The Seven Rules of Elvira Carr: A Novel

by Frances Maynard

Overview

"The inevitable comparisons to Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Project (2013) and Julia Claiborne Johnson's Be Frank with Me (2016) are natural, but Ellie's authentic voice offers a fresh perspective on being different."—Booklist

Feel-good women's fiction that takes one very particular woman out of her comfort zone to learn the truth about her family and her place in the world.

Elvira Carr believes in rules. She also strongly believes in crisp schedules, clear guidelines, and taking people at face value. Not that the twenty-seven-year-old sees many people. After several unfortunate incidents, her overbearing mother keeps her at home.

But when her mother has a stroke and lands in a nursing home, Elvira is suddenly on her own, and the story she's always heard about her father starts to show some obvious holes. To help her navigate the puzzles of her changing world, she draws up seven ironclad rules and sets out to take charge of her life, her way.

An uplifting story full of courage, perseverance and curious charm, The Seven Rules of Elvira Carr, is fresh novel about finding your place for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, and The Cactus by Sarah Haywood.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492649274
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	07/11/2017
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	792,785
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

Editorial Reviews

05/15/2017
Maynard, who teaches adults with learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders, draws on her professional experience for her fiction debut. At age 27, neuro-atypical Elvira Carr has largely been sheltered from the outside world. When her well-meaning but overbearing mother is confined to a nursing home following a stroke, Elvira must unexpectedly learn to navigate an unfamiliar social landscape and her family history. Her next-door neighbor helps Elvira understand the often perplexing language and behavior of the “NormalTypicals” Elvira encounters during volunteer work at her mother’s nursing home and at the local zoo, but Elvira is left to figure out many of the titular rules for social behavior on her own. Meanwhile, she begins to suspect that there may be more to the story of her now-deceased father’s long absences during her childhood than she had previously been led to believe. The author’s portrait of Elvira’s inner life is nuanced, even if the “rules” structure at times hinders the narrative. Unfortunately, the reader is unlikely to be surprised by any of the story’s revelations, which are unearthed through deliberate, near-plodding pacing. (July)

Publishers Weekly

"Debut novelist Maynard puts her background as a teacher of adults with learning difficulties to good effect in crafting this heartwarming coming-of-age story. Perfect for book clubs and for readers who enjoyed The Rosie Project and Julia Claiborne Johnson’s Be Frank with Me." — Library Journal

"The inevitable comparisons to Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Project (2013) and Julia Claiborne Johnson’s Be Frank with Me (2016) are natural, but Ellie’s authentic voice offers a fresh perspective on being different. " — Booklist

From the Publisher