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On the Bookshelf Book Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

November 5, 2018
oliphant

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
by Gail Honeyman
My rating: ***** out of 5 stars

Definitely one of my favorites of the year, Eleanor Oliphant is the kind of book you can’t put down until you’re finished.  And then when you do finish, you’re sad it’s over.

Eleanor is a 29-year-old single woman, who has worked for the same company for years.   She goes to work at the same time every day and leaves at the same time every day.  She is very quirky and has a hard time relating to other people.  This is especially true of her co-workers who tend to make fun of her without her noticing.  Eleanor lives alone and doesn’t talk to anyone, excepting for the weekly call from “Mummy.”

Then, one day at work, Eleanor’s computer breaks down and she has to call Raymond from IT to fix it.  Raymond, kind of quirky himself, is extremely kind and takes an interest in Eleanor, who doesn’t have any time for him.  But after work one day, Raymond and Eleanor find Sammy, an older gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk. With Raymond’s insistence, Eleanor does the right thing and helps Sammy.  They make sure he gets to the hospital and then visit him to make sure he’s okay.

Eleanor, Raymond, and Sammy become friends and Eleanor begins to realize that her “fine” life wasn’t really so fine after all.  With Raymond’s encouragement, Eleanor begins to see a therapist who helps her deal with her traumatic childhood and gives her the confidence to live her life without the constant criticism from her mum playing over and over in her head.

This book is very well written.  It’s funny and sad and the characters are endearing.  I went from laughing out loud at Eleanor’s antics to feeling terrible for her hard life.  It is amazing that this is Honeyman’s debut novel – if this is where she starts, I can’t wait to see what she does next!  In fact, there are already plans to make this book into a movie which I will definitely make time to see.

If you haven’t already read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, I highly recommend that you add it to your TBR list.  You won’t regret it!

That’s all for now.  Until next time, happy reading!

If you like books about quirky characters, you may also like:

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata

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4 Comments

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  • Moms love learning November 5, 2018 at 5:57 pm

    This sounds like a lovely story. I added it to my reading list.

    • admin November 6, 2018 at 7:39 am

      Let me know how you like it!

  • CJ | A Well-Read Tart November 27, 2018 at 1:31 am

    I’m so glad I read your review. I’ve seen this book over and over again but never really given it a second thought. But it sounds like something I absolutely need to read. Adding it to my TBR list. 🙂 It also sounds like it might remind me a little bit of A MAN CALLED OVE… that whole “lonely person who thinks they are content in their loneliness finds unexpeted joy in companionship” theme, lol.

    • admin December 1, 2018 at 1:41 am

      Yes! I think that’s a great comparison. I also thought it might be a little like Convenience Store Woman. Both main characters are loners and super quirky. But this book had secondary characters that were much more likable. I loved Raymond! He was a champ. I highly recommend this if you haven’t picked it up yet.