Reviews tagging 'Bullying'

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

93 reviews

lark42's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious sad 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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gaslighting, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Mental illness, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Child death, Addiction, and Fatphobia

cybellet's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad fast-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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Sexual assault

greatexpectations77's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad 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

4.25

Whew. A good solid overview of what trauma can do to the brain, and a reminder to be patient with folks because we don't know their stories. Also, there are so many social cues that we just pick up from other people, and it's perfectly reasonable that not everyone has picked up the same ones. We need to not shame anyone for questioning them or still learning about them.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Alcoholism, and Bullying

Moderate: Classism, Grief, Vomit, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Murder, Physical abuse, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Abandonment, and Excrement

Minor: Cancer, Sexual assault, Stalking, and Rape

Relationships with mothers are very complicated, and if you feel that your mother has harmed you emotionally, know that I believe you <3

readbydanni's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious 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 think I was prepared for the emotions of this book. Equally hilarious, heartwarming and heartbreaking, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine was an emotional rollercoaster but utterly charming.
I really enjoyed this book and the characters were brilliant. Eleanor's growth and discovery of herself throughout the book is brilliantly developed and considerately written by Gail Honeyman. There are some really devastatingly sad moments in this book. Horrific moments with devastating consequences. But there is also beauty and warmth too and that shines out of the pages in abundance. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is a story of being human; of the worst of people and the best of people and how even in the darkest, most desperate moments, there is hope and a future. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

wogslandwriter's review against another edition

emotional funny 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

This book is a masterclass on unreliable narrators. Eleanor is loveable from the start, despite and because of, her quirks and oddities. The plot is majorly character driven with a few events pushing characters together in a normal, real-life way.

Gail Honeyman encapsulates how it feels to start therapy when you have so much trauma to process you can't even remember it all. I haven't been through the same level of family trauma as Eleanor, but it felt so similar at the beginning of my therapy journey and I've felt much of the same way about myself as Eleanor has at one point or another.

The overall story is intricate without being overly complicated. The tone and prose is elegant and simple. It's refined in a way that tells you a bit about Eleanor with every sentence and every word. The nuance and details are absolutely stunning. I laughed at many points and cried at others. It was an extremely enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Death, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Rape, and Stalking

Minor: Animal cruelty, Child death, and Physical abuse

There is no "on-screen" physical or sexual violence; it is only described in memories, such as recounting what happened to a friend or therapist, without any extreme details. There is in-text emotional abuse from a parent and bullying from coworkers.

Eleanor's younger sister was murdered by her mother in a house fire, that injured Eleanor quite badly. She has scars on her face and body. Eleanor also recounts physical violence done to her by her college boyfriend and mentions by name only that he raped her. At the beginning, Eleanor and her friend Raymond help an old man who passes out on the street, eventually befriending him and his family. He does suddenly, off-screen of a heart attack later in the book and they attend his funeral. Towards the end of the book, Eleanor attempts suicide through alcohol overdose. She also has a stockpile of pills and considers cutting her wrists. The suicide attempt scene is explicit, but she is saved by a good friend. The animal violence is mention of a cat being put in a dumpster that is set on fire. The cat is rescued by Eleanor's friend and she ends up adopting and caring for it. The reader finds out at the very end that Eleanor's mother also died in the fire and that she has been forcing herself to pretend to talk to her mother every week, despite the emotional abuse she inflicts on herself with her mother's imagined words.

acrosstheskyinstars's review against another edition

dark sad tense slow-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

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Death of parent and Injury/Injury detail

melarareading's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny reflective medium-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? No

4.75

Really good book, very challenging but never too depressing and it made me laugh many times. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, and Fire/Fire injury

Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Dysphoria, and Abandonment

Minor: Domestic abuse

muravyevaa's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.5

I loved this book for a few reason. Firstly, I couldn’t put it aside after I started reading so I’ve had a few nights when I’d go unreasonably late to bed because it was just interesting what’s going to happen to Eleanor. Secondly, finally a book that is showing trauma and mental illnesses with empathy and not by obviously not understanding it. It was a heartwarming read and I loved that I could imagine Eleanor (as others) in real life (although her story is very extreme). A wonderful read! 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Vomit, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual violence, Violence, Rape, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Child death, Child abuse, Alcohol, and Death

Minor: Bullying

poodlemama99's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, and Toxic relationship

jennalve's review against another edition

emotional funny medium-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Abandonment, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Death, and Child abuse

Minor: Bullying, Vomit, Suicidal thoughts, and Gaslighting