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Eloise
She was a daughter, a wife, a mother. She was my friend. But what secrets did Eloise take to her grave?
After her best friend Eloise dies from breast cancer, Cathy is devastated. But then Cathy begins to have disturbing dreams that imply Eloise's death was not all it seems.
With a history of depression, Cathy is only just recovering from a nervous breakdown and her husband Chris, a psychiatrist, is acutely aware of his wife's mental frailty. When Cathy tells Chris of her suspicions about Eloise's death, as well as her ability to sense Eloise's spirit, Chris thinks she is losing her grip on reality once again.
Stung by her husband's scepticism, Cathy decides to explores Eloise's mysterious past, putting herself in danger as she finds herself drawn ever deeper into her friend's great - and tragic - secret.
After her best friend Eloise dies from breast cancer, Cathy is devastated. But then Cathy begins to have disturbing dreams that imply Eloise's death was not all it seems.
With a history of depression, Cathy is only just recovering from a nervous breakdown and her husband Chris, a psychiatrist, is acutely aware of his wife's mental frailty. When Cathy tells Chris of her suspicions about Eloise's death, as well as her ability to sense Eloise's spirit, Chris thinks she is losing her grip on reality once again.
Stung by her husband's scepticism, Cathy decides to explores Eloise's mysterious past, putting herself in danger as she finds herself drawn ever deeper into her friend's great - and tragic - secret.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 334 reviews
November 7, 2019
Don't waste your time, unless you enjoy juvenile name-dropping and working in what appear to be travel adverts for a certain locale, as part of the plot. I think the author's TV status must have allowed some of this to escape the editing process but, unfortunately, it didn't escape me. Simply put, it's written poorly but, it could have worked with some professional editing. A torture to finish due to the repetitive descriptions and explanations that, even a child could grasp the first time. I was drowning in the unending woes of the main character; a whingy, whining, tormented, basket-case recovering from a breakdown, who thinks she is being haunted by the ghost of her dead friend. OK, so far so bad, but it could work, if the author didn't also add to the poor fool's suffering, a self absorbed husband who treats her like a two year old and...are you ready?....all is forgiven at the happy ending when she takes him back claiming, 'he is the love of my life'. Someone should have told Judy that simpering women went out with hoop skirts. Sorry....a thorough waste of good money and precious time. Avoid at all costs!
November 3, 2012
She was a daughter, a wife, a mother. She was my friend. But what secrets did Eloise take to her grave?
After her best friend Eloise dies from breast cancer, Cathy is devastated. But then Cathy begins to have disturbing dreams that imply Eloise's death was not all it seems.
With a history of depression, Cathy is only just recovering from a nervous breakdown and her husband Chris, a psychiatrist, is acutely aware of his wife's mental frailty. When Cathy tells Chris of her suspicions about Eloise's death, as well as her ability to sense Eloise's spirit, Chris thinks she is losing her grip on reality once again.
Stung by her husband's scepticism, Cathy decides to explores Eloise's mysterious past, putting herself in danger as she finds herself drawn ever deeper into her friend's great - and tragic - secret.
I wouldn't describe this as a ghost story, it wasn't particularly eerie or frightening although the author tried to make it so. It actually read more like a travelogue of Cornwall than anything else. I enjoyed the descriptions of Cornwall but really there wasn't any need for the details of the names of the hotels/pubs/cafes etc...
I found Cathy really annoying and her husband an absolute pain! In fact I didn't really like any of the characters except perhaps the children. The constant harping on about motherly love was just too much, I understood that she loved her children and that Eloise loved her children and that Juliana loved her children - yawn yawn yawn. And the description of adolescents as "babies" is a major irritant.
All in all I was glad to finish it.
After her best friend Eloise dies from breast cancer, Cathy is devastated. But then Cathy begins to have disturbing dreams that imply Eloise's death was not all it seems.
With a history of depression, Cathy is only just recovering from a nervous breakdown and her husband Chris, a psychiatrist, is acutely aware of his wife's mental frailty. When Cathy tells Chris of her suspicions about Eloise's death, as well as her ability to sense Eloise's spirit, Chris thinks she is losing her grip on reality once again.
Stung by her husband's scepticism, Cathy decides to explores Eloise's mysterious past, putting herself in danger as she finds herself drawn ever deeper into her friend's great - and tragic - secret.
I wouldn't describe this as a ghost story, it wasn't particularly eerie or frightening although the author tried to make it so. It actually read more like a travelogue of Cornwall than anything else. I enjoyed the descriptions of Cornwall but really there wasn't any need for the details of the names of the hotels/pubs/cafes etc...
I found Cathy really annoying and her husband an absolute pain! In fact I didn't really like any of the characters except perhaps the children. The constant harping on about motherly love was just too much, I understood that she loved her children and that Eloise loved her children and that Juliana loved her children - yawn yawn yawn. And the description of adolescents as "babies" is a major irritant.
All in all I was glad to finish it.
January 31, 2013
I really wanted to like this book but the word that somes it up for me is irritating. I expected so much more. Cathy is a very fragile, weak character with a history of depression (that's not what makes her weak I hasten to add) married to a psychiatrist. Her best friend Eloise dies of cancer and she seems to be haunted by her spirit telling her that her (Eloise's) children are in danger. The voice of JF kept coming through as though she was interviewing someone on This Morning. Plot was eminently guessable and worked out early on.Cathy was extremely annoying, almost pathetic. Her husband Chris equally so- as a psychiatrist it just did not ring true. That coupled with this sudden "OMG I have so misjudged you" just jarred and seemed contrived. Cornwall was lost.Being cross with someone because they have had the temerity to ruin your dinner party when you should really be livid about their general manner and agressive behaviour especially to children is just odd. Trying to be too much like Du Maurier on the one hand and too much "interviewer with empathy" on the other. I realise that that may seem a very odd way of describing it but this book was just that-odd
March 18, 2013
Hmmm - I feel a bit mean for saying anything bad about this book when I see from the ackowledgements that Judy Finnigan dedicated it to Caron Keating who died tragically young from breast cancer, but the fact is it just wasn't that great and honesty must prevail over sentimentality I guess.
To be fair, it's not all bad. The basic premise of the story is that middle aged, (painfully) middle classed and slightly unbalanced Cathy has lost her best friend, the Eloise of the title, to breast cancer.
Eloise then begins to appear to Cathy in her dreams (and sometimes when she's awake too) and implores Cathy to save her young daughters from some terrible danger that Eloise rather unhelpfully doesn't explain. Are Eloise's children really in mortal peril? And if so, from whom? Or is Cathy, unable to deal with her grief,slipping back into the clutches of mental illness?
Although I found this book irritatingly cliched and the protagonist Cathy simperingly annoying for the firsty few chapters, I persevered. And even though these faults remain throughout, the story did pick up pace and keep me sufficiently gripped to read through to the end.
You most likely will have a pretty good ballpark idea as to where this story is going to to end up,and it does, but there is enough to keep you guessing along the way and, although it's all a bit Midsummer Murders with a bit of spookiness chucked in for good measure, it's entertaining enough.
You will have to rise above the irritations though. Cathy, the protagonist, is grating. Yes, she is supposed to be recovering from a nervous breakdown and dealing with the loss of her friend, but Finnigan has created a character that is TOO weak and needy. I really wasn't surprised that her husband Chris (who's actually a total arse)loses it with her.
Equally irritating is Judy Finnigan's extremely limited supply of adjectives. Everything is "lovely", "little" and "gorgeous", sometimes all three at the same time. It's all very twee and not all that fitting to a story where she was presumably trying to create a dark sense of threat and foreboding.
But most annoying of all is the constant harping on about how bloody great Cornwall (where the story is set)is.I've got nothing against Cornwall, I'm sure it is lovely. But seriously, there were times when I wondered if our Judy was on commission from the Cornwall tourism department. I appreciate that location and scene setting is important to a story, but this was just ridiculous. Endless paragraphs describing various places in Cornwall that actually had no relevance to the plot got kind of tedious after a while.
Overall, it was ok. It didn't set my world on fire, but it filled a rainy Sunday afternoon without making me want to shoot myself or kick the dog (just joking - I'd never do that. I love my dog. Or shoot myself. Unless it was with a water pistol filled with Baileys.)
To be fair, it's not all bad. The basic premise of the story is that middle aged, (painfully) middle classed and slightly unbalanced Cathy has lost her best friend, the Eloise of the title, to breast cancer.
Eloise then begins to appear to Cathy in her dreams (and sometimes when she's awake too) and implores Cathy to save her young daughters from some terrible danger that Eloise rather unhelpfully doesn't explain. Are Eloise's children really in mortal peril? And if so, from whom? Or is Cathy, unable to deal with her grief,slipping back into the clutches of mental illness?
Although I found this book irritatingly cliched and the protagonist Cathy simperingly annoying for the firsty few chapters, I persevered. And even though these faults remain throughout, the story did pick up pace and keep me sufficiently gripped to read through to the end.
You most likely will have a pretty good ballpark idea as to where this story is going to to end up,and it does, but there is enough to keep you guessing along the way and, although it's all a bit Midsummer Murders with a bit of spookiness chucked in for good measure, it's entertaining enough.
You will have to rise above the irritations though. Cathy, the protagonist, is grating. Yes, she is supposed to be recovering from a nervous breakdown and dealing with the loss of her friend, but Finnigan has created a character that is TOO weak and needy. I really wasn't surprised that her husband Chris (who's actually a total arse)loses it with her.
Equally irritating is Judy Finnigan's extremely limited supply of adjectives. Everything is "lovely", "little" and "gorgeous", sometimes all three at the same time. It's all very twee and not all that fitting to a story where she was presumably trying to create a dark sense of threat and foreboding.
But most annoying of all is the constant harping on about how bloody great Cornwall (where the story is set)is.I've got nothing against Cornwall, I'm sure it is lovely. But seriously, there were times when I wondered if our Judy was on commission from the Cornwall tourism department. I appreciate that location and scene setting is important to a story, but this was just ridiculous. Endless paragraphs describing various places in Cornwall that actually had no relevance to the plot got kind of tedious after a while.
Overall, it was ok. It didn't set my world on fire, but it filled a rainy Sunday afternoon without making me want to shoot myself or kick the dog (just joking - I'd never do that. I love my dog. Or shoot myself. Unless it was with a water pistol filled with Baileys.)
December 29, 2012
This was such a disappointing book.
The plot is see-through and obvious, I read to page 45, guessed the ending and the read the last few chapters to find no surprises, but a couple of extra characters had been put into the mix. A quick flick back and it was easy to see who they were.
Considering the publicity for this book has been rumbling for almost all the two years it took to write, I expected a story that held my interest.
As a ghost story, it doesn't really work; references to 'Rebecca' crop up, which is fairly jaded now; yet the modern aspect of the ghost of her dead friend, didn't really come together either.
I paid 9.00 for this book, wish I had bought a lunch out with a cheap magazine instead.
The plot is see-through and obvious, I read to page 45, guessed the ending and the read the last few chapters to find no surprises, but a couple of extra characters had been put into the mix. A quick flick back and it was easy to see who they were.
Considering the publicity for this book has been rumbling for almost all the two years it took to write, I expected a story that held my interest.
As a ghost story, it doesn't really work; references to 'Rebecca' crop up, which is fairly jaded now; yet the modern aspect of the ghost of her dead friend, didn't really come together either.
I paid 9.00 for this book, wish I had bought a lunch out with a cheap magazine instead.
January 22, 2013
Awful! Boring, repetitive, self-indulgent style with unrealistic, unpleasant, stereotypical characters. Didn't work as a ghost story either - not scary! Perhps more detail on the main storyline rather than the minutiae of daily life would have helped. Nice cover art though!
March 16, 2013
Absolute rubbish. The writing is amateur, the dialogue stilted. Boring most of the way through. If she wasn't a 'celebrity' this would never have got published. Time spent reading this tripe I can never get back again. Wouldn't even award it one star if there was the option.
June 9, 2013
Mother-of-three Cathy is recovering from two terrible events: the death of her best friend Eloise from breast cancer, and a bout of serious depression which led to a nervous breakdown. When she starts having vivid dreams about Eloise and even seeming to see her in real life, her family believe she is heading for a relapse, but Cathy is convinced the 'visions' are real and that Eloise really is trying to tell her something. In order to convince her sceptical husband and protect Eloise's children, Cathy starts researching her friend's past, and finds she didn't know her anywhere near as well as she thought.
From my holiday notebook: Tremendously silly but quite enjoyable story about a woman coming to terms with her best friend's death, some possibly supernatural dreams about said best friend, and what may be the onset of clinical depression, or worse. Endearingly daft, but probably still better than you would expect for something 'written by' a TV presenter. I would probably have given this a lower rating if I hadn't read it on holiday: it has 'throwaway beach read' written all over it. It's best not to think too deeply about the plot, and the emphasis on ~the importance of motherhood~ is hammered home so frequently it becomes extremely comical. However, I still got caught up in the story and wanted to know what would happen, and was quite pleased with the ending. Definitely a bag of donuts kind of book.
Additional notes: With hindsight, three stars is probably quite generous... But in the spirit of treating this as nothing more than a light holiday read, I'm going to be nice and let it stand. This is the kind of book with which I could read through all the negative reviews on Goodreads and agree with absolutely every criticism, yet somehow I still think it wasn't that bad. The fact that I found certain things about it so ridiculous they were funny actually added to my enjoyment, if anything - laughing at it made the reading experience more entertaining. The allusions to Daphne du Maurier's work make it more bearable, and I actually quite liked all the rambling descriptions of Cornwall, which a lot of other readers hated. The bottom line is, nobody is going to pick this book up expecting a literary masterpiece, and it delivers on what it's supposed to be: a quick, fun read with some captivating ups and downs.
From my holiday notebook: Tremendously silly but quite enjoyable story about a woman coming to terms with her best friend's death, some possibly supernatural dreams about said best friend, and what may be the onset of clinical depression, or worse. Endearingly daft, but probably still better than you would expect for something 'written by' a TV presenter. I would probably have given this a lower rating if I hadn't read it on holiday: it has 'throwaway beach read' written all over it. It's best not to think too deeply about the plot, and the emphasis on ~the importance of motherhood~ is hammered home so frequently it becomes extremely comical. However, I still got caught up in the story and wanted to know what would happen, and was quite pleased with the ending. Definitely a bag of donuts kind of book.
Additional notes: With hindsight, three stars is probably quite generous... But in the spirit of treating this as nothing more than a light holiday read, I'm going to be nice and let it stand. This is the kind of book with which I could read through all the negative reviews on Goodreads and agree with absolutely every criticism, yet somehow I still think it wasn't that bad. The fact that I found certain things about it so ridiculous they were funny actually added to my enjoyment, if anything - laughing at it made the reading experience more entertaining. The allusions to Daphne du Maurier's work make it more bearable, and I actually quite liked all the rambling descriptions of Cornwall, which a lot of other readers hated. The bottom line is, nobody is going to pick this book up expecting a literary masterpiece, and it delivers on what it's supposed to be: a quick, fun read with some captivating ups and downs.
March 20, 2013
I so wanted to really like this book and it does have much to enjoy, however the pace is not consistent and some of the characters are just not believable.(Chris for example, for a supposed eminent psychologist is incredibly backward and out of date in his thinking). The final chapters dragged on and I laughed out loud to see the work cuckold used in all seriousness almost as a mitigating excuse for an inexcusable crime. The plot, characters, terminology and setting are at odds with each other, supposedly set in our time, yet the writing style and terminology would have been better set in 1950's Britain. Sorry Judy, a good first effort but I think your support should have helped you hone this into a real thriller, not just a gentle family drama.
January 6, 2013
I was very disappointed with this book after looking forward to it following all the publicity. I found it all a bit "twee" and Cornwall very much depicted through rose tinted specs. It wasn't ghostly or spooky, was it meant to be a mystery or a thriller I don't know but it didn't succeed on either. I found the characters shallow, and don't think it was particularly well written. Sorry Judy but not as good as it was cracked up to be.
March 22, 2013
wanted to like this as set in area I know well and love and like nothing more than atmospheric ghostly tale. Just did not get on at all with this sadly, felt it read like a magazine story and gave up on it well before the end.
May 20, 2013
What an utter crock of sh*te. Repetitive (we are presumed to be too stupid to remember the previous chapter/page!), disappointing, and distinctly lacking any likeable characters...mostly as a result of it being so poorly written.
November 27, 2012
Absolutely dreadful! Weak storyline badly written - sorry folks, sorry Judy Finnegan - stick to the day job!
Read
January 4, 2016I lost the will to live half way through this book. Zero stars. Poorly written, weak unbelievable characters, boring from start to finish.
April 12, 2013
‘Eloise’ is a first novel by she of ‘Richard and Judy’ fame, Judy Finnigan.
It tells the story of a woman grieving for the loss of her friend, the eponymous Eloise, who has died, prematurely, at the age of forty-five from cancer.
The atmospheric backdrop of Cornwall lends its wild, rural landscape to echo the bleakness of the Yorkshire Moors and remind us of that Brontë classic, ‘Wuthering Heights’, the references to which are ubiquitous throughout this read. Now the scene is set and we have been reminded of the presence of Catherine Earnshaw, this leads us nicely into the return of Eloise’s spirit, who is given free rein to rattle her ghostly chains and alert Cathy, the aptly named protagonist, to the possible dangers ahead.
It is a tale of grief, loss, anger and resentment, all masquerading as a ghost story. What starts as a promisingly, tantalising opening soon spirals down into the ramblings of a woman forever labelled as unhinged because of a previous bout of depression. The irony is that the character casting the most aspersions happens to be her husband, a psychiatrist.
The lesson the reader learns, very early on, is that you wouldn’t want to use his services as a professional care-giver. Before you’d finished complaining that you were feeling a bit fed up, he’d have you sectioned, institutionalised and booked in for a course of ECT treatment.
I have to admit I felt a certain degree of ambiguity toward this read. On the one hand I was intrigued to finish the book and discover the ending, but torn because I found the character of Cathy incredibly irritating and often pathetic. It takes her an inordinate amount of time to realise that confiding in her husband about her ghostly assignations is not the best plan, unless she wants to end up forgotten about in some isolated, musty insane asylum. Although she exercises the occasional show of spirit, she obligingly forgives him time and time again despite his dogged determination to make her feel inadequate and, quite frankly, barmy.
Much of the text reads like Judy’s own bio reflecting many similarities of her own life: same number of children and matching genders, homes in London and Cornwall, previous career in the media, patronising husband.
As the novel progresses, the narrative becomes repetitive dealing with the same issues over and over again. The same applies to the use of language with the term ‘gothic fantasy’ appearing more than is deemed acceptable and everything, from the quaint country cottage to the delightful children, being described as ‘gorgeous’.
I did finish the novel and, without revealing any spoilers, found it to be predictable and schmaltzy in parts; almost descending in to the happy endings typified by Mills and Boon literature, with all its loose ends neatly tied up.
So the only advice I can offer is that if you’re hoping to find a traditional spine-chilling, don’t-put-the-light-out ghost story, then don’t look here. But if you’re interested in a study of the complexities and dynamics between human beings, then it should be right up your street.
Don’t take my word for it - give it a go.
It tells the story of a woman grieving for the loss of her friend, the eponymous Eloise, who has died, prematurely, at the age of forty-five from cancer.
The atmospheric backdrop of Cornwall lends its wild, rural landscape to echo the bleakness of the Yorkshire Moors and remind us of that Brontë classic, ‘Wuthering Heights’, the references to which are ubiquitous throughout this read. Now the scene is set and we have been reminded of the presence of Catherine Earnshaw, this leads us nicely into the return of Eloise’s spirit, who is given free rein to rattle her ghostly chains and alert Cathy, the aptly named protagonist, to the possible dangers ahead.
It is a tale of grief, loss, anger and resentment, all masquerading as a ghost story. What starts as a promisingly, tantalising opening soon spirals down into the ramblings of a woman forever labelled as unhinged because of a previous bout of depression. The irony is that the character casting the most aspersions happens to be her husband, a psychiatrist.
The lesson the reader learns, very early on, is that you wouldn’t want to use his services as a professional care-giver. Before you’d finished complaining that you were feeling a bit fed up, he’d have you sectioned, institutionalised and booked in for a course of ECT treatment.
I have to admit I felt a certain degree of ambiguity toward this read. On the one hand I was intrigued to finish the book and discover the ending, but torn because I found the character of Cathy incredibly irritating and often pathetic. It takes her an inordinate amount of time to realise that confiding in her husband about her ghostly assignations is not the best plan, unless she wants to end up forgotten about in some isolated, musty insane asylum. Although she exercises the occasional show of spirit, she obligingly forgives him time and time again despite his dogged determination to make her feel inadequate and, quite frankly, barmy.
Much of the text reads like Judy’s own bio reflecting many similarities of her own life: same number of children and matching genders, homes in London and Cornwall, previous career in the media, patronising husband.
As the novel progresses, the narrative becomes repetitive dealing with the same issues over and over again. The same applies to the use of language with the term ‘gothic fantasy’ appearing more than is deemed acceptable and everything, from the quaint country cottage to the delightful children, being described as ‘gorgeous’.
I did finish the novel and, without revealing any spoilers, found it to be predictable and schmaltzy in parts; almost descending in to the happy endings typified by Mills and Boon literature, with all its loose ends neatly tied up.
So the only advice I can offer is that if you’re hoping to find a traditional spine-chilling, don’t-put-the-light-out ghost story, then don’t look here. But if you’re interested in a study of the complexities and dynamics between human beings, then it should be right up your street.
Don’t take my word for it - give it a go.
September 1, 2013
MY REVIEW
I downloaded this book from Netgalley free, in exchange for my honest review.
I felt drawn to the cover, the lonely image of the woman on the beach. I like the colouring of the blues on the cover in the sky and the sea too. I like the byline "What secrets did she take to her grave" it creates intrigue before you even start reading the book.
So would the cover make me pick the book up from a book store shelf? The cover would attract me to pick up the book and then as the author is Judy Finnigan, curiosity would probably make me buy the book. Though when you look at the cover on Amazon it looks a much lighter blue. In fact I've seen several different covers for this book. I prefer the one I've pictured above.
So I started reading this book full of wondering what it would be like as it's written by the famous presenter Judy Finnigan. My mum also had attempted reading this book and didn't like it. So I did approach the book with added interest as to what I would think to it.
It's isn't very often that I do not finish a book however sadly I did not finish this book. I just couldn't get into the plot and story of the book. I found that the story felt to me, to be concentrated a lot on the subject of cancer. The book actually pulled my mood down, which can be acceptable if it then uplifts you. This book was depressive but didn't deliver on the heartening, elevating feeling afterwards, or if it did, I didn't read as far as that.
The book also at times came across as more of a diary of events that Judy had possibly been through herself, rather than a true novel. So sadly I ended up agreeing with my mum and not even finishing the book. It just wasn't right for my taste and I truly hate not finishing a book and giving a "bad" review but I have to be totally honest as I am with the books I do enjoy.
So did I enjoy the book? In one simple word, No! Would I recommend the book? No, I cannot recommend something I didn't like and didn't even finish. Would I read a book two? I know this sum up is getting repetitive but the answer is no. Would I read any other books by Judy Finnigan? Being totally honest I don't think I would, in fact it's kind of put me off giving Richard Madeley's book a go too.
I downloaded this book from Netgalley free, in exchange for my honest review.
I felt drawn to the cover, the lonely image of the woman on the beach. I like the colouring of the blues on the cover in the sky and the sea too. I like the byline "What secrets did she take to her grave" it creates intrigue before you even start reading the book.
So would the cover make me pick the book up from a book store shelf? The cover would attract me to pick up the book and then as the author is Judy Finnigan, curiosity would probably make me buy the book. Though when you look at the cover on Amazon it looks a much lighter blue. In fact I've seen several different covers for this book. I prefer the one I've pictured above.
So I started reading this book full of wondering what it would be like as it's written by the famous presenter Judy Finnigan. My mum also had attempted reading this book and didn't like it. So I did approach the book with added interest as to what I would think to it.
It's isn't very often that I do not finish a book however sadly I did not finish this book. I just couldn't get into the plot and story of the book. I found that the story felt to me, to be concentrated a lot on the subject of cancer. The book actually pulled my mood down, which can be acceptable if it then uplifts you. This book was depressive but didn't deliver on the heartening, elevating feeling afterwards, or if it did, I didn't read as far as that.
The book also at times came across as more of a diary of events that Judy had possibly been through herself, rather than a true novel. So sadly I ended up agreeing with my mum and not even finishing the book. It just wasn't right for my taste and I truly hate not finishing a book and giving a "bad" review but I have to be totally honest as I am with the books I do enjoy.
So did I enjoy the book? In one simple word, No! Would I recommend the book? No, I cannot recommend something I didn't like and didn't even finish. Would I read a book two? I know this sum up is getting repetitive but the answer is no. Would I read any other books by Judy Finnigan? Being totally honest I don't think I would, in fact it's kind of put me off giving Richard Madeley's book a go too.
February 28, 2013
I really wanted to like this book because I have always enjoyed listening to the author on television but I just found it very repetitive. I got the whole thing about how much all the children were loved and how tragic it was that her friend died but it didnt have to be repeated in every chapter. I also got the whole Rebecca and Wuthering heights theme but I felt it was overdone and the main characters began to bug me so I didnt really care by the end of it, I was relieved it was finished, I was hoping for more.
April 12, 2013
What a load of old rubbish.
Talk about Barbara Cartland - "We smiled at each other, and he kissed me. A long, long kiss. I felt like a dry, drooping flower, parched of love and affection, at long last receiving the precious gift of rain"!
Mawkish, unreal nonsense. Uhhh, haven´t you heard of the Police and Ambulance Service!
Sorry but could find nothing that would make me recommend this book.
Talk about Barbara Cartland - "We smiled at each other, and he kissed me. A long, long kiss. I felt like a dry, drooping flower, parched of love and affection, at long last receiving the precious gift of rain"!
Mawkish, unreal nonsense. Uhhh, haven´t you heard of the Police and Ambulance Service!
Sorry but could find nothing that would make me recommend this book.
June 18, 2013
Despite reading some poor reviews I decided to give this book a go. I found it boring and irritatingly badly written. The plot wasn't well constructed and the dialogue felt very contrived. The writer's celeb status has probably accounted for it's success.it just wasn't a satisfying book at any level.
October 22, 2012
I had high expectations for this book but was really disappointed. It wasn't particularly well written, using repetitive descriptive language and I didn't get to know the characters that well. I really didn't find it spooky either. :(
July 14, 2013
I’m a sucker for a good ghost story, especially ones set in rural UK settings, so I was very excited to receive Eloise from Netgalley.
Still recovering from a recent bout of clinical depression, Cathy finds it difficult to cope with the untimely death of her best friend Eloise, a mother of two young children, from breast cancer. When Eloise begins to appear to her in her dreams, trying to convince her that her children are in terrible danger, Cathy finds it difficult to turn to anyone for help without appearing crazy and disturbed – even her husband Chris is doubting her sanity. Left without support, Cathy must find the courage to step out on her own to uncover her friend’s tragic secret.
As it turned out, the setting in beautiful Cornwall was the one thing I really enjoyed about the story, even when parts of the book read like advertising from the local tourism board. Finnigan’s love for the place is obvious, and showed in her descriptions of the story’s settings, which made Cornwall a strong contestant for moving a few notches up on my travel list.
Unfortunately I cannot say the same for the ghost story part, which for me was a huge let-down. From the start I found it very hard to relate to the protagonist Cathy, whose constant whining and self-pity wore thin very quickly. Having lost loved ones to cancer myself, the problem wasn’t a lack of empathy for Cathy’s feelings of loss – but the fact that I could not connect with Cathy’s feelings at all. Cathy mentions her depression, her sense of loss, her powerlessness – but she does not show them to the reader. Repeatedly we hear about her suffering from clinical depression, but where is the evidence? When reading a novel, I am not interested in text-book explanations (I get enough of those at work), but I want to connect to the person’s feelings, the very soul of the character. I wanted Cathy to share her feelings, the sense of hopelessness she feels on waking, the blackness engulfing her with every step she takes, her sense of isolation, of living in a world apart from her peers, of being separated from the joys of life by an invisible wall, a heavy cloud bearing down on her. Instead, Cathy seems steeped in self-pity, without giving the reader a chance to feel her pain. This became very wearing after a while, until I dreaded picking up the book at all. I believe Eloise is Finnigan’s first novel – perhaps telling rather than showing is a trap many first-time novelists fall into, and this was certainly the case for me in this novel.
With the main protagonist having become a two-dimensional and rather tiresome figure I didn’t particularly like, I found it almost impossible to be emotionally engaged in any of the storyline unfolding. Cathy’s dialogue with the “ghost” of her deceased best friend Eloise is wooden and unbelievable, and destroyed the chance of any goose-bumps arising from the ghostly encounters. Cathy’s husband Chris, who is supposed to be a psychiatrist, at times acts so unprofessionally and unethically that I would have severe doubts about his professional credentials.
To keep this review as constructive rather than negative criticism, I will conclude with some points which normally make a good ghost story for me:
Unfortunately Eloise didn’t deliver on any of those points for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an electronic preview copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Please note that the final version of this novel may differ from the version I have reviewed.
Still recovering from a recent bout of clinical depression, Cathy finds it difficult to cope with the untimely death of her best friend Eloise, a mother of two young children, from breast cancer. When Eloise begins to appear to her in her dreams, trying to convince her that her children are in terrible danger, Cathy finds it difficult to turn to anyone for help without appearing crazy and disturbed – even her husband Chris is doubting her sanity. Left without support, Cathy must find the courage to step out on her own to uncover her friend’s tragic secret.
As it turned out, the setting in beautiful Cornwall was the one thing I really enjoyed about the story, even when parts of the book read like advertising from the local tourism board. Finnigan’s love for the place is obvious, and showed in her descriptions of the story’s settings, which made Cornwall a strong contestant for moving a few notches up on my travel list.
Unfortunately I cannot say the same for the ghost story part, which for me was a huge let-down. From the start I found it very hard to relate to the protagonist Cathy, whose constant whining and self-pity wore thin very quickly. Having lost loved ones to cancer myself, the problem wasn’t a lack of empathy for Cathy’s feelings of loss – but the fact that I could not connect with Cathy’s feelings at all. Cathy mentions her depression, her sense of loss, her powerlessness – but she does not show them to the reader. Repeatedly we hear about her suffering from clinical depression, but where is the evidence? When reading a novel, I am not interested in text-book explanations (I get enough of those at work), but I want to connect to the person’s feelings, the very soul of the character. I wanted Cathy to share her feelings, the sense of hopelessness she feels on waking, the blackness engulfing her with every step she takes, her sense of isolation, of living in a world apart from her peers, of being separated from the joys of life by an invisible wall, a heavy cloud bearing down on her. Instead, Cathy seems steeped in self-pity, without giving the reader a chance to feel her pain. This became very wearing after a while, until I dreaded picking up the book at all. I believe Eloise is Finnigan’s first novel – perhaps telling rather than showing is a trap many first-time novelists fall into, and this was certainly the case for me in this novel.
With the main protagonist having become a two-dimensional and rather tiresome figure I didn’t particularly like, I found it almost impossible to be emotionally engaged in any of the storyline unfolding. Cathy’s dialogue with the “ghost” of her deceased best friend Eloise is wooden and unbelievable, and destroyed the chance of any goose-bumps arising from the ghostly encounters. Cathy’s husband Chris, who is supposed to be a psychiatrist, at times acts so unprofessionally and unethically that I would have severe doubts about his professional credentials.
To keep this review as constructive rather than negative criticism, I will conclude with some points which normally make a good ghost story for me:
· An emotional connection to the main character and an insight into their inner torment / fear.
· An atmospheric description of the setting which has the power to elicit an emotional response and a spine-tingling feeling of fear / dread in the reader – eg a lonely moor, a bleak windswept coastline, a dilapidated mansion, etc.
· A mystery at the heart of the novel which is slowly unveiled and which is strong enough to see the novel through to its conclusion. This mystery should also drive the ghostly activity.
· Dialogue and action (rather than descriptions and explanations) carrying the story forward.
Unfortunately Eloise didn’t deliver on any of those points for me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an electronic preview copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Please note that the final version of this novel may differ from the version I have reviewed.
October 10, 2012
I have to say that as soon as I heard Judy Finnigan was releasing Eloise, I was very very excited about it, and my Nan was too. In fact, as soon as it came through the letter box she was eyeing it up!
Cathy is devastated when her best friend Eloise dies, leaving behind her husband Ted, her mother Juliana and her two beautiful children. With a history of depression, Cathy struggles with Eloise’s death, and finds no comfort from Cathy’s husband Ted, or Juliana. Even Cathy’s husband Chris offers no support or encouragement, with Cathy’s previous troubles always at the forefront of his mind.
But Cathy begins to sense Eloise, begins to hear her….And appears to be asking, and begging Cathy to help. With everyone against her, Cathy decides to find out what Eloise’s message is, even though danger and many secrets may lie ahead….
I was very intrigued by this story, the blurb provides just enough information to draw you in and have you keen to start the story, and the cover is fantastic. It is bold, it is haunting, and it is simply stunning.
I very much enjoyed Eloise, I was gripped from the first few pages and always wanted to read on to find out more. The subject of the story was fascinating, I must say I have not read many stories that have this subject or darkness to them, but it was compelling, it was terrifying in a subtle way and I just could not put the book down.
One thing I particularly liked was that the book focused always on Eloise, who we learn straight away has passed away. I enjoyed that Judy Finnigan created a mix of characters, all with their own separate connections and feelings towards Eloise’s death, some of them trying to move on and forge about Eloise and others stuck in the past with her, but no matter what, every page and every chapter came down to Eloise. She was always lingering in the background, affecting everything that the characters did, imposing on their lives and interfering with their daily tasks.
Judy Finnigan has managed to bring to life a fantastic blend of characters, which although very different in their viewpoints and personalities, come together to create a strong story. I really liked the character of Cathy, I felt a huge emotional attachment to her, and throughout the story I willed her to persevere with what she thought was right, and to carry on going, even though she had opposition. I also loved that Eloise featured heavily in the story, I especially liked that as a reader we heard more of Eloise’s past and her background story, so that we could learn more about her.
I won’t spoil it for you all, but this is a fantastically written, gripping, haunting story with a few good twists and turns. I must say I am very much looking forward to Judy Finnigan’s next novel. Eloise will have you on the edge of your seat and you won’t be able to put this one down. Brilliant.
Cathy is devastated when her best friend Eloise dies, leaving behind her husband Ted, her mother Juliana and her two beautiful children. With a history of depression, Cathy struggles with Eloise’s death, and finds no comfort from Cathy’s husband Ted, or Juliana. Even Cathy’s husband Chris offers no support or encouragement, with Cathy’s previous troubles always at the forefront of his mind.
But Cathy begins to sense Eloise, begins to hear her….And appears to be asking, and begging Cathy to help. With everyone against her, Cathy decides to find out what Eloise’s message is, even though danger and many secrets may lie ahead….
I was very intrigued by this story, the blurb provides just enough information to draw you in and have you keen to start the story, and the cover is fantastic. It is bold, it is haunting, and it is simply stunning.
I very much enjoyed Eloise, I was gripped from the first few pages and always wanted to read on to find out more. The subject of the story was fascinating, I must say I have not read many stories that have this subject or darkness to them, but it was compelling, it was terrifying in a subtle way and I just could not put the book down.
One thing I particularly liked was that the book focused always on Eloise, who we learn straight away has passed away. I enjoyed that Judy Finnigan created a mix of characters, all with their own separate connections and feelings towards Eloise’s death, some of them trying to move on and forge about Eloise and others stuck in the past with her, but no matter what, every page and every chapter came down to Eloise. She was always lingering in the background, affecting everything that the characters did, imposing on their lives and interfering with their daily tasks.
Judy Finnigan has managed to bring to life a fantastic blend of characters, which although very different in their viewpoints and personalities, come together to create a strong story. I really liked the character of Cathy, I felt a huge emotional attachment to her, and throughout the story I willed her to persevere with what she thought was right, and to carry on going, even though she had opposition. I also loved that Eloise featured heavily in the story, I especially liked that as a reader we heard more of Eloise’s past and her background story, so that we could learn more about her.
I won’t spoil it for you all, but this is a fantastically written, gripping, haunting story with a few good twists and turns. I must say I am very much looking forward to Judy Finnigan’s next novel. Eloise will have you on the edge of your seat and you won’t be able to put this one down. Brilliant.
April 11, 2014
Without doubt one of the worst books I have ever read. I think it may JUST about scrape a C if it was a GCSE writer exam piece. The storyline was appalling, the lead character melo dramatic and plot ridiculous. There was no continuity. 19 year old son playing football happily with their Dad in the garden? Lead character Cathy is insane, her heart constantly flooding with love for her daughter, her husbands kiss dripping water into her mouth like a dried up plant.. even when she was having the most awful night terrors, the sea would instantly calm her. A Doctor who drugs his wife on purpose, witnesses a man try to shoot another man and simply can not consider that this man might be a danger to two small children? UN believable.
Finnegan frequently miss uses the word 'but' and adopts dreadful phrasing, such as 'gladder'. Sphere should never have published this and I believe only did so because of her name.
I was told to read this by my Mum only to confirm to her that yes it is appalling. A literal disaster.
Finnegan frequently miss uses the word 'but' and adopts dreadful phrasing, such as 'gladder'. Sphere should never have published this and I believe only did so because of her name.
I was told to read this by my Mum only to confirm to her that yes it is appalling. A literal disaster.
June 29, 2013
I have given this book two stars because I did actually finish it. Maybe the compulsion to do that was to see how much more the author could draw from Wuthering Heights to advance her plot. I found the characters unconvincing and the reliance on the works of the Brontes and Daphne Du Maurier far too much to be acceptable.
Although it was easy to read, a point in the author's favour, the characters' personalities altered from black to white and back again over a couple of paragraphs. Absolutely no shades of grey!
The emphasis on the paranormal had no subtlety - Eloise invades the book to such a degree that I was almost on the side of the main character's husband! And surely if the problems which beset Eloise's marriage were so insurmountable, her best friends would have had some knowledge of this.
Not a book to recommend to my friends. I think Judy should stick to the day job for the time being at least.
Although it was easy to read, a point in the author's favour, the characters' personalities altered from black to white and back again over a couple of paragraphs. Absolutely no shades of grey!
The emphasis on the paranormal had no subtlety - Eloise invades the book to such a degree that I was almost on the side of the main character's husband! And surely if the problems which beset Eloise's marriage were so insurmountable, her best friends would have had some knowledge of this.
Not a book to recommend to my friends. I think Judy should stick to the day job for the time being at least.
February 8, 2023
This had the potential to be better than it was as there were some good ideas and the atmospheric setting could have been chilling. Unfortunately much of the descriptive writing was derivative and the characters jumped between extreme emotions in such short spaces of time that it seemed like a cheap melodrama. Similarly the dialogue was often contrived. I was hoping for a twist at the end but found it disappointingly predictable.
April 2, 2013
I enjoy my fair share of 'holiday reads'. BUT... Repetitious, terrible dialogue, poor characterisation. Need I go on?
Methinks without Judy Finnegan's name behind it, this may never have seen the light of day. Worst book I've read in a long time.
Methinks without Judy Finnegan's name behind it, this may never have seen the light of day. Worst book I've read in a long time.
November 9, 2013
Wouldn't recommend this book. It was enough of a page turner to keep going to the end, but was disappointing. The discussions between Cathy and Chris were repetitious and became tiresome. Was expecting some sort of twist or surprise at the end to rescue it, but there was none!
May 1, 2013
I've only read the first four chapters and I can't grasp where this book is going. It doesn't grab you and make you keep turning the pages...it's slow and not particularly well written! Must try harder next time Ms. Finnigan!!
September 21, 2021
She was a daughter, a wife, a mother. She was my friend.
But what secrets did she take to her grave?
Very emotional, sensitive and believable story. Enjoyed it greatly.
But what secrets did she take to her grave?
Very emotional, sensitive and believable story. Enjoyed it greatly.
April 20, 2013
'A sensitive book, gets you thinking..it's fragile yet strong.
In this era of books on prescription, biblio-therapy, I could imagine this book: Eloise being both an individual read and a really addictive story for a reading group, as some of the themes it touches: hard to speak up about may well be true in many different guises for lots of us in different ways and contribute to the turbulence of mental illness.
What an awful dilemma we can find ourselves in when we are not one hundred per cent sure of something and know we might have got something wrong, and know as well that we do suffer with anxiety, so have we got things out of perspective? The struggle to be believed remains so real especially in the face of loss and adversity and within this narrative Cathy’s journey is set to become more haunting in her isolation. Could the story become a trilogy; told through the eyes of a dying psychiatrist and through the voice of Eloise?
I think reading Eloise spins around the mystic of secrets, the way they leave us hovering, uncertain, curious, the finality of death, the frustration of never being able to talk to the person again and the business of things being different from what they seem.
Eva Le Bon
In this era of books on prescription, biblio-therapy, I could imagine this book: Eloise being both an individual read and a really addictive story for a reading group, as some of the themes it touches: hard to speak up about may well be true in many different guises for lots of us in different ways and contribute to the turbulence of mental illness.
What an awful dilemma we can find ourselves in when we are not one hundred per cent sure of something and know we might have got something wrong, and know as well that we do suffer with anxiety, so have we got things out of perspective? The struggle to be believed remains so real especially in the face of loss and adversity and within this narrative Cathy’s journey is set to become more haunting in her isolation. Could the story become a trilogy; told through the eyes of a dying psychiatrist and through the voice of Eloise?
I think reading Eloise spins around the mystic of secrets, the way they leave us hovering, uncertain, curious, the finality of death, the frustration of never being able to talk to the person again and the business of things being different from what they seem.
Eva Le Bon
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