cover194990-mediumFrom Goodreads: ” Infused with the emotional power of Me Before You and the irresistible charm of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Be Frank with Me, a moving and joyous novel about an elderly woman ready to embrace death and the little girl who reminds her what it means to live.
Eudora Honeysett is done with this noisy, moronic world—all of it. She has witnessed the indignities and suffering of old age and has lived a full life. At eighty-five, she isn’t going to leave things to chance. Her end will be on her terms. With one call to a clinic in Switzerland, a plan is set in motion.
Then she meets ten-year-old Rose Trewidney, a whirling, pint-sized rainbow of color and sparkling cheer. All Eudora wants is to be left alone to set her affairs in order. Instead, she finds herself embarking on a series of adventures with the irrepressible Rose and their affable fellow neighbour, the recently widowed Stanley—afternoon tea, shopping sprees, trips to the beach, birthday celebrations, pizza parties.
While the trio of unlikely BFFs grow closer and anxiously await the arrival of Rose’s new baby sister, Eudora is reminded of her own childhood—of losing her father during World War II and the devastating impact it had on her entire family. In reflecting on her past, Eudora realizes she must come to terms with what lies ahead.
But now that her joy for life has been rekindled, how can she possibly say goodbye?“

My Review

What a lovely book! I really enjoyed this story of Eudora Honeysett, an eighty-five year old lady who’s ready to die, and makes arrangements to go to a clinic in Switzerland to pass away. She’s tired of feeling old, and wants to be in charge of how she ends her days, instead of being pushed from pillar to post by doctors and nurses. Little does she know that her life is about to change when her new 10 year old neighbour Rose, bursts into her life with colour and noise!!

I liked Eudora and totally understood how she felt about wanting to be in charge of her death. She was a bit rude at times, especially in the beginning of the book, but as she made friends with Rose and the other people she came into contact with, she became more pleasant. Rose was a fantastic character! I could see her in her clashing colourful clothes hopping from foot to foot in excitement.

This book was full of wonderful characters who made me laugh, and also brought a lump to my throat. I enjoyed the use of Eudora’s past history to learn more about her life and why she was the way she was. She’d had a lot of sadness in her life, so much so that at times I wanted to reach into the book and give her a big hug.

Annie Lyons, a new-to-me author has written a really lovely story about friendship, family, regret and letting go of the past. I highly recommend this if you enjoy heartwarming, contemporary fiction.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and Harper Collins, One More Chapter for my digital copy.