Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine in Books and Jams Readalong

Jul 11, 2018 Callie rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2018

Wow, this book was simultaneously heavy and light. Elinor Oliphant is living a monotonous life...she goes to work, comes home and drinks vodka, wakes up and goes to work again. Occasionally a social worker will check in with her, and she has weekly conversations with her horrible mother.

Sounds grim, right?

We quickly find out that Elinor has suffered in some way in her childhood and entered the foster care system. Since she aged out she's been just surviving...until she is accidentally forced to Wow, this book was simultaneously heavy and light. Elinor Oliphant is living a monotonous life...she goes to work, comes home and drinks vodka, wakes up and goes to work again. Occasionally a social worker will check in with her, and she has weekly conversations with her horrible mother.

Sounds grim, right?

We quickly find out that Elinor has suffered in some way in her childhood and entered the foster care system. Since she aged out she's been just surviving...until she is accidentally forced to walk to the parking lot with one of her coworkers (a practice she usually avoids), and a man collapses right in front of them.

Content Breakdown:

Sexual: Some references to different body parts. Elinor gets a bikini line wax in case she enters a sexual relationship with someone.

Religious: Elinor states that she is an atheist. A couple mentions of evolution. A couple mentions of Christianity, not necessarily derogatory, more just dismissive.

Language: This is where the book lost a star for me. The beginning of the book isn't too bad, but toward the end as we read about some tense situations, the f-word and Jesus's name in vain are used many times. I didn't appreciate that, and felt the story could have been just as effective without all the bad language.

Other: Some difficult subjects are dealt with in this book, like physical and verbal abuse, attempted murder, depression and grief.

My Thoughts: All of that above sounds so horribly depressing, but what I liked about this book was actually how hopeful it was. I listened to the audio of this book, and it's been a while since I felt so invested in a character (at least in audio format). The actress who narrated was great, and I was rooting for Eleanor from the start.

I really like the friendship that develops between Eleanor and her coworker, and how that plays out throughout the book. I kept thinking of Focus On The Family's old program, "A Man Called Norman", and how his life was changed by his neighbors taking some time to form a relationship with him, even more meaningful because they ultimately lead him to faith in Christ (if you haven't heard it, do yourself a favor and go look it up!). This book was similar in that Eleanor comes out of a very dark place because of a few people who gave her some of their time. It was a reminder and encouragement to me to reach out to people around me in friendship, because you never know how much of a difference it can make. The friendship between Eleanor and Raymond added a lot of levity and hope to Eleanor's struggles, and made me love the book.

I heard someone say that at the beginning of the book you can tell that Eleanor Elephant is NOT completely fine, but by the end of the book you know she will be, and that's why I thought the book was worth a shot. I'm glad I picked it up. ...more

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May 24, 2018 Merel rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-books

This is a debut. I almost can’t believe it. It’s so fantastic! I absolutely loved this book. The whole plot, writing style and way Eleanor develops throughout makes this novel both so enjoyable as well as heart breaking. There were a lot of teary eyes as a result, both at lovely and sad moments.
The characters and relationships in this book are so lovely (the positive ones, that is) and such a big part of Eleanor’s arc, that was one of the best things in this book.

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Mar 17, 2023 Chloe (Always Booked) rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: unhauled

For everyone that said I wouldn't like this: You were right. I really liked the first 10%ish as we got to know Eleanor and her eccentric personality, but thats where my interest stopped. I gave it 50% then DNF'ed because I just didn't care. The whole book is just her musings on the world around her and her tone is very objective and kind of flat. I could see how people would think this was sweet, charming and funny, but it just wasn't for me. ...more

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Feb 21, 2018 Reb rated it really liked it

I would explain this book as a mix of The Bell Jar and The Girl on the Train. The author had an impressive ability to detail mundane daily tasks to the point where your mind is just about to wander when she throws in a sentence that is anything far from normal behavior. This is when you are drawn back into the character of Eleanor and trying to figure out what exactly makes her an odd ball. I enjoyed the read, but could have used a little more of a climax at the end when we discover the traumati ...more

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May 30, 2018 Bgoofy rated it liked it · review of another edition

I would actually give this a 3.5. I felt like it had a slow start but turned into a very beautiful story in the end.

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May 06, 2018 Berna rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: general-fiction

The novel got better in each chapter and I loved especially the second half of the book.
It has witty moments but it is a bittersweet story about a woman who claims to be fine but actually in desperate need of being loved.
The writing is very clear and easy to follow but the plot is not anyway simple and cleverly formulated.

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