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Summary
Summary
"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.
Reviews (3)
Publisher's Weekly Review
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) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Debut author Maynard never uses labels to describe Elvira Carr, a different young woman with a social awkwardness that causes her mother to isolate her from the rest of the community. When her mother suffers a stroke and is moved to a nursing home, Ellie constructs a plan for surviving on her own, creating seven rules to help her fit into a world she doesn't always understand. Initially frustrated that the rules don't always seem to work, Ellie struggles to find her place and convince those around her that she can care for herself, but she soon discovers that the people who count don't need her to change. Maynard paints a charming character in Ellie that will make readers smile and occasionally want to take her under a protective arm. Ellie's narration grabs readers' hearts by placing them in the middle of her anxiety about doing the right thing. 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.--Babiasz, Tracy Copyright 2017 Booklist
Library Journal Review
[DEBUT] At 27, Elvira Carr has led an extremely sheltered life owing to the "incidents" caused by her "condition." Readers will quickly realize that Elvira is someone on the autism spectrum and will be reminded of Don Tillman in Graeme Simsion's The Rosie Project. When her mother suffers a stroke and ends up in a nursing home, Elvira is suddenly thrust into a world she finds quite alien. Arming herself with a list of seven rules and the help of next-door neighbor Sylvia, Elvira is determined to survive. Some rules are easier to follow than others. A shopping trip with Sylvia goes a long way toward Rule #2: "If you look or sound different you won't fit in." Others take some time to understand, such as Rule #5: "Not everyone who is nice to me is my friend." In the end, Elvira follows her rules to a new life. Verdict 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.-Catherine Coyne, Mansfield P.L., MA © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
