I was completely sucked in to this book.

I loved the unique perspective that Honeyman uses. Eleanor is not the kind of protagonist that I read about that often, and I thought that telling her story from her point of view was very refreshing. She’s very particular about certain things, and doesn’t understand many social behaviours, and by using Eleanors perspective the reader can see what she’s thinking and why she’s thinking in this way, but also have the knowledge that this is not what usually might be done in this social situation. It was very cleverly pulled off.

I loved – Loved! – the emphasis on the importance of friendship in this book, especially in terms of combatting loneliness. Many of the characters were so wonderful and made such wonderful actions that they made my heart feel warm. More than once I genuinely caught myself smiling at the book. It was lovely. I also really appreciated (I hope this doesn’t spoil anything?) that Honeyman didn’t go down the route of romance leading to change and people ‘getting better’ – I’ve seen this too much and I’m fed up of it. In this book, the emphasis is on friendship, and I loved that.

What a great book! Sad, funny and heartwarming without being sickly sweet, I loved the characters of Eleanor and Raymond. A story about human kindness and new beginnings.

This book has received much acclaim and various awards, which makes me wonder if I was somehow reading a different version.
Three stars from me is a disappointment although I know many others will enjoy reading it.
Perhaps if I had not worked out what should have been the surprising denouement so early on it would have been better.
Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read and review the book.

What a completely unexpected story. Eleanor springs to life -at times familiar as the office outcast, the irritating pedant or the lonely single woman, at others she surprises with wit or charm you glimpse through the chinks in her armour. This is so well written you will not question a thing. The pace, the dialogue, the plot are all easy, belying the tough subject matter within. As a debut it is accomplished and memorable, as a good read it is lufe affirming and thought provoking. On the whole... impressed.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine was a breathtaking debut. Going in, I knew that the book was set in Glasgow and that it had been very well-received. I expected a simple story, perhaps a coming-of-age novel. Instead I was treated to an extraordinary narrative with perfect levels of tension. The characters are complex and believable, with relatable flaws and attributes. The book is at times shocking and intense, but the conclusion is hugely rewarding. Eleanor Oliphant is a remarkable heroine, and will stick with the reader long after you put down her story.

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman

This is a totally awesome book! I was blown away by this insightful novel of the socially inept Eleanor. You would have to have a heart of stone not to be touched by Eleanor, who is by turn’s insensitive oblivious, vulnerable, maddening and sometimes just laugh out loud amusing.
Reading this novel made me think about social interaction, we all do the done thing, and say the right things to fit in, Eleanor doesn’t and this is what makes her so wonderful. I wondered what it would be like if we all just said what we thought, or dealt with situations in a totally honest way. Eleanor’s story, as we find out, is a sad one, but as she finds her way through life you will be rooting for her, it is a story of the kindness of strangers and fundamentally of what makes us so complex, and able to survive terrible things.
This book is wonderful, I am so glad to have read it.
Thanks to Netgalley

Wow, what a book! Beautifully written, I got dragged into the wonderful (and not so wonderful) world of Eleanor Oliphant as she unravels her past in order to build a better future! A lovely story of friendship and hope that takes you on an emotional rollercoaster! Amazing debut book and I can't wait to read more from Gail Honeyman!

A heartwarming novel about overcoming a seriously traumatic childhood. It has its funny moments, although sometimes a little forced. I can't believe someone who'd grown up in care would be so unstreetwise. But Eleanor is a great character, and Raymond is lovely. As is Glen the cat <3

I've had this book on my TBR shelf for ages and kept putting it off as I knew it was not the kind of a book usually enjoy. How wrong was I! I loved it from the first page and got totally engrossed in the life of Eleanor Oliphant whilst going through the whole array of emotions - from laughter to tears. The book is well written and all the characters are very real. I am so pleased I read it.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

4.5 stars

Eleanor is a social misfit. She grew up in a variety of foster homes and at thirty, is still under the care of Social Services. She has a dysfunctional relationship with her mother and can’t relate to co-workers. She has no friends, but develops a crush on a local musician and tries to engineer a meeting with him.

I almost adored this book. I really enjoyed reading it but I didn’t totally buy into her character as portrayed. I’m not well up on popular culture but even I have heard of Spongebob Squarepants. I’m certain someone who had spent time with peers in foster homes, and later at university, would be more familiar with the modern world than she was. This was too much of an exaggeration for me. However, what a story. Raymond is a sympathetic character once we get through his scruffy exterior, and Eleanor works through her past baggage to a satisfying conclusion. I really enjoyed this one.

Just finished reading and I've so many emotions flying around!! This is a book about a quirky, socially inept but polite Eleanor who grows and grows on you as you read on and discover more of her story. It is essentially book about loneliness and shutting pain full memories away and what it takes to face them, but Eleanor is no victim. She is brave and strong and a survivor. I loved this book!

I thought this book was a rom-com. I thought this was going to be another Bridget Jones. I was wrong: it’s so much bigger and better than that.

I struggled to believe that this was a debut novel. It was so well-written, not a single word was out of place; so well-crafted, you might well believe at first that it was based on a true story (and you might have to keep reminding yourself that it’s not!).

My favourite thing about this novel is nothing is as you might expect. While reading this novel, I would constantly guess what was going to happen next – and I always got it wrong. The twists and turns through Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine will definitely keep you on edge! You will cry your eyes out – from laughter, and from sadness.

Women are almost always written into one of two categories; they are either the girl everyone clambers to be friends with, or the girl who is too good to be like other girls. Eleanor isn’t either of these. As a protagonist, she is unlikely, unfathomable, and yet somehow a character everyone can, in some way, relate to. She is witty and insightful, and watching her grow throughout the novel made me feel like a proud mother (unlike Mummy).

Eleanor provides a wonderful, filter-free insight into our world. This covers everything from weird “human mating rituals” like dancing, to the importance of even the briefest of encounters with strangers. Eleanor is an empty vessel just waiting to be filled up with love. No, not love from a romantic partner, as the synopsis might insinuate. She is waiting to be filled up with love for herself.

Seldom do I find a novel that I truly can’t put down. But I managed to finish this book in about six days, which is a testimony of how great this novel is. Honeyman has really done a number on the world with this debut novel, and I can’t wait to read more of her work when it comes. I would highly recommend this novel to absolutely everyone and anyone under the sun.

What a wonderful wonderful story of Eleanor and her funny ways. She has had a very troubled start to life and it’s shaped who she is. I thoroughly enjoyed her journey through good times and bad and would recommmwnd to anyone

Not for me. Did not finish so will not post reviews online. Thank you!

Beyond adored Eleanor! The girl in the office we all know, weve all seen. But with real real heart. A joy.

Wow, what can I say about this book, I was totally blown away.
When I first met Eleanor Oliphant, like her, I was a bit judgmental of her character and found her odd and slightly annoying, that quickly changed however the more I got to know her, what a sad and beautiful story this was but so full of hope.
The strength of Eleanor was great and thank heavens for Raymond, another lovely human being, who really helped bring her out of her shell.
I read this book in just over a day and honestly couldn’t put it down, I just needed to see what happened to Eleanor.
The story was well written with great prose and a captivating plot which really tugged the heart strings towards the end.
There were a couple of good laugh out loud moments (the cheese slices incident for one) and the ending, though satisfying, left me wanting more.
I will definitely read more from this Author.

Everyone is talking about ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE and rightly so. Since its release in May 2017, Gail Honeyman’s debut novel has taken the world by storm and is soon to be made into a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon.

ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE follows the day-to-day life of Eleanor Oliphant, a single, 30-something woman who leads a simple life. Stuck in a daily routine of wearing the same clothes to work every day, eating the same meal deal for lunch every day and buying the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend, nothing is missing from Eleanor’s carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes it is. Eleanor has learned how to survive but not how to live.

One afternoon, a simple act of kindness shatters the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life.

Charming, funny and hugely moving, ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE is a deft, compassionate and absorbing debut by Honeyman. Rich with humour, full of warmth and deeply original, everything about this book just seems to work. The main character is wonderfully unique, the plot is powerful and unpredictable and the quality of the writing is exceptionally strong.

As a main character, Eleanor is like no other. She has no social graces, is a little rude and doesn't know how to interact with other people at all, yet despite this, there is something about her that you can’t help but like. It's also obvious as the story develops that Eleanor has experienced something horrendous in her past, although the exact details surrounding this aren’t actually revealed until much later in the book.

But what makes ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE truly brilliant is the way in which the author uses friendship, rather than traditional “romance”, to drive the story forward. In this story, Eleanor is not "rescued" by love but by companionship, which makes her gradual transformation all the move captivating.

Tender, touching, and emotional in places, ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS COMPLETELY FINE is a wondrous debut by Gail Honeyman and an ultimately uplifting read.

I really enjoyed reading this novel. It was predictable and a bit repetitive, but there was something extremely captivating and moreish in the uptight, eponymous heroine, that made me want to keep reading.

The Glasgow setting, with the occasional brogue being used, and real, familiar locations made a nice change from overdone and over-familiar London. The cast of characters is small but well-formed.

The genius of Gail Honeyman lies in turning an extreme and very unusual situation, and the person affected by it, into an Everywoman. We have all (at least, those in the target market for this novel,) felt inadequate, or made ourselves look stupid in the pursuit of an inappropriate male. Whether we’d all express ourselves in such a precise yet florid manner is less likely, and therein lies the charm of this book. We are both Eleanor, and not Eleanor. She’s a ‘nutter’ – and happy to be described thus – only one the reader cares about. She’s far too nice to be an anti-heroine for long.

Both the sly and the explicit references to Jane Eyre give the novel a more literary edge. Fire, which, dear reader, we know from the cover, plays a key part in both novels; for both it is a catharsis, a kind of salvation. Honeyman clearly wants to set up Eleanor as a Jane Eyre: not beautiful, but ordinary, damaged; with depths of strength, and a strong character; and most of all, alone.

Because this is a book about loneliness, again using an extraordinary experience to tap into the most common malaise of our times. Anomie is so pervasive, even the current unfeeling, useless Tory government has introduced a Minister for Loneliness. What kind of epidemic must there be for that to happen?

A few days after reading the book, it struck me that its real hero is a man, Raymond. A complete paragon, who persists and endures, suffers and makes good – all in the name of love. Where he fits into the Jane Eyre parallel, I’m not sure, as he’s not Edward Rochester. Like them, though, I’m sure that in the forthcoming film, both his jeans and t-shirts will be super-snug and he’ll be a handsome devil.

I was so, totally, completely not ready for the emotions this book made me feel! This is a book about a woman, Eleanor Oliphant, who clearly struggles with social interaction and has a history of abuse. A heavy subject, yet Eleanor's personality and humour made me laugh out loud multiple times. An absolutely fantastic debut novel and I can't wait to see what Honeyman does next.

The story follows Eleanor's friendship with the new IT guy at work, as well as her journey to figuring out what exactly happened to her. I loved getting to experience her growth and by the end of the book, I was reading extra slowly because I just didn't want it to end.

I would recommend this book to anybody, but especially those who enjoyed Me Before You by Jojo Moyes as this book, although completely different, deals with dark issues in a light sense similar to the style of Moyes' novel.

I finished this book a couple of days ago and I am still unsure of my complete thoughts about it. What I definitely do know is that this is one heck of a book. My reasons for the confusion is probably that I did tend to relate a little too much to Eleanor in parts. Not her childhood and what happened then I hasten to add, but some of the things she does, says and her philosophies on certain things just had me thinking. Her attitudes and mannerisms too. It just all became a little uncomfortable reading for me at times. All this probably meaning that I didn't emotionally engage with the book quite as much as I probably would have if I hadn't made these associations. I sort of read it at a distance if you like. All this waffle probably boils down to one easy conclusion. Eleanor Oliphant came across to me as a completely credible and realistic character and that is down to the author alone.
The story that the author wove around and about the wonderful character of Eleanor was also very well done. Some of the situations that Eleanor found herself in - either by fate or design were describes so well, often also with such emotion that even considering my detachment I couldn't help but feel; especially when she was talking to her Mummy on the phone as I was all too familiar with some of the disparaging remarks being bandied around.
Although a painful read for me, I consider it to also be an important one. It's definitely a book and Eleanor is a character that will stay with me for a while. I am sorry my review is a little strange but I am finding it very hard to put thoughts and feelings about this book into words.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.