Reader Review: "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine"
by Cathryn Conroy (Gaithersburg, Maryland): Priceless. Perfect. Phenomenal.
Eleanor Oliphant is one of the most refreshing characters to ever inhabit the pages of a book. She is literal and direct in everything she says, using perfect English at all times. She is confident and quite self-sufficient, thank you very much. But Eleanor has no filter and is totally clueless socially. The result is that much of what she says and observes about every day life is hilarious, absolutely on target and something most of us would never dream to say out loud—even if we silently think it. Eleanor's point of view is unique, mystifying and downright inspirational.
This book made me laugh out loud (literally!) more times than I can count. But it also made me cry so many times I am embarrassed to admit it. How many books do both? So many books are either farcical comedies quickly forgotten or oh-so-sad stories—but not both at the same time. With biting humor and a tender heart, author Gail Honeyman has written a captivating and totally quirky first novel.
Thirty-year-old Eleanor Oliphant is lonely. Very lonely. She lives by herself, has a boring office job and no friends or family. Her only companion is a plant. But two events conspire to slowly and painstakingly bring her out of her shell and into the world: She and a co-worker assist and elderly gentleman who has fallen in the street and she develops a secret crush on a rock singer.
While the backbone of the story, which is set in Glasgow, Scotland, is tragic and heartrending, Eleanor's character quirks make the plot, including one stunning plot twist at the end, psychologically bearable. Woven through it all is the magic of love, friendship, kindness and happiness and the extraordinary things quite ordinary people will do for one another.
This is a must-read and perfect for book clubs.
by Cathryn Conroy (Gaithersburg, Maryland): Priceless. Perfect. Phenomenal.
Eleanor Oliphant is one of the most refreshing characters to ever inhabit the pages of a book. She is literal and direct in everything she says, using perfect English at all times. She is confident and quite self-sufficient, thank you very much. But Eleanor has no filter and is totally clueless socially. The result is that much of what she says and observes about every day life is hilarious, absolutely on target and something most of us would never dream to say out loud—even if we silently think it. Eleanor's point of view is unique, mystifying and downright inspirational.
This book made me laugh out loud (literally!) more times than I can count. But it also made me cry so many times I am embarrassed to admit it. How many books do both? So many books are either farcical comedies quickly forgotten or oh-so-sad stories—but not both at the same time. With biting humor and a tender heart, author Gail Honeyman has written a captivating and totally quirky first novel.
Thirty-year-old Eleanor Oliphant is lonely. Very lonely. She lives by herself, has a boring office job and no friends or family. Her only companion is a plant. But two events conspire to slowly and painstakingly bring her out of her shell and into the world: She and a co-worker assist and elderly gentleman who has fallen in the street and she develops a secret crush on a rock singer.
While the backbone of the story, which is set in Glasgow, Scotland, is tragic and heartrending, Eleanor's character quirks make the plot, including one stunning plot twist at the end, psychologically bearable. Woven through it all is the magic of love, friendship, kindness and happiness and the extraordinary things quite ordinary people will do for one another.
This is a must-read and perfect for book clubs.
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