Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

Reese's Book Club (A Novel)

By: Gail Honeyman

Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 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.

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

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.

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.

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!

A sort of Twisted modern Austen

One of those novels that comes around every few years that will be loved by anyone who reads it. At least anyone who likes interesting characters. Who couldn't love Eleanor? Light romance, insight, a sort of dark Jane Austen feel. Plenty of humor. I laughed a lot and cried once or twice. Just... such a good, filling book (because it has such fulfilling people in it)