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! )

Julieann is a member of:

 

The Great Barrier THIEF, a book review

 

Title: The Great Barrier THIEF
Written & Illustrated by: Dr Suzie Starfish
Publisher: Little Steps Publishing

‘Good grief! What has happened to the Great Barrier Reef?
Did you know the coral colours are a warning sign? A global reef alarm? We all need to do what we can to keep it safe from harm.’

One day Anthia’s home on the Great Barrier Reef starts getting hot, VERY hot. Soon all the colour starts disappearing from the Reef! Join Anthia and her sea creature friends as they find the Great Barrier THIEF and bring the colours back to their underwater home.

What I love about books is that they give a voice to those who cannot speak, including our living earth.

Talented author and illustrator, Dr Suzie Starfish, has created a story of significance. The Great Barrier THIEF is set in the Great Barrier Reef, off the east coast of Australia. It’s one of the seven natural wonders of the world, larger than the Great Wall of China, and is the only living thing on earth visible from space.

However, being underwater, the vanishing colour of the Great Barrier Reef is all too easy to miss. It’s also a serious ‘the-planet-is-unhealthy-sign’. But thanks to Marine Scientist, Dr Sue Pillans aka Dr Suzie Starfish, and her great ocean passion, she is creating a focussed awareness and mindfulness through her picture book, The Great Barrier THIEF.

The main character of the story, Anthia, lives in a beautiful, colourful underwater paradise, bustling with happiness and life (it’s also Nemo’s home from ‘Finding Nemo’). When the water starts feeling hot, Anthia becomes alarmed. And when her friend, Angela Algae leaves and the coral colours disappear, Anthia knows the problem is bigger than big, and goes in search of the cause and a solution.

Dr Suzie Starfish’s illustrations are bright, colourful, and bursting with life at first, so when the Great Barrier Reef loses its colour, the reader feels a devastating loss alongside the main character, Anthia. This use of colour is an effective way to show that there are consequences for our actions. The visual representation of the effects of pollution on the Reef is confronting, creating a very real awareness of our bigger than big role in caring for the earth.

And for curious and science minds, Dr Suzie Starfish has included an information page – Underwater Wonders – explaining coral bleaching and a special algae called Zooxanthellae, that lives inside the coral. It’s fascinating reading!

I highly recommend The Great Barrier THIEF. It’s a story of planet love. A story of working together. A story of problem-solving; a story of earth survival. We only have one home, and we must look after it. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Purchase a copy:  The Great Barrier THIEF

Title: The Great Barrier Thief
Written & Illustrated by: Dr Suzie Starfish
Publisher: Little Steps Publishing 
ISBN: 978-0-648267-38-6
Target Audience: 6 – 8 years
Pages: 32 pages

Reviewed by Julieann Wallace
(Dip T, B. Ed, Author, Illustrator, Tea Ninja, Cadbury Chocolate Annihilator)
www.facebook.com/julieannwallace.author
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 Julieann Wallace – children’s author, or as Amelia Grace – fiction novelist, she is working as an editor, book designer, and book magician for other authors. 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.

Julieann is a member of: