From the Bookshelf of Diversity in All Forms!…

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

Gail Honeyman

Start date: February 1, 2019

Finish date: January 28, 2019

Discussion: Monthly Group Reads

Why we're reading this: Our diversity topic should we cover in February is Mental Health.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by G…more
[close] Our diversity topic should we cover in February is Mental Health.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

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What Members Thought

Feb 20, 2018 Ann Marie (Lit·Wit·Wine·Dine) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

You can read this and all of my reviews at Lit·Wit·Wine·Dine.

DING! DING! DING! We have a WINNER! Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine will undoubtedly be my favorite read this month. I’m sure this book will also be on my Top Ten Read in 2018 list.

Eleanor was, at first, a bit hard to like. She was a bit judgey, aloof, and condescending. Her week revolved around work and her Wednesday evening chats with Mummy. Her weekends were spent in the company of her potted plant, Polly, and one or three bott ...more

121 likes · Like · see review

Sep 05, 2017 Suzy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: found-community, coming-of-age, secrets, audio-faves, london, friendship, listened-to

4 1/2 stars

I fell in love with Eleanor Oliphant, although it wasn’t love at first sight. For the first hour or so of this book, I wondered if I was going to have to abandon her. She is overly precise, has no filters on what she says and feels obligated to “educate” people when she sees them making a wrong decision. So difficult and annoying. But then . . .

We learn that when Eleanor was 10 she was in a tragic fire that left her scarred in every sense of the word. She grew up in foster care and g 4 1/2 stars

I fell in love with Eleanor Oliphant, although it wasn’t love at first sight. For the first hour or so of this book, I wondered if I was going to have to abandon her. She is overly precise, has no filters on what she says and feels obligated to “educate” people when she sees them making a wrong decision. So difficult and annoying. But then . . .

We learn that when Eleanor was 10 she was in a tragic fire that left her scarred in every sense of the word. She grew up in foster care and group homes after age 10 and as a result has never learned about trust, friendship, love nor basically how to relate to others or herself. Despite all this, she gets a degree and is set up in an apartment by social services after she graduates and gets a job in accounts receivables in a small design firm.

Eleanor copes with life through her routine of working during the weekdays, reading, crossword puzzles or listening to the radio in the evenings and drinking through the weekends to block out her demons. She is very lonely, but seems to get on even with all her quirks.

But in her 30th year, her routines are completely disrupted by several events. I won’t spell them out, but suffice it to say, that Eleanor comes of age over the next year, experiencing kindness and friendship, learning about life and in the process becoming not only less annoying, but completely endearing.

In looking at that last paragraph, I’m worried that it makes the book look like a sappy Hallmark movie or greeting card. Not at all! IMO, Honeyman writes with both wit and pathos, skirting but not crossing the line into emotional manipulation. Although with that said, my emotions were fully alive while reading this; often my heart was in my throat. As one reviewer said . . . the story is quirky, funny, heart warming and tender. I came to love all the characters and miss them terribly since finishing the book.

I say if you want to read this or do a reread, you can’t have a better experience than with the audiobook. Cathleen MCarron is amazing - one of the best narrations I've experienced in a while!

****
On a side note, this is the second book for me in a row where the main character experienced a tragic event when they were 10 that changed their life. The other was Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore. Interestingly, that book drew me in immediately, but my attention waned in the last bit, the opposite of this one. Both excellent reads, however, and both highly recommended. ...more

35 likes · Like · see review

Jan 28, 2018 Raymond rated it liked it

I'll be honest, the only reason I actually read this book was because there is a character in it named Raymond. He has his flaws (as we all do) but is a good guy. Overall, it was a good book. It speaks on the importance of friendship and facing the truth of your past no matter how dark it may be. ...more

25 likes · Like · see review

Jun 14, 2018 Kathleen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, adult-fiction

I wanted this story to go on forever, I was that immersed in Eleanor's journey. Incredible read told in first person! ...more

18 likes · Like · see review

Jul 21, 2018 Rania Nasir rated it it was amazing

Shelves: booked-for-brunch-ii

You can always tell when you are reading a book whether or not it will leave an impact on you. I thought this would leave an impact for sure, but I'm surprised by how much I still mull over this little gem. Eleanor is such an odd woman, but Gail writes so brilliantly that most women would be able to relate to facets of her personality. Gail pulled me in so effortlessly that while turning every page, I was rooting for a woman I probably wouldn't have been friends with in real life. It also made m ...more

6 likes · Like · see review

Oct 29, 2020 Heather rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club, 2020, mental-health

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 16, 2018 Judy Lindow rated it it was amazing

Time to reread Eleanor Oliphant. This may not be your favorite book if you don't like how Eleanor thinks, talks, reasons, copes, suffers; how she struggles to understand who she is, how to be "normal" in the world, learns to love, allows herself to be loved ... and has the courage to face the past. ...more

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