Gail Honeyman - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Gail Honeyman - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Author: BBC Radio 4 July 8, 2019 Duration: 27:44

Gail Honeyman talks about her novel Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine which won the 2017 Costa First Novel Award and has been a runaway success since.

Gail was inspired to write her debut novel after reading an article in which a young woman described her lonely life. On the outside, her life was a success, with her own flat and a good job but the reality was she often went home on Friday evening and returned to work on Monday morning without speaking to a soul all weekend.

Gail created her own version of this story with the character Eleanor Oliphant, who 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. She speaks to her mother every Wednesday evening on the phone. Nothing is missing from her carefully timetabled life.

One simple act of kindness shatters the walls Eleanor has built around herself. Gail describes how Eleanor becomes the agent of her own destiny and the change, learning 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.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine is a heartwarming story about loneliness, loss and the possibility of change.

Presenter : James Naughtie Producer : Dymphna Flynn

August's Bookclub choice : I Saw A Man by Owen Sheers (2015)


For over two decades, Bookclub from BBC Radio 4 has offered a unique and intimate space where literature is unpacked by the very people who brought it to life. Guided by the insightful James Naughtie, each episode gathers a small group of engaged readers for a candid conversation with an acclaimed author about one of their most significant works. This isn't a formal literary critique, but a deep, spoiler-filled discussion that feels like the best kind of book group meeting. Listeners are invited to sit in as the author revisits their creation, often sharing surprising stories about their inspiration, the challenges they faced during writing, and how they feel about the work years later. The questions from the readers are always thoughtful and often unexpected, leading to revelations that shed new light on familiar novels. This podcast provides a rare opportunity to move beyond the page and understand the craft, the choices, and the person behind a beloved book. It’s a consistently enriching experience for anyone who has ever finished a novel and immediately wished they could ask the author, "How did you do that?" or "What did you really mean here?" Tune in for thoughtful, revealing, and deeply human conversations that will change the way you think about your favorite stories.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Bookclub
Podcast Episodes
Kirstin Innes [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:18
The award-winning Scottish writer, Kirstin Innes, speaks to Bookclub, presented by James Naughtie, about her second novel, Scabby Queen. The book, published in 2020, explores the life of one-hit wonder and political acti…
Nicola Barker [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:55
Described as a book of startling originality, the writer Nicola Barker speaks to Bookclub, presented by James Naughtie, about her 838-page epic novel, Darkmans, which was published in 2007 and shortlisted for the Booker…
Dorothy Koomson [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:24
Led by presenter James Naughtie, the writer Dorothy Koomson takes questions from a Bookclub audience about her 2010 novel The Ice Cream Girls. The novel follows the characters of Poppy Carlisle and Serena Gorringe who ar…
Alan Cumming on Alasdair Gray's Lanark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:58
Led by James Naughtie, this special episode of Bookclub celebrates the late Alasdair Gray's 1981 masterpiece, Lanark, at the Pitlochry Winter Words Festival, with the actor Alan Cumming, who is the voice of the new audio…
Sarah Bernstein [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:37
The Canadian writer Sarah Bernstein speaks to a Bookclub audience about her Booker-shortlisted 2023 novel, Study For Obedience. Published by Granta, the story follows an unnamed protagonist who is moved to a remote north…
Rónán Hession [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:30
Presented by James Naughtie, the Irish writer Rónán Hession takes questions from a Bookclub audience on his debut novel, Leonard and Hungry Paul. The book was shortlisted for the British Book Awards Debut Book of the Yea…
Emma Thompson: Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:47
The award-winning actress Emma Thompson takes questions on Sense and Sensibility in this special episode of Bookclub to mark the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen's birth. Sense and Sensibility was Jane Austen's first nov…
Hallie Rubenhold [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 27:45
Presented by James Naughtie, the writer and historian Hallie Rubenhold takes questions from a Bookclub audience on her prize-winning book The Five: The Untold Lives Of The Women Killed by Jack The Ripper. The book shines…
John Niven [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:06
Led by presenter, James Naughtie, the writer John Niven speaks to Radio 4's Bookclub programme about his 2008 novel, Kill Your Friends, which is a darkly comic satire of the UK music industry, as told through the perspec…
Paula Hawkins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:06
Presented by James Naughtie, Radio 4's Bookclub, speaks to the writer Paula Hawkins about her debut thriller The Girl On The Train. The book was published by Doubleday in 2015 to great acclaim and has sold millions of co…