Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine – a book review

Title: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
By: Gail Honeyman
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers

Panic set in when I realised I didn’t have a novel to read before bed. Thankfully, my daughter came to the rescue with a book she had just finished, ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’.

‘Thanks,’ I said, and turned the book over this way and that, checking out the cover design. Used matches. There must be fire involved. It’s a natural assumption, based on predicting a story by the cover.

Once I began reading, it was obvious that Eleanor Oliphant was not completely fine, and from that moment, I knew I was in for a treat. Life experience has taught me that everybody has a reason for they way they behave. We are living and breathing stories, shaped by our experiences.

A couple of days later my daughter said, ‘Have you met Raymond yet?’
‘Yes.’ Then I frowned. ‘Eleanor’s mother is not so nice, is she?’ I said.
Strangely, my comment was met with silence from my daughter. Which she did on a couple more occasions when I asked her about other parts of the story. She is very good at not giving storylines away. Frustratingly!

As I continued to read ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’, the authentic voice of Eleanor was a delight to hear in my mind, endearing me to her. As odd as she was, I really liked the character. All I wanted was for good things to happen for her.

Thank you, Gail Honeyman– I totally looked forward to reading your novel each night when I went to bed, enjoying the humour, the highs and the lows, and turning the pages, manically reading to find out the reason for Eleanor being the way she was.

Like my daughter, I can’t give anything away in the story, but one thing is for sure, Eleanor Oliphant is a survivor.

If you enjoyed reading ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’, you will love ‘The Colour of Broken’ by Amelia Grace, as sent to Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Huey Lewis, Nicole Kidman – available at Amazon and other online bookstores.

 

Reviewed by Julieann Wallace
(Dip T, B. Ed, Author, Illustrator, Tea Ninja, Cadbury Chocolate Annihilator)
https://www.facebook.com/julieannwallaceonethousandwords/
https://www.julieannwallaceauthor.com/

Julieann is a published author and illustrator who is continually inspired by the gift of imagination and the power of words. When she is not disappearing into her imaginary worlds as a children’s author, or as a fiction novelist, she is working as an editor, book designer, and book magician for other authors, and as secondary visual arts and drama teacher at a private school. Julieann is a self-confessed tea ninja and Cadbury chocoholic, has a passion for music and art, and tries not to scare her cat, Claude Monet, with her terrible cello playing. 

In 2018, Julieann was honoured to have her #8wordstory printed on the back of the Queensland Writer’s Centre business cards: 

(and yes, her name was spelt incorrectly – the story of her life – you just have to laugh! )

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