I loved quirky Eleonor and Raymond! Such non-traditional characters with a wonderful plot

I wish I could have liked it. It was ok for me.

In this novel, Eleanor Oliphant undergoes a drastic personality changes before our eyes, and thank goodness. An office worker in accounts receivable, she has ordered her life in humorless and minute detail, managing to alienate herself from any meaningful human interaction. As the story unfolds, the reader comes to understand the origins of Eleanor's dysfunction and to root for her step-by-step awakening. At times the book is hilarious (at Eleanor's expense), at times very poignant, ultimately affirming all of the characters' kindness and humanity.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is a story about mental illness. But more than anything, it's a story your read because of the charming Eleanor. She is quirky, awkward, and certainly a bit odd. She is also more than meets the eye. The writing is brilliant in how it illustrates Eleanor in all her glory with the underlying mental illness. I was taken on a rollercoaster of emotions as I went through her life. If you enjoy realistic contemporary fiction or enjoyed Where'd You Go Bernadette, I highly recommend you check out Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine today.

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2056915920?book_show_action=false

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Annoying. But as I read further, I found myself empathizing with the origin of her annoying personality. She was a product of her upbringing and I could not bring myself to completely hate her. Clearly, she has a lot of issues. But no matter how much I empathized, I could not bring myself to like her. At all. I would not hang out with her in real life and I was not surprised to find that she does not have any friends.

The book was well-written and I believe the author was trying to create a character that was the incessantly annoying product of her own upbringing. I felt for her enough to give the book three stars. But I disliked her enough that I wanted to give her two stars.

If you want a book about how an adult survivor of child abuse copes with the world, this is the book for you. If you want a book about how an adult survivor of child abuse successful copes in the world, this is definitely not he book for you. Prepare for a well-justified train wreck of a character.

Loved this book! Grew to love Eleanor.....just a terrific book that I will be recommending to all!

Absolutely charming! Endearing characters and heart warming story that will stay with me for a long time. Can not say enough how much I enjoyed this. 5 big shiny stars!

A roller-coaster of the heart, Eleanor Oliphant is a story I want to put in everyone’s hands. It starts out a different book than it becomes, but the genius is that both experiences are rich and wrenching and worthwhile. That’s not to say that the reader won’t become frustrated with Eleanor -- all good friendships reach that point -- but she has the ability to make you laugh along with her one moment, exasperate you the next, and want to wrap her in a hug that won’t let go the one following that. Sometimes I thought I might be her; other times I was deeply, deeply grateful I wasn’t. This story has real darkness (the ‘bad days’ section may have been harshly uncomfortable, but the face-front realism was bald truth), but it also is a testament to resilience and the victories collected in simply persevering on another day.

Eleanor’s interactions with Raymond and Sammy are the stuff of life. Loved the burgeoning friendship with unquestioning acceptance of her oddities as well as the blunt depictions of the difficulties in navigating both their origins and the still-present ramifications.

audiobook note: If you audio at all, treat yourself to hearing this book enacted by Cathleen McCarron. Not only does she have the Scot credentials (and you will be enchanted by her voice on that basis alone), but she nimbly voices all of Eleanor’s facets. My favorites: when she is utterly bewildered by what others may consider mundane and her refusal to give way when she’s sure she has it right. This book might have tipped a bit toward the manipulative or cloying in less expert hands, but McCarron shows all it has to offer – and adds a little besides. She gets the credit for my edging this to 5 stars. Highly, highly recommended.

Excellent book. I'm trying to find words to explain this book. It's a great look at how a person might struggle with social anxiety. I also liked how it seemed early on that perhaps Eleanor might be an unreliable narrator, which is one my favorite genres right now. There's some great scenes of just human interaction and insight into human nature. I found myself highlighting several passages. Although this book deals with several serious issues, it also has a light-hearted feel to it as well. Highly recommend this one!

Unique and special. Readers are lining up for this one, and I have seen it recommended many times on my social media networks!

3.9 - Eleanor is a solid character; you might not always like her, but you'll probably like her and her quirky sense of humor sometimes. I didn't love the "twist" at the end, but enjoyed the book regardless.

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is completely sad and completely uplifting at the same time. Author Gail Honeyman has come up with unique characters and plot for her debut novel. Eleanor is thirty years old and she lives a lonely life consisting of work and losing herself in the oblivion of alcohol on the weekends. She has a scar upon her face that is small compared to the scar in her heart. As the novel unfolds, the reader learns that Eleanor had an abusive childhood, suffered a tragic event at the age of ten, and was raised in foster care until the age of seventeen when she was set up on her own to receive an education and find employment. Although she is invaluable at work, she does not understand how to fit in. When Eleanor serendipitously becomes friends with the eccentric new tech guy at the office, and an elderly man suffering an accident who crosses their path, she slowly learns how to fit in, what it feels like to have others in your life, and how to shed the burdens of a painful past. This novel was painful to read, but well conceived. Thank you NetGalley and Pamela Dorman Books for the ARC and for allowing me to write a professional review.

Definitely one of my favorites so far this year. I didn't like Eleanor right from the start, but it didn't take long to warm up to her. Her character is so funny, honest to fault, and a little bit too quirky to everyone around her. As the story unfolds, you learn the sad circumstances of Eleanor's childhood that have contributed to her weird behaviors. Eleanor's physical needs were always met in foster care, but she hasn't ever known love in any of it's forms. Her quirks, which she doesn't really even see, are a coping mechanism she uses to deal with the world and protect herself from more pain. There are many layers to this book that make it interesting. There are themes of mental illness, abuse, friendship, empathy, and acceptance. This book will make you feel all the feels. I got this e-book as a galley, but I think I will buy this one in hard copy too.

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.