Eleanor Olliphant

[cleofatra]

Does it get better? I am constantly fighting an urge not to throw it across the room
Up to chapter 7

I’ve just finished reading this book, and loved it. I too thought she was autistic, as she reminded me of my autistic son. But at the end I think her traumatic past made her that way. I would love to read a follow up.

I finished this this morning and I really did love Eleanor, she was so genuinely baffled by other people but it was easy to see why. I’d started to work out what had happened to her early on but it still made me cry when it eventually came out. I really loved this book.

I’m going to read the rest of the thread now.

I LOVED it. If you don't like it now, it won't improve for you

I struggled with the first half - found it cringey. But I did like the exploration of loneliness and the small moments of connection.

I agree that it didn't necessarily need the back story of abuse - it could have just been a story of loneliness and connection. But then it might have lacked appeal to people who like the misery memoir genre.

Moments of artistry in the way the growing awakening was portrayed but overall not that keen.

I really liked it! Waiting for someone else to read it that I know to see what they think.

i loved it. read it in one sitting cover to cover while on a long train journey. it did remind me in parts of "The Rosie project" but so what? Really enjoyed the book.

I started reading it on a flight and was wondering whether Eleanor would turn out to be mentally ill, autistic, or some other twist. She was a bit perplexing and the little hints kept me pushing me to read more and quickly. I ended up staying up late on the first night of the holiday to get as close to finishing it as possible. It was an intriguing read with a good character arc.

I didn’t finish it as I just found it so dull but I guess the mother tried to set her on fire? Were we ever told why?

I can't even remember!! I only read it at Christmas time.

Finished it this morning and I'm bereft!

I LOVED it and the characters of Eleanor and Raymond.

Best book I've read in a long time.

I had high expectations of this after all the media hype. It's not literary fiction but nor is it 'pulp'. I found the depiction of the socially isolated quite accurate - especially the socially isolated and intelligent but lacking in all social skills and empathy type of person.

As many have said, the first two thirds is more 'honestly' written than the last third where the drive for a 'happy' resolution seems to overcome the desire for verisimilitude.

I thought the therapy and its effects were well portrayed.

Sadly the consideration for Eleanor shown by the other characters is probably a weakness in the narrative and where I felt it was least 'realistic'.

There was definitely a sense of her 'getting better' too quickly but it is an enjoyable read.

I've just finished and loved it. Can someone explain who the 'mother' on the phone was if her mother died in the fire? Ooh I've just thought she might have been an imaginary figure.

I’ve just finished it - I loved it even if the ending was slightly cliched.

I don’t think they said that the mother died in the fire - I think she’s a real person

Mother died in the fire. This was EO’s imaginary conversation with the abusive woman she never got to confront as an adult. As her healing went on her need for this conversation diminished.

Oops I did not get that at all about the mum

One thing that really got me was that Eleanor would buy two bottles of vodka on a Friday night basically to cope with sitting alone all weekend. That made me feel so sad. The other was how she reacted when people touched her, such as getting the head massage and she realised how long she'd gone without being touched by another human being.
Eleanor felt like a very real character. We all know people who are regarded as oddballs or weirdos because of their poor social skills. Perhaps they are likely because they didn't grow up in a nurturing environment like Eleanor. I wish there were more people as kind and warm as Raymond though.

I didn’t really enjoy it.
Ploughed on because my mother in law had leant it to me and she had loved it and read it in one go. I was really looking forward to getting stuck into it as we tend to like a lot of the same books.
Found it painfully slow, the character was just purely bizarre and I never felt any kind of connection with her. The connection she built with Raymond seemed so laboured, and the getting together to support the bloke in hospital seemed utterly at odds to her character as the picture that was built up of her was that she was all about staying safe in her routine.
Didn’t like it, wouldn’t recommend. Was glad to finish it and read something else with a bit of a storyline to be honest. Sorry!

I enjoyed it.

Laughed a lot at some of her expressions of speech and thought processes. Also cried at her sadness.

I read it in two sittings.

I finished it in 3 days which is amazingly quick for me!

It's actually made me think of a work colleague who isn't very likeable but may well fall into this category of loneliness/ lack of nurturing

The connection she built with Raymond seemed so laboured, and the getting together to support the bloke in hospital seemed utterly at odds to her character as the picture that was built up of her was that she was all about staying safe in her routine.

I agree. And I felt the author telling us that Eleanor believes that McDonalds is owned by a Mr Mcdonalds, for example, and doesn't know who Spongebob Square Pants is, (despite being thirty years of age, going to university and having a decent job) was shit and insulting storytelling. This book was pure crapola. I get that she's lonely but she hasn't been on Mars all her life.

Just finished! Really enjoying the new book club and look forward to the next read.

Overall it was an ok read, took me a while to get into it. Felt it was a bit like reading an extended version of a women’s magazine, I think it definitely needed the underlying plot about her disturbed upbringing. I thought some parts regarding Eleanor were far fetched. I liked the positive ending and I thought the author mostly dealt with the mental health aspect quite well.

I didn't know who Spongebob was (beyond kid's cartoon character) until I just looked him up.

If you don't live conventionally, have kids, or associate with kids - how would you automatically know?

Apparently Spongebob started in 1999, making Eleanor 10 years + - is that too old to have subliminally absorbed Spongebob - as an isolated loner in a care/foster environment where you may not have your own TV?

I don't know.

Seemed plausible to me. But then I also know people who've never been in a McDonalds!!!

I liked the book overall despite the saccharine ending but hey!

how long she'd gone without being touched by another human
That made me really sad too- then I got to thinking of how many people must be in this situation with a lack of human physical contact - most widowers with grown up children for example
I laughed out loud with the cheese slices gift bit and sobbed at most of the last quarter

I don’t really know who spongebob is. I mean I sort of do but I have children and am perfectly happy to potter about in the world of pop culture. If I wasn’t connected to people or interested in knowing such things I would have no idea.

I had a friend at university who was not familiar with many very famous Beatles tracks and wasn’t really aware of them as a band. Also someone at work that needed The Grand National explained to them as they’d never heard of it. My dh grew up in a strict religious family, who nevertheless were part of the world, and there are loads of cultural touchstones he only became aware of as an adult, so I didn’t find it that implausible I suppose.