Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine: Debut Sunday Times Bestseller and Costa First Novel Book Award winner

Some books tell a story and others quietly reach into places you didn’t expect them to touch. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine belongs firmly in the latter category. Very much my kind of novel, it joins a growing list of favourites centred on eccentric, lonely characters trying to find a place for themselves in a world that often feels indifferent. Eleanor is thirty years old-socially awkward, painfully literal and fiercely independent. She lives alone in Glasgow, works as a bookkeeper, spends her weekends with frozen pizza and vodka and insists she is completely fine. The tragedy and brilliance of the novel lies in the slow realisation that she is anything but. Gail Honeyman has created an unforgettable protagonist. Eleanor’s observations are often unintentionally funny, not because she is trying to be humorous but because she sees the world through an entirely singular lens. Beneath this humour, however, lies profound loneliness, emotional pain and a traumatic past that is revealed with remarkable restraint. As her carefully controlled world begins to widen through a series of chance encounters-especially her growing friendship with the warm hearted Raymond-she slowly begins to experience what genuine human connection feels like. What moved me most was the novel’s understanding of loneliness: not as something dramatic, but as a quiet, persistent ache. Honeyman explores depression, addiction, trauma and mental health with great compassion, never reducing Eleanor to her struggles. At its heart, the story is not about romantic salvation but about friendship, kindness and the simple power of being present for someone. Eleanor’s journey is both heartbreaking and hopeful, exposing the quiet fears that often sit beneath ordinary lives. Her longing to be seen, valued and understood speaks to a deeply human vulnerability that many of us struggle to articulate. A beautifully written debut with a memorable protagonist, this is a touching and unforgettable novel that I know I will return to again. If you haven’t read it already, I highly recommend that you do pick it.

An outstanding debut by Gail Honeyman. There is something about this book which makes you feel deeply. It’s an easy, touching and engaging read. Eleanor Oliphant, a 30-year female is a survivor. She works in an office, follows a set routine for weekdays and weekend too. Monday to Friday she is on time for her work, has lunch alone and reads the newspaper and solves crosswords. Friday’s she buys Margherita pizza, wine and vodka. The booze spreads through the weekend so that she is neither drunk nor sober. She is well-read and well mannered but doesn’t seem to fit in this society. She is lonely in this world and many situations expressed by the author from her viewpoint moves you deeply. Like she doesn’t speak from the point at which she says her destination to the bus driver on Friday night, right through until she greets his colleague on Monday morning. We are busy with our lives that we don’t realize that such people do exist. We may think, but such people do indeed exist. She thoroughly researches all activities before pursuing them. She is neither close to someone nor she hangs out socially. The author has wonderfully described her first experiences of many things like bikini wax, manicure, fast food restaurant, getting shampooed, dancing etc. Her relationship with Raymond (nothing romantic here) has been beautifully described. Eleanor meets new people and feels the warmth around them. It’s overwhelming but pleasant for her. As she doesn’t hang around with people she is completely natural (not diplomatic), sometimes weird and deadly honest. Her thoughts are sometimes humorous and sometimes silly. She thinks Bobbi Brown is a female, who works at the store. It’s moving how things that are considered normal doesn’t cross someone’s mind e.g. job change, moving to another city, etc. Eleanor had never walked hand in hand with someone; no one had ever rubbed her tired shoulders or stroked her face. There are times when she felt she would die of loneliness. A paragraph I would like to quote, “ 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 not 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.” Read this page-turning book to find out more about Eleanor and life from an angle of a person who is in loneliness. For me this book is unforgettable, unmissable, powerful, deeply moving with perfect combination of humor and sadness. I would rate this book 4.5/5. Happy reading!

beautifully written read with unexpected layers. Eleanor’s dry, quirky humour keeps you smiling throughout, and just when you settle into her routine, the story takes a twist you truly don’t see coming. A touching mix of wit, warmth and surprise — absolutely worth reading.

You often find some books which remain with you for a long time after you finish reading it. Same happened to me with Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine . I read this book way back in January and that book is still fresh in my mind till today. That only means that the book was amazing and it made its spot in my favourite books list. The main reason that I liked this book so much is its main character, Eleanor. Though I am nothing like Eleanor in real life, I related to her on so many levels. She is an unlikeable character in the beginning but as the story progresses you can’t NOT like her. She will make you feel for her. You would laugh with her on her punchlines. You would cry for her. You would dream with her. She will make you fall in love with her. In other words, this book is a rollercoaster of emotions. You will laugh, you will cry, you will get angry, you will be sad, but still, you would like every moment of that ride. Truth to be told, I had no idea what to expect from this book when I started it. I had only heard rave reviews about it and everyone was praising it last year. It also won Costa Debut Novel award in 2018. I am generally lucky with the hyped books, but still, I was afraid about picking this one. But I am so happy that I loved this book so much. Gail Honeyman has perfectly presented the mental illness concept and her writing will instantly connect with you. She has created a wonderful character, Eleanor. She is not perfect in any sense. She is flawed, lonely and straightforward, still manages to throw punches in between and you would laugh at her wittiness. This book is character-oriented and the other lovable character is Raymond, Eleanor’s colleague, who soon becomes her friend. I loved how Raymond and Eleanor’s relationship was portrayed and how he made Eleanor come out of her loneliness. She used to make fun of him because of his dressing sense and all, but soon Raymond made her realise there is so much in the world to see. She went to a totally different place because of him. He even persuaded her to see a therapist which she never realised was needed for her. Raymond was a good addition to her life 🙂 Books like Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine definitely deserve all the hype and every reader should give this one a chance. This has left a deep mark on my mind. It is hard to find books which are full of emotions and yet are far from being overly-sentimental.

This is a poignant and deeply moving account of Eleanor Oliphant's life -- a matter-of-fact and brutally honest first person narrative by the protagonist -- expertly woven with the precise amount of wit and laugh-out-loud humour; the kind of humour which doesn't seem misplaced, but reduces the impact of the many heart breaking anecdotes by providing objectivity and perspective. Eleanor Oliphant has resigned herself to living a life of rejection and loneliness and is happy with her carefully timetabled existence -- or so she thinks -- until one day, a little bit of kindness from a total stranger melts her frigidity and rekindles her desire for human connection. However, some part of her is deeply scarred and she struggles to live a normal life -- for she has never known "normalcy" like everybody else. This is her journey, as she digs deep into the recesses of her sub-conscious mind, excavates and confronts her painful past, and finally forgives and makes peace with herself. The precision and eloquency with which the author has handled the subject of loneliness is commendable, and it makes the story relatable to every reader at some level. It's not the archetypal romantic love story, but nevertheless, a story of basic human love and affection, of human touch, of compassion and kindness, which is far more impactful and leaves a long-lasting impression. An excellent debut by the author; a must read!

Amazing book! I got the yellow cover of the book, not white as shown in the product pic here. About the book, If someone called u wierdo for the things u do... This is the book for u... And if you r a loner and sometimes fails to understand why people don't understand you... This is the book for all that.. And it has good humor too... I just started reading it.... But I will recommend it for anyone.... Go and add this book to ur collection

While the novel describes loneliness, depression in very detail and vividly, the suspense here a different stance altogether. As a reader I wasn’t expecting it and hence was taken aback at that page specifically. The book does get depressing for the most time but I love that this book will make people uncomfortable and also let them acknowledge some of the similar patterns in life.

I love Eleanor. I felt like she was my friend, I wanted to comfort her, hug her. I just couldn’t stop reading it.

Solo una parola: unico! È un libro delicato, ma forte, così come la protagonista. Tratteggia il personaggio e le difficoltà psicologiche con tatto, umorismo, accarezzando le sue "cicatrici" e curandole. Una storia di resilienza, di come alcuni traumi ci formano su strutture di personalità "particolari" per farvi sopravvivere, ma di come ce se ne possa prendere cura con forza e coraggio!

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.

Eleanor Oliphant is the main character in this book. Her sad younger years have stunted her growth socially. Now that she is older, she is trying her very best to learn how to interact with people. She will make you laugh and she will make you cry. Eleanor Oliphant is a 30 year old woman, who lives alone in a flat with her bird plant she named Polly. She works as a clerk in the accounts receivable department of a graphic design company. She is highly intelligent, educated, articulate, but socially behind. When she speaks, she says whatever is on her mind with no boundaries and so, people think she's weird. Her co-workers make fun of her, but she is used to it by now and carries on with her work. She has been working for the company for 10 years. One day, she wins tickets to a concert and she takes one of her co-workers with her. It is there that she finds herself attracted to a musician. He is handsome and talented. She knows instantly that he is the one for her. She decides to look after her appearance and learn some social skills. That would surely get him interested in her. Every Friday, she picks up a pizza and a bottle of vodka and heads home. She spends her weekends alone in her house drinking until Monday arrives. Her Mummy calls her every Wednesday from jail. She is a mean woman and never has a nice thing to say to Eleanor. She always tells her how ugly she is and by now, Eleanor is used to it. She never knew her father. Eleanor has a scar on her face and scars on her hands. When she was 10 years old, she moved from one foster home to another, but she considered herself lucky. She always had a roof over her head and food to eat. A social worker came regularly to see how she was doing . When she was on her own, Eleanor went to live with her first boyfriend named Declan. He physically abused her and she moved out. One day at work, her computer gives out. An IT man named Raymond Gibbons comes to repair it. Eleanor doesn't like a thing about him. He's unkempt, chews with his mouth open, smells of cigarette smoke and the list goes on. On her way home after work, Raymond sees her walking and he soon catches up with her. As they are talking, a pedestrian falls on the sidewalk and Raymond runs to help. Eleanor soon follows and a friendship begins. Gail Honeyman has created a character named Eleanor Oliphant, who is funny, sad and is trying so hard to fit in. I loved this character and I kept rooting for her and hoping that one day she would fit in. Gail Honeyman is a gifted writer with quite an imagination. I enjoyed Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine immensely. It will warm your heart.

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