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Shortlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize 2018 | Category Winner for the Costa Book Awards 2017, First Novel Award |
It is the standard reply when people ask, “How are you?” ....you say “I’m fine.” Well, Eleanor is most definitely not fine and has not been since she was 10 years old. Shifted from one foster home to another, she does eventually go to university where she ends up in an abusive relationship. On graduation she gets a job in the accounts department of a graphic designer and there she is when we meet her, aged 31 and desperately lonely. Eleanor is on the spectrum with her life overshadowed by some dreadful childhood tragedy which has left her face badly scarred. She keeps her head down at work and spends the weekends with two bottles of vodka. She speaks to her mother on the telephone on a Wednesday and dreads the call. We are uncertain as to whether her mother is in prison or an asylum. Life ticks by until her works’ computer needs attention and enter one geeky IT man. How he and others break down her barriers is beautifully done. Very slowly we learn more about Eleanor and her past. Very slowly a future develops but once the geek (Raymond) arrives the novel is by no means slow. It becomes a page-turning, compulsive read of great charm.
The Sunday Times bestseller Soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon `Funny, touching and unpredictable' Jojo Moyes 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? An astonishing story that powerfully depicts the loneliness of life, and the simple power of a little kindness
Closing date: 19/04/2020
In addition to our Lovereading expert opinion some of our Reader Review Panel were also lucky enough to read and review this title. You can click here to read the full reviews.
`A truly original literary creation: funny, touching and unpredictable. Her journey out of the shadows is expertly woven and absolutely gripping Jojo Moyes
`Original [and] unexpectedly funny' SUNDAY TIMES
`As perceptive and wise as it is funny and endearing... Warm, funny and thought-provoking' OBSERVER
`A narrative full of quiet warmth and deep and unspoken sadness... Wonderful and joyful' Jenny Colgan, GUARDIAN
`Unforgettable, brilliant, funny and life-affirming' Wendy Holden, DAILY MAIL
`I adored it. Skilled, perceptive, Eleanor's world will feel familiar to you from the very first page. An outstanding debut! Joanna Cannon
`Hugely original, a funny and sad tale of a survivor who tackles the challenges of emotional reconnection with grave courage. Unmissable.' SUNDAY EXPRESS
`A truly original voice and so good on loneliness: I sobbed and sobbed' Cathy Rentzenbrink
`An outstanding debut about loneliness and the power of a little kindness' MAIL ON SUNDAY
`So powerful - I completely loved Eleanor Oliphant' Fiona Barton
`An absolute joy, laugh-out-loud funny but deeply moving' DAILY EXPRESS
`Heartbreaking' Bryony Gordon
`Deft, compassionate and moving' Paula McLain
`Heartwrenching and wonderful' Nina Stibbe
`Heartbreaking and heartwarming' STYLIST
`Brave, smart and funny... the most refreshing and heartwarming debut I've read in some time' YORKSHIRE POST
`Moving, funny and devastating' THE HERALD
`Quirky, witty and absorbing' HEAT
`Warm and funny, moving and deeply original, Eleanor Oliphant is completely marvellous' Gavin Extence
`A beautiful and delicate balance between funny and heartbreaking... restores your faith in humanity' RED
'You'll laugh and cry reading this fine debut' PRIMA
`Impeccable' Dawn O'Porter
`Delightful, dark and moving' Sarah Pinborough
`Warm, quirky and fun, with a real poignancy underneath' Julie Cohen
`A stunning debut! I laughed, wept and reflected' Lucy Clarke
`Satisfyingly quirky' NEW YORK TIMES
ISBN: 9780008172145
Publication date: 25/01/2018
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780008172114
Publication date: 18/05/2017
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Ltd an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Format: Hardback
| ISBN: | 9780008172145 |
| Publication date: | 25th January 2018 |
| Author: | Gail Honeyman |
| Publisher: | HarperCollins Publishers Ltd an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 400 pages |
| Genres: | Audiobooks of the Month, Reader Reviewed Books, eBook Favourites, Literary Fiction, Reading Groups, Relationship Stories, UK Top 10, |
| Categories: | Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945), |
Inspired by classic heroines of 19th century literature, Gail Honeyman was writing her debut novel, Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, when the opening chapters were shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize as a work in progress. She has also been awarded the Scottish Book Trust's Next Chapter Award 2014, and was longlisted for BBC Radio 4's Opening Lines, and shortlisted for the Bridport Prize. Gail lives in Glasgow.
More About Gail Honeyman
