Books and Jams Readalong discussion

These last sections are labeled Bad Days and then Better Days. What changed to make her days worse and then better?

Having finished the book what stands out most to you?

What are your final thoughts about Eleanor? I have heard many people say she will stick with them. Why do you think that is? Will she stick with you?

Any final thoughts or quotes you'd like to share?

What will you rate this one?

I rated it 5 stars, and I think it will stick with me for quite some time. Perhaps because I know some Eleanors and now I'm wondering if they need a Raymond in their lives...

When Eleanor is in the shop, seeing what Laura has done and says, "Thank you for making me shiny," I cried. In my review, I think I said I teared up, but it was a cry. A good cry that became so much more, because sometimes a good cry is what I need. I've had that kind of experience tho, so that may be why it worked for me so well. I have lots of tabs - some that made me laugh out loud, but that is the quote that I have thought about every time I picked up the book to read another chapter.

I can't imagine actually coming thru such a tragedy, and I think that's the point of the last 2 chapters. It's not, "Great! Happily ever after!" but rather, "Yesterday was hard, and today seems better." When she is walking along on the last day of work mentioned in the book and is noticing little things around her, it shows there is always hope, and that's what I think of Eleanor - she shows there is hope.

I loved this book and rated five stars.
The characters, especially Raymond, was very likeable. I of course hated the mummy but as I found out at the end of the book she was a worse factor in Eleanor’s life. I never guessed until the end that she was not real. I had wondered how she could end communication so easily but I never thought this. Actually it makes sense when you think that her train of thought and her reasoning was always like a little girl.

The story and the characters were impressive but my favorite part of the book was how it was written and structured. At the beginning, she seemed like an unfortunate lonely anti social woman with hints of autism. As the book progressed, we found out that she was not anti social but desperate for human interaction. Towards the end, we learn about the unfortunate tragedy in her past. I really liked not knowing what was waiting for me.

I truly wish that Eleanor and Raymond do become more than friends— not in immediate future because she is not ready for such a big step imo — but even they do not they would stay pals. They are good for each other.

Thanks again Krista for choosing this book, I do not think I would have read it so soon because I am sometimes afraid to pick up books with all the hype 😊

Hi Berna!
When I found out that Eleanor's Mum was not real, I was surprised. I actually wasn't sure I understood it correctly. While my Mom never tried to kill me, when I have negative thoughts about myself, they are always in her voice in my head, so it makes sense re Eleanor once I had some time to process.

I too, rate this 5 stars and can't wait to see what Krista picks next!
Robin

OH boy. I just finished this book and just absolutely loved it! I knew from the beginning that I would love it and I was right! I love how Eleanor's story broke my heart but at the same time her sense of humor and propriety made me laugh too. I was also surprised about Mummy. It was a twist I didn't suspect at all. I ended the book feeling so so proud of Eleanor and the way she took on life and moving forward after so long of letting the past dictate her life (without really being aware that's what was happening). I'm so proud of Raymond for being such a good friend to Eleanor. He pushed her out of her comfort zone at times, but was also very respectful and caring about not revealing what he learned about her past.

My heart is just so full after finishing this book! It's one I will definitely buy someday so I can read it again. 5 Stars for sure!

I read this book back in February and truly loved it. It is such a heartwarming story about the power of kindness and how caring human interaction can heal so many hurts. I really wanted to rate this book 5 stars but given the twist at the end about her mother I felt I needed to take off half a star. IMO it wasn’t necessary and I thought it was a too easy and neat way for Eleanor to move on with her life. However, I did love Eleanor and reading her story and I will definitely read Honeyman’s next book.

I was surprised by Marianne and Mummy. I also wonder how Eleanor read Sense and Sensibility all those years and continued to hold back the memories of her sister (since she points out the sister characters Elinor and Marianne).

Eleanor's internal dialogue made me chuckle all the way through the book.

I love being able to cheer for a character in this way and the optimistic ending. 4 stars!

Over all I did enjoy this book, it took me awhile because I had a mix of emotions (anger, laughter, and sympathy) through out the story. I was very upset with the things that Eleanor's mother said to her. The ending took me by surprise. I had to go and read over the news article again to make sure that I was understanding it correctly.

I enjoyed the transformation from where she began to where she was headed in the end. My favorite part was when she gets on the bus and is "scanning" to decide who to sit beside. I liked this quote: "There are all kinds of reasons why they might not look like the kind of person you'd want to sit next to on the bus, but you can't sum up someone in a ten-second glance. That's simply not enough time." pg. 294 I liked that whole paragraph.

I was intrigued by Raymond from the start, I was glad that he became a major part of her life and an encouraging "out of the box" character for her. He pushed her to do things that she wouldn't have ordinarily done. I was impressed with his persistence towards her. He liked her regardless of how she looked and acted. That was charming! Both the relationships she had with Raymond's mother and Sammy were endearing.

In the beginning, I felt like Eleanor was more concerned with herself and what helped her get through the day to day, but as the story went on and she stepped out of herself, she began to open her heart to those around her. Even with her fantasy man, the musician, she began to think about improving herself and not just being status quo.

I know that this book will stick with me for awhile. Thanks for the invitation, Krista. I rated it 4 stars.

I wish I could have loved this book as much as everyone else but I just couldn't. As I've stated in the other two chapter breakdowns I just couldn't get along with Eleanor! I also saw all of the twists coming so I didn't even have the element of surprise to help me enjoy the book. I felt like the therapy/change in her happened way too quickly. Overall I gave it 2 stars. I found it to be readable and easy to get through. I also felt like I liked the plot to an extent, but I just couldn't love the characters.

I love this book so much! I finished last night and, yes, I thought about it all day!

My favorite part of the book is the "bus scene" that Sherry referred to. That was the major turning point to me. That she recognized that she was misjudging people and that people and "things" are not always what they seem, proved that she was truly on the road to recovery. I also loved that she was getting to like her own voice and her own thoughts.

I really loved that Raymond cared for her no matter what she did and that he continued to push her out of her comfort zone. Bringing Eleanor the cat was perfect. She just needed someone to love that would love her back, and she loved that cat even though it wasn't very pretty.

There was a point at the beginning when the social worker visited Eleanor that I suspected for an instant that Mummy may be dead. But as the book progressed and Eleanor kept up the conversations, I completely forgot about it. Needless to say it took me by surprise when it was revealed.

Eleanor Oliphant was a solid 5 stars for me!

I also want to thank Krista for choosing this book. I'm not sure I would have picked it up if not for the read-along, Thanks for allowing me into the group. I'm really enjoying reading with you guys!

Krista wrote: "These last sections are labeled Bad Days and then Better Days. What changed to make her days worse and then better?

Having finished the book what stands out most to you?

What are your final tho..."

I rated it 3 stars, mostly because I found Eleanor's cluelessness really implausible. I did not get the feeling she was on the spectrum, either. She had an epiphany on the bus, which is not likely for someone who has autism.
I did like Eleanor and the supporting characters. The story well well-written and kept moving forward. For me, that was not enough to overcome the problems I had in believing that Eleanor was really that naive, especially given her history in foster care. Children are generally much worldlier when they experience that.

This book started at a 3 star for me and grew from there. I went back and forth on what to rate it on Goodreads. I thought it was a 4.5 but of course I had to give it a 4 or 5 so I went with the 5 star.

I know several people referred to Eleanor as clueless or autistic but I didn't see it that way. This was just a woman who was doing her best to deal with her horrible past. I think the author did a great job.

I can really relate to Eleanor, not like the fire part, but I consider myself socially awkward and I liked seeing how Eleanor got through those moments. I loved the half bottle of vodka and the cheese slices. I think that might have been a favorite part of the book for me. I laughed so hard I think I woke up my husband.

I would like to hear again from Tanya who wasn't liking it in the beginning.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It took a while to win me over, but when it it, it really did. I loved Eleanor's character and I adored the relationship that she had with him. I also enjoyed the relationship they both had with Sammy. When Sammy's son visited her and gave her Sammy's red jumper ... oh boy! I couldn't help but rate it 5 stars. In fact, I've passed my copy on to my mum to read and today when I was in a bookshop, someone asked me for a recommendation and this was the one I chose (I noticed that she bought it too) :)

Theresa wrote: "This book started at a 3 star for me and grew from there. I went back and forth on what to rate it on Goodreads. I thought it was a 4.5 but of course I had to give it a 4 or 5 so I went with the 5 ..."

Hi Theresa,

Thank you so much for following up! I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed your time with Eleanor, and I really appreciate your wanting to know how I made on with the book. I only wish I had better news for you.

Sadly though, I didn't make it through. I gave up when Eleanor walked into her new therapist's office and immediately started making judgments about everything from the woman's coat to the way her teeth looked. At that point, IMO, her inner monologue went from occasionally endearing to just plain mean, and I decided I didn't want to spend any more time in her head.

Oddly enough, that moment was also the gateway to my biggest takeaway from the book -- it encouraged me to develop an even greater awareness of my own inner monologue and left me with a deep sense of gratitude for the fact that our thoughts are private and we can actually choose which ones we share with the people around us.

So while it might not have been the book for me, I still appreciate the insight.

Tanya wrote: "Theresa wrote: "This book started at a 3 star for me and grew from there. I went back and forth on what to rate it on Goodreads. I thought it was a 4.5 but of course I had to give it a 4 or 5 so I ..."


Sorry to hear you didn't finish Tanya but thanks for checking in.

I understand about the thoughts. Can you imagine if everyone could read our thoughts? Scary huh! unfortunately I reveal mine more than I should. I think a lot of us think like Eleanor and just keep it to ourselves, which we should.

I hope your next book is a home run.

Theresa wrote: "Tanya wrote: "Theresa wrote: "This book started at a 3 star for me and grew from there. I went back and forth on what to rate it on Goodreads. I thought it was a 4.5 but of course I had to give it ..."

Thanks so much, Theresa! I'm really glad Eleanor was a good fit for you, and I hope you enjoy your next read as much as you did this one!