Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell - Paperback

Great book!

Good

I am still wiping my eyes. They refuse to stop weeping. I do not know what ages this book was written for, but I am 81, and it hit me like a ton of bricks. I wish I could add an extra star or two. Thank you.

I love a love story. I’m not done reading the book as yet. But so far...it’s cute. Now here’s why I’m writing an early review..... the author is a middle-class White women and this story has a racist undertone not gonna lie. My issue is that I’m not sure if Rockwell herself has any experience with folks of Color or not(considering she is very much from middle American aka....Nebraska) but her descriptions of Black or of other races besides White is very disappointing. The “Black Girls” in the book names are just that “Black Girls”. Character descriptions are very stereotypical and vague. They have no name or backstory aka no place in this White woman’s love story basically. Park one of the main characters “looks Asian” again very distasteful and stereotypical. My close friend is of East Asian decent.She “doesn’t look Asian”. But she is.Park is half Korean. So ha! He doesn’t look Chinese? Which is also a stereotype..... a very played out one. Main character is a fat red head White girl whom by the way Rainbow wrote her character, we are made to feel really really bad for her. Which feeds Into the “White Woman or girl” narrative of always being a victim. Park who is of color does not have it as bad as Eleanor a White girl. Who is written as remarkably poor. Even though she has privilege to be judged by her character not just a “Black Girl” 😑or perhaps “looking Asian” aka she has the luxury of being acknowledged and or existing. So all this to say if you don’t know any people of color hunny write just a White story. Don’t include us by the way you perceive us. It’s offensive as well distasteful. This really made me cringe while reading. And at one point one of the White characters says “Jungle Fever” is a Black thing”. Listen don’t reference a Spike lee film in such a distasteful manner. Smfh Especially when the author most likely has not viewed Do The Right Thing. A film about intolerance. And ultimately the reality was no one really did the right thing. Oh and let me not get started on how she wrote the Asian character’s mother very very very stereotypical. Not a good look. Don’t include us in your story on your racist terms. Stick to what you know.

5 stars“Holding Eleanor's hand was like holding a butterfly. Or a heartbeat. Like holding something complete, and completely alive.”Can you all believe I had never read this book until now? Yeah, neither can I. Because that is CRAZY! To be fair, I put it off a lot. In a weird way that doesn't make sense, I didn't want to ruin Fangirl. And this book didn't, I still love Fangirl, I just have a different kind of love for Eleanor and Park.This book is about two outcast teens who become friends when they are forced to sit next to each other on the bus to and from school. At first, they don't really understand each other, but as time goes by, they want to get to know each other and develop an amazing friendship, and then romance.“What are the chances you’d ever meet someone like that? he wondered. Someone you could love forever, someone who would forever love you back? And what did you do when that person was born half a world away? The math seemed impossible.”This is going to be a shorter review because I think everyone has already said all the things about this book. But MY HEART. This book made me wish that men like Park existed in real life, because no man could measure up to this guy. And Eleanor, I bled for that girl. I just wanted to hug her and tell her she was beautiful and that someone cared.Anyways, if you are stupid like me and haven't read this book, you need to correct this giant mistake asap. You won't regret this one!“I don't like you, Park," she said, sounding for a second like she actually meant it. "I..." - her voice nearly disappeared - "think I live for you."He closed his eyes and pressed his head back into his pillow."I don't think I even breathe when we're not together," she whispered. "Which means, when I see you on Monday morning, it's been like sixty hours since I've taken a breath. That's probably why I'm so crabby, and why I snap at you. All I do when we're apart is think about you, and all I do when we're together is panic. Because every second feels so important. And because I'm so out of control, I can't help myself. I'm not even mine anymore, I'm yours, and what if you decide that you don't want me? How could you want me like I want you?"He was quiet. He wanted everything she'd just said to be the last thing he heard. He wanted to fall asleep with 'I want you' in his ears.”

It’s started out cute. The beginning of the story actually developed pretty quickly. Author could’ve done better in introducing characters (It took me a long time to figure out Richie’s role). As for Eleanor, I feel like the author tried too hard to portray Eleanor as the “poor pitiful girl”.As I approached the middle of the book, it reached a plateau. Eleanor would get mad at Park for petty things. The storyline also dragged on. So boring. They annoying part was flipping back and forth from Park and Eleanor’s narrative.I was halfway into the book (took me maybe two hours) and decided I’ve had enough. I jumped to last chapter and was so disappointed in how it ended! Although I understood what happened, It still seemed vague. No closure! I’m glad I didn’t waste my time reading the rest of the book.