#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AND THE PERFECT HOLIDAY GIFT A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick“Beautifully written and incredibly funny, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is about the importance of friendship and human connection. I fell in love with Eleanor, an eccentric and regimented loner whose life beautifully unfolds after a chance encounter with a stranger; I think you will fall in love, … stranger; I think you will fall in love, too!” —Reese Witherspoon
No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine.
Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.
But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.
Soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the smart, warm, and uplifting story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes. . .
The only way to survive is to open your heart.
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This was extremely difficult to read with a socially challenging character that I could not relate to. I kept waiting for more plot line to be revealed to gain better understanding of the character. I needed more to keep me wanting to get to the conclusion of the story that was surprising at the end.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is the story of a young lady who is trying to overcome her past as an abuse victim, while crafting a semblance of a normal future. er abuse came at the hand s of both her mother and her first boyfriend, so she had no plumbline for a normal life. In spite of her painful history, Eleanor manages to concoct a world in which she fools herself into believeing that she is comfortable and pretty self-sufficient. As she says in Chapter 17, “…Once you realize that you don’t need anyone, you can take care of yourself. That’s the thing: it’s best just to take care of yourself.” She is a misfit who tends to see herself as normal, while others are the misfits. But gradually, she reaches out, step-by-step, into the “normal” world. It is moving to see her going to a department store for the firs time, to a hair salon for the first time and getting involveed with other activities that most of us take for granted.
She sets her sights on a mediocre pop music star, while a simple, kind,nerdy coworker sets his sights on her. Some disappointments are inevitable, but will Eleanor eventually be part of a fuilfilling relationship? I was invested emotionally with Eleanor.
Some of my favorite Eleanor quotes, that represent her true self at different stages of the story:
Two quotes that are evidentiary of her wonderfully biting sense of humor:
“The last party I’d been to-apart from that appalling wedding reception-was on Judy Jackson’s thirteenth birthday. It had involved ice skating and milkshakes, and hadn’t ended well. Surely no one was likely to vomit or lose a finger at an elderly invalid’s welcome home celebration?” (Chapter 11)
“There is categorially no need for eye contact when the person concerned is wielding sharp implements.” (Spoken while receiving a beauty treatment, in Chapter 12)
“Although it’s good to try new things and to keep an open mind, it’s also extremely important to stay true to who you really are. I read that in a magazine at the hairdresser’s.” (Chapter 21)
“I had decided, years ago, that if the choice was between that or flying solo, then I’d fly solo. It was safer that way. Grief is the price we pay for love. The price is far too high.: (Chapter 23)
“People sometimes say they might die of boredom, that they’re dying for a cup of tea, but for me, dying of loneliness is not hyperbole.” (Chapter 26)
“But no one had ever shown me the right way to live a life, and although I’d tried my best over the years, I simply didn’t know how to make things better. I could not solve the puzzle of me.” (Chapter 27)
That is insightful writing!
I have no complaints about this book, though I would have chosen a different ending. But the ending isn’t “wrong,” and I’m sure that each reader will put his / her imprint on the interpretation of the story. I hope that there is a sequel to this book.
This book is just PRECIOUS. I cried through the entire thing but for many different reasons. I cried because it was sad, sweet, funny, awkward, and just too damn precious for this world. I loved it so much!
Pretty good
I love Eleanor! She’s peculiar, witty, and coming-of age late in life. Her tragic childhood is unveiled amidst her awakening and creates funny and awkward scenes sprinkled with some sad and pathetic times.
An emotional read, but overall good book
This story will make you think differently about the people you meet. Every one of us needs others to feel loved and accepted. A must-read.
I did not enjoy this book. I kept reading hoping it would get better but I was disappointed. Sorry, this book was highly recommended to me but I just didn’t get what all the fuss was about.
I wish I could give it 10 stars. Writing was great, plot was original, characters were lovable. Just read it already!
At first I didn’t think I was going to like this book, but the characters grew on me and I found it very funny and engaging. Wonderful ending that I did not see coming.
Eleanor is probably my favorite character of the year, she is smart & witty but not really a people person, in the beginning anyway. Her character is real, deep, flawed, but oh so beautiful.
This is a rare page-turner novel that sometimes kept me in suspense, but wholly captured my heart. Eleanor Oliphant is an utterly relatable character, even in her most extreme moments. Author Gail Honeyman manages to talk about very dark and serious subjects—child abuse and the growing epidemic of loneliness—in ways that don’t bring you down but instead are highlighted with appropriate humor. The character development and Eleanor’s journey are superbly and expertly fleshed out, and in the end, there was a twist I really didn’t see coming, something that isn’t easy to pull off with me.
I highly recommend this book.
Oh gosh, Eleanor made me laugh out loud so many times, with her idiosyncrasies and her judgmental observations. And Raymond… what a sweet man. Anyway! I went into this book expecting it to be a romance after seeing an online “who would you cast” post, and so I was surprised when the novel’s subject matter turned out to be much darker than what I thought it was going to be. I’m not sure I want to say I was “pleasantly” surprised, because Eleanor’s past is so traumatic, but I like dark stories and I really appreciated the way in which Eleanor’s struggles were handled— I’m always massively impressed by an author who can manage to make me laugh—especially when the subject matter is dark—and who can surprise me within a plot that feels wholly organic and well-developed. And while I’d still call this novel a love story, I’m glad wasn’t really a romance because the resolution of this story feels much more authentic to who Eleanor is. If you love voice and character driven novels that don’t shy away from difficult subject matter, this is a fantastic read.
This was one of those books that while wonderful, was also rather painful to read in places! Eleanor Oliphant does not possess standard social skills, and as such often finds herself in embarrassing or cringe-inducing situations. She’s a delightful character, with all of her quirks and mannerisms, and the story is completely captivating even as it leaves you shaking your head in places. A lovely read.
Unique POV and a very interesting lead character. All of the side characters are compelling too. Laughed out loud and enjoyed the sweep of emotions herein. Definitely read.
I am not sure why this one is considered a romantic comedy. It’s original, lovely, uplifting, but it’s not a romance, and I wouldn’t call it a comedy. It’s a rather heartwarming story of a friendship and trauma recovery.
Eleanor Oliphant lives by her routines and dresses for comfort and practicality rather than style. Her interactions with others leave her perplexed, and she struggles socially, precisely saying what is on her mind. Although, from her perspective, it is the society that is going to hell in a handbasket with the lack of manners people possess and their alarming limited vocabulary which becomes truly lamentable in Eleanor’s mind when communication happens through text or email. Eleanor’s life has become quite static, and while her routines may have served her at one time in establishing her adult life, she has created a rut for herself and like so many of us can not see her disparities.
A survivor of child abuse at the hands of her mother and a tragic house fire leaves Eleanor physically and emotionally scarred. At nine years old she becomes a ward of the state and is bounced around from foster home to foster home finding solace in school and acquiring knowledge about an eclectic assortment of things. Her thirst for information, daily crossword puzzle hobby, and her openness to read just about anything have created a woman with a formidable intellect. But the fact that she lives a recluse life free of any relationships other than weekly calls with mummy has crippled and retarded her socially.
All of this changes when two events happen in Eleanor’s life in quick succession. The first is a concert that she attends on a whim with a co-worker resulting in a juvenile crush that she develops for the lead guitarist. This attraction prompts her to make some changes in her appearance to garner the musician’s attention at a later date. The second incident has to do with meeting a kindly, somewhat awkward IT man named Raymond and the two of them witnessing an older man take a tumble in the street. When Eleanor and Raymond race to rescue the man, a series of events follow that opens up another world for Eleanor which helps her to grow and change for the better.
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is a wonderfully written book. It goes on my list of favorite books I’ve read in the past year. I loved Eleanor’s inner dialogue and experiencing her transformation as she began to try new things and slowly blossomed into herself. I also found her friend, Raymond, remarkably kind and patient, the type of friend that a woman like Eleanor needed at this particular time of her life. This book made me laugh and left me feeling warm and fuzzy. Bravo for Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.
Other books I’d recommend that deal with quirky odd-ball characters and are written with a good dose of humor are, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon, The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion, and the follow-up to The Rosie Project, The Rosie Effect.
I loved it! Couldn’t put it down.
This is a roller coaster of a book. It presents a protagonist that the reader has to learn to love. At first Eleanor presents as rude and anti social but as the book progresses it becomes clear that she behave according to her logical approach. I love how she grows and develops throughout the novel, especially softening her critical stance on certain behaviors from other people and so is able to accept and have a close relationship with Raymond. There is an element of mystery surrounding her childhood and relationship with her Mother but as the book progresses and more information is revealed the discovery of what happened in the past is linked to her growth as person. The novel starts out with a humorous tone but as Eleanor starts to come out of her shell and face her childhood fears and memories it becomes more serious. I liked this book and would recommend it for someone who wants a different kind of novel that does not spoon feed the reader but reveals events and characters in conjunction with how Eleanor is developing.
Probably because it was Reese Witherspoon pick I was expecting this book to be fluff romance. What it is instead is an entertaining and at times heartbreaking exploration into how we handle trauma and how the little things can make a big difference. I thought about this book for a few days after reading it. Definitely one of my favorites ever.
Wonderful read…. Unique characters….