A review by bethanyt123
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

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.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings