'Wonderful' Rosie Walsh Funny, heart-warming and ultimately triumphant, The Seven Imperfect Rules of Elvira Carr by Frances Maynard is the perfect story for anyone who doesn't quite fit in - and for everyone who chooses not to. Elvira Carr is twenty-seven, neuro-atypical, and has never lived alone. But her father - who she suspects was in the secret service - is dead, and when her mother has a stroke and is taken into care, Elvira suddenly finds herself home alone. In order to cope, Elvira - who knows a lot about biscuits and supermarkets, but not much about life - develops Seven Rules...

Because it's never too late to start over... Small and dyslexic, with a short fuse, bad teeth, a prison record and something to prove, Marguerite McNaughton - Maggsie - doesn't need anybody or anything, thank you very much. She's more than capable of looking after herself. She's also about to discover that everyone needs someone, sometimes. Even her. The thing about trusting others, though, is that not everyone is trustworthy... It starts when a fellow inmate gives Maggsie reading lessons. Then she's offered a job in London as a kitchen assistant, together with supported...