kayla_southern's review against another edition
3.0
I’ll be honest, this book gets 3 stars just for the twist of an ending. Otherwise, I’m not sure how I got through it. Prettyyyy boring.
minty's review against another edition
3.0
I had a hard time rating this book. Eleanor's character is entirely familiar to me--I definitely went to college with so many like her--and so I found her interesting and somewhat sympathetic. Raymond's complete acceptance of her was such a joy, but almost too perfect.
Spoiler
I figured early on that her mom was dead, but I thought that the truth was that Eleanor had started the fire. I suppose it was all the more sad that she had not.aelynreads's review against another edition
5.0
A very funny, but also sad, book written from the perspective of Eleanor, a young woman with autism (and I suspect bipolar disorder), following her life as she copes with new social interactions and confronts her traumatic past. Eleanor is a very unique person and has a refreshing and amusing perspective on life - I'm sure I will remember her for a long time.
A beautifully written story with interesting and well developed characters, I can hardly believe this is a debut novel. I would recommend this book to absolutely everyone!
A beautifully written story with interesting and well developed characters, I can hardly believe this is a debut novel. I would recommend this book to absolutely everyone!
claudiamhouse's review against another edition
5.0
This is by far my favourite book i have ever read, thus so far. Eleanor is an incredibly quirky character. I think the deviation from what we would deem a 'normal' character is what drew me in. This book was full of laughter, surprises and at times tears. You NEED to read this book !!!
murphl30's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
projectshalfdone's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.0
amid's review against another edition
2.0
Eleanor Oliphant is a disturbed woman in her 30s who lives a hermit lifestyle which consists of work, vodka and books. She talks to her abusive mother once a week. Her life then suddenly changes when she, along with Raymond (“Unhygienic IT guy”), rescue an elderly stranger from an accident.
Shortly afterwards, Eleanor and Raymond become besties, Sammy (the old guy) dies and Eleanor starts getting invited to parties, becomes more social and so on. Later, Eleanor gets the courage to approach her crush but finds out that he’s an asshole. So she goes back home, drinks vodka and tries to kill herself.
Raymond arrives at her apartment to rescue her. She then starts going to therapy. Finally, the therapist convinces her to cut off her abusive mother, who turns out to be alive only in Eleanor’s imagination (Surprise!). We also learn that many years ago her mother deliberately set fire to their house, thus killing herself along with Eleanor’s little sister.
I personally loved the funny, unusual personality of Eleanor (reminds me of the character Holly from the Bill Hodges Trilogy) but found the whole plot to be utterly boring.
Shortly afterwards, Eleanor and Raymond become besties, Sammy (the old guy) dies and Eleanor starts getting invited to parties, becomes more social and so on. Later, Eleanor gets the courage to approach her crush but finds out that he’s an asshole. So she goes back home, drinks vodka and tries to kill herself.
Raymond arrives at her apartment to rescue her. She then starts going to therapy. Finally, the therapist convinces her to cut off her abusive mother, who turns out to be alive only in Eleanor’s imagination (Surprise!). We also learn that many years ago her mother deliberately set fire to their house, thus killing herself along with Eleanor’s little sister.
I personally loved the funny, unusual personality of Eleanor (reminds me of the character Holly from the Bill Hodges Trilogy) but found the whole plot to be utterly boring.
ghouldie's review against another edition
4.0
Quite a good read! I love seeing how trauma affects people and how it impacts their life. While I did find a good chunk of the storyline predictable, there was a piece at the end that caught be off-guard. Overall, a really great book about a girl coming to find and love herself as she escapes the control of an abusive parent.
khaines's review against another edition
4.0
Overall I'd give this book a 3.5. It resolved too quickly (yet took forever to reach the climax) and had some serious plot holes. However, I kept wanting to read...so, for a summer entertainment read, I rounded it to a 4.
Side note - Eleanor's voice reminded me somewhat of Ignatius Reilly's from a confederacy of dunces.
Side note - Eleanor's voice reminded me somewhat of Ignatius Reilly's from a confederacy of dunces.