Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: Reese's Book Club: A Novel

Gail Honeyman’s charming, quirky, and resilient Eleanor Oliphant might just be one of my favorite characters I’ve met in a long time. Eleanor’s transformation from the woman she was in the beginning to the stronger, improved version of herself in the end was incredibly sad to read but also uplifting and inspiring at the same time. “I do exist, don’t I? It often feels as if I’m not here, that I’m a figment of my own imagination. There are days when I feel so lightly connected to the earth that the threads that tether me to the planet are gossamer thin, spun sugar. A strong gust of wind could dislodge me completely, and I’d lift off and blow away, like one of those seeds in a dandelion clock.” Eleanor Oliphant is painfully socially inept and completely not attuned to social decencies, an outcome of her horrendous childhood. She spends her weekdays working in the finance department of a graphic design company and avoiding her judgmental co-workers and her weekends drinking the liter or two of vodka she purchases from her local convenience store. Her life is regimented, structured, and very, very boring. The monotony of her life interrupted when she and the new IT guy, Raymond, help an elderly man who passed out on the sidewalk after work. These chain of events and a little bit of fate take Eleanor on an emotional journey she wasn’t planning on taking but one she has needed for a very long time. “My phone doesn’t ring often–it makes me jump when it does–and it’s usually people asking if I’ve been missold Payment Protection Insurance. I whisper I know where you live to them, and hang up the phone very, very gentle. When I started this book, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Eleanor. She is blunt and judgmental. What comes out of her mouth is often unintentionally funny because she is just so emotionally and socially stunted. I laughed out loud quite a bit even though Eleanor wasn’t making jokes. Like, the time she went to get a bikini wax and the esthetician asked her if she wanted a Tiffani, Brazilian, or a Hollywood wax. Eleanor said, “Holly would, and so would Eleanor.” There is a naïveté and innocence to her character that is completely endearing and charming, though there were moments Honeyman was asking the reader to suspend disbelief a little too far. When I finished the novel, I realized that I came to love Eleanor along the way, all the crooked and unique parts of her character. 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. This book reminded me so much of an off-the-wall indie movie, complete with quirky characters and a great friendship storyline. I reach a point about a third of the way where I just loved where Honeyman was taking the story. The cast of characters in this novel was what made it that much more enjoyable. We meet Raymond, the new guy at work, who Eleanor describes as an unattractive overweight man who smokes and walks on the balls of his feet. What he lacks in conventional beauty, he makes up for in heart. He’s such a good guy who loves his mom and over time, comes to really care about Eleanor. Sammy, the older gentleman Eleanor and Raymond help, is vivacious, sprite, and so great! “These days, loneliness is the new cancer—a shameful, embarrassing thing, brought upon yourself in some obscure way. A fearful, incurable thing, so horrifying that you dare mention it; other people don’t want to hear the word spoken aloud for fear that they might too be afflicted or that it might tempt fate into visiting a similar horror upon them.” But the highlight of the novel was seeing Eleanor blossom and start to deal with her own pain. Despite the title, Eleanor Oliphant wasn’t completely fine but she will be. Uplifting and hopeful, this novel is one I will come back to, just so I can spend time with Eleanor just a little bit longer. Audiobook Comments: After reading this book, I picked it right back up again on audiobook. The audiobook is really great and I really loved the narrator’s Eleanor. Her dry, deadpan delivery was absolutely perfect! Highly recommended! * Thanks to the Penguin First Reads program and Penguin Random House Audio for providing me a review copy for review!

4.5 stars! “There are scars on my heart, just as thick, as disfiguring as those on my face. I know they’re there. I hope some undamaged tissue remains, a patch through which love can come in and flow out. I hope.” Are you ok? How are you doing? What’s going on? What’s up? How are you? These are all questions you probably get asked in some capacity at least once a day. We… Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine. Just like me. Just like you. We are all fine. At least that’s what we are supposed to say, to hide the grief and trauma and other negative but basic human emotions that make others uncomfortable. Two lighters both work just fine. Soak one lighter in childhood trauma and grief, the spark goes out. All is lost. But all it takes is for the second lighter to offer some help, and slowly, the spark will reignite. Eleanor must learn how to open her mind, open her eyes, open her heart to see and feel the wonderful things this world has to offer as all she had ever known was its cruelties. This novel was very compelling. Eleanor is extremely quirky and over time you learn how she gained this persona. Touching on loneliness, grief, trauma and social norms, and mental health stigmas all in one, well put together, thought provoking novel, Gail Honeyman has an immersive way of telling a story. I felt like I was right there with Eleanor through all of her experiences as she hits rock bottom and discovers she cannot ignore her grief and trauma and she cannot move forward without some help. A tale of realism. I loved almost everything about this book. This book is slow-paced and I wasn’t sure what the point was until about half way through. For that reason- I feel as thought this may not be everyone’s cup of tea. I would recommend reading when you are in a good mental health space as there are some triggers. All in all, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys literary fiction and who can connect quirky and broken characters. Cause aren’t we all just a little bit quirky and broken?

Do you want to read a book that will make you fall in love with a character, stay up late to read ‘just one more chapter’, laugh hysterically one moment and cry the next? You do? Then the sublime Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman is for you. This book has had lots of great press this year, it is shortlisted in the Costa First Novel Award for 2017, WHSmith have recently named it their Fiction Book of the Year for 2017 and more importantly it is November’s read for the book club I attend and we have really high standards! Whilst I can’t comment on what the general consensus will be as I’m writing this a few days before we meet I can give you my thoughts. There is always a worry with a much-hyped book that it won’t quite live up to expectations (so disappointing when this happens) and I did start reading with some slight trepidation. I needn’t have worried though as I absolutely adored Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine from the very first page. This book reminded me in some ways to A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman and The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion as these books also feature a protagonist who is socially awkward but I really think that Gail Honeyman’s novel has so much more depth and compassion. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is a wonderful novel which, through its strong characterisation and powerful storytelling drew me in to Eleanor’s world. We meet her when she is working for a design agency filled with cool, hip people and is the butt of their jokes and subject of their gossip. She works in accounts and whilst she says she is fine, she really, really isn’t. Her life is empty, she drinks two bottles of vodka every weekend, has a weekly phone call with her mummy, eats the same meals every day and her only friend is a plant in her living room. Eleanor has met a man and having decided that he is The One, she sets about making him fall in love with her – the only problem is he has never met her before and has no idea she even exists. Whilst this makes it sound like this book is some kind of rom-com it isn’t – this is an example of Eleanor’s lack of social awareness and I found it totally endearing. Gail Honeyman has created a wonderful character in Eleanor, I fell head over heels in love with her, I loved her quirks, I loved her thought processes and there were moments of complete overwhelming sadness where I wanted to climb into the pages and comfort her. This book is filled with moments of beautiful sweetness, particularly her friendship with Raymond which I thought was honest and believable. It would be easy for these moments to be saccharine and cloying but they’re not at all – his genuine regard for her and compassion was realistic and heart-warming. Gail Honeyman has a deft touch and avoids veering into mawkish territory. Eleanor’s past is hinted at – there are dark shadows lurking at the edge of the page and when the truth unravels it is heart-rending and brutal. This book absolutely destroyed me – I think the last book that affected me so much was A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (if you haven’t read this, please do, it is a masterpiece). I keep thinking about it and I really want to talk about it (I can’t wait to get to book club!) because it is funny, sincere, thought-provoking and utterly, utterly devastating. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine deserves all the plaudits it is getting and I am stunned that this is Gail Honeyman’s debut novel. Accomplished and assured I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her. I’ll be giving this book a 10 at book club – something which doesn’t happen very often.

Eleanor Oliphant is an accounting clerk who works all week, stays at home every Friday night enjoying her supermarket pizza and vodka, and wait for Monday to come. She’s fine keeping her distance from the people around her until she finds her “soulmate” and at the same time, forms an unlikely friendship with one of her colleagues. Eleanor is a fascinating and definitely a very memorable character. This book is written in her perspective which I really loved. We get to see what she sees and know what she thinks. She can be off-putting at times but still very relatable and realistic. I loved her humor and honesty. Her relationship with Raymond was so sweet and enjoyable to read. The author’s writing is compelling and beautiful. I can’t believe that this is her debut novel. This book is sad and painful to read at times but the author still managed to tell Eleanor’s story in a lighter way (if that makes sense). There’s also a mystery surrounding Eleanor’s past which is slowly revealed throughout the book. I appreciated how the author handled mental health issues in this book. It’s raw and very moving. I know that this book is not for everyone because you might love or hate Eleanor. But I’m pretty sure that you can relate to her in some ways. This book is about loneliness, unspoken sadness, friendship, and kindness.

A beautiful story about trauma, self discovery, and love.

It's a wonderful, funny read! It brings out the best and the worst in humans. I enjoyed every page.

Não é fácil definir resenhar este livro. Antes de começar a ler, esperava que ele fosse completamente diferente, que fosse mais leve, mais engraçado, menos pesado. A verdade é que ele é muito triste desde o começo. Essa é a melhor palavra para ele, triste. Até mesmo quando parece que a protagonista não percebe o quanto sua situação é triste, o leitor percebe. Antes mesmo de saber tudo que aconteceu, isso já fica claro. A solidão de Eleanor é palpável e dolorosa. Apesar de não ser um livro alegre, tem algumas partes divertidas, sim. Ver o atrito que o jeito literal e de falar tudo que pensa da Eleanor causa em situações que, para a gente, são bastante simples e comuns é engraçado! Tem partes fofas também, personagens amáveis, como o Sammy, o Raymond e a mãe dele, mas também tem aquelas ainda mais tristes que vão te fazer chorar. Passei o livro todo com vontade de abraçar Eleanor e nunca mais soltar. Ela é preciosa demais para sofrer tanto sem ao menos perceber. A narrativa é bem dentro de sua cabeça, e acho válido mencionar isso, porque tem bastante gente que se incomoda quando o livro não tem tantos diálogos e é mais um monólogo. Eu, particularmente, achei perfeito. A autora é muito boa, deu as informações na medida e parece entender tão, mas tão bem a cabeça da Eleanor, que é até um pouco assustador. E a Eleanor é tão real e única, que é difícil não acreditar que ela existe de verdade. Ela é única mesmo, com sua mentalidade literal, seu jeito direto de falar tudo que vem à cabeça e sua falta de tato em situações sociais, a ponto de beirar o autismo. Mas ela é tão maravilhosa também, não merecia nunca ter que passar pelo que passou, e eu só queria poder protegê-la do mundo. Eleanor Oliphant é definitivamente uma personagem marcante! Fico bem feliz de que a autora não tenha transformado esse livro em um romance, porque ele é sobre Eleanor e sua solidão, suas causas, consequências e solução, e transformar um romance em solução milagrosa tiraria toda a credibilidade e o valor da luta dela. Mas confesso que amo o Raymond e, na minha cabeça, eles ficam juntos no final. Também achei ótimo a autora não ter "curado" Eleanor magicamente, primeiro, porque não seria muito realista, mas principalmente porque o jeito dela não era o problema. Ela definitivamente não precisava mudar de personalidade ou fingir ser como os outros. Ela é o suficiente exatamente como é. E foi só agora, enquanto escrevia sobre este livro que percebi que ele já faz parte da minha lista de favoritos. Ele é marcante, doloroso e emocionante. Se você não se sentir tocado pela história da Eleanor, precisa de um pouco mais de compaixão na sua vida. Eleanor Oliphant marcou a minha, e eu vou fazer questão de dar este livro de presente para muita gente, porque ela precisa marcar a vida de todo mundo!