The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett

July 15, 2020
Eudora Honeysett is 85 and wants the privilege of dying on her own terms. And soon, please. Growing up in England during World War II, 10-year-old Eudora watches her father go off to fight. When a knock on the door brings the devastating news that he will not be returning, Eudora finds herself living up to her promise to take care of her mother and sister. After a life of sacrifice and heartbreak interspersed with joyful moments, she now watches the world outside her window with a jaded eye. Eudora does some research and finds an agency in Switzerland that just might be the answer to her wish to die. She soon finds herself on the phone with the agency explaining why she is ready to pull the plug. In the midst of her death plans, a rambunctious knock at the door brings an annoyance in the form of 10-year-old Rose, a new neighbor who's irrepressibly joyful and not to be ignored. Rose introduces Eudora to Stanley, an elderly neighbor, and they soon become an unlikely trio, enjoying life at Rose's whim. When Eudora tells her pals she's off to Switzerland for a "vacation," Rose sends her off with a promise to bring back a Toblerone, and Stanley drives her to the airport. Then there is a phone call that challenges Eudora's plans and forces her to decide what really matters. Lyons' characters are unique and wonderful, portrayed with a depth that allows readers to understand their motivations and empathize with them. Her childhood promise directed most of Eudora's choices in life except for one that haunts her. Quirky, insightful Rose is bullied and thus gravitates to her kindly older friends. Stanley recently lost his wife and struggles to regain his footing. And yet the trio's unlikely camaraderie has the power to rejuvenate them all, showing that good friendship makes life worth living. A sensitive examination of human connections that can both damage and heal.

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July 27, 2020
Eudora Honeysett, a British woman in her twilight years, resolves to die on her own terms in the witty, endearing latest from Lyons (The Happiness List). After a fall on the pavement sends Eudora to the hospital, an encounter with another older woman in the waiting room (“ ‘Not long now for you and me,’ she wheezed,”) plants a seed in her mind, and she realizes she’s through with the pains, weakness, and fatigue of old age. She applies for a voluntary death provided by a medical clinic in Switzerland and marks her “Freedom” on the calendar, counting down the days until her appointment. Lyons unfurls Eudora’s life story, including her grief over losing her father in WWII, alongside a surprising new friendship for Eudora with Rose Trewidney, a 10-year-old spitfire who’s moved in next door and thrust herself into the daily routine of Eudora and her widower neighbor Stanley Marcham. As Eudora’s hardened exterior softens with this newfound kinship, she is still adamant about getting on with her plans (“If I can have the choice of how I live my own life, why can’t I choose how to die my own death?”). Lyons strikes a winning balance, reaching deep feelings while avoiding the traps of sentimentality. Agent: Laura Macdougall, United Agents LLP.

August 1, 2020
At 85, Eudora Honeysett has had a good life, not a great one, but one she's ready to give up on, thanks to all the heartbreak and betrayal she's endured from family, friends, and lovers. She's not depressed, she's just done and determined to face death on her own terms. As Eudora focuses on her decision to enroll at an assisted suicide clinic in Switzerland, the Trewidney family moves in next door, and try as she might, Eudora finds it nearly impossible to ignore the spunk and sass of seven-year-old Rose, who, unaware of Eudora's plans, gamely insinuates herself into Eudora's daily routine. Although it seems that Eudora never makes it to Switzerland, British author Lyons builds a certain and compassionate case for why her protagonist wants to go through vibrant flashbacks that reveal the depth of Eudora's character and sources of despair. Teeming with curmudgeonly elders and precocious youngsters, Lyons' touching tale of intergenerational friendship is reminiscent of Frederik Backman's A Man Called Ove (2014). Despite the somber underlying subject, this is a thoroughly enchanting feel-good read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)