Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine: Debut Sunday Times Bestseller and Costa First Novel Book Award winner

Just like it says in the title of the book, Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine....well she thinks she is. She is honestly not worried that she may be missing out on anything. She is content with her life.Eleanor is a little bit....odd. She's very intelligent and well-spoken with impeccable grammar (thanks to Mummy) but she lacks the ability to filter what she says and therefore she will tell you exactly what she's thinking. This can lead to very awkward situations.Eleanor is comfortable with her routines. She's worked at the same job for nine years. She starts work at 8:30, at lunch she buys a newspaper which she reads from cover to cover and then does the crossword. She finishes out her day, leaving work at 5:30. Eleanor listens to the Archers as she makes a simple dinner (usually pasta and salad - one pan one plate), watches TV or reads for a little while then off to bed at ten. Her weekday routine only changes on Wednesday when she talks with "Mummy" for ten minutes.Weekends are a bit different. After work Friday she picks up pizza, wine and two big bottles of Vodka for the weekend. She drinks the vodka over the weekend.....in a state where she's neither drunk nor sober, waiting for Monday to come. No one comes over and she doesn't go anywhere to visit. She sometimes wonders if she's a figment of her own imagination.But she's fine with it. She's fine. There's nothing missing, she doesn't need anyone else. Well that was what she told herself. But then it happens..."He was light and heat. He blazed. Everything he came into contact with would be changed. I sat forward on my seat, edged closer. At last. I found him"Now Eleanor is on a mission. First she decides a make-over is in order....and where she starts is both shocking and hilarious. I really want to write about what happened but I think I would spoil a very funny moment for many readers.Things don't go exactly as planned.When her computer at work stops working she meets Raymond from IT. An easy-going guy, Raymond is intrigued by Eleanor, but she's just not interested. She's busy trying to re-create herself for the man of her dreams. But after work one day Eleanor and Raymond come across a man who has fallen on the sidewalk. Together they help the man, Sammy and so begins a friendship along with the start of many changes in Eleanor's life.The story is told from Eleanor's point of view. We go along for the ride as she navigates her way through her life, learning to stand up for herself. But it won't be easy. Secrets and memories that have been tucked away for many years can be painful to remember.When you have trouble with social skills I can see how it would be easier to refrain from situations where things could go wrong so fast..... It would be easier being alone. As I mentioned there are many funny moments throughout the book. I really like how the author wrote these parts. I never felt like I was laughing AT Eleanor but at the things she said or the situations she ended up in. However, there are also many sad and painful moments. Times where I felt terrible for Eleanor.Some of the funniest parts came out of nowhere - the phone doesn't ring often but if telemarketers call Eleanor whispers "I know where you live" and hangs up. Often it was what she would be saying to herself that was funny.An incredible read that had me bouncing from one emotion to the next. The author did a tremendous job bringing these wonderfully unique characters to life.It's hard to believe this is the author's debut novel.There are so many words that can be used to describe this novel - hilarious , unique, heartwarming, heartbreaking, charming, hopeful, inspiring, and COMPLETELY unforgettable.

An outstanding debut by Gail Honeyman. There is something about this book which makes you feel deeply. It’s an easy, touching and engaging read.Eleanor Oliphant, a 30-year female is a survivor. She works in an office, follows a set routine for weekdays and weekend too. Monday to Friday she is on time for her work, has lunch alone and reads the newspaper and solves crosswords. Friday’s she buys Margherita pizza, wine and vodka. The booze spreads through the weekend so that she is neither drunk nor sober. She is well-read and well mannered but doesn’t seem to fit in this society.She is lonely in this world and many situations expressed by the author from her viewpoint moves you deeply. Like she doesn’t speak from the point at which she says her destination to the bus driver on Friday night, right through until she greets his colleague on Monday morning. We are busy with our lives that we don’t realize that such people do exist. We may think, but such people do indeed exist.She thoroughly researches all activities before pursuing them. She is neither close to someone nor she hangs out socially. The author has wonderfully described her first experiences of many things like bikini wax, manicure, fast food restaurant, getting shampooed, dancing etc.Her relationship with Raymond (nothing romantic here) has been beautifully described. Eleanor meets new people and feels the warmth around them. It’s overwhelming but pleasant for her.As she doesn’t hang around with people she is completely natural (not diplomatic), sometimes weird and deadly honest. Her thoughts are sometimes humorous and sometimes silly. She thinks Bobbi Brown is a female, who works at the store.It’s moving how things that are considered normal doesn’t cross someone’s mind e.g. job change, moving to another city, etc.Eleanor had never walked hand in hand with someone; no one had ever rubbed her tired shoulders or stroked her face. There are times when she felt she would die of loneliness. A paragraph I would like to quote, “ These days, loneliness is the new cancer – a shameful, embarrassing thing, brought upon yourself in some obscure way. A fearful, incurable thing, so horrifying that you dare not mention it; other people don’t want to hear the word spoken aloud for fear that they might too be afflicted, or that it might tempt fate into visiting a similar horror upon them.”Read this page-turning book to find out more about Eleanor and life from an angle of a person who is in loneliness.For me this book is unforgettable, unmissable, powerful, deeply moving with perfect combination of humor and sadness.I would rate this book 4.5/5.Happy reading!

Initially I thought this novel was about a 30 year old woman who feels lost in life.But every now and then a little tidbit about Eleanor's past would be revealed. Like, she has a scar on her face, she has never owned a cell phone, and her unusual relationship with her mother.So there was a lot more to the plot than I first realized.The book is somehow both relatable and suspenseful... and a must read for fans of all genres!

This book. .what to say : Amazing. This book was like you're reading the book and suddenly she is doing something that is not expected ..you get confused and you just do not want to leave it. I like the author's wittiness and her story will break you .Loved her innocence though and how she did not care what other people think about her.You'll love the book ..do read it.