Loved this book!

Liz Dunnová má 36 r. a je naozaj osamelá. Chodí do práce, len aby vyplnila svoje dni, no práca je nudná. Zvieratá ani rastliny nemá, stretáva sa maximálne so svojou rodinou. Je tučná, nevyýrazná a hovorí, že aj z davu by ju filmári vyhodili práve pre tú nekonečnú priemernosť a prehliadnuteľnosť.
Keď však opísala svojho šéfa ako duševného trpaslíka, začala mi byť sympatická. :) No ten deprimujúci byt, v živote s nikým nechodila a nemá priateľov - bolo mi z toho patrične smutno. Jej meno je známe pre anglicky hovoriacich - a podobne ako Eleanor Rigby z rovnomennej piesne Beatles patrí k ľuďom, ktorí sa musia vyrovnávať so samotou bez akejkoľvek nádeje, že ich stretne niečo zaujímavé.
No niečo zaujímavé sa predsalen stane. Zavolajú ju z nemocnice k mladému mužovi, ktorý je jej príbuzný a to je obrovské prekvapenie. Nech už to znie ako klišé, jeho príchodom sa jej život zmení k lepšiemu.
Knihu môžete brať ako štúdiu samoty a ako taká je to trochu deprimujúce čítanie. Knihu však môžete brať ako kroniku jedného života, kde malá nerozvážnosť v mladosti, môže mať celkom zaujímavé vyústenie.
Vtedy najvzrušujúcejšou vecou, čo sa Eleanor mohla prihodiť (keď bola ešte len dospevajúce dievča), bolo nájsť mŕtvolu. A vchádzať do nezamknutých domov susedov, keď odišli preč. A výlet do Európy. A nájdenie... nie, to už neprezradím. Kto ju našiel a čo nakoniec našla ona, to je niečo, čo vie zmeniť život. Ale totálne! :)
Kniha obsahuje ako smútok, tak aj iróniu a vtip, dokonca aj nejaké to zamyslenie sa nad životom či osudom.
Veľmi príjemná kniha to bola (mala som ju z knihobežníka) a som prekvapená, že sa predáva len za pár eur. Odporúčam!

Douglas Coupland is hit or miss for me personally. I've really enjoyed some of his books and others have been in the "meh" category. this is a solid 3 star book..not one of his best but not bad. it's the story of Liz Dunn - whose in her mid-30s and alone (hence eleanor rigby) when she finds out the son that she gave up for adoption at 16 is at her doorstep. the book goes into her relationship with her son, her family and her view on life. Like most of Coupland's books, it is filled with pop culture references and is a very fast read. However it's not earthshatter and to a certain aspect, it got boring to read.

A quirky book and an easy read: I enjoyed it. I found the ending was a bit unbelievable however the whole book was unbelievable really, and that’s what made it enjoyable, so I can’t complain! Will definitely look out for more by this author.

What a weird, funny, dark book. I absolutely loved it. It is twisted and random but also made me laugh out loud. It is absurd and Liz is weirdly relatable. Not sure if there was some sort of philosophical or moral message trying to sneak in there but a few bits, largely one of the last bits, gave that impression but came off as trying too hard. That did not take away from the enjoyment of the book, but I did take away a star for it. If you’re the type of person to laugh in the face of the shit show that is life because that’s your coping mechanism, this is a really great book that will make you feel like you’re not alone.

I enjoyed this quite a lot. It was very different from what I was expecting, in a good way. The writing was quite funny in places, and I am surprised at how emotionally connected I felt to it. Liz was a great narrator--I found her very relatable, and she was honest about her situation without falling into self-pity. I expected more zany quirkiness just for the sake of quirkiness, but although there was a small amount of that, it managed to stay fairly grounded and relevant to the plot. I've never been interested in Coupland's work before, but I am going to have to give it a go now.

Sometimes the only thing that leads me to a book is another book review that mentions/recommends a book. That is how I stumbled on Eleanor Rigby by Douglas Coupland and I couldn't resist that title.
"All the lonely people, where do they all come from" Liz who is the main character is one of these lonely people. She's overweight, considers herself drab and has no friends. Her family thinks she strange and to be honest readers will think the same thing. There's not really too much to say about this book but I did like Mr. Coupland's writing. Interesting perspective on how to love ourselves, how we relate to one another, what's important to each of us and how to come to grips with who we are at our core. While it was interesting it wasn't riveting and I put it down several times with no urgency to return to it.

Weirdly entertaining...

After the lockdown of 2020 i think this novel could be even more relevant than even even 20 years after its publication.
Loneliness can be something we all suffer from time to time.
You can even feel lonely in a crowd,or have wealth and still feel it,an emptiness. We can putbonna false smile and pretend everything is ok,or to coin a phrase from Shawshank Redemption.." get busy living.or get busy dying"
We all have one life,and only we can choose how we live it.Do we have a profuctive life? An enriching life? A loving life?
We can all shine and leave our mark behind .
"All the lonely people,where do they all come from".

Coupland really has delivered a masterpiece that can click with us all.

The right mix of tragedy, comedy and quirkyness

I think me and Liz would be good friends in real life. I mean, she refers to her boss as The Dwarf That I Report To. It cracked me up every time (yes, I have that kind of sense of humour)

My favorite Coupland so far, and completely different from Girlfriend in a Coma and Hey Nostradamus!

I really liked this book. It was an easy read while camping, and I loved the character of Liz. Douglas Coupland is one of my favourite authors - but only if I read his books with months/years separating them. Every time I read one of his books, it becomes my new favourite (of his). So now it’s a toss up between Eleanor Rigby, Hey Nostradamus, or Girlfriend in a Coma.

Sometimes jumping back and forth between the past and the present can be frustrating and annoying to the reader. Other times it is very effective. Douglas Coupland often uses this in his books, and I always find it done well. This is true for Eleanor Rigby as well. I found the back and forth between different timelines to be very important to understanding Liz’s character development, and to furthering the plot in a meaningful and necessary way.

A good read, though I can’t give it 5 stars. I wasn’t hanging on the edge of my seat while reading it, I felt it did drag a bit in a few places, and I felt there were some characters inserted in to the plot that didn’t really feel necessary.

Coupland refers to four layers of personality, the public self, the private self, the secret self and the dark self. “The fourth is the dark self – the one that drives the car, the one that has the map; the one that is greedy or trusting or filled with hate. It’s so strong it defies speaking.” I love this idea, and it rings very true. The book is written from the point of view of a fat, redhaired woman (eek! Could it be me having made different choices?) who is friendless and lonely. One thing, though, it isn't clear WHY she never made friends. Why doesn't she ever find at least one friend, it seems a bit unlikely, seeing she is original, quite amusing, and sharp. Maybe she just hasn't ever found her people (but why didn't she look, if she's so lonely: not self-sufficient. Stopping because loadshedding!