I gave Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman, 5/5 stars. Here’s my review.
Title: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Author: Gail Honeyman
Published: May 9, 2017
In Brief: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman, is a story about strangers, kindness, and the power of friendship. Eleanor is a curmudgeonly loner without any friends, but that’s ok. Her life is perfectly adequate, her basic needs are met, she’s getting along just fine. Or is she?
Summary:
Eleanor Oliphant’s carefully regimented life is strategically planned to ensure her basic needs are met without undue effort and social interactions are kept to a minimum. She fills her free time with crosswords, books, listening to the BBC radio soap opera The Archers, and caring for her houseplant named Polly. Weekends are often spent entirely alone, with the only human interaction being with the clerk at Tesco Metro where she buys her weekly pizza and vodka.
The people around Eleanor take notice of her quirks and strange mannerisms and often interpret her curt demeanor as intentional rudeness. Eleanor is not accustomed to kindness. She is more familiar with odd looks, sarcastic remarks, and snide utterances (and worse).
But Eleanor isn’t just a bit different. On the inside, she’s anxious, lonely, and heartbreakingly self-loathing. Having suffered inconceivable trauma as a child before entering the foster care system, Eleanor has no real experience with love and acceptance. So when she unexpectedly enters a friendship with Raymond, the scruffy and unrefined IT guy from her office, it takes her a while to recognize that their relationship is indeed a friendship. And as Eleanor’s predictable and orderly life takes an unexpected turn, Raymond’s kind and open heart help her own heart begin to heal.
Eleanor may seem fine on the outside, but as her story is revealed we learn she’s not quite as fine as she/we thought. And we learn how a little bit of kindness and sincere friendship can literally save a life.
My Rating & Review
5/5 stars
“Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” If ever there was a novel to illustrate that quote, this is it. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is unexpected and unforgettable. Equally heartbreaking and heartwarming, this wonderfully written novel about the powers of loneliness and friendship is one of the best I’ve read in years.
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Kimberly in NC says
This book sounds interesting. I might try to pick it up at the library; thanks for the review. I love to read, as well. I have really enjoyed Francine Rivers and Charles Martin. Some of their books more than others, but I really like their writing styles. Francine Rivers’ book The Masterpiece was especially good and so was her Mark of the Lion trilogy. I tend to read a lot of Christian fiction and these were very good books. And then one day, I just happened to pick up a book from the new shelf of the library and it was better than I expected. It was We Hope For Better Things by Erin Bartels. It flashed between 3 different time periods dealing with civil rights and slavery. (The Masterpiece though, is an awesome read…you should really look for it and see what you think. It drew me in and now I wish I hadn’t read it just so I could read it again!)
Laura Bailey says
My pleasure! I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did. 🙂