Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine

Really enjoyable novel. Humorous and touching. If you liked “A Man Called Ove” or “A Confederacy of Dunces” then you'll probably like this.

This is a spoiler-free review
Read on In The Sheets

I picked up Eleanor Oliphant as soon as it was released and read it in one sitting, but am just now getting around to actually reviewing it. I initially thought the concept sounded lovely needed a book with a cat on the cover for a reading challenge. Win win.

Considering it's called Eleanor Oliphant is Complete Fine, I went into this book assuming that Eleanor Oliphant was not, in fact, fine at all. She's socially awkward, delightful, and has clearly been through some stuff in life.

This is a beautifully written story that just goes to show how imperative mental health is and how one single person change another's life just by being there and caring.

Eleanor can certainly be unlikable at times and while I've seen some reviews of people saying that this turned them off of the book or the character, I think it really added to her and made her more real. We're all shitty or have less than pure thoughts from time to time, let's be honest.

I adored this book, it will definitely be something I pick up to re-read again and again.

I feel like I just punished myself by finishing this book. I'm sure other people will like the book and the main character, Eleanor. For me I'm not on board. I couldn't stand Eleanor, I just cringed constantly while reading about her. However I kept expecting the book to get better, and it never did. So... maybe not the book for me.

Eleanor Oliphant is fine. Really. She reassures herself, as she goes home, alone, after working at a job where she speaks to no one, without family, without friends. Alone. She is fine. Really.

And then she meets Raymond and together they save an old man. Things start to change for Eleanor. She is finally able to start confronting the demons of her past.

What are you waiting for?


You really need to read this book.