I really don't understand the hype behind this book. The ending was predictable. The characters didn't progress in a way that really drew me in. And the pseudo-intellectual internal dialogue was tiring at best. I thought I would form more of an attachment to this character (given her childhood, circumstances, and emotional issues) but it was just the opposite. I found myself reading it quickly, hoping that there would be a new twist that would draw me in... nope. By page 200, I stopped hoping for something to draw me and and started speed-reading just to get it over with. Disappointing.

I wish there were words for how much I loved this contemporary fiction/ chick-lit / Brit-lit novel.SUMMARYEleanor Oliphant is the definition of 'socially awkward.' Think Sheldon from Big Bang Theory minus his little band of nerds and giant ego. Awkward!!! She is never sure if people are being sarcastic or serious. She gives a lot of unsolicited advice, thinking she is being helpful when she's really being obnoxious, then she mentally (and occasionally orally) notes what she perceives as others poor manners or stupidity in said person. She's hilarious without meaning to be.From the very beginning, the reader knows that things are not 100% right for Eleanor. She has serious "Mummy Issues" (love the British Speak, mummy issues sound so much more sophisticated than mommy issues!), her coworkers blatantly make fun of her, she has no friends, she relies on vodka to get her through the weekend and has these mysterious scars on her face which are significant enough to cause people to stare.On a very rare night out, she goes to a concert and completely falls for one of the musicians without even so much as exchanging a single word with him.Eleanor begins a journey of physical self improvement in order to prep herself to meet this musician. Her journey includes a hilarious visit to a waxing salon, a couple extremely uncomfortable "practice" social outings and a few lol worthy shopping trips.In addition to the outward improvements, Eleanor decides to open herself to new experiences so she will be ready when she meets her musician in person. Her newfound openness comes in handy when, after years of loneliness, she accidentally stumbles into two new unlikely friendships.Although there are many truly amusing parts in this story, it also has a very serious side, particularly when the reader learns of Eleanor's past and the origins of her scars. Author, Gail Honeyman, slowly doles out the details of Eleanor's heartbreaking backstory leaving the reader 100% on Team Eleanor. I, for one, was cheering her on and celebrating her growth as though she were my real life friend.WHAT I LOVEDSince I gave this book 5 Stars, and I rarely ever do, clearly I loved EVERYTHING about it. But here are just a few specific things which I loved:The whole thing with Bobbie Brown makeup. She was soooooo clueless that she had no idea who Bobbie Brown is and at one point she 'questioned Ms Brown's work ethic' since Bobbie never seemed to be at her makeup counter.I LOVED Eleanor's observations on other people and how she often missed the point so significantly and then she thought everyone but her was crazy. Super entertaining.I loved how Eleanor just spoke her mind without concern for social convention. That was funny enough, but reading others reactions to her comment was the icing on the cake. Some people laughed and found her refreshing, others thought she was crazy or rude.The story itself was just so darn good!!! In my opinion, a good book in this genre is one which makes the reader laugh, think deeply, feel significant empathy for the characters and stays with the reader long after completing the story. For me, this book did that, and more. I was so sad to see it end. I miss her already.WHAT I DIDN'T LOVEThis book got my 5 star rating which means that if there was something I didn't love about the book, the good outweighed the bad so heavily that I forgot anything I didn't like.OVERALLI LOVED THIS BOOK!!!!!!!!

This is a novel about overcoming. It is not about an autistic woman (as some reviewers suggest). Eleanor has learned to cope. She has defenses. She has done what many do when faced with a painful reality - try to pretend it is not there. I loved this book because it is about someone overcoming difficulties and becoming herself. I loved Eleanor and I loved the kind people who accepted her and tried to help her. I thought it was a deep, thoughtful book that was also touching and funny. I have talked to people who stopped reading the book after the first 50 pages. Don’t. Keep going. The story will come together and it will all make sense. The beginning of the book is important to understanding the end, but the reader does not know that, Read this book and fall in love with Eleanor’s journey, as I have.

Good read/ great character, and you slowly begin to understand her. This could help someone who is slightly intolerant think about the assumptions that they make about others. It was enjoyable to read, even though you develop concern. The violence and sexual context is not gratuitous, just plainly described as having occurred, and it is definitely part of the story.

Eleanor Oliphant does not make a very good first impression. As I started reading this book I couldn't help but think what have I gotten myself into this time. This girl is a self-involved, hyper-critical, judgmental little...well you get the idea. She is a drab little nerd of a girl with no friends and no life that scoffs at the world as she believes it scoffs at her. I continued to read and discovered that Eleanor is a scarred woman...literally and figuratively. We all frequently make first impressions and critical judgments on the flimsiest of information. Sometimes these decisions are accurate and sometimes, probably more times, they are not. We all have met people that have displayed behaviors that have caused us to judge them and then to avoid them. In those cases, as in Eleanor's, there are reasons for their offensiveness. Our choice is to make the decision to get to know this person better and discover why they are as they are or to simply move on. In Eleanor's case somebody made the decision to make an effort to know her and then help her discover herself. Therein is the story of Eleanor Oliphant who is scarred by a very dark and traumatic childhood tragedy. She is a woman of 30 that has never known even the most basic of human experiences of kindness or affection and realizes on page 294 that being human is a two way street and that first impressions and judgments are some things that even she got wrong. Reading this very moving story is an act of sound judgment so don't let a first impression deter you from a special reading experience.