The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett

“The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett” was one of the books I read for my book club recently. It’s the story of an 85-year-old woman who is simply waiting to die; however, it’s taking too long so she decides to seek help from an assisted suicide facility to end life on her own terms. But just as she makes that decision, a new family moves in next door and Eudora meets 10-year-old Rose. These two unlikely friends form a close bond, making Eudora question what it means to really live life as it’s coming to an end.
I didn’t dislike this book, but I didn’t like it either. I thought it was “cute,” but I’ve read a couple of other books with the same storyline that I’ve liked better. For example, one of my favorite books, “A Man Called Ove” is about an elderly man who befriends his new next-door neighbors, a young family with two chatty little girls. Again, very similar plot but I liked the Ove book so much more mostly for the writing and character development.
At my book club, there were some people that liked the book and others that didn’t. I was ambivalent, which means I won’t be reading Eudora again. There are just too many really great books out there to re-read, and sadly for me, this wasn’t one (but I do recommend “A Man Called Ove” instead!)