Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Eleanor & Park

by Rainbow Rowell

'Reminded me not just what it's like to be young and in love, but what it's like to be young and in love with a book' John Green, author of The Fault in our Stars

Eleanor is the new girl in town, and she's never felt more alone. All mismatched clothes, mad red hair and chaotic home life, she couldn't stick out more if she tried.

Then she takes the seat on the bus next to Park. Quiet, careful and - in Eleanor's eyes - impossibly cool, Park's worked out that flying under the radar is the best way to get by.

Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mix tapes, Eleanor and Park fall in love. They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you're 16, and you have nothing and everything to lose.

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, Eleanor & Park is funny, sad, shocking and true - an exquisite nostalgia trip for anyone who has never forgotten their first love.

Reviewed by clementine on

2 of 5 stars

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Eh.

I've heard amazing things about this book from all over the internet, so I didn't hesitate to buy it on Boxing Day. I was pretty excited to get to it, too, after all the glowing praise.

Ultimately, though, I think it fell into that trap of marketing itself as a love story that's different and unique. It's not, really. Strip back all the extraneous stuff, and it's just a melodramatic teen love story.

I didn't hate it, obviously. I liked both Eleanor and Park. I liked the supporting characters. I haven't liked fictional parents as much as I liked Park's parents in ages. His mom's progression was very realistic and touching, and I just really liked his dad a lot from the get-go. Their relationship was interesting to me - more so than the one I was supposed to care about. Eleanor and Park were both compelling characters, and I appreciated that they weren't perfect. It was neither "nerd gets the hot girl" or "two miserable losers fall in love". They both experienced their own issues, but they were well-rounded and interesting.

But together? I didn't care that much. Their romance didn't feel authentic to me. The whole thing was built on this quirkiness, this mountain of band names. The progression and pacing of it was so odd - they were doing the whole melodramatic "I need you" thing within a few days, but it took them forever to even kiss? It was just weird.

I guess I just felt like the book never got deep enough for me. For the most part, it felt quite superficial. I was interested in their individual stories, but their romance just wasn't that exciting to me.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 31 January, 2014: Finished reading
  • 31 January, 2014: Reviewed