Reviews

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

spookyskeletons19's review against another edition

4.0

is eleanor autistic? who knows? but either way she had the social skills of a blue whale and i love her for it.

the plot twist was chefs kiss

kmkasiner's review against another edition

4.0

Very close to five stars, but this was a difficult read at times. Trigger warnings for a lot of things. The copy for this book is misleading. I was expecting a humorous novel, but it's mostly sad, although there is a glimmer of hope at the end. It's about a very lonely woman, Eleanor. She happens to be the survivor of great trauma, but really, she could be anyone. It's a book about someone who chooses not to take part in society, and the toll that takes. I think anyone who has experienced loneliness and awkwardness can relate to some parts of Eleanor.

That said, it might be best to stop wondering what this book is trying to do and just view it as a portrait of a character. Eleanor has a very distinctive voice, and while it wasn't always comfortable being in her head, she's definitely an interesting character. By the end of the book, I really wanted her to be happy. I'm not sure how critics thought this was "hilarious," because it's mostly heartbreaking to read.

cheelyslibrary's review against another edition

dark funny lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

who_knew's review against another edition

5.0

Oh my god. This book is... just everything.

Summary: 
Eleanore Oliphant works an office job where everyone is incompetent, antisocial, judgemental, smallminded and borderline civilized. Except, of course, her. That isn't to say that she's exceptional by any means. She strives for average, unnoticeable -- even if mummy's voice is always whispering in her ear about what a disgusting, horrible girl she is.
Eleanor Oliphant is 30 and barely getting by. She's an alcoholic and deeply traumatized, and she she has no idea. It's hard to imagine that the way she was raised wasn't "love" when the best she can hope for from anyone is indifference. Whatever her mother has for her, at least it's unconditional. Ekeanor doesn't have anyone else.
But... she thinks she might be falling in love.
She has this new coworker who's following her, but ignoring that weird, clumsy little man, what if she fell in love? With a rockstar? Someone Mummy might approve of, someone perfect, someone she's never met?
Maybe she can change. Maybe she can become the type of person who deserves love. Step one : change everything about herself. Step two... mild to intermediate stalking. Step three : maybe a clove confession? Maybe a poem?

I hated Eleanore in the first chapters of this book and I couldn't fathom why anyone would think her "charming" or "funny".
I adore her, unfortunately.

miestory's review against another edition

5.0

'When you read about “monsters”,’ I said, ‘household names … you forget they had families. They don’t just spring from nowhere. You never think about the people that are left behind to deal with the aftermath of it all.’

bibliogirl0511's review against another edition

emotional funny informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sianw1992's review against another edition

5.0

I absolutely adored this book and devoured it in two days. Eleanor and her ways are sometimes uncomfortable but more often than not, funny and sweet. Her relationships and the activities she gets up to were interesting to read about and I felt myself rooting for her. It reminded me to live every day to the fullest and I liked that there was a twist at the end while still remaining somewhat inconclusive.

jasminer99's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Charming and surprisingly emotionally resonant,
. I enjoyed this read more than I thought I would.

octoberames's review against another edition

4.0

Very interesting book! How can you not root for strange, funny and particular Eleanor? I really did like it.

yashoda1's review against another edition

5.0

I loved how this book shows the process of someone 'broken' discovering their state of reality and questioning their possibility to heal. There is so much depth and charm in the details of the characters that most pages are very pleasant and exciting to read. For better or worse, the theatrical twists and changes that we see through Eleanor's eyes are a pantomime.
4.6/5