Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

-

Hi There!

Trying to balance my final year of university, my other extra curricular activities as well as my reading career has been a mission and a half, but I've managed to read and finish 13 books during the course of this year - which I think is a great given the circumstances.

My latest guilt-read (I miss guilt-free reading so much) is 'Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' by Gail Honeyman.

Eleanor has been alone and lonely all her life - and not just in the romantic sense. She has had no companionship or friendship for the vast majority of her adult life. This makes her socially awkward as she finds 'there is no Eleanor-shaped social-hole'.

The book explores the themes of companionship, loneliness, childhood traumas and their effects on one's adult life. Gail Honeyman's writing style had me crying, resonating with Eleanor and laughing in the span of one read.

I did, however, feel like Gayle exaggerated the level of Eleanor's 'social-naivety'

Favourite quote:

 “If someone asks you how you are, you are meant to say FINE. You are not meant to say that you cried yourself to sleep last night because you hadn't spoken to another person for two consecutive days. FINE is what you say.” 
8/10 would recommend.

Comments

  1. Zo19 July 2019 at 15:17

    Definitely adding this to my list. Great review Lizzy x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hlela25 April 2020 at 22:35

    Finished this. And I would also give it a an 8. But I don't know about the ending, I feel like the author just wanted to squeeze everything into like 2 chapters there in the end. Like she mapped the whole story nicely but then she rushed the ending. I don't know but it was a good read nonetheless.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Siliziwe_Liz1 May 2020 at 21:33

      I’m glad it ended the way it did. Sometimes perfect books are ruined by unnecessarily prolonged endings. I am glad you enjoyed the book; this was my favourite read in 2019💕

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Good Neighbours by Sarah Langan

-
Image
    Oh that was horrible — 5 stars, please!  ðŸŒŸ  Firstly, I borrowed this from the Manchester City Library solely because Gillian Flynn was on the cover. I often see “perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn/Gone Girl” (which I am), but hardly ever see the good sis endorse work herself so that got me. Sarah Pinborough (another top author on my thriller list) also described the book as a “bistering satire of suburban life with serious emotional stakes. A fantastic literary thriller.” The book is described as a ruthless portrayal of suburbia that excavates the perils and betrayals of motherhood and friendships and the dangerous clash between social hierarchy, childhood trauma, and fear. These are so intricately interwoven it’s difficult to accept the characters’ ills, and they were all grotesque, without at least trying to understand what makes them who they are. Sarah did an excellent job of depicting these complexities. This book also included a map of the neighbourhood, which at first almost
Read more

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

-
Image
Trigger Warning: Domestic Abuse.  Lily’s childhood was not easy but getting out of small Maine and moving to Boston, coupled with a lot of hard work, has made her the bold businesswoman she is. Merely hours after fleeing her father’s funeral, Lily Bloom meets the unrealistically attractive neurosurgeon, Ryle Kincaid, on the rooftop of a building in Boston and when the spark between them blazes, nothing could be better. Not only is Ryle attractive and smart, but he’s also confident, compassionate and caring – well most times. His aversion to romantic relationships is affirmed when their relationship is threatened by the resurfacing of Atlas, Lily’s first love.  Whenever we hear about a woman being abused (which happens way too often), the question “why doesn’t she leave?” is always posed. Besides the risk of being killed for leaving and the threat of financial insecurity, Colleen also explores another factor we often forget to consider when looking at domestic abuse
Read more

The Blessed Girl by Angela Makholwa

-
Image
The beautiful Bontle Tau has Johannesburg’s most influential men dancing on the palm of her hand in this hilarious South African novel. Competition is tough as they, unknowingly, compete to pay for her penthouse, pay for her cars, local and international getaways as well as give her stipend to live on. Other than focusing on ensuring she always looks Instagram perfect, no matter the cost or circumstance, Bontle also directs her attention (well, sometimes) on her start-up business while simultaneously dealing with her ex-husband-to-be and healing from childhood and family trauma. Bontle’s live-for-today attitude might get her through the short term but could be detrimental in the long term.  Like most of my favourite first-person narrators, Bontle is as unreliable as they come. However, her interactive narration feels as though she’s talking directly to the reader and Angela Makholwa’s witty style of writing leaves you laughing in disbelief. As much as I enjoyed Th
Read more