Reese’s Book Club’s Debut Selection Quickly Became a Favorite

Like other books given a boost by Reese’s Book Club, “Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine” has achieved major success — likely more than Gail Honeyman dared to imagine as she wrote the book while simultaneously working full time. It may not be the best Reese’s Book Club pick of all time, according to readers, but the novel has received the outstanding average rating of 4.23 on Goodreads, having been rated over a million times. “Eleanor Oliphant is one of the heroines of literature that I am sure I will remember always,” gushed one user, who gave the book 5 stars. “Thank you, Eleanor Oliphant,” wrote another. “Thank you for picking me up out of my reading slump. Thank you for being so funny, so sad, so smart, so blunt. Thank you for being a literary character that will live forever in the hearts of (most) anyone that reads you.” Both glowing reviews came in 2018, after the book appeared in Reese’s Book Club, where it has been tagged for themes like “pass the tissues,” “prickly characters,” and “strong finish.”

It’s not just high ratings that point to the success of “Eleanor Oliphant.” More than 2.5 million copies have been sold to date. Though it’s difficult to estimate what average sales figures look like, one common statistic is that the average book will sell just 3,000 copies ever. Comparatively, “Eleanor Oliphant” has done extremely well, so it’s no surprise that the story is set to be adapted for the big screen with Reese Witherspoon attached to produce. Most of the details about the upcoming adaptation are still under wraps, including possible cast members and a release date, but we do know that Harry Bradbeer (of the “Enola Holmes” movies) has been hired to direct and Georgia Pritchett (a writer on “Succession”) has signed on as the scriptwriter. 

“Eleanor Oliphant” shows that Reese’s Book Club clearly kicked off with a bang, and it isn’t alone in that regard. Oprah’s Book Club also began with an unforgettable page-turner!