Three Things about Elsie A Novel

Florence Claybourne, age eighty-four, has fallen in her apartment at the Cherry Tree Home for the Elderly, and, while she awaits rescue, she ponders a secret from her past and whether it may soon be revealed by the arrival of a man she thought had died sixty years ago.

I loved the characters in this book.

Simon:
“Was I planned?” He once asked his mother.
“You were a surprise,” she told him. “A miracle.”
“Like Jesus?”
“Not quite like Jesus,” she said.

Florence:
“You're very maudlin this afternoon, Florence.”
“I'm just commenting,” I said. “I'm not allowed to do very much anymore, but I'm still allowed to comment.”

Florence:
“I've never done anything remarkable. I've never climbed a mountain or won a medal. I've never stood on a stage, and been listened to, or crossed a finishing line before anyone else. When I look back, I have led quite an ordinary life. I sometimes wonder what the point of me was. Does God have a plan, and where does he see me fitting into it?”

I love the plot in this book.

I love the writing in this book.

I love the philosophy behind this book.

It's really more than a four-star read, but just a hair away from a five-star. But you know what? I think I'm rounding up.