#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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unusual characters, plot twist and great ending.
I think this book was supposed to be witty and unpredictable, but it fell flat for me. The main character was boring, not funny, and the author tried to hard to make her strange and have a unique story line that I saw right through. I only continued to read it because it was the chosen book for my book club. I was so disappointed in this since I had high hopes after reading all the great reviews.
I did not expect to ever pick up a book like this, but I am so glad that I took the time to approach something new. Eleanor has suffered through a horrible past, but lives her life as if nothing tragic has happened. Her social etiquette is bizarre and at times she had me laughing so hard. I honestly could not imaging knowing this woman in real life and not be able to hold my tongue.
Raymond was the perfect match to support her character and took in all of her candid comments with equanimity. He was the only person to have a full understanding of Eleanor and I loved him so much more for it!
This book was hilarious, moving and a bit saddening. I am so glad I took the plunge! I also highly suggest listening to the audiobook and reading along. Hearing the characters come to life made the experience that much more enjoyable.
This book is not for everyone. It has an unreliable narrator, which I am not a huge fan of, and some pretty tough subject matter. Many people found it funny and I even think the author intended it to be funny, but I could not relate to it being funny, I was way too horrified by what the main character had been through. Having read some interviews with the author I am not sure if she accomplished everything she aimed for BUT she was aiming for something really tough and quite original, and the book is strikingly original and interesting. I had to know how it ended but did not enjoy it. Many in my book club did however. So I guess I recommend it with a grain of salt–you’ll know pretty fast if it is not for you.
I recommend this book to all of my friends and family members. I laughed out loud, I cried, and the end of this story felt like a warm hug.
It appears that Eleanor’s quirky persona may be attributed to ASD or trauma-inflicted behaviors (or both.) This was never explicitly stated. It was wonderful to root for a woman that was so multi-faceted and different. The story didn’t fight to be a romance, tragedy, self-help centered, edgy, farcical, or inspiring. Honeyman painted a woman who could be intelligent, successful, dark, struggle with addiction, literal, and yet also desires affection and validation.
Those who enjoy offbeat and bold characters like Olive Kitteredge will find Eleanor a hoot.
Boring
Slow
Nice revelation at the end. Didn’t see it coming, but should have because there was a clue early on. Main character not very likable at the beginning, but gradually we come to understand her and appreciate her good qualities.
Loved!!
I enjoyed reading about the life of Eleanor so much that I was sad when the book ended. The writing is outstanding. and the main character, Eleanor, and her story are unforgettable. The way the author mixed humor and tragedy was excellent, and I had LOL moments because Eleanor’s perspective on life was so honest, funny, and often shocking.
I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read with characters I liked and enjoyed reading about. There was a mix of tears of sadness and laughable moments of funny times. I would recommend this book.
I really liked it until the end. Without spoiling it I will just say that it was highly unoriginal and has been done to death lately. What a disappointment! Also, I’m not a therapist, but I know that very disturbed people do not get better so quickly. Very unrealistic. I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief that far.
Loved the characters.
I really loved this book and recommended it to many people who also enjoyed it. A fun read!
Eleanor Oliphant was brilliantly written. I was fascinated how Eleanor’s progress was remarkably plotted through tiny shifts in how she regarded life, navigated people, and began “seeing” things in a way she never saw them before; she had the hunger for more and to heal. After she realized this was possible, she followed that hunger taking small bites at first, but we could walk with her as she showed up for life’s full buffet choosing to gobble it all down. The whole package. Honeyman crafted this novel so smartly, I couldn’t stop cheering for her. I loved it.
What an incredible story, it really just takes one person to be kind to change a person’s life! This book is one of my absolute favourites.
Wonderful book!
What a delight this was! Intelligent, emotional, smart, painful, hilarious all in one. By following Eleanor’s daily “adventures”, we learn a lot about ourselves and what we take for granted. The book is about experiencing everyday things with the eye of someone whose social interaction norms have been shaped by a terrible childhood trauma. Throughh discovering what the trauma was and seeing how Eleanor learns to vanquish her demons, we are given hope – hope that even the worst pain can be overcome, that we can find redemption even after the most unthinkable loss. The prose is wonderfully descriptive and cryptic at the same time, infused with Eleanor’s social commentary. You will find yourself giggle at the most inopportune times. I cannot wait for the movie, and for the author’s next novels!
Characters well developed and interesting
I adored this book. It was beautifully written, I couldn’t put it down. It was funny yet moving, thought provoking and completely original.
I loved this totally unique and wonderful book — Eleanor is quirky, funny, and heartbreaking all at the same time, and the way emerges from her shell with the help of the “less than desirable” but wonderful Raymond is a both joyful and inspiring. Highly recommended!