Eleanor & Park

Great book!

Good

Perhaps it was the ridiculous amount of hype surrounding this book, or the author in general, that resulted in me expecting a serious masterpiece, and which ultimately left me feeling a little... unsatisfied. The novel was reasonably well-written, with diverse characters, and it had some serious tug-on-the-heart-strings moments. But the ending was infuriating, the plot wasn't without its problems, and overall it didn't blow me away like I was willing it to.While the book does have a slow-burning cute romance, and a hefty amount of more serious family issues, I really struggled with the fact that for me, the majority of the romance was so unbelievable.

I read this prior to giving it to my daughter (it was meant for her). There is a warning on the back about not being suitable for younger readers; there are quite a few 'big' swears including 'f' and 'the bad c' words and some sensitive subjects touched on. However, it is not gratuitous at all and whilst you wouldn't get the swear words on Hollyoaks, they have covered similar sensitive topics before the watershed. I am happy for my 12 year old to read it as she is sensible enough to talk to me about it if she has questions and having both read it we can talk about what we thought. We shed tears over different parts! I found it engaging, as an 80s child some parts were amusing to me that will go over my daughter's head. I think that the touchy subjects that have caused controversy have been raised sensitively; it's a difficult balance to write for a young adult audience and I respect what the author has achieved. I always encourage questions and discussion, I don't wrap my daughter in cotton wool, it will depend on the maturity of each young person as to whether this book is suitable for them but please don't veto it on the basis of the hype.

This book transports you to a time before the internet and Rowell deals with hard issues within the book but doesn't dramatize it. Got this book for such a good deal on amazon marketplace. £3 since there was a cut along the outer cover. I know many people are left frustrated from how Rainbow concluded this novel but I feel that it is an amazing life lesson.

I picked up Eleanor and Park mainly because John Green had sung its praises, which of course led to the internet grabbing hold of it and joining in on the chorus. Needless to say, I went in with high expectations.Eleanor and Park is one of the best books I have ever read.It tells the story of Eleanor and Park (duh) and their young love in the 80’s. Eleanor comes from a broken home, and is immediately picked on as the new girl at school. Park is a half Korean misfit, who loved comics and punk music and wants to keep his head down. They fall together after she sits next to him on the bus, and the rest, as they say, is history. The plot may sound cheesy, but it’s nothing but. There are niggling little points through the story, which build up to a startling conclusion.Eleanor and Park is really about the characters. They spoke with authentic voices and they had their own individual quirks. You could really distinct between Eleanor and Park, and see and feel their attraction and love for each other. Everyone can relate to at least one thing in one of the characters. Whether if its Eleanor’s self-consciousness, or Park’s feeling like he doesn’t fit in, Eleanor and Park touches so many topics, that it will never stop being relevant. But what I love the most about it is it is about love. It is not a story about body-image or ethnicity or broken homes, it’s about love. And it never loses sight of that.One thing that really pleased me about this book was that it tackled a subject that I have been dying to see more in Young Adult literature: ethnicity and racism. Park is one of the first half Koreans I have seen in YA (probably the only one) and I am so glad Rowell has dealt with the issues surrounding second generation immigrants and the confusion of fitting in (you may notice that I am of Indian ethnicity).Most importantly, Eleanor and Park made me feel. It took me on a journey with them, inside their heads, and I felt a part of the story. It was painful, it was ecstatic, it was everything being a teenager in love is like. I’m not the biggest pure romance fan, I find a lot of books in the genre to be very generic and clichéd, but I was on the edge of my mental seat, waiting for the twist and turn to come.I could write a whole essay on why I love Eleanor and Park, but I’m going to leave it here. This book affected me right after the last page was turned, and I suggest you go out and get it.Rating (can’t you guess?): 10/10

I’ve wanted to read a Rainbow Rowell book for a long time but it was Book Club that gave me the kick in the pants to actually read Eleanor & Park. As a regular black sheep in the Loved Books List, I was a little worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as so many other people have.I thought Eleanor & Park would be a cute, sweet YA romance. What it actually is, is a rather dark, and at times almost depressing, story that is ultimately quite uplifting.I loved Eleanor – I found her so easy to sympathise with, and I loved seeing her grow as a person despite a pretty terrible home life. The growth of both characters, as well as their relationship stopped the story from being all doom and gloom – watching them come together gradually was another point that really hooked me. It was so awkward and yet so perfect. And I loved Park’s mother – I just wish she had had a bit more page time as I found her background so fascinating.Although it’s definitely not insta-love, at times the romance was a little too over-the-top for me – I could see why Eleanor and Park became so infatuated with each other because of their individual problems, and focusing on something good rather than something painful, but it times it distracted me further away from the issues than I wanted to be.And 80’s pop culture references? SO MY THING. To me they are so appealing because I do remember the later part of the 80’s, but at times they felt a little forced, and at other times I actually felt a little confused because I actually forgot the time period. Which in a strange way is perhaps a testament to the strength of the plot because normally I’d be completely aware and analysing those references to make sure they were correct.Overall, I enjoyed Eleanor & Park, and I’m not black sheeping it – it wasn’t the perfect book for my tastes, but I can fully appreciate why it would appeal to other readers, and I did really enjoy it. Definitely not my last Rainbow Rowell book!