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Résumé
Résumé
She's lived by the rules her whole life. Now she's rewriting them--one brave step at a time.
Elvira Carr is twenty-seven, neurodivergent, and unaccustomed to the unpredictable world outside her front door. She prefers tea at four o'clock, polite honesty, and a precise schedule. Most of all, she likes rules--rules help her make sense of a life that can feel overwhelmingly uncertain.
But when her overbearing mother suffers a stroke and is placed in care, Elvira is left to manage on her own. Alone. Untested. Unready. Or is she?
To stay safe--and maybe uncover long-buried truths about her family--Elvira devises seven rules for interacting with people. But as her world begins to widen, she learns that some rules are meant to be questioned... and others broken entirely.
The Seven Rules of Elvira Carr is a feel-good contemporary novel filled with heart, humor, and quiet courage. Readers who loved Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and The Rosie Project will find an unforgettable companion in Elvira--whose journey proves it's never too late to grow, connect, and take charge of your own life.
Praise for The Seven Rules of Elvira Carr:
"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..." -- Library Journal
"...Ellie's authentic voice offers a fresh perspective on being different. " -- Booklist
Critiques (3)
Critique du Publishers Weekly
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.
Critique de Booklist
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
Critique du Library Journal
[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.