Eleanor Oliphant is Completely FIne

[Mary Pat]

This thread is to discuss Gail Honeyman‘s book, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine.

Pages: 327

Length: 1 month

Participants: Ilona, Eirelyn, Susy, Shelia, Kaylee, Kayla, Joan, Dyln, Consuelo, Jen from Quebec, Kristin, Audrey, Aqsa, Binaifer, Erica

Everyone reads at their own pace during a Buddy Read. Because participants can be at different parts of the book at different times, it is extremely important to mark spoilers so that the book is not ruined for someone who is not as far along as others!!!

Mark spoilers by placing {spoiler} before the text and {/spoiler} after the text but use the < and > instead of the { and }.

Check out the introduction post (here) for more information about Buddy Reads!

You might also want to check out what other Buddy Reads are scheduled for 2018 here!.

Happy Buddy Reading!

[Eirelyn]

I have it on hold, but I'm next in line, so I should (hopefully) have it soon! :D

[Joan]

I'm starting this one today. I'm thinking it is going to be a fast read. I have high hopes since it seems like a lot of people liked it.

[Joan]

I'm 44 pages in. Her character is definitely cute. I'd be further in if I wasn't so tired today. Maybe I'll have better luck tomorrow.

[Joan]

I love the writing in this book. There is a lot of dimension to Eleanor's character. I'm so glad I'm finally reading this!

[Ilona]

I am planning to start somewhere this week!

[Joan]

I'm probably going to finish this today or tomorrow. I'm finding it really good. I love the vocabulary in it. Eleanor's character is pretty good.

[Consuelo]

I want to participate in this buddy read. I'm going to start this book today and I've big expectations.

[Susy]

Still waiting for my copy....

[Jen from Quebec :0)]

I will be reading this one, also. (FINALLY--- I feel like this one has been 'on my radar' for a really long time). ---Jen from Quebec :0)

[Consuelo]

I just finished the chapter 25 and the first part of the book. (view spoiler)[ When I read the first chapters I thought that the main character wasn't very realistic. However, the story shows you different aspects of her life that makes you empathize with her. So at this point, she's a character I like. I also enjoy the relationship between Raymond and her, I think he could be the friend she needs. As for her relationship with her mom, I don't know very much, but that she's a psychopath. In the next chapters probably we'll learn more about it. I think the next part will be very depressing, but also that can make us understand more an Eleanor Oliphant (hide spoiler)]

[Audrey]

I am so many physical and e-books going right now, but I am pretty exclusively listening to this one. I am really enjoying the beginning so far. It's quirky and charming in its own way.

[Aqsa]

I'd like to participate in this one!

[Audrey]

me too I forgot to say oops =]

[Binaifer]

I'd love to join this buddy read too!!

[Susy]

Still waiting for my copy from the library....

[Erica]

Is this for the month of September? I just read this book in July. Could I still participate in the book discussion?

[Audrey]

Spoilers if you're not up to chapter 8:

the fact that she had to restrain herself from drinking the hand sanitizer made me laugh out loud.
As a psych major who is interested in social work, I loved the part where the social worker visited her home and the dynamic of the foster care system and find her mom fascinating. I cannot wait to learn more about some of the details of that scene and about the accident/incident that left her with scars.
It's also really unique to get the humorous first-person perspective of a stalker...

[Susy]

Erica wrote: "Is this for the month of September? I just read this book in July. Could I still participate in the book discussion?"

Of course Erica, the more the merrier! :)

[Susy]

Audrey wrote: "Spoilers if you're not up to chapter 8:.."

Hi Audrey, glad you mentioned there would be spoilers, but please mark spoilers as instructed in the intro:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

My eyes keep glancing towards your post, and I'm trying hard not to read it lol

[Audrey]

Oh, sorry! They’re like the vaguest, tiniest spoilers, so if you read it, it really won’t ruin anything. Lol

[Audrey]

But will do in the future!

[Joan]

I finished this one on Monday. I enjoyed it a lot. It will probably remain one of my favorites for awhile. I adored the vocabulary that was used in it. I had to look up several words which I find fun.

(view spoiler)[ I loved the characters in it. The shocker at the end was fun as well. I loved how sweet Raymond's character was. I loved how her and Raymond didn't completely end up together at the end. It left you with a hope that there is a possibility. (hide spoiler)]

[Ilona]

I've just read the first 8 chapters and did book might just be the right one to get me out of my reading slump!

I am really enjoying Eleanor as a character and can't wait to find out more about her past.

[Susy]

Ilona wrote: "I've just read the first 8 chapters and did book might just be the right one to get me out of my reading slump!
..."

I hope it will do that for me too! The Iliad has made me lose my reading mojo...

[Audrey]

Ilona, we are in the exact same place!

[Mary Pat]

Consuelo wrote: "I want to participate in this buddy read. I'm going to start this book today and I've big expectations."

I have added you to the list!

[Mary Pat]

Jen from Quebec :0) wrote: "I will be reading this one, also. (FINALLY--- I feel like this one has been 'on my radar' for a really long time). ---Jen from Quebec :0)"

I have added you to the list!

[Mary Pat]

Kristin, Audrey, Aqsa, Binaifer, Erica - I have added all of you to the list of participants! Enjoy!

[Mary Pat]

Audrey wrote: "Spoilers if you're not up to chapter 8:

the fact that she had to restrain herself from drinking the hand sanitizer made me laugh out loud.
As a psych major who is interested in social work, I love..."

Audrey, please be sure to mark spoilers! There are instructions in the first post of this thread. Everyone reads at a different pace so it is important to mark spoilers so the story is not given away for other readers! Thanks!

P.S. Read and replied to this post before I saw the posts between Susy and you! :)

[Ilona]

I finished it! I liked it, but found that it was a bit repetitive at some point. (view spoiler)[I did not see that plot twist coming! I genuinely thought that her mom was in some maximum security prison somewhere too far away to visit (hide spoiler)]

[Hannah]

Hello everyone! I hope I am not too late to join in. I just started reading and so far I love it!

[Susy]

Hannah wrote: "Hello everyone! I hope I am not too late to join in. I just started reading and so far I love it!"

Ah, I see you'd already found the thread :)
It's never too late to join! Welcome!

[Eirelyn]

I'm in the middle of chapter 8.

Eleanor's character is rather off-putting to me.

Her behavior during that whole scene where (view spoiler)[she was getting the wax was appalling. The woman specifically asked what she wanted, she said a "Hollywood" despite having no idea what it was, and then had the audacity to yell at the woman for giving her exactly what she asked for? Such a nasty personality. (hide spoiler)]

Also, when the old man (view spoiler)[fell, her first instinct was to leave him there... Really? What kind of person sees an elderly man fall and just decides to leave him there? (hide spoiler)]

I'd read that the author didn't want her to be portrayed as (view spoiler)[a "victim" because of her horrible past (hide spoiler)], but that doesn't mean you have to go the completely opposite route and give her such an unlikable, nasty personality.

I'm starting to feel a bit sorry for every single person she comes into contact with. I hope things start to change a bit because she's becoming a little difficult to read about.

[Jen from Quebec :0)]

Eirelyn wrote: "I'm in the middle of chapter 8.

Eleanor's character is rather off-putting to me.

Her behavior during that whole scene where [spoilers removed]

Also, when the old man [spoilers removed]

I'd read..."


The character of Eleanor IS a unique one, definitely. She might be borderline asperger's or on the autism spectrum the way she acts/interacts socially with people. (Or rather, DOESN'T interact most often!) ---Jen from Quebec :0)
(PS) One thing I DO love about Eleanor, though, is her LOVE OF WORDS. She's forever doing crosswords and has a vast vocabulary and abhors 'internet speak' and misspelling on purpose online....I like a character that likes WORDS.

Plus, I find that because of this quirk of Eleanor's, that I as a reader am now paying more attention to the WORD CHOICES of the author in the writing, you know? :0)

[Eirelyn]

Jen, I do agree about the vocabulary. I enjoy when an author is not afraid of using a vast lexicon. I'm reminded of an interview with the writer of Gilmore Girls, who was asked about the usage of such "big words" by her characters, and she said something to the effect of it being important to not "dumb down" the story for the audience because they're generally smarter than what most writers give credit for -- and anything they don't know, most will be curious enough to look up, and thus learn something new!

[Aqsa]

I'm 10 chapters in.
My thoughts:
(view spoiler)[
Chapters 1-3
This is a different and strange read for me. I guess the most I can relate it to is the movie, "Hello, My Name is Dorris". If anything, it did make me read on and on and kept me interested.

Chapters 4-6
I wanna know what happened. It's clear she is afraid of her Mummy and at the same time, she talks to her regularly-perhaps mainly beacuse she is alone herself. She has also taken on a lot of things from her Mummy.
What happened?
On the other side, the singer thing seems like a far cry, but Raymond and Eleanor seems likely to happen.
She's judgy most of the time, especially about looks and appearance of others which is amusing at times and annoying sometimes.
About social skills, well I agree 50% with her, but she herself needs to polish her conversation skills. She is too outragious at times.

Chapters 7-9
She misses a parental figure in her life. She's never had someone truly care for her, to show her kindness and embrace her with warmth. It's just a feeling I get from her.

Chapter 10
I didn't think she'd say she's ready to declare her intentions to the musician. I thought she'd say that she'll try to socialise more, talk to more new people too.
She's cute. Sometimes, she seems like a little girl herself. Maybe she is a grown women only on the outside.

(hide spoiler)]

[Hannah]

Eirelyn wrote: "I'm in the middle of chapter 8.

Eleanor's character is rather off-putting to me.

Her behavior during that whole scene where [spoilers removed]

Also, when the old man [spoilers removed]

I'd read..."

That's funny because I found her so hilarious and kind of fell in love with her. Her social cluelessness and the candid remarks she came out with that accompanied this trait were at most times so funny but often I even related to them.

I'm not positive where you are up to now but when she talks about (view spoiler)[ the train announcements and who they are for and comes up saying "I wondered at whom these pearls of wisdom were aimed; some passing extraterrestrial, perhaps, or a yak herder from Ulan Bator who had trekked across the steppes, sailed the North Sea, and found himself on the Glasgow-Edinburgh service with literally no prior experience of mechanized transport to call upon?" and later on about dancing to a song about "The Young Men's Christian Association". Comments like that and her observations on society I loved! (hide spoiler)]

[Joan]

Eirelyn wrote: "Jen, I do agree about the vocabulary. I enjoy when an author is not afraid of using a vast lexicon. I'm reminded of an interview with the writer of Gilmore Girls, who was asked about the usage of s..."

How are you doing with it now? I think this book will remain one of my favorites. I'm trying to read books after it but nothing is living up to my expectation so I went back to Harry Potter to finish reading the series. I've been in a bit of a book slump after Eleanor since I like it so much. Thankfully HP is bringing me out of it.

[Rachelnyc]

This was the first book I read in 2018 and remains a favorite. I too lived the vocabulary and writing and thought Eleanor's character and backstory evolved beautifully.

I was a little put off by Eleanor in the very beginning and I was very glad she didn't end up being just another quirky character for the sake of quirkiness, if that makes sense. Not really a spoiler but (view spoiler)[I'm still not sure whether she was supposed to be on the spectrum or if her personality was mainly derived from her past but I am leaning towards PTSD and the lack of love and attention at a young age since she grew quite a bit once Raymond and the man they saved came into the picture.

I would love to know what happens next with Eleanor but I really loved the ambiguously hopeful ending. (hide spoiler)] I still can't believe this is a debut novel and will definitely be looking out for this author in the future.

[Aqsa]

I finished it!
Here's what I thought!

Chapters 11-21
(view spoiler)[
Is She disappointed by Raymond? Either she is, or she's completely indifferent to it. I enjoyed seeing Eleanor get out of her comfort zone even if it's just for the musician. It's god to have her socializing a bit and maintaining herself. And she deserved a promotion! She so deserved it. There hasn't been much about her Mummy lately and I'm looking forward to how their next conversation would go. I feel like she'll eventually stop talking to her, as she realizes that she doesn't really have to talk to her every week and as she grows less fearful of her.

Ofcourse she didn't deserve a boyfriend who hurt her, no one deserves that, and she is right to think that but I don't agree on living alone. We all want someone even if we don't need them. What's life all alone? It can be fun being alone too but you gotta throw in some change every once in a while too. Glad to see Eleanor doing that.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 21-30
(view spoiler)[
Yes, it was her fault thinking up all that fantasy, but that didn't mean that no one cared or no one will care, right? How can we expect anyone to be there when we don't talk to anyone? Thank God for Raymond.

She really took the whole musician thing too seriously, didn't she? I mean after years of solitude and loneliness, even a little chance that things can be different flares up a whole lot of hope. She must've been desperate enough to just grasp to the first person who fit any description, or showed any sign of being the one for her. She knows it now.

Counselling was the right way to go. She's never had a friend and people always got tired of taking care of her in foster homes so they called the agency, but now that she finally made a friend, she found that not all people are the time.

I hate her Mummy,. So Much. Glad to know she's scared too! Now the truth will finally be out.

And what did Eleanor mean by 'Us'? Who else was there during the incident and how come she didn't remember anything. Even when she called 911.
(hide spoiler)]

Chapters 31-41
(view spoiler)[
When she read those two pages, I thought that her mom didn't
really die. That the reports were wrong somehow, but no.

It was all in her head, huh?

Her mom wasn't normal and she just got into their heads.

I couldn't keep it together when I read this:

Our reporter understands that Eleanor Smyth initially managed to free herself and escape the blaze. Neighbours then reported seeing the badly injured ten-year-old re-entering the house before the emergency services arrived. Firefighters allegedly found her attempting to open a locked wardrobe in an upstairs bedroom. The body of her four-year-old sister was recovered inside.

She needed help for so long, and yet so one was up for it. Raymond has been a true friend. He stood by her through all of it. Most of the characters were really encouraging and supportive expect perhaps the colleagues and the strangers. Glen is a good thing for her too, so was Maria.

P.S. I guess I hoped she'd tell Raymond to try and quit smoking since she herself disapproved if it.
(hide spoiler)]

[Rachelnyc]

Kristin wrote: "The first 8 to 10 chapters in, I felt like Eleanor was so unlikeable I wasn't sure I wanted to continue on. Thankfully, this group and Rachelnyc in particular, encouraged me to keep going and I am ..."

Kristin, I am so happy you kept reading and are enjoying Eleanor more! I try not to overhype books to people, but I felt the same way you did about Eleanor early on so I got the sense you would appreciate her as you learned more about her.

Ugh, her co-workers! (view spoiler)[I do think there are people that immature, unfortunately. I agree there would be some teasing or talking behind her back about her makeover but I do think that over time, they would move on to some other source of gossip or drama. (hide spoiler)]

[Eirelyn]

Kristin, I was in the exact same boat. I was not enjoying the book very much for the first 10 chapters or so. Eleanor was incredibly irksome, and I simply didn't care to read about her at all. But there were so many great reviews & things said in here about the book that I decided to trudge on, with the hope that it would get better. I was not disappointed!

I don't know why I had initially expected this book to be (view spoiler)[chick lit. I think that was why I didn't enjoy it very much at the start -- because it was a lot different than what I was anticipating. (hide spoiler)] But then someone made a comment about how the book (view spoiler)["took a dark turn," and that piqued my interest, (hide spoiler)] so I kept reading. And I'm glad I did.

I was glad to finally see Eleanor start to (view spoiler)[change her ways. That's when I started to enjoy the book a little more; it just took a while to get there. (hide spoiler)] And I absolutely loved the (view spoiler)[psychological aspects of it (with her depression, repression of memories, and the way she "kept" her Mummy around in her mind to guide her life), as well as all of the focus on words. As a woman with degrees in both psychology and English, I was very drawn to both of these things. (hide spoiler)]

In the end, (view spoiler)[I'm glad I didn't decide to put this book aside like I had thought about doing a few times early on. Eleanor's character became much more likable and relatable as the story played out, and I was pleased to see the book shift a bit to focus on some serious issues. (hide spoiler)]

[Susy]

Eirelyn wrote: "I'm in the middle of chapter 8.

Eleanor's character is rather off-putting to me.

Her behavior during that whole scene where [spoilers removed]

Also, when the old man [spoilers removed]

I'd read..."

Hahaha, I get what you mean, but that's what happens when a person has a completely different way of thinking/reasoning, it doesn't have to mean they have a nasty personality. I know it can be confusing as well as frustrating and irritating for the person she interacts with (as well as for herself, often not understanding other people and not being understood by others as well), but I'm loving to hear her thoughts (and find myself smiling quite often)!

[Joan]

I thought this book had a lot of dimension to it. I wasn't originally interested in reading it because I thought it was a chick-lit book and I tend to not like them. Although I have thought about giving this genre a chance lately. I feel like my other genres are getting a little stale.

[Susy]

Read the first 20 chapters today. It's going to be a fast read (though I have to look up quite a few of the words lol). Eleanor's thoughts often make me laugh, but there are quite some moments of sadness too... :'(

[Susy]

Ok, so I read chapters 20-30 and found I had some difficulties with some of the details...:
(view spoiler)[
- I found the sudden realization that her crush was just an illusion, juvenile, with no chance of becoming a real relationship too sudden and abrupt, without a clear trigger. Our mind will do all and everything, even lying to us, creating illusions, to prevent a break down. Until a trigger makes it impossible to hold up the illusion. There was no such trigger. The musician not looking at her, not seeing her, isn't enough of a trigger imo. Eleanor's mind would be perfectly able to think up a reason for that, just as she had been doing all this time. A straightforward rejection for example would be much a much more plausible trigger or anything else that would feel like a slap in the face.
- The end of her session wasn't credible either. As Eleanor stated herself at the beginning of the next chapter: "How could she do it? How could one human being see another so obviously in pain, a pain she had deliberately drawn out and worried away at, an then push her out into the street and leave her to cope with it alone?" Even more when this human being is a therapist. You always make sure to have enough time at the end of a session to "tidy up" the emotions until the next session.
- How come Mummy doesn't mention not having spoken to Eleanor the Wednesday before (Eleanor was knocked out for 3 days after the gig)? Why didn't she ask about the 'project'? She doesn't yet know how it ended right? And even if she had (maybe Eleanor did pick up the phone the previous Wednesday and just doesn't remember it), why wouldn't she gloat a bit more about how stupid Eleanor has been and how no man will ever want her? (hide spoiler)]

I really do feel for Eleanor. We don't know the details yet, but (view spoiler)[hers must have been a horrible childhood... :
"'No one's mother would be happy to know their child was suffering.' I shrugged, and kept my eyes focused on the floor. 'You haven't met Mummy,' I said."
and
"Raymond hadn't phoned anyone or asked an outside agency to intervene. He'd elected to look after me himself. I'd been pondering this, and concluded that there must be some people for whom difficult behaviour wasn't a reason to end their relationship with you......This was something of a revelation." (hide spoiler)] :'(

[Eirelyn]

Susy, I agree about the abruptness with which (view spoiler)[her crush ended. Although, she had been changing quite a bit throughout the book and maybe could recognize how obsessive she was being with, really, no good reason (not that there's a good reason to be obsessive, per se, but there had been nothing to even really trigger that obsession other than just seeing him and thinking he was attractive). But yes, it was like he suddenly acted incredibly juvenile in front of her, and she was immediately done with him. I agree that that was very strange. It almost felt like the author just got a bit tired of writing that part of the story and wanted to move onto more serious aspects. (hide spoiler)]

The end of that session had me (view spoiler)[completely cringing as well. No respectable psychiatrist/psychologist/counselor/therapist/etc. would ever traumatize a patient that way! In order for me to be able to move on and not think of this counselor as a complete hack, I just had to assume that we were getting a bit more of Eleanor's unreliable narration -- like those difficult things had been brought up, and her therapist did try to tidy things up, but because they weren't *entirely* resolved immediately, Eleanor just couldn't deal with that painful thread not having been tied up in one session. Sort of like, "How dare she make me talk about painful things and then have the audacity to not fix every bit of it immediately?!" I don't know if this was the intention by the author, but 1) it was the only way I could get on board with the therapist, and 2) it did seem like a plausible (over?)reaction from Eleanor, given how she had been characterized throughout. (hide spoiler)]

I was thinking that Mummy did ask (view spoiler)[ why she hadn't called. Or more like a "Where were you?!" sort of thing. Am I making this up? lol I could be making this up. XD But I thought I remembered her saying that. (hide spoiler)]

[Aqsa]

Kristin wrote: "I finished the book a few days ago. I ended up really liking it and am glad I persisted. I actually wrote something once I finished it, but sadly lost it. Note to self: never write a lengthy commen..."

Sorry you lost it. If you write anything lengthy even on the site, you could copy the text before hitting save. Happened to me several times.

[Jen from Quebec :0)]

I read a LOT of horror writing, both modern and classic. In university, I got into a verbal exchange in class with professor on day 1 of my second degree (BEd) when she asked each student for their favorite authors. Everyone said 'Shakespeare' or 'James Joyce' or 'Homer' and I was looking at these big jock types, getting a BEd so they could teach gym, and thought "These people are lying! I just know it! Doesn't anyone have the guts to say that they actually *really* love Judy Blume or John Irving"??

So, when it came my turn, I said 'Stephen King'. Ppl chuckled and the prof got MAD and said that 'he hardly writes real literature.' That got ME mad, so I went off about the themes of good .vs. evil in 'The Stand' and the amazing coming-of-age stories he writes, and the world building in the 'Dark Tower' series, etc etc. She gave up on me, then asked a big dude why he liked George Eliot so much...he responded, "I think HE um, did a good job with um, his third book...?" and I smiled with smugness and looked at the prof as if to say, at least I was honest, AND I have READ the books of the author I purport to love.

Yes....there is a point coming....

Eleanor Oliphant reminded me SO much of a horror novella by Ania Ahlborn called The Pretty Ones !! Same type of MC- a women with unhealthy ties to a mysterious past life with her mummy + sibling, an office full of judgmental co-workers, one person who reaches out to be a friend, the past slowly being revealed bit by bit, etc etc. They were so similar (except for the killings and gory bits in the Ahlborn horror story) that I actually looked to see if Ania Ahlborn had not written Eleanor Oliphant herself, under a pen name!! So, if you can stand a bit of horror, check out 'The Pretty Ones' and send me a msg about what you think! ---Jen from Quebec :0)

(PS) Sorry that at the age of 19 I was so prejudiced towards the 'jock types' in my Teaching English Literature classes....