that life may seem crap but can actually be pretty good

A very enjoyable read. I loved the descriptions of Goa and the relationships between Eleanor and her older relatives. A marvellous celebration of womanhood.