#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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Totally unexpected read. Charmingly quirky and powerful.
I fell in love withthe characters. It was such a well-written, funny yet tragic story.
Great book club discussion.
It took a bit to get into the book, but it was totally worth it. The story was full of twists and just when I thought I had it figured out, I was surprised!
Great book, featuring a funny, quirky character with a fairly tragic past. Ultimately very uplifting. Interesting twist at the end that I did not predict.
Dark and funny, centered around an original character – I loved this book
So odd and so wonderful, what a great great story.
Eleanor’s attitude and behavior is described in a light, funny way, but Honeyman quietly hints that her life will be treated with some depth by dividing the book into three sections—Good Days, Bad Days, and Better Days. You see, Eleanor has a massive scar on her face, and Honeyman treats readers to a sensitively-handled psychological exploration of the scars on Eleanor’s heart. Honeyman has written a heavy, but uplifting, human interest story with laugh-out-loud moments. It is one of the best books I’ve read in years.
Realistic, tragic, and beautiful. A splendid read, so well written.
You may think there are no such people like Eleanor in this world, but there are: I know this to be true.
The childhood trauma might be different but isolation, loneliness: it’s all too real for some. That is the realistic and tragic part of this novel. It is a tragedy for somebody to be so lonely, so out of touch with what is going on around them. To live within themselves as their only true friend; being the one and only person they can trust. A shadow of the person they could, and possibly should have been.
Through fate, Eleanor finds unlikely friendships outside of the invisible shield that surrounds her.
We watch her slowly toy with drifting in and out of her comfort zone as she comes to realise that there is a life beyond the one she has accepted; the life she believes her mother wants her to have. She starts to notice kindness, empathy, love. Three things she has missed terribly throughout her life. Eleanor is on a short journey to discover more than just her horrific past.
This is a truly wonderful story, the kind that will sit with you for a long time afterwards.
I highly recommend this novel to readers of any genre. It’s not usually my reading genre but it was recommended to me and I loved it immensely. It is sad, funny, and at times unpredictable. I had, in fact, worked out the twist in the tale.
A lovely journey with compelling characters who come alive!
Different writing and very captivating…..
This book is not really funny as advertised, but is actually so much better than I anticipated. The reader comes to slowly understand Elinor and love her progress through the book.
I loved it! I am recommending it to everyone I know. I fell in love with Eleanor and want everyone to meet her….My favourite book this year!
This novel cannot easily be categorized. The main character is a socially-challenged, self-unaware individual who throws herself into painfully awkward situations, yet keeps the reader entertained. The book is bittersweet, witty, with very unexpected twists. Great reading and very much a keeper!
This is a wonderful book. You will love the quirky Eleanor Oliphant!
One of the year’s best. Been buying for my friends.
The first 2 chapters are somewhat boring but they’re short. Do not stop reading! Chapter 3 is where it getts interesting! Simple & straight forward with such a deep message for humanity. It was fun to read and she’s still on my mind several weeks after finishing the book.
Showed that we should always look beyond the cover before we judge who to befriend. We might miss the best friend of all.
This book kept me involved and o retested in the characters, the mysterious back story and the sly witticisms of the protagonist. It is a revelation ending that will make you look at everyone with fresh perspective even at the end of the story. I enjoyed this book immensely!
Great book…I was pleasantly surprised how this book was written. The author really developed ALL the chacters..
Starts off slow. But stay with it. You’ll be glad you did
Ever since reading A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman I have been searching for the next unique and quirky character. I’ve seen Eleanor Elephant is Completely Fine on social media, but never managed to pick it up. But after reading the blurb, and seeing it being compared to OVE, I had to read it sooner than later. My library finally had the audiobook available and I went on a wonderful and enjoyable journey.
Eleanor was truly fascinating. And the story on its own was touching, heartbreakingly emotional, genuine, and utterly remarkable.
What got to me again and again was the way Eleanor struggled with day to day events. Dialogues that are just normal and boring to us, gave her such a hard time. Her unique view of everything from going to the grocery store, to dating, even to funerals was as entertaining as it was emotional. I was hanging on her every word. And her no-nonsense demeanor was delightfully entertaining.
Her entire journey was heart-achingly beautiful.
Friends, so easy for most of us, was an enigma for Eleanor. The slow progress, and the wonderful interaction between her and the rest of the supporting cast was a highlight. And tangible proof of her headway in opening up and letting people into her heart. With every step she took, she turned into a more healthier and content person.
There was never a time I pitted her or felt sorry for Eleanor. She had an interesting way of seeing things. And it made certain interactions way simpler and much more interesting because of it.
Eleanor will truly touch everyone’s heart and soul. Her unique personality will stay with you forever.
But what I must mention is that Eleanor is unfortunately not on par with OVE. I missed his dry sarcasm, the LOL moments and the undeniably special person that Ove was. But nevertheless Eleanor was a wonderful read and I’m glad I finally got to meet her. I can only recommend this book to anyone who loves a warm-felt and wonderfully well written story. The audiobook was a true pleasure, and the narrator did a fantastic job bringing Eleanor to live in an unique and distinctly touching way.