Read Scotland 2018 discussion

Our group read for March and April is Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Read it and share your thoughts below. Please use the spoiler HTML or comment at the top of your post where you are in the book so to not give anything away to those not quite there yet.

Enjoy the book!

Hello everyone,

This is my first comment to the group and Goodreads as well. I’m very happy the winner is Eleanor Oliphant, I will be buying from my shelves for this one.

I’m looking forward to discussing it here.

This is also my first group read. Just received the book from my library.
Looking forward to this discussion group.

Oops completely missed the poll. Had this book on my to read list anyway so I'm glad it won. Have now ordered it.

Eleni wrote: "Hello everyone,

This is my first comment to the group and Goodreads as well. I’m very happy the winner is Eleanor Oliphant, I will be buying from my shelves for this one.

I’m looking forward to..."

Welcome Eleni! Glad you're looking forward to the book - can't wait to hear your thoughts :)

I've already read it - it was my first Scottish read of 2018 - but I'm looking forward to the discussion to see what other think.

I've just finished our group read; as you can probably guess from the speed at which I finished it, I enjoyed this book - more than I'd expected to if I'm honest. Its very early in the group read, so I don't want to say too much about it, other than a brief comment.
Overall, I enjoyed it - despite some bits being sad or uncomfortable - and its an impressive debut from the author. Its not without its faults; I felt there were some aspects of Eleanor that were not particularly believable or consistent, and it was just a bit too predictable. However, its well-written, warm and funny and like Lorna, I'd rate it as 4 stars and I'd certainly read the author's next book.

John wrote: "I've just finished our group read; as you can probably guess from the speed at which I finished it, I enjoyed this book - more than I'd expected to if I'm honest. Its very early in the group read, ..."

Very speedy, John! Ordered mine on the internet, not here yet but hoping to catch you up soon....

I jumped the gun and bought it a couple of days early, and I now tend to read most fiction on the kindle, and most non-fiction in book form, so I was able to start right away. I hope your copy arrives soon, and that you enjoy it as much as I did.

This book was just not for me. Sent it back to the library. My apologies, but dropping out of the group discussion.

Just stared the book last night - a bit different to what I expected but in a good way. Making me laugh, blush and feel a bit sad - at times Eleanor reminds me of myself! An unexpected but lovable character so far, hope she continues to be....

Ellen wrote: "This book was just not for me. Sent it back to the library. My apologies, but dropping out of the group discussion."

Sorry it wasn't for you, Ellen, I hope it wasn't the bikini wax scene that put you off - was NOT expecting that!!! *Hides face in hands and blushes* Hope you've got some other good books lined up :)

Ellen wrote: "Ellen wrote: "This book was just not for me. Sent it back to the library. My apologies, but dropping out of the group discussion."

Sorry it wasn't for you, Ellen, I hope it wasn't the bikini wax s..."

I'm reading another Rebus "Set in Darkness" and waiting for the latest James Oswald book. thank you for asking.

Finished the book last night - thoroughly enjoyed it. A mixture of funny and sad, I could really relate to Eleanor even though our circumstances are different. A lot of the topics raised hit home and I continued to love Eleanor's awkward personality throughout.

A slight disappointment was the book, though set in Glasgow, didn't feel overly Scottish. It could have been set in any city, which is a bit of a shame for this group.

I won't say anymore until we're all catched up. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, positive and negative...

Hello everyone,
I found the book as a quick read, enjoyed adding my thoughts with post-its here and there and appreciated the rich vocabulary ... so I will wait for the conversation to start to avoid spoilers.

I have to agree with Ellen, above, that the sense of place didn't feel so Scottish. I felt that the setting could have been anywhere in the UK.

Ellen wrote: "Finished the book last night - thoroughly enjoyed it. A mixture of funny and sad, I could really relate to Eleanor even though our circumstances are different. A lot of the topics raised hit home a..."

I totally agree with you about the sense of place...

Eleni wrote: "Hello everyone,
I found the book as a quick read, enjoyed adding my thoughts with post-its here and there and appreciated the rich vocabulary ... so I will wait for the conversation to start to avo..."

I enjoyed the vocabulary too - though I have admit I had to dip into my dictionary a few times! I love learning new words and thought it really added to her personality.

I'm hoping to make a good start on this book this weekend!

Karen wrote: "I'm hoping to make a good start on this book this weekend!"

Great Karen, can't wait to hear your thoughts! :)

Still waiting for my copy to arrive from the library, it wasn't on the van this month so will be the end of next month!

Tracy wrote: "Still waiting for my copy to arrive from the library, it wasn't on the van this month so will be the end of next month!"

Hope you enjoy it when you get it Tracy :)

Question: What were your first impressions of the book? Would you normally have chosen this to read?

Ellen wrote: "Question: What were your first impressions of the book? Would you normally have chosen this to read? "

Its not a book I would normally have chosen. Because of the publicity, and generally good reviews, it received I'd considered it a few times, but each time decided it wasn't for me. However, Lorna's posting of it earlier in the year had made my mind up that I probably should read it, so I was quite happy that its selection as our group read made the decision for me! My initial impression of it wasn't particularly favourable, but I persevered because a number of people had pointed out that the second half of the book was better. On the whole I enjoyed it, and I'm glad I read it, but I wouldn't necessarily rush off to buy the author's next book.

For me, one of the great things about a group like this is that it brings to your attention a number of books that you might not otherwise have noticed, and definitely encourages you to step outside your comfort zone in what you read. I know I've read a lot more new (to me) and debut authors since joining the group and that's spilled over into my general reading of books that don't qualify for Read Scotland.

John wrote: "Ellen wrote: "Question: What were your first impressions of the book? Would you normally have chosen this to read? "

Its not a book I would normally have chosen. Because of the publicity, and gene..."

I like pushing my comfort zone too - this group and others on Goodreads really help me to try new things. I think this is rewarding, even if the book you're trying isn't entirely your cup of tea. Even though I nominated this book, it wasn't my normal genre, but like you, John, had heard a lot of hype and thought it was worth a shot. I enjoyed both halves and a lot of the themes hit home with me. But more on that later...

Well, I've started reading the book this past week. Might be close to 1/3 of the way in right now. Like some of the others here have mentioned, it's not exactly a book I would have chosen on my own, but it's a unique to experience to read it alongside several other readers and discuss it.

I'm very interested in Eleanor's character. I think she has many layers to her personality, and the more time you take to spend with her, the more rewarding it is.

Tarissa wrote: "Well, I've started reading the book this past week. Might be close to 1/3 of the way in right now. Like some of the others here have mentioned, it's not exactly a book I would have chosen on my own..."

I agree, Eleanor's character and layers were definitely the most interesting thing about the book :)

(There may be some spoiler content in my post)

I hate to be the dissenter, but I really did not like this book. I thought the writing was good--it was the content that made me cringe.

This book is dealing with very disturbing mental and emotional illnesses which I don't think were portrayed in a serious way NOR were they portrayed realistically. A month off of work and a few sessions with a therapist and Eleanor is magically transformed. I don't think so...

I also got tired of the romantic comedy tropes:
- ugly girl going through a complete make over
- adoring boyfriend giving the protagonist a pet (in the movies it's usually a puppy)
- having eyes for the unattainable man when your true love "was with you all the time"

I recognize this book for what it is--a "feel good" read. For that reason, I would predict success for the upcoming movie. It just didn't sit well with me.

Nikki wrote: "(There may be some spoiler content in my post)

I hate to be the dissenter, but I really did not like this book. I thought the writing was good--it was the content that made me cringe.

This book i..."

I was definitely surprised at Eleanor's speedy recovery. A lot of loose ends were tied up quickly and neatly, and mental health is just not like that. I allowed to let it slide as I was really rooting for her, but if I'm honest with myself, it's not realistic. Do you think the end was perhaps rushed?

Ellen wrote: "Nikki wrote: "(There may be some spoiler content in my post)

I hate to be the dissenter, but I really did not like this book. I thought the writing was good--it was the content that made me cringe..."

I was rooting for her too! Yes, I definitely thought the ending was rushed. Unfortunately, people who are deeply disturbed don't just 'snap out of it'. I think Honeyman wanted to tie things up neatly and so she forced the happy ending (and, honestly, we all like happy endings). But it just didn't feel believable to me. I wish Honeyman could have written a "10 Years Later..." chapter, where we can see how things have actually worked out for Eleanor.

Nikki wrote: "Ellen wrote: "Nikki wrote: "(There may be some spoiler content in my post)

I hate to be the dissenter, but I really did not like this book. I thought the writing was good--it was the content that ..."

I agree - a '10 Years Later' bit would have been perfect!

Question: Relationships

What did you think of Eleanor's relationships?

Was her friendship with Raymond predictable, unusual, sweet or boring?

Was her fascination with Johnny Lomund justified, sad, worrying or understandable?

(Please use spoilers HTML at top right hand of comments for this one) -> (view spoiler)[ And what about Eleanor's mother? Did you predict the twist at the end? (hide spoiler)]

I thought her relationship with Raymond was pretty sweet... he was understanding to any of her problems that she was going through, and tried to help her in various ways...

As for her feelings towards Johnny L, I can see why she fell into the trap of dreaming about him... (view spoiler)[(and obviously we knew it wouldn't work out between them), but it showed that she wanted back in to a normal kind of life that she had been missing out on.

And my goodness -- no, it didn't cross my mind to distrust Eleanor's relationship with her mother. Whew! All I can say is that I was extremely happy to see her severing ties with her mother, and taking it into her own hands to break off the source of unhappiness in her life. It had crippled her for so long emotionally, but she was finally able to overcome her mother's voice in her head. I was totally rooting for Eleanor in this moment! (hide spoiler)]

Tarissa wrote: "I thought her relationship with Raymond was pretty sweet... he was understanding to any of her problems that she was going through, and tried to help her in various ways...

As for her feelings tow..."

Me too. (view spoiler)[ I was completely drawn in to the mother trap/twist, though looking back it was full of over the top and extremely abusive conversations. Did her mother always speak like that or did the the imaginary conversations grow more extreme as time went on and Eleanor grew lonelier and more angry with herself? (hide spoiler)]

Any final thoughts on Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine?
(Though of course you can comment any time, it's not strictly for April and May!)

Have you met anyone like the characters in real life?

How could the book have been better?

(view spoiler)[ Do you think Eleanor and Raymond got together in the end or did they just stay good friends? (hide spoiler)]

Would you read Gail Honeyman's books in the future?

Totally would read her books in future and would love for there to be a sequel!

Producervan wrote: "Totally would read her books in future and would love for there to be a sequel!"

It's not usually my chosen genre but I think I would try one of her books again too. I wonder what a sequel would entail??

Maybe she could marry Raymond and have a little one?

Just finished as I was reading for my local BookGroup May read.

Really enjoyed it - some bits made me laugh out loud. Appreciate that some elements may not be particularly plausible but in essence it’s about hope.

Enjoyed the writing style