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A review by thechaliceofaries
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
5.0
This is one of those books which I began missing as soon as the last page was turned. My heart is so, so warm right now. I fell in love with Eleanor within the first few pages, and so enjoyed sharing the world through her wonderful and beautifully quirky eyes.
I’d heard this book being talked about and mentioned many, many times before, but had always dismissed it as one of those novels that are unnecessarily hyped up and fail to meet the expectations they create. Until very recently when I finally decided to give in, without knowing anything about the story or the characters in it - only that it was very well-loved.
And oh, I am so glad I did. Eleanor is an extremely relatable protagonist who is so odd and so funny without even meaning to be, who my heart broke and soared for, who I rooted for till the very end. A woman with a shell built around her, and the tale of how a few acts of kindness by the people around her taught her to open her heart up to the world and learn to enjoy her life again, rather than being ‘just fine’. I was swept away with all kinds of emotion - giggling out loud, crying uncontrollably, biting my nails and sighing in relief. There are so many things I love about this book and the clever, gentle way it handles such difficult and tender issues. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is a stunning novel that took me entirely by surprise, made me both laugh and sob, is an absolute treasure that everyone should have the joy of reading.
I’d heard this book being talked about and mentioned many, many times before, but had always dismissed it as one of those novels that are unnecessarily hyped up and fail to meet the expectations they create. Until very recently when I finally decided to give in, without knowing anything about the story or the characters in it - only that it was very well-loved.
And oh, I am so glad I did. Eleanor is an extremely relatable protagonist who is so odd and so funny without even meaning to be, who my heart broke and soared for, who I rooted for till the very end. A woman with a shell built around her, and the tale of how a few acts of kindness by the people around her taught her to open her heart up to the world and learn to enjoy her life again, rather than being ‘just fine’. I was swept away with all kinds of emotion - giggling out loud, crying uncontrollably, biting my nails and sighing in relief. There are so many things I love about this book and the clever, gentle way it handles such difficult and tender issues. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is a stunning novel that took me entirely by surprise, made me both laugh and sob, is an absolute treasure that everyone should have the joy of reading.