Our very first book club read was in March 2018 – the book was decided by a poll & we chose
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, by Gail Honeyman
Here’s what I and our Mums thought of the book… (any spoilers have been removed)
I am normally a lover of thrillers so when we picked this book I wasn’t sure if it was going to be my sort of thing. I don’t think I’ve read a character based book before. I know many have said this book was a slow starter but I genuinely was intrigued right from the start! I found I grew to love her way of thinking and watching the world through her eyes was funny and interesting. It also reminded me that there’s lots of people like Eleanor! Perhaps without similar trauma.
I can’t wait for the film though I rarely find the films live up to the detail of a book, will be interesting to see how they do it! So glad we chose this book,
9/10 for me.
Nikki.
What our Mums thought…
Hard to get into and only realised I loved it when I finished it!! – Jessica
I really enjoyed it, I know a few people found it hard going to start with but it gripped me from the beginning. I loved Eleanor’s funny ways but felt so sorry for her because she was obviously very lonely and had no friends or family. I really wanted her and Raymond to get together. – Nicola
Not my usual read (although I haven’t read in sooo long so it was good to have a reason to pick up a book and not the remote) but I really enjoyed getting to know Eleanor. She was so funny that’s what gripped me at the beginning. I loved the twist at the end. And I’d love to know more what happens next. – Rachel
I did really enjoy this book and liked Eleanor’s voice a lot. It made me laugh when she mentioned loving Jane Eyre and reading it over and over and taking notes, because I am exactly the same with Jane Eyre! And it also made me realise how similar the voice is to Jane, and how the writing is sort of like a modern take on that Georgian style. It also reflects Jane’s independent, almost feminist voice. There were, however, moments when I found Eleanor doing or saying things I wasn’t utterly convinced by. Not because they seemed unbelievable, but because they seemed inconsistent with her character. At these moments the character seemed a bit less solid than I would like, and made me less convinced of her.
I find myself thinking of Eleanor as a real person, and worrying about her, which is a sign of really excellent writing in my book
I was one of the few who struggled with to get into this book, however when I did I really got into it and struggled to put it down. I loved Eleanor’s attitude to life, it was simple and uncomplicated where other people’s opinions weren’t even considered. Social exception didn’t come into it for Eleanor, she was true to herself.
Overall I loved this book and three days on after finishing it I’m still finding myself thinking about Eleanor. – BeccaA different read for me but once I got into it I thoroughly enjoyed it. Eleanor’s view on the world was very refreshing and made me think differently about things. Loved the friendship and bond with Raymond too. So nice to be having some me time and enjoying a bit of escapism. Looking forward to reading the next book. – Amy
