Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

Reese's Book Club (A Novel)

By: Gail Honeyman

Narrated by: Cathleen McCarron

Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

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

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)

Eleanor sneaks up on you

I admit to struggling with this book at the beginning - - Eleanor just felt like such a bitter pill to swallow, but brilliantly, and I mean BRILLIANTLY, the author snuck her right into my heart. Aided by one of the best narrators ever, that slow build into caring meant that by the time all of Eleanor is revealed I was so tied into her life that when the book ended I felt like I was waving goodbye to a family member. Now that's good writing, and this is an amazing book. Please don't be like me and dismiss it too quickly. By the end you and Eleanor will both be fine.

The absolute best book

I've never listened to a better book. Additionally it's in the top five of books I've ever read. A beautiful story that is universal to the human condition and that is not an overstatement. This author deserves to win the Pulitzer and the audible book should win the top prize in the Audie awards.

Slow start, but ultimately a great story

It took me a while (like 6/7 hours) to get into the story .... unfolded very slow. There were a few times I chuckled in those early hours, due to the quirkiness of Eleanor. But once I turned that corner, I couldn't stop listening. Was a great story, Eleanor was an endearing character, and the twist at the end was completely unexpected. Can't wait for the movie, which I read Reese Witherspoon has purchased.

Adored it!

What a pleasant surprise! I selected this book as audible put it on my recommended reading list, and it received many 5 star reviews. This was a quirky but delightful story, definitely reminiscent of "A Man Called Ove" (in character only) which I suspect is why audible thought I might like it.

The narration was phenomenal. I will seek out more reads by this narrator. The accents were fantastic and varied. The narrator read the men and women distinctly. At times I wasn't sure if I was enjoying this book so much just on account of the narration alone...

The story was original and enjoyable. There were a few laugh out loud moments, and some serious tragedy. There is a twist that one certainly sees coming, but this is no doubt, the point. I rooted for Eleanor. I cheered for Raymond. I liked everything about this book, including the un-hollywood style ending. I will look for more from this author as well.

Almost Completely Fine

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the humor and characters in the story. The reader was excellent. If not for the f-bombs, I would have said the book was completely fine.

Ten Stars

Completely engaging story, combined with a perfect performance! That is my idea of time well spent.

one of the best books I have ever read / listen to

I may be a old softy but I loved this book. I rarely review a book but this one is special. I normally read epics or a good mystery, but I gave this one a try and I am so glad I did.

STUNNING!!

“I simply didn’t know how to make things better. I could not solve the puzzle of me.”

Beautiful and unpredictable, this book really spoke to me. Eleanor is quirky, unusual and even strange sometimes…everything in her life is orderly and predictable, just as she wants it. She keeps her distance from her co-workers and imagines a great romance with a famous musician she’s never even met. But she’s funny and bright and seeing the world through her eyes was pure joy.

Even the simplest of interactions puzzle Eleanor. She comes across as blunt and aloof but when her co-worker Raymond befriends her, her whole world opens up. Who could imagine that such simple acts as inviting a co-worler to lunch or texting a friend could actually brighten someone’s life? I read that the author got the idea for this book from reading about people who actually don’t see another human being from Friday night after work until Monday morning.

“When the silence and the aloneness press down and around me, crushing me, carving through me like ice, I need to speak aloud sometimes, if only for proof of life.”

Eleanor suffered terrible trauma as a child but the details are very slowly revealed over the course of the story. What I loved about the book is that despite her childhood, Eleanor is most definitely not a victim and is determined to move forward with her life.

The narrator Cathleen McCarron was simply outstanding. The story is set in Edinburgh and hearing each character’s voice really brought the book to life. Profoundly moving, touching and often funny, ‘Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine’ is a must-read and deserves ALL the praise.

“In the end, what matters is this: I survived.”

Amazing understanding of a wounded mind.

Perfection. First the narrator is perfect...even better than perfect. She beautifully realizes the awe Eleanor feels as she begins to make sense of the world around her and the people she meets.
Ms Honeyman has created an amazing portrayal of this complex young woman and the man who patiently and lovingly coaxes her towards finding the person she truly is. Highly recommended.

Two thumbs up

One of the best I've enjoyed!!!

Good quote: "...I said, knowing that I was both lucky and unlucky, and grateful for it"