Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

by Gail Honeyman

Over 2.5 million copies sold

‘Funny, touching and unpredictable’ Jojo Moyes

‘Heartwrenching and wonderful’ Nina Stibbe

Winner of Costa First Novel Award, a No.1 Sunday Times bestseller and the Book of the Year

One of the Sunday Times' 100 bestselling books of the past 50 years

Eleanor Oliphant has learned how to survive – but not how to live

Eleanor Oliphant leads a simple life. She wears the same clothes to work every day, eats the same meal deal for lunch every day and buys the same two bottles of vodka to drink every weekend.

Eleanor Oliphant is happy. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life. Except, sometimes, everything.

One simple act of kindness is about to shatter the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Now she must learn how to navigate the world that everyone else seems to take for granted – while searching for the courage to face the dark corners she’s avoided all her life.

Change can be good. Change can be bad. But surely any change is better than… fine?

Moving, funny and devastatingThe Herald

Unforgettable, brilliant, funny and life-affirmingDaily Mail

‘I adored it. Skilled, perceptive, Eleanor's world will feel familiar to you from the very first page. An outstanding debut!Joanna Cannon

Reviewed by abookishblether on

5 of 5 stars

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This one was recommended by my book club, and I knew absolutely nothing about it. It turned out to be a phenomenal surprise.

The book is set in Scotland, and it really felt like it was written by someone who had either spent a lot of time here or was Scottish. This is the first time I've read accurate Scottish speech on the page and I felt so seen. The audio book is also top notch in terms of accents.

At the beginning of the story, Eleanor is absolutely, determinedly F-I-N-E with her life, her complete lack of friends and the limited contact she has with others. Eleanor's story pulls no punches, and we get an intimate look into her life as she begins to branch out and connect with the people she works with.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 10 January, 2019: Finished reading
  • 10 January, 2019: Reviewed