Joanna Cannon

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 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 sixty 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:1) The fine threads of humanity will connect us all forever.2) There is so very much more to anyone than the worst thing they have ever done.3) Even the smallest life can leave the loudest echo.

Three Things about Elsie

Sonja H

Nachdem ich letztes Jahr so begeistert von „Der Sommer der schwarzen Schafe“ von Joanna Cannon war, hatte ich mich riesig auf ihr neues Buch gefreut. Leider aber bin ich mit „Three Things about Elsie“ so gar nicht klargekommen.

Zunächst einmal tat ich mich schwer damit, Zugang zu den Protagonisten zu finden. Während die Stimme von Florence recht deutlich und laut ist, gehen alle anderen ein wenig unter darin und unterscheiden sich kaum von ihr. Jeder ist verständnisvoll und liebenswert und kämpft mit der Vergesslichkeit – mir fehlte die Abwechslung in den Charakterzügen. Selbst der Antagonist ist nicht wirklich böse. Ich weiß jedoch aus Erfahrung, dass gerade Demenz Menschen verändern und sie aggressiv und nicht sehr liebenswert werden lassen kann. Wieso ist in diesem Buch davon nicht die Rede, wieso wird das Alter hier durch die etwas rosarote Brille betrachtet?

Einige Figuren erschlossen sich mir überhaupt nicht – so zum Beispiel „Handy Simon“, dessen Anteil in dieser Geschichte ich nicht verstanden habe. Meiner Meinung nach war er überflüssig und nur ein weiteres „süßes“ Element.

Mich störten auch all die Lebensweisheiten, die immer wieder in Dialogen auftauchten. Es ist so klischeehaft, so überladen und belehrend. Ja, die Autorin hat als Psychiaterin gearbeitet und sicherlich sind dies Themen, die im Laufe ihrer beruflichen Laufbahn immer wieder ans Licht kamen, dennoch fand ich sie hier fehl am Platz. Man wird nicht automatisch weiser, je älter man wird. Es gibt durchaus genug Leute, die sich der Einsicht sperren und kein bisschen klüger werden, sondern vielmehr verstockter und unzugänglicher.

„Three Things about Elsie“ ist toll geschrieben, keine Frage, aber ich hatte das Gefühl, mich in einem Süßigkeitenladen zu befinden, in dem alles so niedlich aussieht, rosa und gelb und blau schimmert und das wahre Leben nur durch das Schaufenster betrachtet wird.

Deutlich besser hat mir „Elizabeth is Missing“ von Emma Healey gefallen, die sich einem ähnlichen Thema widmet.

The bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep delivers a suspenseful and emotionally satisfying novel “infused with warmth and humor” (People) about a lifelong friendship, a devastating secret, and the small acts of kindness that bring people together. 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 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, she thinks about her friend Elsie and wonders if a terrible secret from their past is about to come to light. If the charming new resident is who he claims to be, why does he look exactly like a man who died sixty years ago? From the acclaimed, bestselling author of The Trouble with Goats and Sheep, Three Things About Elsie “breathes with suspense, providing along the way piercing, poetic descriptions, countless tiny mysteries, and breathtaking little reveals…a rich portrait of old age and friendship stretched over a fascinating frame” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). This is an “amusing and heartbreaking” (Publishers Weekly) story about forever friends on the twisting path of life who come to understand how the fine threads of humanity connect us all.

A Novel

Three Things About Elsie

Elizabeth Garza

It was a pleasant read but got tedious after a while. However, as a young person reading a book from the POV of someone who is 84, it was very existential-crisis-inducing at times.

Southern Today Gone Tomorrow

Written by Joanna Cannon, Three Things About Elsie (oh look, where you can pick up a copy of the book) follows Florance, a woman in an assisted living facility in England who is faced with the possibility of getting moved to a home for those who need more help. But, when a man joins who looks eerily like someone from her past, she must figure out who he is, despite her best friend Elsie’s persuasion.

This isn’t a novel I would have ever picked up for myself, but was the book club book of the month, so I read it. And I enjoyed it. I won’t be reading it again, but that has more to do with the fact that currently I don’t relate to the book.

The characters of marvelous (and the twists wonderful), but the writing style is done in such a way so that, pretty quickly into the book, you know that Florence has some level of memory issues.

Honestly, my favorite character was Jack, a man who came to Florence’s aid and actually tried to help her.

This is a book that brings up a lot of discussions of not only how crimes are handled, but what that lose of memory and aging in general can do to a person. It was a bitter sweet novel. Honestly, its a good book club book or if you are the kind of person who enjoys reading novels that are comments on aspects of the human condition.

Krista Kirby

This book was surprisingly good. I didn't love it and I didn't hate it, but I give 4 stars instead of 3 because I ended up enjoying this so much more in the end.

Kate

Three Things About Elsie was a surprising yet heartfelt and gentle story, with lovable characters and a mystery that kept me turning its pages.

Katrina Meyers

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Joanna Kacz

Joanna Cannon (Psychiatrist)

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 a man who died sixty years ago?