Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

165 reviews

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

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

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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.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse

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

Minor: Rape, Vomit, and Fatphobia

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

megan96smith's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Suicide, and Alcohol

Moderate: Bullying, Murder, and Violence

Minor: Rape, Torture, and Stalking

mikaylanh's review against another edition

challenging 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

2.5

I wanted to enjoy this but honestly just found it very underwhelming and irritating to read. I understand Eleanor has a very advanced vocabulary as a result of her crossword obsession, but I was constantly (like, every other page) having to look up words she was using. All of them  could have easily been replaced with simpler words to make for a better, more accessible reading experience. Also thought Eleanor exhibited extremely creepy behavior when it came to the musician love interest… so overall, not a huge fan

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Rape, Toxic relationship, Child death, and Child abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Addiction

Minor: Vomit

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

venturajai31's review

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

beankels's review against another edition

dark emotional lighthearted 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 don’t know how a book can be both lighthearted and deeply emotional and dark but this book accomplished it. It was the first book in awhile that I didn’t want to stop reading and made me stay up to read more. The relationships were pure, the reflection and growth was inspiring, and I loved cheering on Eleanor. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Physical abuse, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Murder, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Fire/Fire injury, and Mental illness

Minor: Excrement, Rape, Torture, Vomit, Alcohol, Bullying, and Death of parent

ljacks60's review against another edition

dark emotional funny tense 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

4.0

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine was overall an enjoyable read. I went into this book expecting a lighthearted rom-com and continued under that impression for about half the book, only to realize that it is by no means a lighthearted read. This book from my understanding accurately described the process of working through intense trauma in therapy, as well as delving into the value of strong friend relationships. I was pleasantly surprised

by how the relationship between the female and the male lead did not transform into a romantic relationship, but rather stayed platonic despite the hints that it may turn into something more.

Eleanor starts out as a hard to like character but experiences a great amount of character development, leaving her in the end as a rather lovable character who I myself was rooting for. One of the plot twists was predictable, but the main plot twist I did not see coming. Overall, I enjoyed this read and would recommend it to a friend. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Mental illness, Child abuse, Child death, Animal cruelty, Vomit, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Alcohol, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt