Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

162 reviews

julschapman's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

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

1.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Vomit, Sexual violence, Alcoholism, Addiction, Violence, and Domestic abuse

naestolgia_'s review against another edition

challenging emotional funny 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

3.75

This was an interesting and surprisingly enjoyable read. Eleanor is a complex character with what seems like a simple outlook on life. There are tough chapters to get through though - her past is truly troubling to unfold page after page, but she's a character I was really rooting for. I wish there was more of a "happy" ending but, like life, that's not always the case. You are left with a small nugget of hope for Eleanor, the ending still fell short in my opinion.

Fun note: I really loved having to whip out the dictionary for this read. Lol. Eleanor's love for crosswords makes for very colorful and eloquent language.

**********

Update: After book club discussion, where most folks did not like Eleanor in the beginning ("weirdo", "mean"), I realized another theme of this book is Eleanor's introduction/indoctrination into society. I personally liked her from the start. She wasn't yet watered down and boxed into what is considered normal by the masses. 

It is fun to think of how each reader relates to Eleanor, good or bad.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Suicide attempt, Child abuse, Death, Mental illness, and Self harm

Minor: Vomit and Rape

romyterhaar's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective 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

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Suicide attempt, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Child death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, and Death

Moderate: Addiction, Death of parent, Self harm, Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Death, Mental illness, and Injury/Injury detail

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.

---

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

smreads24's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny sad slow-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

Moderate: Vomit, Fire/Fire injury, Suicide, Alcoholism, Child death, and Mental illness

Minor: Self harm

thetearex's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad medium-paced

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

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Sexual assault, Child death, Mental illness, Self harm, Death, Death of parent, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Murder, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Rape, Medical trauma, Sexual violence, Addiction, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Adult/minor relationship

autumnpayne's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

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

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit and Alcoholism

Moderate: Child death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Fire/Fire injury

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.

---

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

chartreuse_2's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing sad slow-paced

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

4.75

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Rape

Minor: Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, and Vomit

hello_lovely13's review against another edition

dark 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

3.5

This was so much weirder than I was expecting it to be (you have no idea what you're getting into just from the blurb). However, the ending really turned it around for me (it was an absolutely fantastic ending, and anyone that is thinking of DNFing while in the first half of the book should endure to the end because it is so worth it). This has interesting things to say about loneliness, which is what my first impression was, then it got...weird. During the first half of the book, I found Eleanor relatable at times, but mostly extremely judgmental and amoral to the point where I wasn't really rooting for her. However, from the midpoint of the book onwards, as she became less isolated and more ingrained into a social life, she became more and more understanding. Then, at the 75% mark, she finally snaps out of what really made me uncomfortable about her behavior (

her literally stalking a musician she became obsessed with

) and then really addressed all the things I didn't like about her and showed her change and willingness to continue to work on changing for the better (therapy and all). In the last ten minutes of the audiobook, the twist that was revealed was one I did not see coming at all (I guessed most of her backstory, but not about

the fact that her mother was dead the whole time and that she died in the fire!

I was so shocked that I had to take a brief pause before finishing the book). I liked that the ending was a bit open (even though I usually hate open endings) because that last moment could be taken in one of two ways, and I definitely have a strong preference between the two (

the entire time I was dreading that they would try to make Raymond and Eleanor be romantic, and I am adamantly against it! It is unnecessary and doesn't make any sense. That is why I am so glad that the final kiss on the cheek could be taken as either a purely platonic, affectionate gesture or a hesitant romantic beginning. In my head, it is the former.

). I wasn't too connected to Sammy, as we didn't see too much of him and we didn't see Eleanor and him form that strong of a connection, and they only really interacted about 3 times in the entire book. Raymond and Eleanor's friendship was a bit more developed, though I honestly wasn't overly attached to Raymond as a character or their relationship. It is done well, and they have an ease, understanding, and support to their friendship that enriches the novel. However, the way that Eleanor spoke of him for most of the first half of the novel slightly lessened it's effect for me (I know it was addressed why she thought and acted the way she did, and that was done well, but it still put that distance for me in the relationship, so I couldn't fully be invested; perhaps upon a reread (though I don't know when or if I ever will reread this), with the knowledge of how the book ends I can have more appreciation for their relationship). The true relationship that Eleanor interacts with in this book is with herself and her mental health and trauma, and the payoff is well-done (there could have been a more cathartic end to a certain source of negativity (

her weekly calls with her mother, though the twist really took care of that

), but it was nonetheless satisfactory and satisfying in a slightly more realistic way). Overall, much weirder than expected, but one that I will recommend.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Child death, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, and Suicide attempt

Minor: Rape, Vomit, and Fatphobia