Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

I feel like I've been reading either 1s or 5s, lately, and I'm kind of exhausted. This is yet another in a long line of debut novels I've unintentionally read this year, and it's unexpectedly, astonishingly brilliant.

The pace was perfect, in that my mind never wandered whilst I read it. The storytelling was perfect, in that I had trouble putting down the book and kept thinking about it when I wasn't reading it. It was almost entirely predictable, but not offensively so, which I found impressive. Great ending, too, which is often where a story fails me.

The content (warning: child abuse) makes it difficult to read, but in the end Eleanor's story didn't leave me shattered. While her experience was certainly devastating, she survived and eventually learned how to live. Her life is full of hope and compassion in entirely delightful ways. Within context, Eleanor's interactions and leaps of logic felt natural; the story didn't feel contrived and I didn't feel manipulated.

Fantastic.

#SPOILERS START HERE!

I think I fell in love with the narrator from the first page as she works in an office environment since I do too. I really did resonate with her feelings and point of views. That the story is written in a slow but meticulous flow helps further the development of the story.

I particularly like that Eleanor and Raymond don't end up as a couple. As someone who has often had similar feelings that Eleanor has, it's not love that I seek. It's more often than not, for someone to just... be there. Regularly.

This is an absolutely well written book and one that delves into the themes of depression, trauma, and abuse with a degree of accuracy. I commend the author for putting this story out.

What did you guys think of the novel? How did Eleanor come across to you?

This one started strong, but ended meh for me.

Eleanor Oliphant is a quirky, witty character. I did smirk at her one liners and internal thoughts. Most people are fools. I can relate, Eleanor haha.

But Miss Oliphant had a troubled childhood that she's repressed. The last quarter of the book gets into what happened to her. It ended kind of abruptly for me. The whole Mummy thing was a disappointment as well.

This character changed after she started therapy. It was almost an entirely different person. I don't know. Didn't ring true to me.

This is a so-so for me.

Very readable and engaging, surprisingly dark. I enjoyed the portrayal of the counselling/therapy and found it realistic. Autism is never mentioned in this book, yet the main charactor Eleanor certainly has recognisable autistic traits, particularly literal thinking, alexithymia, and preference for routine. Yet I found this portrayal to verge on stereotypical tropes at times, and what behaviours were trauma and what was neurodivergence were very blurred sometimes. This might not be an issue in itself except for the fact that when Eleanor was shown to recover from trauma, some of her autistic behaviours were written away and she began to camouflage more and try to “fit in”. This was depicted as a good thing, a sign she was healing getting better, like the autistic traits were a sign of ill-health. So yeah, didn't feel comfortable on that one. But I did like the depiction of the slow and gradual building of connection, gradual trust, interest and opening up after trauma. That was very real and beautiful.

“A philosophical question: if a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? And if a woman who's wholly alone occasionally talks to a pot plant, is she certifiable? I think that it is perfectly normal to talk to oneself occasionally. It's not as though I'm expecting a reply. I'm fully aware that Polly is a houseplant.”
― Gail Honeyman, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

This one was recommended by my book club, and I knew absolutely nothing about it. It turned out to be a phenomenal surprise.

The book is set in Scotland, and it really felt like it was written by someone who had either spent a lot of time here or was Scottish. This is the first time I've read accurate Scottish speech on the page and I felt so seen. The audio book is also top notch in terms of accents.

At the beginning of the story, Eleanor is absolutely, determinedly F-I-N-E with her life, her complete lack of friends and the limited contact she has with others. Eleanor's story pulls no punches, and we get an intimate look into her life as she begins to branch out and connect with the people she works with.

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
—

I steeled myself as best I could, and, with teeth gritted, using only one finger I typed:

C U there E.

I sat back, feeling a bit queasy. Illiterate communication was quicker, that was true, but not by much. I'd saved myself the trouble of typing four whole characters. Still, it was part of my new credo, trying new things. I'd tried it, and I very definitely did not like it. LOL could go and take a running jump. I wasn't made for illiteracy; it simply didn't come naturally. Although it's good to try new things and to keep an open mind, it's also extremely important to stay true to who you really are. I read that in a magazine at the hairdressers.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette

It's interesting, I picked up this book a few months ago, and I read the first chapter or two, and I thought it was too stereotypical and dropped it. But then, it appeared on the buddy read, and I told myself: “Why not?”. I had just finished East of Eden, and I think I needed a light-hearted novel, like a romance. Well, I read the first 5 chapters and I am not sure it is going to be a light-hearted novel... More like a sad and dark one. There are already parts that I don't like, but writing a comment on each chapter and reading people's impressions makes it quite pleasant. I know I have many physical books I also want to read, now that I have actually started to create my own collection, but yes, this one will be read at this end of July.

Six Pieces Op. 51, TH 143: 6 Valse sentimentale Tempo di Valse - Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Update: I just finished it! I would give it 3 or 3.5 stars. It took me a long time to read it because it was quite triggering, but I'm happy I finished it. I like that Raymond and Eleanor are friends in the end, and that there was no need to create a romance. But I feel like the plot was quite linear and predictable. Also, Raymond was such a stereotypical IT guy, that annoyed and irritated me profusely! And I couldn't believe that Laura and Raymond would be dating, even for a short period of time. I feel like it was just to stir some emotions in Eleanor, just for the plot. The fact that the mother was actually dead and that the phone calls were a ritual organized by Eleanor was a plot twist that surprised me, but I understand. A way to connect and not be fully alone. I don't know, I feel like only Eleanor was a complex character. And the ending dragged for too long. 3 stars. 8/7/21

DNF @ 11%. It's not that the book wasn't well written or interesting. It's just that I wanted something more light hearted. The description makes it sound like Eleanor is just a girl who's a little antisocial and she finds friends and learns that life is worth living. I was excepting something feel good like Hallmark movie. This book is not that. Eleanor is pretty unlikable, very odd, and she's got some TRAUMA to overcome. I'm sure it's a wonderful story but...I just wanted to listen to a low stakes audiobook while I'm at work.

I really enjoyed this book. It reminded me in some ways of A Man Called Ove. Eleanor Oliphant is a woman with very few social skills and as the story unfolds we begin to learn why. The relationship she has with “Mummy” is toxic and has coloured and shaped her entire life.

She begins to grow and change though when she meets a unlikely friend at work and learns how to interact with the world. Gail Honeyman takes you on a fascinating ride with Eleanor and although I was never really sure if I “liked” her, I did begin to root for her to have a better life.

This is the first book this year that has had me so deeply conflicted. Things I liked in this book I really loved and bits I didn't enjoy in this book, I passionately disliked. It is so difficult to summarise my feelings on this book here. I will be doing a video on my channel soon to better unpick my thoughts on this book. In simple terms however I loved the relationship between Raymond and Eleanor but I struggled to warm to Eleanor's character overall and I found the book (good days and bad days) as two separately constructed books that were pushed together and lacked a fluidity. I got no sense of suspension or anticipation for the action that would happen in the book and I found Eleanor's crush implausible and it ruined other elements of the book. For now I will give the book between 3 and 3 and a half stars and discuss it in more depth with you soon on my channel!

Oh god I loved this.

This book is like getting to know a person. And I truly couldn't stand Eleanor at the beginning, but then you kinda uncover why she is the way she is and start to empathise with her. It's about the safety of routines, rationalising, importance of friendship (bless Raymond honestly), how little things can change your life, acceptance, therapy and change.

This is a book for anybody who has experience with family trauma or trauma in general or is patient enough to get to know a person stuck with their own demons, unknowingly. She is after all, completely fine.

Rating: 4.6 leaves out of 5-Characters: 4/5 -Cover: 5/5-Story: 4.75/5-Writing: 5/5Genre: Mental Health, Psychological, Contemporary, Romance-Mental Health: 4/5-Psychological: 5/5-Contemporary: 4/5-Romance: 1/5 Type: AudiobookWorth?: Yes!Hated Disliked Meh It Was Okay Liked Loved FavoritedI never thought I would pick up this book. It was never something that caught my eye but thanks to Casually Bookish (a discord book club) I gave it a go. I will admit I didn't quite like Eleanor for a good chunk of the book. You can have sympathy for people but that doesn't mean you have to like them. I know a lot of people will say different. As kindly as I can say this, eff them. Anyway, back to the book. So the beginning of the book to about 1/4th of the book I wasn't really into her but the people around her. Then things started to turn and I love her. The second half of the book is so emotional and by the end I was in tears. Worth the read!