A warm and uplifting book, it was a great read I just wish There was more on India where the book was set.

A story that flits back across the decades. A troubled young lady who's recovering from a relationship, travels to India with her nan and two aunts. These ladies were Anglo-Indians but were forced to repatriate back to England in 1947..
The story tells of their life in India and the dramatic change once they arrive here. 
Ells enjoys exploring India and discovering herself. 
A light read that's a great story of relationships, family support and discovery.

This was such a refreshing read and thoroughly enjoyable. I started it not knowing what to expect as a book classified as spiritual is not really my thing but personally I wouldn't say it was spiritual but instead a funny heart warming read.  I also had to check I was actually reading a memoir as it reads very much like fiction which works well. 
Its very easy to get through in a couple of sittings and great escapism for the current times we are in.
thank you netgalley for this copy

Loved this! Such an honest and true and funny account of Eleanors life and trip to India. 
It's been a long time since I read a book due to covid 19 and this one didn't disappoint!

I don’t often read memoirs but was surprised at how easy this was to read. 

Each chapter is a different time period in the author’s life, but this isn’t confusing to follow. 

The memoir mainly details the author’s holiday to India with her grandmother and two great aunts. Some parts are quite amusing and I found I could picture them there. 
It also mentions difficult events in her past and how she has dealt with them. 
It isn’t a typical memoir that details her entire life story and this is probably why it’s so readable. I found I could relate to some parts and it isn’t too ‘woe is me’  or heavy going.

One of my favourite quotes was: ‘...you should get on with it as best you can. Some things will still always be there, underneath. Always’

The relationship between the author and her family is lovely, especially the relationship with her grandmother. You get a real sense of everyone’s personality and character and it’s clear she’s so grateful to have them in her life, supporting her. 

However, I found that the word ‘staunch’ was used a bit too often. I know it’s the title of the book and holds a lot of meaning for her, but I thought the overuse diluted the meaning and it became irritating. 

Overall, I read this quite quickly and enjoyed it. It’s different to my usual read. 

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. 

Thanks to HQ Harper Collins and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book for review.

This was a strange book.  The word Staunch is overly used.  It is the reflections of a woman on her life and how other female family members inspired her.  The historical aspect of the book was interesting but I felt the abusive relationships and poor me attitude of the main character overpowered the rest of the book.  I did not realise until after I had read it that it was someone's memoir,  I would have enjoyed the book if there was more about her relatives and their life in India and after they were repatriated to England.

This book came into my life at the perfect timing, I've never read anything quite like Staunch before. Starting off the book I did not realise that it was a memoir, it almost felt like fiction. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was hard not to devour in just one sitting. 
I was completely captivated by the narrative of this book and it nearly felt like I was catching up with an old friend, I really liked the chatty style writing and the humour. I just found the story so interesting, there was some great family history and I love learning new things from reading and this book gave me just that. 
What I liked more about this book was the focus on female family relationships, I loved their closeness and the exploration of what it means to be a "staunch" woman. I really felt like I was experiencing the journey these women were on with them. What really struck me was that the relationship between the author and her Nan is exactly what I would have wanted with my Nana if she was still alive, I wish she was still around, she was to me the very definition of a staunch woman. I think a lot of women will definitely relate to Eleanor's story.
I think author was so brave in detailing her personal struggles throughout the book.Despite some of the serious hardships throughout the book, I found it very entertaining and life-affirming. My only small gripe was that in stages it was slightly receptive, but other than that I couldn't fault Staunch. Very well written and makes an engaging read, I missed Eleanor for a while after finishing Staunch.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my copy.

The storyline was ok I enjoyed this read on the whole. I did feel though that the word staunch was inserted at periodic and unnecessary intervals to emphasise the book title rather than a more subtle undercurrent laced throughout the book.
Having said that I loved the strong female characters and the trip that they embarked on mostly.
Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley Uk for an Arc in return for a fair review.

You know when you pick up a book at exactly the right time? That's what happened with me and this. Reading it during Lockdown may not what Eleanor Wood have envisioned when she wrote this beautiful book, but the current circumstances really do suit reading this book. Many of us have way more time on our hands for introspection and self-reflection. Personally, I've found myself replaying moments of my past for better and for worse. Reading about Eleanor's journey into forgiving herself for past feelings and actions has given me a form of permission to do the same. Her experiences of 21st century life, the heartbreaks and tragic moments, are interspersed with those of her Grandmother and great aunts for very poignant effect. We forget all-too easily that our pain may be unique in terms of the exact combination of factors and consequences, but that the very act of feeling pain is truly universal - that fact should unite us not divide us. We should never feel that someone is more just in how they feel. Those are lessons I took away from reading Staunch. It's beautiful written and truly hopeful.

This is not my usual sort of read, memoirs are new to me. Eleanor writes with wit, wisdom and refreshing honesty and the octogenarians she holidays with are simply fabulous.

I find memoirs difficult to rate as you're effectively making a judgement on someone's life, so I've give this a neutral rating. We all have our own story and Eleanor Wood told hers honestly and with palpable emotion. I loved that her three female relatives helped her come to terms with her life and I think she should write a book about them next!

I absolutely loved this memoir, and found myself relating to so much of what was written. On a holiday to Goa with her Nan, and Great-Aunts, Eleanor finds herself learning how to become staunch. She has the time to reflect on her life and the series of events that have led her to hit her rock bottom. Losing loved ones has made her question whether she will ever find joy again, whether she can ever open her heart to love again. Or even just be content by herself. Through the stories of the women in her family, who are inspiring and wonderfully warm, she learns that nobody goes through life without grief, tragedy, loss. But learning to move beyond the hardest of times with grace and wisdom, means that life can feel joyful again. A searingly honest account of a woman daring to face her demons, striving to feel comfortable in her own skin, and become, like the women she so admires - staunch,

I enjoyed the writing style of this book, its very quick to get into and starts like a cheery chatty novel, in fact, I had to check and remind myself it was a memoir. This is the story of when Eleanor went to Goa with her grandmother and three aunts, her grandmother (and aunts) were all born in India and left around the time of partition and this story is as much about them as about her own journey. The books moves between the past of her grandmother and aunts, how it was for them when they first arrived in the UK, how they lived their lives and Eleanor's own history including her long term relationship and the disastrous relationships she had after that finished. The title comes form how Eleanor realises that these elderly women are staunch, that their history has made them tough and strong, and her own journey to realising that she too can be staunch. The parts that focus on Nan, Rose and Ann I really enjoyed from their excitement to being in India again and to hearing about their pasts, I found these held my attention and reminded me of how life was so very different and how it has shaped these women.

With thanks to Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

My thanks to HQ for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Staunch’ by Eleanor Wood in exchange for an honest review. It was published on 19 March.

From Publisher: “Eleanor finds herself in her late 30s on a beach in India with three old ladies, trying to ‘find herself’ and ‘discover her family history’ like some sad middle-class crisis cliché. How did she get here?”

This premise is a familiar one from women’s fiction and I had to remind myself more than once that this was a memoir. The three old ladies that Eleanor (Ellie) is travelling with are her grandmother and great-aunts. 

Wood’s reflections move between the present day holiday in India and events in her life such as the breakup of her twelve year relationship with K, and two rebounds. It’s kind of real-life ‘Fleabag’ territory. 

She also shares details of her family, who had lived in India since the nineteenth century and only returned to Britain in 1947, following Partition. The main reason for the trip is for her Nan and aunts to touch base with their roots one last time.

I don’t know if I would class it as a book about spirituality, though Ellie does write about her attempts to follow a healthy life style, including practicing yoga and meditation. 

There was a fair amount that I could relate to in Ellie’s reminiscences, even though I am older than her. It proved very readable, quite funny in places, and insightful.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

I finished this book over a week ago now but didn't get round to writing up this review because <em>so much </em>has been going on. You would've thought the lockdown would bring weeks of relaxation and boredom, but apparently that isn't quite the case in my house.
Anyway, onto the book. I honestly could have read the whole thing and not even realised it's a memoir. It's written in such a fantastic, rather comical way - it is thoroughly entertaining read despite the number of hardships and misfortune the author endures. These difficulties include bulimia, a break-up from a long-term, very serious relationship, surviving and escaping a pretty damn toxic relationship, and having her step-dad (who she is extremely close to) leave her mother, and thus, her.
Wood alternates between the 'current' day, where she is on holiday with three older female relatives in India, and the past - anywhere from her own past experiences to the childhood and history of her family members. It's amazing how much detail she includes, and the anecdotes from her grandmother's and great aunts' pasts sound like stories in their own right. It's quite amazing that it is all based on reality.
Side note, it's quite funny to me that the author's name is also Eleanor, and that she suffered with an eating disorder. It made me feel a kind of connection to her, I guess. I definitely related to her in a fair few ways.
Eleanor offers some surprisingly positive insights and revelations, especially toward the end of the book. For example, she describes how she has begun to accept the uncertainty of life and the impossibility of perfection all the time. She also mentions how she stops relying on disordered eating behaviours, as she realises that there is far more to life than shrinking yourself.
I really, really enjoyed this, which is quite surprising as I don't usually read memoirs or anything like this, really. Eleanor is portrayed as a really likeable and relatable character, and definitely very down-to-earth and raw in discussing her experiences and thoughts. 4.5 stars!

Let me start by saying that reviewing memoirs is incredibly difficult. Every memoir is unique, just as every individual's story is unique. 

This memoir told the story of one woman who, following a period of turmoil in her life, embarks on a trip to India with her grandmother. There were points at which the author was very thoughtful and reflective, while at other times I found her to be reductionist about large portions of history/culture and she came across as quite privileged. This made the book, for me, quite difficult to engage with.

The book is, in essence, an ode to the women in her life, most of whom she refers to as "staunch", for their strength and resilience in facing various challenges.

I've rated it neutrally as it feels only fair, though sadly I personally did not connect with the book in the way I would have liked.

Brilliant! 

Staunch looks at what it means to be a woman. The character of Ellie is so relatable, she feels out of sync with others her age and feels that everything she has endured is her fault.

The book jumps from time period to time period but when you give up trying to keep track of the chronology it is a joyous romp through Ellie and her grandmother’s lives. 

The book looks at mental health and why it is important that we take time to slow down and look after ourselves. 

My only slight criticism is that the word staunch is used excessively! There is no risk of forgetting the book’s name!

This is heart rending and honest, a book which makes the reader think. By no means an easy read -. it is shocking in places yet gripping enough that you don't want to put it down. A book to read in the height of #metoo.

I have a new goal in life. I want to be staunch. 

Let me explain.

I like to think that I am not a person driven by fear. I don’t worry unnecessarily. I respond to things rather than over-thinking. However, for the past seven days (at the time of writing) I have been holed up in one room fearing the world. A virus is ripping through the country and because of my weakened immune system and the medication that I take to control my immune system I am not embarrassed to say that I am scared. Terrified, even.

So when I read something as uplifting, as courageous and as heart-warming as Staunch by Eleanor Wood I am genuinely given hope. This story of one woman’s admiration for the brave women in her family made me stop and pause, to reassess. I travelled with these ladies to their mother country. I shared their experiences – both good and bad. I revelled in their victories and had my heart squeezed by their failures. In truth, I lived their stories as I read the page.

It reminded me that whilst things are pretty crappy at the moment (and believe me, they are) that things will get better and easier and there will be things to look forward to eventually. It was the first fluttering in my belly of maybe one day being staunch.

Staunch by Eleanor Wood is available now.

For more information regarding Eleanor Wood (@eleanor_wood) please visit her twitter page.

For more information regarding HQ (@HQstories) please visit www.hqstories.co.uk.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to give a true and honest review.

This was not the compelling story of feminine strength I had hoped it would be.  I felt their may have been some Bridget Jones esq humour but it sadly just fell flat.

The brutal abuse by her boyfriend physically sickened me and the amazing strong female relatives and the enlightenment of a trip to Goa felt sadly two dimensional and far from as enlightenment (Eat, Pray, Love), it came across more spoilt and indulgent.

The realisation of her lifes lack of direction and issues during therapy were interesting but again nothing that we don't all experience as women during our life.

I was looking for a strong feminist role model and found the author both repetitive at times and excessive in the use of "staunch", ultimately it felt like a means of convincing herself she was ok, and she is very normal but the story itself sadly felt lacking depth and true emotion.

Sadly this was not for me and I felt underwhelmed and disappointed in its conclusion.