Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

By: Gail Honeyman

Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron

Publisher's summary

Number-one New York Times best-seller and the perfect holiday gift.

A Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick

"Beautifully written and incredibly funny, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is about the importance of friendship and human connection. I fell in love with Eleanor, an eccentric and regimented loner whose life beautifully unfolds after a chance encounter with a stranger; I think you will fall in love, too!" (Reese Witherspoon)

No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine.

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 social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.

Soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the smart, warm, and uplifting 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.

©2017 Gail Honeyman (P)2017 Penguin Audio

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Critic reviews

"Move over, Ove (in Fredrik Backman's A Man Called Ove) - there's a new curmudgeon to love." (Booklist)

"Eleanor Oliphant is a truly original literary creation: funny, touching, and unpredictable. Her journey out of dark shadows is absolutely gripping." (Jojo Moyes, New York Times best-selling author of Me Before You)

"Narrator Cathleen McCarron's articulated British accent and studied pacing lend weight to Eleanor's apparent alienation from the world - and her immediate charm to listeners.... While supporting characters are well defined with distinct voices and accents, McCarron especially shines in setting the story's emotional tone." (AudioFile)

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4 out of 5 stars

By ibillinsly@gmail on 09-01-17

Good Story; Excellent Narration

Eleanor Oliphant is a clever and humorous novel. The story is entertaining, and it kept my attention.The narrator really shines in this performance. With a different narrator, I would not have enjoyed this recording as much. This is not typically the type book I choose, but after listening to it, I may branch out more in the future. Audible should be proud of this one. Don't hesitate to give it a try.

Overall rating: 4.42 stars

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5 out of 5 stars

By hfrances on 07-06-17

Just beautiful. A book you can't pin down.

This is a beautiful book. It changes genres throughout. At first it seems slightly comic, almost like Maria Semple's "Where'd you go Bernadette." However the element of mystery about her burns and the sense that she is avoiding remembering something permeates the narrative. As does the mesmerizing, creepy voice of "Mummy." I have read many books recently where I realize halfway through that, however strong the plot, I just don't care about the characters. I felt protective of Eleanor from the very beginning. Ms. Honeyman builds such a strong impression of Eleanor that the reader is compelled to take the journey with her. We laugh, but only gently, at her misunderstanding of her fellow humans. And when all is revealed at the end it's hard not to cry for her. However, with Glen the cat and Raymond, her smoking, sweet, sincere friend we are left hoping that the rest of her life will heal the wounds of the first.

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4 out of 5 stars

By Amazon Customer on 03-03-19

It eventually won be over

I couldn't get into it until Chapter 10. Working with students who have the primary disability of Autism; I struggled how characters were reacting to her. It never stated her disability, however it can be assumed by her social manners and taking things to the most literal sense. Overall, I'm glad I stuck with it and finished it.

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4 out of 5 stars

By KT on 06-28-17

Sad but hopeful

This book was tough for me. Eleanor is clearly mentally ill and I struggled through her machinations initially. But it's definitely worth the listen.

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5 out of 5 stars

By MystericalPrime on 05-15-17

Smart, funny, compassionate, disturbing

Great read (or listen). This story made me snort, chuckle, chortle, and LOL (something the heroine would hate!).

Well-written and the first of its kind for me, at least. I highly recommend.

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5 out of 5 stars

By Michael Knight on 08-20-17

Outstanding

This was a wonderful, intricate story. It is funny, heart-wrenching, and thought-provoking. The performance with fabulous Scottish accents was excellent. I can't recommend this book highly enough!

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5 out of 5 stars

By Chiwiz on 07-24-19

Gift of literature

True literature. Nuance of language. And feeling. Attention to how the human heart can open thru. others. Thru love Areal gift.

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5 out of 5 stars

By Barbara on 03-27-19

What a story! What a life!

Yes, I know it is fiction and there is not any way I could meet Eleanor Oliphant. But I only say that because I have met her and I am so very proud of her, she is an amazing woman and I would love to sit next to her on a bus one day. Thank you Gail, you developed a wonderful person for the world to meet.

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4 out of 5 stars

By Amazon Customer on 04-02-19

Heartbreaking growth pain

I didn’t find it as a funny story but funny. My heart is still aching even after read it all. Definitely recommend.

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4 out of 5 stars

By Daphne L Thompson on 05-06-20

Heartwarming

This story is engrossing and heartwrenching. Elenore Oliphant is a strong but lonely young woman who feels like every thing is okay when clearly it's not. Her journey to discover her past and her true happiness is at some times heartbreaking at others joyful but always one you want to be on.

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