If you're looking for a great read this weekend, I highly recommend "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine". So well written, this novel will grab you from the first page. Eleanor is lonely, quirky and unknowingly hilarious at times - but likeable, like a female "Man Called Ove". I give it all the stars!

A sweet story about a damaged woman and how she deals with life. Eleanor's abusive childhood and her broken relationship with her mother, has made Eleanor different from others. When she is befriended by the IT guy at work, her life changes....for the better.

Eleanor is a bit of an oddball, but her eccentricities make sense in such a terrible way that it's hard not to understand how she ended up as she did. But as the readers get to know her, they will realize that there is much more off about Eleanor. While the author makes it clear that there are more psychological problems at foot, I was surprised until the very end, a feat that does not happen often, but not in a way that felt out of left field.

Oddly funny and surprising in its revelations, and ultimately a deeper story than what it first appears to be.

"When people ask me what I do…I tell them I work in an office. [I work] for a graphic design company…Bob, the owner [must have felt sorry for me]. I had a degree in Classics and no work experience…I showed up for the interview with a black eye, a couple of missing teeth and a broken arm".

First thing before I write another word…you are going to love Eleanor Oliphant. She’s had a rough life but there’s something very special lurking inside her and she has a quirky personality that makes her endearing.

Pity isn’t a word Eleanor would use about herself. She’s pretty straightforward about everything – one of the first thing you will notice about her is her lack of a mental filter. She is a recluse but when she bumps up against the world she has a way of expressing herself that is unique and sometimes seen as abrasive.

In her first 30 years Eleanor has learned that the world is a cruel place. She only has to look in a mirror to see that half her face was burned in a fire but she has only limited memory of how it happened. She has grown up in foster homes; passed around like a white elephant gift. It was easier to pack her up and shove her into a new spot than to address why she doesn’t seem to fit into a normal family life.

Yet despite all of life’s misfortunes, Eleanor is perfectly happy just as she is…she sees the world as out-of-step and strange.

"I have always taken great pride in managing my life alone. I’m a sole survivor…I don’t need anyone else – there’s no big hole in my life…I am a self-contained entity."

Then two things happen that crack open her self-contained world.

She wins tickets to a rock concert and is star struck by one of the musicians. This immediate infatuation sends her on a mission to upgrade her image and is convinced that he marry her.

Next, her company computer breaks and she meets a disheveled computer repairman with a gentle spirit and a kind heart. Raymond is the only person in the office that sees her as a person not an object for ridicule and scorn. They begin a routine of lunch hour trips and in time form a social relationship that expands Eleanor’s world.

Eleanor crashes and burns when she learns that her rock star is a jerk. All of her hidden memories of childhood flood back. Her protective shell cracks as she deems herself undeserving of happiness and love. Reaching rock bottom in her life, Eleanor finds the strength to step on that last rung and begin to climb into a brighter and happier future.

As rough as this story sounds, it is not a maudlin book. It reminded me, in a way, of my favorite character in the recent bestseller, Man Called Ove. I was sorry when the book ended but I was cheering and calling out to Eleanor- you go girl! You deserve your new life.

Highly recommended.

Review Eleanor is the office oddball. Her wardrobe never varies, she doesn't participate in small talk, and her face is scarred. As Eleanor tells her story bits and pieces of her horrific past are revealed. A tentative friendship begins with a coworker and Eleanor is on the path to a full life.
This is a wonderful story about healing, love, and our human connections. At times, Eleanor's acerbic reflections made me laugh out loud. A real winner!

*Thanks to NetGalley for a free digital copy of this book!*

I loved this book! Once I got it, I put off reading it for many weeks. It just didn't catch my interest. But once I started, I could not put it down. I don't have many 5* books, but I loved this.

I loved the characters! Eleanor seemed real to me and I liked the way the author revealed her story throughout the book. I felt as though I was in her head, and could feel with her. I think there are parts of Eleanor that everyone can relate to. And while she is so awkward, she is so funny.

Sammy was not as major a character as I expected, yet he was pivotal, in both the way that Eleanor and Raymond met, but in the way Eleanor feels around him for the first time. I liked their interaction together, and the honest friendship that grew between Eleanor and Raymond.

It has been several days since I finished this book, but I'm still thinking about it.

I’ve heard a lot of good things about “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, “ but I must admit I was somewhat reluctant to read it. I’ve recently read several novels about social misfits like Eleanor and felt like I needed a break from that type of character. Also, Gail Honeyman is a debut author whose work was only discovered through a writing competition. (How good could she be?) I decided to give Eleanor half an hour, but after only ten minutes of reading I was totally hooked and my reluctance and skepticism were thrown out the window. Despite the tremendous amount of pain Eleanor has experienced, the book is funny, poignant, charming, touching, joyful, and an absolute wonder. Finish whatever you’re currently reading and without delay start “Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine.” All those rave reviews are right - Gail Honeyman is an exceptional author and this is a novel not to be missed.

My review was posted on Goodreads on 5/31/17

I cannot describe how utterly happy I am that I decided to read Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine! I completely and utterly fell in love with Eleanor and all her social oddities and her awkwardness. At first, I thought Eleanor was just going to be another unusual, quirky character, maybe a bit odd and one-dimensional, but I completely misjudged the character! I completely misjudged the author and for that, I sincerely apologize.

For a debut novel, this is brilliantly written! I would never have thought this was Honeyman’s first novel because of the wonderful way she develops the characters and makes them seem so alive! Not only that, Honeyman has written a brilliantly warm, incredible story that makes you feel so many amazing things! When I finished reading the book, I was left both laughing and crying. I still feel so many emotions after reading this tender and touching novel, and I hope I feel the beauty of this story for a long time.

Eleanor is a socially awkward woman, and she doesn’t really know how to relate to other adults in quite the way that you would expect a 30-year-old adult to interact, which I thought was going to be weird at first but it made her all the more endearing. The situations that Eleanor finds herself in, like with her coworkers, having her 1st bikini wax, getting a manicure, having drinks or lunch, attending a dinner party, all show she completely lacks social skills and has absolutely no filter. Eleanor says what she thinks even though it often comes across as rude, which can lead to some very awkward (and funny) moments! Yet, she has no idea she even lacks these proper skills since she is also highly poised, very articulate, and intelligent. Eleanor thinks she is perfectly fine, and we learn this directly from her since the story is told from Eleonor’s POV.

Yet, you come to realize that Eleanor is not fine, she’s not fine at all, and she’s hidden this fact under her oddities and quirks because even she doesn’t realize exactly how much she needs help learning to cope with deep, childhood emotional trauma. Certainly, it’s sometimes easier to bury those kinds of psychological scars than deal with them.

One way of dealing with her past is by living a life through controlled routines. Eleanor goes to work every weekday from 8:30 to 5:30, spends her lunchtimes alone doing a crossword puzzle, goes home to her empty apartment, eats dinner alone, watches TV or reads, and heads off to her lonely bed. Only to do the same thing all over again the next day and the next day. Except on Wednesday. Then she talks to her “mummy” on the phone, who is incarcerated for a crime, for exactly 10 minutes. It is in these 10-minute conversations we see why Eleanor is so emotionally awkward and damaged since her mummy is verbally and emotionally abusive. Mummy constantly berates Eleanor and reminds her of catastrophic, tragic past events. Events that led to the burn scar running down the side of Eleanor’s face, which Eleanor believes makes her ugly in some way.

As you increasingly learn about Eleanor’s past abuses and lonely childhood, much of it spent in foster and state care, it’s much easier to understand why she lives her life almost in a bubble, a recluse isolated by the safety of routine and without any friends. I found it heartbreaking how Eleanor felt about herself because I don’t think that even Eleanor realized it was tragic to be so lost and lonely, and I admit I cried several times reading this book.

Then Eleanor meets Raymond, an easygoing coworker from the IT department! After they help an elderly man who fell in the street, her life begins to change. Raymond is the total opposite of Eleanor—he’s casual, laidback, unkempt, but completely kind, caring, and friendly. He actually wants to befriend Eleanor despite her quirks and odd ways and doesn’t make fun of her like her other colleagues so often do! I wanted to hug him so many times for treating her normally and continuing to make the effort to be her friend although she often rebuffs him in the beginning! They begin to go to the pub, have lunch, she meets his mother, they attend a party, and it is so lovely and warm how Raymond cares for her, especially as pieces of her past history start to emerge and a terrible event happens that causes the buried memories of her damaged childhood to be revealed.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is a story about a woman who through the help of true friendship confronts and overcomes the hidden and painful moments in her past, learns to trust in pure kindness, and believes and accepts in herself. Eleanor is a survivor, and her story of heartbreak, hope, healing, and love is a beautiful and lovely thing. You’ll laugh, cry, and cheer for the endearing Eleanor! I loved this book, and I cannot wait to see what the talented Honeyman writes next because she is a truly gifted writer, and I am now a huge fan! I highly, highly recommend this book!

I want to thank NetGalley, Penguin Group Viking/Pamela Dorman Books, and Gail Honeyman for providing me with an ARC of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine to read in exchange for my fair and honest review.

My library has purchased this title: eBook, Hardback and eAudiobook. I plan to use it as a Book Club suggestion for 2018.

I didn't find this novel nearly as compelling as most readers did. Quite honestly, I'm not even sure why -- the book seems like a perfect fit for my tastes and for a college reading text: strong writing, important issues, and quirky characters. This one just fell flat for me, and I had to push myself to get through it.

This was a fabulous book. Eleanor Oliphant is a unique character. She goes to work everyday, does not socialize at work, in fact her co-workers make fun of her, she goes home and watches telly and on weekends gets soused on vodka. Once a week she speaks to her mummy. She is scarred on her face, but how she got these scars we don't know till the end.

Eleanor's life begins to change when she, out of character, attends a concert in a pub and falls in love with a musician. She believes that he too will fall for her. But what really brings about change is attention from an IT guy, who dresses poorly and talks while he eats, begins to pay attention to her. A chance rescue by the two of them of an elderly man who has collapsed in the street, bring them together as they visit him in hospital and at home.

Funny, heartbreaking and unforgettable.

I have been mentioning Gail Honeyman's debut novel, ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE, to several people lately since I found that I really do want to introduce readers to Eleanor. She undergoes an amazing, but gradual, transformation from a socially inept and rather unlikeable character to the person in charge of planning the office Christmas Party. Initially, Eleanor's life at thirty years old is full of routine – she has been in the same job for close to a decade, lived in the same apartment, and spends her weekends alone drinking vodka to help forget a troubled childhood.

But a catalyst of sorts occurs when she and co-worker Raymond stop to help Sammy, an elderly man who has fallen and needs to get to hospital. Over time, Eleanor meets Sammy's family and becomes more able to accept and respond to overtures from others, even recognizing her own limitations: "I tried to fathom his expression. I find it hard to work out people's expressions sometimes. The cryptic crossword is much, much easier." Eleanor forms an almost obsessive crush on a musician which leads to a major change in attitude (being willing to try new actions). And that, in turn, leads to small changes in appearance (clothing and hairstyle) and in her social life (attending parties, meeting Raymond for lunch) so that she slowly morphs into someone who begins thinking of others and becomes someone about whom I really cared. Her observations, though seemingly naïve, are often humorous and spot on. ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE received a starred review from Booklist and was the top LibraryReads recommendation for May.

Link in post: http://libraryreads.org/may-2017-libraryreads/

This book was so relatable and heartwarming and I think it has a really wide range of appeal. This is going to be my go to suggestion for fans of books like A Man Called Ove. Thanks for letting me review it!

Funny strange yet touching read. Eleanor is not just socially awkward, it seems like she is completely cut off from everyone around her and has no idea how to be a human. Her unusual appearance and lack of filter means she has no real friends or connections besides her therapist. When she has a run in with Raymond, the unkempt IT guy from her job, her life is changed completely. The pair wind up saving an old man who collapsed, and Raymond forces Eleanor to change and socialize with others. As Eleanor changes from the inside and the outside, she is finally ready to face the demons and truth from her past and cut out the destructive voice of her abusive mother. Some Jane Eyre-qualities that are intentional and incredibly well-done, one of my favorite books this year that I have read so far.

A wonderful book about accepting yourself and letting others in. The beginning is a little slow and I had a hard time emotionally connecting with Eleanor, who is portrayed as a loner with little social interaction and seemingly little interest in building relationships. Keep reading, because you too will get hooked and find yourself cheering for Eleanor in her triumphs, feeling sadness at her pain, and laughing at her social missteps, of which there are many. Although Eleanor may seem to be difficult to relate to at the beginning, she actually is quite similar to many of us in her everyday struggles and desire for love and acceptance.

The book took a much darker turn than I was expecting, only serving to make Eleanor more lovable. The character development is wonderful, not just for Eleanor, but for the other characters as well. I was wholly surprised by the ending. Overall, Honeyman shows through Eleanor the importance of kindness and the difference just one person can make in another's life.

I received this book a while ago, read a bit, but then put it down. I picked it up again and this time couldn't stop reading. Eleanor and her quirky ways are a delight and the author has an excellent way with words. Her humor made me laugh out loud more than once. The book is touching, courageous, and meaningful. Eleanor and her naivete will stick with you for a long time after you finish it. I just hope the author will come up with a sequel or a continuation of Eleanor Oliphant, because I for one, want more of her.

TV shows and movies can make me weep, but rarely does a book elicit that emotion from me...this one did.
One of the best books I've ever read, and one that will stay with me for a long time to come.

(I can always tell when a book is goodie, because I can still manage to read it even when it has to be read on my dreaded Kindle...hate ebooks)

A funny, sad, sweet, beautifully-written book. Not what I expected --so much more.

The publisher blurb starts like this:

"Smart, warm, uplifting, 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 her heart."

I'm a bit torn on what to say because the awkward and weird descriptions of Eleanor quickly disappear when you start to discover that she is actually a victim of horrific circumstances and abuse. Should we market that as witty and smart? Ugh, I just don't know. I think I was rooting for her in the end but will continue to be puzzled as to why the author treated the situation in this way. Without the trauma storyline I would have found the warm, irresistible, and I'd be rooting for her. But I felt uncomfortable with it.