Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

71 reviews

cecilialau_'s review against another edition

5.0

The book surprised me in how it just flowed so effortlessly. It was a really enjoyable read for the writing style, the humour, while being very brutal at times.

I loved that the friendship between Eleanor and Raymond remained just that. At least I appreciate that it’s up for interpretation in the end, instead of it being an obvious and direct choice by the author (which would have felt inauthentic in my opinion as a means to just put a nice bow on the story) 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Body shaming, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Physical abuse, Grief, and Gaslighting

brianneh's review against another edition

dark emotional funny 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

4.5

I honestly did not think I would like this book that much, but I ended up loving it. It definitely does not get enough hype.

When I first started this book, I was a bit worried about not liking the main character as I found Eleanor to be quite rude. When she didn’t tip any of the service people she came into contact with, I was very annoyed with her.

However, as I kept reading and learned more about Eleanor, she grew on me. Her literal way of interpreting things, while still rude in some cases, was refreshing in others.

Then of course, as we find out more about Eleanor’s past, her oddities begin to make more sense. Her traumatic upbringing and college years are haunting, and made me tear up in a few spots. I kept wondering why did no one get her into therapy when she was young?

I ended up finding Eleanor to be very funny, even if she did not mean to be at times. When she discusses getting ready as a woman or muses about being fed to zoo animals when she dies, I found myself smiling or laughing out loud.

On the other hand, there were many extremely sad parts some of her lines broke my heart. The writing here is so heartbreakingly good and some of the quotes absolutely destroyed me:

“This was an all too familiar social scenario for me; standing alone, staring into the middle of distance. It was absolutely fine. It was absolutely normal. After the fire, at each new school, I'd tried so hard, but something about me just didn't fit. There was, it seemed, no Eleanor-shaped social hole for me to slot into.”

The character development is top-notch. This book broke my heart and put it back together in all the right ways.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

Moderate: Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, and Sexual assault

seedsofsunflowers's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Suicide attempt, Mental illness, Classism, Death, Fatphobia, Vomit, Ableism, Grief, and Body shaming

Minor: Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Rape, Sexual harassment, Death of parent, Excrement, Sexual violence, Cancer, Medical content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Terminal illness, Child death, Stalking, and Physical abuse

kellyinbookland's review against another edition

emotional funny 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, and Child abuse

whatslaurenreading31's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring 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

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence and Child abuse

abbyjennhm's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Murder, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Child death, Abandonment, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Rape, Suicide attempt, Violence, Child abuse, Death, Sexual assault, and Toxic relationship

katelbr's review against another edition

challenging emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Violence

sarahreadsalotofbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Murder, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Alcoholism, Torture, Suicide attempt, Violence, Abandonment, and Vomit

Moderate: Animal cruelty

theresa_verry's review

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective 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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Suicide attempt, Sexual assault, Mental illness, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, and Alcohol

moraina's review against another edition

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

Difficult read because Eleanor felt too relatable. She went through a lot of childhood trauma and blocked much of it out. She’s not very likable to start, which is the point, but as you find out why you develop more sympathy for her. The other characters she befriends are quite likable and help push the story forward.

Definitely a slower-paced read, and while there are plenty of funny moments, I don’t agree with the ratings saying that’s the main vibe of the book. Most of it is quite sad, but it does end on a hopeful note. My only nitpick was having to look up much of her uncommon vocabulary, it made it hard to stay engaged when I had to pick up my phone every few pages.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Mental illness, Alcohol, Child abuse, Violence, Suicide, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Vomit, Stalking, and Rape

Minor: Animal cruelty