Book Review- Annie Lyons' The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers for providing me with a copy of Annie Lyons’ novel, The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett, in exchange for an honest review.

Eudora Honeysett is eight-five years old and done with life. She decides that the most dignified death would be to pursue assisted suicide through a company in Switzerland. The process is not simple. It requires doctors appointments and months of thought, during which Eudora’s otherwise predictable life changes with the addition of new friends, including an unusual little girl named Rose and a fellow senior named Stanley. As Eudora discovers that there might be more to her life than she imagined, she is forced to confront difficult issues in her past.

I loved The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett. It’s an emotional journey that had me in tears for the last quarter of the story. I had to put the book down many times, because I became overcome with emotion. The best, most memorable books are ones that shake me to the core, and Lyons’ characters are sure to stay with me for a long time.

The story alternates between the present and Eudora’s younger years. We learn that trauma from Eudora’s early years has led her to put up walls, to protect herself. Octogenarian Eudora is tough, and even has a difficult time softening towards her cat, Montgomery. Lyons carefully balances the difficult senior Eudora, with the hurt child Eudora, giving us a well-rounded, relatable character.

I was struck by how much Eudora reminded me of my mother-in-law. This is not to say that they had similar situations, but more in the general way that senior Eudora has firm ideas about how a person should behave and tends to discredit activities that others use for joy. I also found my niece, Charis, in the character of Rose. Like my niece, Rose is an absolute force of nature, who gathers other people in her orbit. It’s a wonderful quality in a person, but it also means facing criticism by those less comfortable in their own skin. Eudora tries to resist Rose, but Rose simply won’t let her.

The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett is the perfect story to remind us to be compassionate towards others and to remember that we don’t always know the trials that other people face. It’s also a story about the importance of building our own tribe and that blood relatives are not our only family. Lyons has written an absolutely beautiful story with unforgettable characters. She is a new author discovery for me and I was thrilled to learn that she has written many other novels. I look forward to reading them all.

Book Review: Kevin Wilson's Nothing to See Here

Thank you to HarperCollins Publishers for providing me with a copy of Kevin Wilson’s novel, Nothing to See Here, in exchange for an honest review.

Madison Roberts seems to have it all. She’s gorgeous, wealthy, and has a perfect family: an adorable son and a handsome husband who is on track to become the next Secretary of State. Her situation changes, when she must take on her step-children, whose mother has recently died. It would be difficult enough to have twin ten-year olds brought into her family, but the twins have a special ability: They spontaneously combust.

The fire doesn’t hurt the twins, but it terrifies everyone else. Madison and her husband are fearful of the twins, worried for their property, and most important, they can’t let this secret destroy their political ambitions.

Madison hatches a plan to contact Lillian, her friend from boarding school. Madison and Lillian were former roomies and unlikely friends. Madison was from a rich family and Lillian was a scholarship kid, but the girls bonded over a shared love of basketball. Lillian’s time at the boarding school came to an abrupt end, when Madison got caught with cocaine and Madison’s father paid-off Lillian’s family, to have Lillian take the fall. Lillian’s life continued on a downhill trajectory, including dropping out of college, working low-level jobs, and living in her mother’s attic.

Although her life was destroyed due to Madison’s actions, Lillian still cares for her. She still has a teenage crush on the charismatic Madison and Madison knows it. Madison uses this leverage to ask Lillian to move into her guest house and become a short-term governess to the twins, Bessie and Roland. Lillian has zero experience with children and doesn’t even like them very much, but she accepts the job, as it puts her in proximity to Madison and provides an escape from her dismal life.

Taking care of Bessie and Roland isn’t easy, but Lillian quickly realizes that she can help these children. It changes not only the way she views herself, but also how she sees Madison.

I loved Nothing to See Here. It’s a quirky, quick read. The best parts were Lillian with the twins. The twins are initially distrustful of everyone, with good reason as they have just experienced a huge trauma ( no spoilers!), but Lillian manages to get them to drop their defenses. Lillian is not someone who is a natural choice to care for children. She has no training and can barely take care of herself, but in a delightful turn, taking care of the twins ultimately helps Lillian the most. It gives her purpose and direction. It pulls her out of her funk.

Lillian feels bonded to the twins, because she is similar to them. The twins are not asked how they feel and are kept as a secret obligation, rather than members of their own family. When Lillian’s mother accepted the bribe from Madison’s father, she didn’t consider how it would affect her daughter. Lillian and the twins have both experienced deep betrayal by their blood relatives.

Nothing to See Here is delightful, unexpected, and full of heart. I highly recommend it.

Book Review- Rachel Elliott's Whispers Through a Megaphone

Thank you to Steerforth Press for providing me with an advance copy of Rachel Elliott's novel, Whispers Through a Megaphone, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT - Miriam was raised by a mentally-ill and abusive mother, who told Miriam that her father was dead. Using intimidation, Miriam's mother drilled into her the need to be quiet and as a result Miriam does not speak above a whisper. Now in her mid-thirties, Miriam's mother has died and Miriam has not left her home in three years. Miriam does not have any family left, but she is not alone. She has a childhood best friend who visits and urges Miriam to rejoin the world. She also has a next door neighbor who has been gathering his courage to ask her out on a date. In addition, Miriam has been receiving mysterious postcards from a stranger. 

When Miriam finally decides to leave her home, she walks in the woods and meets Ralph. Ralph's marriage is imploding and he has run away from his wife, Sadie, who has revealed that she no longer loves him. Can Ralph and Miriam help each other face their fears and change their lives?

LIKE- Miriam is a complex and intriguing character. She is truly a wonderful protagonist and it was effortless to root for her as she worked through her obstacles. Her backstory and terrible neglect are heartbreaking. Whispers Through a Megaphone has a lovely twist when we find out  who is responsible for the mysterious postcards and it makes for an emotional read. 

Ralph's story is given nearly as much weight as Miriam's, making him a dual protagonist. Like Miriam, it's easy to root for Ralph, especially as he has been dealt a rough hand. His storyline features themes of love, nostalgia, and regret. When their marriage is falling apart, Ralph and Sadie both seek out long-lost loves from their youth. Time does not stand-still and they are both shocked by what they find when they try to recapture what has been lost. As a cat lover, I was endeared to Ralph by his adopting the stray cat. It made his time in the woods seem a little less pitiful. 

DISLIKE- Whispers Through a Megaphone has too many storylines. The onslaught of characters and stories has the negative effect of overshadowing Miriam and Ralph. It's not that the other characters are less interesting, I just felt overwhelmed and unable to keep focus, like I kept getting yanked from one story and pulled into another. I would have liked a deeper focus on Miriam and on her backstory. I was left wanting to know more about her mother and her childhood. Miriam and Ralph are both rich characters to whom an entire story could have been dedicated and although their friendship is lovely, I wondered if it was necessary. 

RECOMMEND- Maybe. Elliott has created complex characters and a surprising story. There are many aspects of Whispers Through a Megaphone that I enjoyed, but the lack of focus and too many characters made the pacing sluggish. I'd definitely read Elliott's next novel, but I didn't absolutely love Whispers Through a Megaphone.