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yvo_about_books's review
4.5
Finished reading: March 13th 2023
“Life is precious and as long as we have a reason to continue, we should follow that path.”
I have a weak spot for contemporaries with older main characters, and I've been meaning to read The Brilliant Life Of Eudora Honeysett ever since it was first published back in 2020. I also love a story with a focus on unlikely friendships, and the connection between Eudora, Rose and Stanley sounded wonderful. What I can say is that I'm definitely kicking myself for not reading this story sooner! I highly enjoyed my time with this book, and I can understand why it has such a high rating. The Brilliant Life Of Eudora Honeysett can be divided into two storylines: the present with the focus on the unlikely friendship between Eudora, Rose and Stanley and Eudora's decision to end her life on her own terms, and the flashbacks to different points in Eudora's past. I do have to say that I thought the present timeline was stronger and I felt more invested in what happened there. Not that the flashbacks aren't interesting, but they are quite bleak and especially Eudora's younger sister Stella was horrible. I'm never a fan of a cheating element either... Thankfully, the present does manage to distract you from the past, and the flashbacks do help explain why Eudora is the way she is. What made this story work so well for me has a lot to do with the fact that it's so easy to connect to Eudora and the rest of the cast in the present, and I loved seeing the connection between her and both Rose and the other characters grow. It's a character driven story, and as such their development is strong and realistically done. I liked the balance between lighter moments and more serious topics, and the ending itself was refreshing. All in all The Brilliant Life Of Eudora Honeysett definitely turned out to be a winner for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Animal death, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Death of parent, Miscarriage, Infidelity, Bullying, Dementia, and Suicide attempt
linesiunderline's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
I’d say this book was exactly what I expected going in - gentle, heartfelt and heartwarming, sad but with a sense of hope, wistful, and a little bit funny.
Strengths included:
- Eudora’s voice and strong personality (I’d have a cup of tea with her any day)
- Rose was utterly delightful, you could feel her joie de vivre and quirkiness springing off the page
- the dynamic between Stanley, Rose, and Eudora
- deft handling of the past and present storylines
I just wish I’d felt a sense of being in some way surprised by the book, or finding something I hadn’t anticipated in the story. It certainly was satisfying and endearing though.
Readalikes include: The Lido, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, A Man Called Ove, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
Strengths included:
- Eudora’s voice and strong personality (I’d have a cup of tea with her any day)
- Rose was utterly delightful, you could feel her joie de vivre and quirkiness springing off the page
- the dynamic between Stanley, Rose, and Eudora
- deft handling of the past and present storylines
I just wish I’d felt a sense of being in some way surprised by the book, or finding something I hadn’t anticipated in the story. It certainly was satisfying and endearing though.
Readalikes include: The Lido, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, A Man Called Ove, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Death of parent, Terminal illness, and Medical content
Minor: Domestic abuse and Suicide attempt
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