Reviews tagging 'Grief'

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

196 reviews

arukeni's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Child death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Rape, Fatphobia, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Self harm, Grief, and Death

shayna14's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical content, Alcohol, Classism, Death of parent, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Bullying, Body shaming, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Forced institutionalization, Sexual violence, Vomit, Animal cruelty, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Self harm, Domestic abuse, Rape, Ableism, Alcoholism, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Death, Injury/Injury detail, and Sexual assault

stindex's review against another edition

hopeful sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Self harm, Death, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Abandonment, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Stalking

fancyjess_party's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment

Moderate: Murder, Self harm, Emotional abuse, Grief, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Death of parent, Violence, Addiction, Child death, Sexual assault, Suicide, Physical abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Fatphobia, Fire/Fire injury, and Ableism

m4rtt4's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I think this book should be primarily marketed as a trauma story, as it was quite dark rather than funny in my opinion. It made me smile as well, and those darker parts gave the story the depth it needed, but that's just because I do not have ptsd myself — please consider the trigger warnings carefully.

Since the story was such a slow-burning one, I wouldn't have minded had it been a bit longer as the ending felt a bit abrupt. And Eleanor really grew on me, it pains me to let her go :( <3 

The English audiobook narrator did an excellent job portraying the characters, I'd highly recommend the audio version over the text!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Medical content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, Fatphobia, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Child death, Panic attacks/disorders, and Self harm

charlottefaye's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

 I remember seeing this everywhere when it first came out, but only being 16 when it released it wasn’t of interest to me, as was definitely in my fantasy era/coming out of my reading habit due to starting college. 

My main issue with this book was how it was marketed, being described as a “warm, smart and uplifting story”. I was expecting a light hearted read based around a bit of a “messy” but relatable character trying to navigate life. This was not the experience! The actual book was a lot heavier and darker than what it was marketed as, which completely took me by surprise! 

The story deals with a lot of different topics and situations and was one I was interested to hear about but not always desperate to return to. Again, I think a lot of this is due to my expectations of the book and the subject matter being so different to what I expected. 

I also found a few aspects predictable including on of the main “twists/mysteries” which was revealed at the end, and a few of the plot points did not capture my interest compared to others. 

However, I still enjoyed listening to this audiobook and think it has some important things to say and is something I definitely don’t regret listening to. I would definitely recommend a read if you want a book that deals with past experiences and how these can influence yourself, but you do not have to let them define you and can grow/move on! But just be aware it is not as a light hearted read as it may be made out to be! 

Apparently it’s being turned into a film and I will definitely go see that!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Grief, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Child death and Addiction

michellemalonza's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I really enjoyed the writing of Eleanor's character - the story being told from her POV created a tone that kept me engaged throughout. Eleanor is such a layered & mysterious character who at first came off as overly proper even if she often thought & said things that she shouldn't, she had a standard for how she believed we're meant to participate in society. The story unfolds surprisingly yet beautifully at a pace that feels true to what it feels like to get to know a new friend & see pieces of their life and character come together. I particularly enjoyed the trajectory of her relationship with Raymond & how this influences how much more she believes is possible for herself. I also resonated with how tidily she viewed life despite how messy her experiences had been so far & how she took to practicality as a response to all the chaos & trauma.  Even if we do eventually start to see the real impact of her complicated & very traumatic early life.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Child abuse, Sexual violence, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Child death, and Sexual assault

Moderate: Body shaming, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

knikchevich's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Body shaming, Child death, Vomit, Child abuse, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, and Fatphobia

kvvai's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

There was quite a bit of Scottish slang as the story is set in Glasgow, Scotland and the author is Scottish. However, it was interesting to learn many new words. The characters in the story made me reflect who I aspire to be in society and how I want to live my life moving forward.  I think the author did a good job foreshadowing what may have happened in Eleanor's past.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Mental illness and Grief

venturajai31's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Absolutely beautifully written. There are not enough words to describe the emotional rollercoaster I was on while reading this. It’s not at all what I thought from the blurb, it was a million times better. The growth of Eleanor and her evolution of strength was so beautiful and inspiring. I could not get enough of this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Alcoholism, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Abandonment and Child abuse