Book notes | Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Members of UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club enjoyed a lively discussion of Gail Honeyman’s prize-winning debut novel Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine when they met via Zoom on July 22. The group was especially impressed by the author’s ability to create an unreliable narrator and other quirky characters.
Eleanor’s humorous description of herself as a lonely and socially awkward young woman is, at first, amusing, but the clues pile up as we gradually discover the circumstances that impacted her development and difficulties with other people. Negative encounters with co-workers and an abusive boyfriend are painful experiences that lead to depression and despair.
Fortunately, a chance encounter with the office IT guy, Raymond, becomes an opportunity to extend assistance to an injured man on the sidewalk and get him to the hospital. When the grateful family befriends Eleanor, she finds kindness and love. An understanding therapist gives Eleanor support as she recaptures the mystery of her traumatic childhood.
Members of the book club remarked on how friendship and care, combined with Eleanor’s optimism and intelligence, give her the strength to face the truth so that she can live a happier and more fulfilling life.
One of members warmly recommended the audiobook version with the award-winning reader Cathleen McCarron, who voices the various characters in their Scottish accents. Also noted, there will be a film based on the book, produced by Reese Witherspoon.
—Margaret Catambay, UMRA Fourth Friday Book Club member
Fourth Friday Book Club to meet July 22
Fri, Jul 22 2022, 2pm
The life of an outsider is vividly captured in Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, a debut novel that was discovered through a writing competition and quickly became a worldwide best seller.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club (aka Book Club II) will meet to discuss the book from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Friday, July 22. We continue to meet via Zoom, which has worked well for us the past year-and-a half.
The central character in the #1 New York Times bestseller is Eleanor Oliphant. Most workplaces have an Eleanor, someone who is slightly odd, who rarely says a word that is not about the matter in hand, whose home life can only be speculated about and not always kindly. For nine years, Eleanor is at the same workplace and has a home life that seems clear, orderly, and completely empty. From the time she leaves work on Friday until her Monday arrival at the office, there is no contact, no conversation, the entire period.
And yet, both profound loneliness and the apparent isolation gradually diminish as the novel progresses.
Loneliness has center stage
The theme of loneliness has center stage, and Eleanor, as the central character, is hilarious. How to explain that? Without social interaction, understanding clues to appropriate behavior is very difficult. And so it is with Eleanor. She functions in a highly unpredictable way that we come to understand as heroic.
Who among us is without a portion of Eleanor?
Published in 2017, the novel received the “Costa Debut Novel Award” and the “Debut Book of the Year” and “Overall Winner” honors at The British Book Awards.
Whether you are new (or old) to book clubs, feel free to attend. Our discussions never disappoint.
Contact Dorothy Marden or Margaret Catambay for more information including how to join the Zoom meeting.
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.