Three things about Elsie - spoilers!

[pumpingRSI]

So I read a lot, consider myself intelligent but I don't get it.

I guessed the third thing about Elsie ie shhhh imaginary. But I don't get the plot of Gabriel vs Ronnie, who killed who in a car. Elsie's sister. Anyone enlighten me as t'interweb is just full of glowing reviews without spoilers.

[WaterBird]

Tried reading it a few months ago and just couldn't really get into it. I really disliked the main character's persodlity. Though I suppose something could have happened to her to make her so difficult.

[hippipotamiwantstoloseapound]

Keep reading. All becomes clear at the end and you'll have an 'ooooooooh' moment.
I found the book hard going. But persevered and was glad I did.

[pumpingRSI]

Ah but I have finished it! What did I miss?!

[ThePrioryGhost]

Ok so here’s my take on it, several months late!

• Florence went after Ronnie
  
• Ronnie hit Beryl with his car deliberately, despite Florence attempting to stop him
  
• Ronnie then threatened Florence and Elsie into staying quiet
  
• Even though they didn’t go to the dance any more, Florence always slept at Elsie’s house on a Saturday night
  
• By this point, Elsie had met her young man, Albert
  
• On a particular Saturday after Beryl died, Florence went to look at the dance but it was too quiet. Elsie’s house was quiet too, so she went to hunt down Ronnie
  
• Ronnie meanwhile was planning to murder itinerant musician Gabriel Honeyman/Price and steal his identity
  
• Florence followed Ronnie and pushed him into the water
  
• She thought she had killed him
  
• In fact he swam to the bank, waited for Gabriel Price, stole his ID and shoved him into the river
  
• Months later when a body washed up, it was assumed to be Ronnie
  
• Florence got back to Elsie’s house to find it was on fire
  
• She believed she had caused the fire
  
• The fireman (who turned out to be Handy Simon’s father) saved the entire family save for Elsie, who died
  
• Only at the end of the book, 60 years later, did Florence realise Ronnie had set the house on fire trying to kill her as the witness to his running over Beryl
  

So the third thing about Elsie was either that she was dead all along - or that Florence was in love with her (see the comments about her secret; “in those days you couldn’t say a word”; as long as she had a piece of Elsie; how she had to use the remnants of other people’s lives to decorate her own etc).

I may be wrong though

[Gentlemanwiththistledownhair]

ghost that was my summary too. The only thing that I don't think was tied up was what had happened to Alice, ie the hairdresser's daughter whose name was tatooed on her wrist? The author made a big deal of mentioning her a few times, but I didn't spot a conclusion.

Also interesting was the man on the barge's daughter was Gloria, the cook at the home (clever because he was hinting at her being much more important than that, so makes you doubt the rest of what he was saying). And that Mrs Honeyman was the real Gabriel Price's widow, that was a lovely but very sad twist.

[ThePrioryGhost]

I think Alice was either born sleeping or died as a baby because of the comments that nobody ever mentioned her, and Cheryl saying “she was born 3 years ago.”

I didn’t spot the barge/Gloria connection, wow!! She clearly does unreliable narration really well.

Have you read her first book?

[TinklyLittleLaugh]

Have to say I was quite underwhelmed by it. I keep reading things with glorious reviews that turn out to be quite hackneyed and disappointing.

[Totallyhere]

The third thing about Elsie is not that she’s dead and that Florence is talking to herself. That’s obvious from the start and not really a twist. The third thing about Elsie which she reveals at the end (without spelling it out) is that she loved Elsie romantically.

[VashtaNerada]

I enjoyed parts of this book because it’s unusual to have an elderly protagonist but I was so disappointed at how OBVIOUS it was that Elsie wasn’t real. I wish it had been more of a ‘reveal’. And yes, Alice died young. The fact that Florence (& Alice’s mother) still considered her as being present somehow was meant to mirror Florence’s attitude to Elsie.

[Gentlemanwiththistledownhair]

Ah, vashta, I like that explanation!

Ghost, no this is the only one I've read. Is her first one worth it? I'm in two minds about how much I actually enjoyed Elsie. It was very readable and I liked the connectivity of it all, but it made me feel really quite sad from very early on and that emotion didn't really change.

[Gentlemanwiththistledownhair]

Also totally I'm not convinced that the third thing was that she loved her romantically. I do agree that that was the final twist though. I think the third thing is the obvious fact that she's imaginary because early in the book, Elsie says she's forgotten the third thing and surely she'd remember how she loves her?

Or does Elsie actually say "I'll come back to the third thing" rather than "I've forgotten the third thing"? I can't remember and the book has gone back to the library!

[Howtotrainyourhamster]

I can’t even remember the first two things!
I wasn’t sure if it was Elsie being imaginary (which was obvious early on) or Florence being in love with her which was the third thing.
I found it readable but cloying and sentimental and over written in parts, with too much personification of random things.

[ChessieFL]

It wasn’t obvious to me that Elsie was imaginary. That for me was a real twist when it was revealed. I’m sure if I reread there will be lots of clues but I was genuinely shocked when it was revealed.

[Howtotrainyourhamster]

I think it just reminded me of other things where a key ‘friend’ character turns out to be imaginary - The History of Love was one, and A beautiful mind, though that was a film. I noticed that the other characters never spoke directly to Elsie and she always spoke through Florence. It was cleverly done, though.

[ThePrioryGhost]

Gentleman - I haven’t read it either! It’s called something like “the trouble with sheep and goats”, I think. I’ve read mixed reviews, so wondered if anyone here could confirm whether they liked it.

[Totallyhere]

Yes the main thing that gave away the fact she wasn’t there for me was noone else spoke to Elsie directly and she would almost appear at locations. I personally think the third thing was she loved Elsie. It seemed that way to me in the way it was addressed at the end of the book. I don’t think the fact she was in her head would be something she’d have as her third thing because she’s never fully aware of that. But she does know she loves her. Im sure it’s all open to interpretation though. I loved this book. They reminded me of real people and I really liked Jack.

[Totallyhere]

Oh and I read the trouble with sheep and goats too. It’s very good in the way it portrays how children think. I read it before three things about Elsie. I think I prefer the latter but it’s definitely a good read.

[pumpingRSI]

Wow, how did I miss so much in the book?! I got the fire and the Ronnie / Gabriel thing. And I was aware that Elsie wasn't there. But this massive reveal people talk about was subtle and is still open to interpretation.

I've moved onto other books which are exactly enjoyed more - the latest which broke my heart was We Must Be Brave

[Unshi]

Elsie's Albert is Al bowlly , as in the book Elsie said she wanted to tell him about the danger and take shelter rather than read the book, they danced to Al Bowlly at the town Hall