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.

I don’t think I liked this as much as a lot of others. It was just ok in my opinion. I wasn’t really a fan of the Eleanor character, she irritated me and I found it hard to read at first. I am glad I finished the book though. I did enjoy the growth the character made throughout the book and the relationship that developed throughout the book. I don’t think it was worth $12 but if the price drops, I’d recommend it, it’s an ok read.

I really enjoyed the book and it's an pretty flipping original and overall well written first effort as a novelist. The character Eleanor is certainly a memorable one—she's quirky, dispassionate, critical, often very forthright and even rude in her interactions with others, yet strangely enough I quite liked her. You know from the beginning that everything really is not "fine" and Ms. Honeyman does a fantastic job at unveiling why. Without revealing any key details I'll just say that I've only given it 4 stars as I wasn't pleased with how the change/fix was unveiled, although the actual "big reveal" was rather shocking. I think the "fix" as it were happened far too quickly (It is unrealistic to think (although not impossible of course that "that" could occur in the space of 2 months) and so the writing seemed rushed as though someone had removed some parts and didn't reassemble things so well. That is poor editing in my opinion.

My favorite books always feature beautifully flawed, quirky characters, and Eleanor Oliphant is one of the best of those characters to whom I have been introduced for quite some time. Gail Honeyman has crafted a delightfully eccentric character whose tragic past left her scarred, both literally and figuratively, and the story of her journey to understanding and accepting that past and the ways that it has shaped her identity is told in a beautifully insightful way that covers a great expanse of emotions.Eleanor Oliphant is very unique. She lives alone, sticks to very strict routines, and has a frankness that is very often off-putting to those around her. She speaks to her mother on the phone once a week, and the reader is led to understand that her mother is in jail for reasons somehow connected to a fire in Eleanor's childhood and her resulting placement with social services, but the details of Eleanor's childhood do not become clear until the end of the book. Eleanor develops a bit of an obsessive crush on a local musician, drinks entirely too much vodka, and makes her first real friend in a recently hired coworker, Raymond.Throughout it all, readers are provided with a first person point-of-view that is different from any other narrator I have ever read. Eleanor views the world in fairly black and white terms. When she treats herself to a manicure for the first time, she very honestly tells the reader (and the manicurist, actually) that she could have done a better job herself for free. She does not understand many pop culture references, and I found her reaction to a Spongebob Squarepants helium balloon quite delightful. Her difficulty understanding human emotions and the emotional needs of others was intriguing, and her interactions with others were sometimes cringe-worthy and many times humorous.Above all else, I found Honeyman's writing style to be very descriptive in a way that enabled me to envision the characters and events in the book in my head, but also to understand exactly how they felt. As someone very familiar with clinical depression on a personal level, I found Honeyman's description of Eleanor's thoughts and feelings spot-on. Eleanor is one of those characters who has tried to make loving her very difficult, but I knew from the first chapter that her efforts would make me love her even more dearly.I was right.Eleanor Oliphant stole my heart.

Eleanor Oliphant wants you to know that she is completely fine thank you very much. She goes to work, comes home to her one-bedroom flat, spends her evenings and weekends alone, enjoys crossword puzzles, and drinking vodka, and every Wednesday she speaks to her mummy. She is perfectly content, and doesn’t need anything, or anyone, else. Then she attends a concert, where as soon as she lays eyes on the lead singer, is convinced he is the man for her, and makes it her mission to meet him. Around the same time she meets, Raymond, the IT guy from her office, whose irritating habits, and personal grooming leave a lot to be desired. And when Eleanor and Raymond come to the rescue of an elderly man, Sammy, after he collapses in the street, Eleanor’s carefully ordered life really starts to change.This was a phenomenal read, that really messed with my emotions. I’d be in fits of laughter one minute, enveloped with a warm feeling the next, then blinking back the tears, and swallowing the lump in my throat. It dealt with some very serious issues, but was never a depressing read. Nor was it a light read, but it was a fun one, which sounds like a contradiction, but you’ll see what I mean.Eleanor and Raymond were both wonderful characters with a lot of depth. I was certain going in that I had the reason for Eleanor being the way she was pegged, but I was completely wrong, which made this a very unexpected, touching, and powerful book. I really admired Eleanor for being so strong and positive. She was truly an inspiration, and watching her slowly blossom and heal was pure joy. And Raymond was such a sweetheart – genuine, kind and patient – you couldn’t have asked for a better man for Eleanor to meet. Oh and he’s Scottish, love those accents, can’t wait for the movie. Eleanor and Raymond’s relationship was beyond cute and adorable – a slow burn that felt real and natural.Feeling blessed right now to have read this, and am excited to see what Gail Honeyman writes next.