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A review by librarybonanza
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
5.0
Age: Middle School-High School
Tough Issue: Abuse
Phew. What a read. I was so in love with the authenticity of this book. Every interaction, and plot line, and personality felt very real and very believable. The plot also relies on something other than an unusually paired romance. Eleanor has a unique and unfortunate family life living with her abusive step-father while trying to accept that someone else might love her.
There was also a lot of stereotype breaking, especially with gender. Eleanor is the sarcastic, funny one who tries to hide her emotions. Park is the sentimental one and even starts to wear eyeliner because Eleanor finds it "...unsettling." Eleanor serves as a romantic interest even though she's got frizzy hair, is overweight, and dresses unusually. In fact, this is one facet that Park finds so endearing about Eleanor.
"It's 1986. Eleanor is the new girl and she is not only genetically made to look like a victim but she does herself no favors by pairing her looks with a bizarre fashion sense. Having nowhere to sit on the school bus, she takes a seat next to the clearly reluctant Park. Park is half-Korean in an extremely white school, but he is given enough respect by the popular kids to help him get by. His home life, unlike Eleanor's, is pretty much perfect apart from a bit of badgering by his dad. Slowly over time, these two individuals develop a relationship that is formed around stuff like reading comics together and exchanging mix tapes." Review from Emily May
Tough Issue: Abuse
Phew. What a read. I was so in love with the authenticity of this book. Every interaction, and plot line, and personality felt very real and very believable. The plot also relies on something other than an unusually paired romance. Eleanor has a unique and unfortunate family life living with her abusive step-father while trying to accept that someone else might love her.
There was also a lot of stereotype breaking, especially with gender. Eleanor is the sarcastic, funny one who tries to hide her emotions. Park is the sentimental one and even starts to wear eyeliner because Eleanor finds it "...unsettling." Eleanor serves as a romantic interest even though she's got frizzy hair, is overweight, and dresses unusually. In fact, this is one facet that Park finds so endearing about Eleanor.
"Eleanor was right: She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn't supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something" (165).
"It's 1986. Eleanor is the new girl and she is not only genetically made to look like a victim but she does herself no favors by pairing her looks with a bizarre fashion sense. Having nowhere to sit on the school bus, she takes a seat next to the clearly reluctant Park. Park is half-Korean in an extremely white school, but he is given enough respect by the popular kids to help him get by. His home life, unlike Eleanor's, is pretty much perfect apart from a bit of badgering by his dad. Slowly over time, these two individuals develop a relationship that is formed around stuff like reading comics together and exchanging mix tapes." Review from Emily May