Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
A Novel
Book - 2017
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From Library Staff
From Library Staff
Smart, warm, uplifting, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes. . .
the only way to survive is to open your heart.
Meet Eleanor Oliphant: she struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding unnecessary human contact, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.
But every... Read More »
Meet Eleanor Oliphant: she struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding unnecessary human contact, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.
But every... Read More »
Smart, warm, uplifting, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes the only way to survive is to open your heart.
This heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting book features Eleanor, a 30-year old woman who is an eccentric loner and disliked by her coworkers.
From the critics
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VaughanPLDaniela
Feb 02, 2021
"I suppose one of the reasons we're able to continue to exist for our allotted span in this green and blue vale of tears is that there is always, however remote it might seem, the possibility of change." (182)
page 265 "... how to select appropriate (reading) material... The covers are of very little help, because they always say only good things, and I've found out to my cost that they're rarely accurate."
example being this book said "funny" and looking for a light-hearted read after 10 months of covid19 and this book is not funny. Reese Witherspoon, Jojo Moyes, reviewer at People, and others have a sick, vindictive sense of humor if this book is funny.
page 225 "What, I wondered, was the point of me? I contributed nothing to the world, absolutely nothing, and I took nothing from it either. When I cease to exist, it would make no material difference to anyone." "Most people's absence from the world would be felt on a personal level by at least a handful of people. I, however, had no one." ... "I do not feel sorry for myself, not in the least. These are simply statements of fact." "I have been waiting for death all my life. I do not mean that I actually wish to die, just that I do not really want to be alive." Precedes Eleanor's suicide attempt.
page 220 "I had convinced myself that he was the one, that he would help to make me normal, fix things that were wrong with my life. Someone to help me deal with Mommy, block out her voice when she whispered in my ear, telling me I was bad, I was wrong, I wasn't good enough. Why has I thought that?" Eleanor when she realizes that the musician was just a juvenile crush and a romance with him would never happen.
page 134 "Some people, weak people, fear solitude. What they fail to understand is that there's something very liberating about it; once your realize that you don't need anyone, you can take care of yourself. That's the thing: it's best just to take care of yourself. You can't protect other people, however hard you try. You try, and you fail, and your world collapses around you, burns sown to ashes." Eleanor's thoughts when Raymond wants to meet before going to Laura's house.
pg 300 .... was wearing a strange, oversized woolen hat that I hadn't seen before. It looked like the kind of hat that a German goblin might wear in an illustration from a nineteenth-century fairy tale, possibly one about a baker who was unkind to children and got his comeuppance via an elfin horde, ......
“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. The threads tighten slightly from Monday to Friday.”
“All the studies show that people tend to take a partner who is roughly as attractive as they are; like attracts like, that is the norm.”
p 134: Some people, weak people, fear solitude. What they fail to understand is that there's something very liberating about it; once you realize that you don't need anyone, you can take care of yourself.
cals_readers
Sep 21, 2017
These days, lonliness is the new cancer -- a shameful, embarassing thing, brought upon yourself in some obscure way.
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SPL_Brittany
Nov 05, 2017
Meet Eleanor Oliphant. A socially awkward 29-year old who works in the finance department as a clerk in a small graphics firm in Scotland. She is literal to a fault and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. She is completely unfazed by office gossip, and takes comfort in avoiding social interactions. Eleanor lives alone and spends her weekends eating frozen pizza, drinking vodka and making calls to Mummy. According to Eleanor, she is completely fine, thank you very much!
Except maybe she isn’t.
Everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond the new IT guy. Together they come to the aid of Sammy – an older man who they witness collapse in the street. The three become friends who rescue one another from the isolation each of them has been living. With the help of the two men, Eleanor begins to experience her world for the first time with a fresh perspective, and she slowly begins to come out of her shell as they help her to confront the terrible secrets of her past that she has fastidiously kept hidden away.
Debut author Gail Honeyman writes a heartwarming, funny and poignant novel that despite its light-hearted tone does not shy away from its more serious issues. It is a story written with depth, originality and well-developed characters. Readers will enjoy getting to know and rooting for Eleanor, as she navigates a world that was once familiar to her, which has become entirely new. This novel is perfect for those who’ve previously enjoyed titles such as “The Rosie Project” and “A Man Called Ove”.
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Add a CommentI almost didn't finish this book. I completely agree with Maipenrai's comments. The repressed memories were interesting, but they unrolled too slowly & I was losing interest in unlikeable & annoying Eleanor. At least it ended better, so that saved the day.
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine was an oddly comforting book to read.
This book took me by surprise by how much I came to adore the slice-of-life style narrative of the story.
We got to slowly unravel Eleanor's traumatic past as she heals and learns to accept positive relationships in her life.
While there times I cringed at Eleanor's social behaviors, and her judgmental tendencies, the innocence behind her tendencies made me want to give her the biggest hugs. I also loved how Eleanor and Raymond's friendship bloomed slowly. It took it's time, and was patient and tender.
Interesting read! You just want to give poor Eleanor a hug the entire time, but I liked it.
Eleanor Oliphant is not completely fine. This novel is an excellent description of the gradual revelation of repressed memories and how abused humans find ways to reproduce abuse to master it or because they know nothing different. Recommend. Kristi & Abby Tabby
Eleanor Oliphant is a quirky young woman who prefers evenings of solitude and weekends of frozen pizza and vodka. All of that changes when an elderly man
collapses in front of Eleanor and her co-worker Raymond. What follows is a story filled with endless warmth, humour and heart as Eleanor breaks free from her troubled past. Highly recommend!
Ugly duckling becomes an almost swan. So hard not to want nothing but good for Eleanor. Sweet story that makes you feel good. Another good beach read.
A good, enjoyable read. Eleanor Oliphant, the interesting, socially clueless protagonist, has had a difficult upbringing and struggles with mental health, depression, and past trauma. This book delves into these subjects and is packed full of emotion (be prepared to feel both happy and sad for Eleanor).
My favourite quotes from this book are:
“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.”
"In principle and reality, libraries are life-enhancing palaces of wonder."
"In the end, what matters is this: I survived."
This was a great book ... i binge-read it in one weekend. The only thing i would like to see differently is the ending. It was a bit dry and felt hastily put together in the end. But otherwise, fantastic!
Loved the characters, but then I am a sucker for lost souls finding friends.
Eleanor is socially awkward and learns to love. Great book.