Reviews tagging 'Panic attacks/disorders'

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

49 reviews

tidals's review against another edition

emotional funny lighthearted 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

4.0

Lots of dry British humor. Guess I’ve been through a lot because I didn’t find her current state or her past particularly depressing; that’s life. If you’re quick to find things depressing don’t read this book.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Bullying, Body shaming, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Suicide attempt, Physical abuse, Rape, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, and Domestic abuse

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Vomit, and Toxic relationship

van0302's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Suicide attempt

Minor: Child abuse and Child death

corinnelora95's review against another edition

sad medium-paced

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

3.0

"The covers are of very little help, because they always say only good things, and I've found out to my cost that they're rarely accurate. "Exhilarating" "Dazzling" "Hilarious." No." (Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, p 265)

This quote stuck out to me because the cover reviews for "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine" are part of what led me to pick up and read this book. I found that it was not "beautifully written and incredibly funny," as Reese Witherspoon described it to be. It was not "hilarious and moving," as People claimed. And it certainly was not "completely wonderful," as Purewow said it would be.

For everyone who recommends this book because it's "light-hearted" or "funny," I have to wonder why. I found the majority of the book to be frustrating and depressing. Eleanor annoyed me for the entirety of the "Good Days" part of the book. She was slightly better in the "Bad Days" and "Better Days" parts, but I still found myself questioning why she was written to be so socially inept. It was maddening.

Overall, the book was easy to read, but it left me asking, "Why am I reading this?" over and over. I ultimately decided around the halfway point that I'd finish the book because I was too invested in Raymond and the other positive characters to quit. Raymond's care for Eleanor is what earned it the third star for me, but just barely.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, and Mental illness

Moderate: Grief, Alcoholism, Murder, Self harm, Stalking, Alcohol, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Child death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, and Addiction

Minor: Cursing and Animal cruelty

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

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

greenvelvetreads's review

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Mental illness, Child death, Death, Alcohol, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Alcoholism, and Addiction

Minor: Fatphobia, Sexual assault, and Rape

teslis's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

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

5.0

I find it hard to decide on the rating of this book! 

In the beginning of the book I did not like the main character “Eleanor” but at the end I do like her! I think it was interesting, she has never really had friends and is therefore not used to unspoken things and manners. After listening and getting to know her I find her more likable and especially her friend Reman (don’t know his spelling).

I think I will give this one a 5 even though I’m not 100% sure. I think it’s better than the book I gave 4.5, but I’m not sure if I love it as much as the other I gave 5!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Vomit, Alcohol, Death of parent, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Mental illness, Grief, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Bullying, Sexual assault, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, and Medical content

bethanyt123's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring reflective relaxing medium-paced

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

4.0

I am glad I read this book, but I am also glad it’s over. It had a weird way of sucking me in, and I found myself thinking about Eleanor’s world the whole day at work. I couldn’t wait to get back to reading it, but somehow I also wanted to just be done with it. 

But at the same time, I am already planning to read it again in the coming years. I love Eleanor so much, (but she is highly irritating sometimes too). It’s a wonderful story written from Eleanor’s point of view - a delightful look into the brain of a complex, well-developed, beautiful character. It’s simultaneously a little mundane, and very rich. Nothing really exciting happens; yet the metamorphosis of Eleanor is tangible not just in the plot but in the language and writing style. As she transforms, the pages come alive with her strength and one can begin to feel every heartbeat of her story. 

It’s unique, beautiful, moving, and frustrating all at once in its mundaneness and simplicity. What an oddly shaped little gift it was.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Mental illness

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders and Fire/Fire injury

annoyedhumanoid's review against another edition

emotional hopeful 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

4.75

Raymond is the only good man

on a serious note, it was nice to see someone get better.

I took one of my hands in the other, tried to imagine what it would feel like if it was another person’s hand holding mine. There have been times when I felt that I might die of loneliness. People sometimes say they might die of boredom, that they’re dying for a cup of tea, but for me, dying of loneliness is not hyperbole. When I feel like that, my head drops and my shoulders slump and I ache, I physically ache, for human contact—I truly feel that I might tumble to the ground and pass away if someone doesn’t hold me, touch me.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Abandonment, Child abuse, Alcohol, Suicide, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Suicidal thoughts, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Violence, Mental illness, and Murder

Moderate: Death of parent, Addiction, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Animal cruelty, Grief, Self harm, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Body shaming, Confinement, Fatphobia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Bullying