Eleanor & Park - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: YA Contemporary
My rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis:
Eleanor is the new girl in town, and with her chaotic family life, her mismatched clothes and unruly red hair, she couldn’t stick out more if she tried.
Park is the boy at the back of the bus. Black T-shirts, headphones, head in a book - he thinks he’s made himself invisible. But not to Eleanor… never to Eleanor.
Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mix tapes, Eleanor and Park fall for each other. They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you’re young, and you feel as if you have nothing and everything to lose.
Park is the boy at the back of the bus. Black T-shirts, headphones, head in a book - he thinks he’s made himself invisible. But not to Eleanor… never to Eleanor.
Slowly, steadily, through late-night conversations and an ever-growing stack of mix tapes, Eleanor and Park fall for each other. They fall in love the way you do the first time, when you’re young, and you feel as if you have nothing and everything to lose.
Review:
THIS BOOK WAS PURE PERFECTION. I was a little skeptical going into this one after being disappointed with Fangirl, but I was BLOWN AWAY. Firstly, this isn’t your typical love story. This is set in the 80’s which is so fun to read about along with the whole vibe of that decade (the clothes, the gadgets, the lifestyle). Then there comes the main characters. Eleanor was such a unique protagonist that wasn’t overly likeable and relatable, but because of this, she actually did become likeable because of her individuality that I really grew to admire (did that even make sense? haha). I loved that she wasn’t just your usual stick figure blond/brunette girl. Eleanor has really wild, red hair and is slightly on the pudgy side and has a CRAZY fashion sense. Park, on the other hand, is half Korean, which is kind of rare in the 80’s. I loved how Rainbow showed the effects of racism and how being ‘different’ affected the characters’ lives in this time period.
This novel flowed really well. The dialogue is perfect and EXACTLY how real people talk, no lie. Going into this, you know it’s going to be sad. It follows the idea that you know that your first love is never going to last, but you’re damn well going to try! Rainbow also touched on some really important aspects that can have a HUGE impact on people’s lives such as abuse, racism and sex. These were brought about in such a strong and emotional way that I was constantly tearing up while reading this.
Keep in mind that there are a lot of things going on behind the love story that you think this is going to be. It’s a beautifully written story that anyone can relate to (everyone has had/will have a first love at some stage). I highly recommend this, it’s one of my all time favourites and will forever hold a special place in my heart.
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