Thursday, July 18, 2013

Book Review: Eleanor & Park


Book: Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: 2/26/2013
Page Count: 336
Rating: 5 out of 5

Summary: Eleanor & Park follows the story of two sixteen year old misfits, over the course of a school year in 1986.  They meet one day when Eleanor has no where to sit on the bus, and she ends up sitting with Park. Over time, Eleanor and Park bond on the bus over comic books and rock music, and from there, their love starts to grow.  They battle situations that every young couple must face, as well as many challenges that aren't as common.  This book is a perfect display of young love.

My thoughts:  Eleanor is an overweight sixteen year old girl with frizzy red hair who dresses in men's clothing.  She comes from a poor family with four younger siblings, who all live in one bedroom together in a broken home with their mother and abusive step-father.  Park is half Korean and likes to read comic books and listen to rock music.  He comes from a great family, who are supportive to both Park and his younger brother.  Park's mother is 100% Korean and opens a beauty salon in their garage.  Park's family was one of my favorite aspects of this story.  I loved how close they were and how much of a support system they were for Eleanor and Park.

Conclusion: This was such a beautiful story.  The writing was beautiful and the pacing was excellent.  The romance in this story was in no way cheesy or overdone.  It was done eloquently and slowly.  This made the story more relatable and made the romance seem genuine.  The story brought me back to how I felt when I was young and in love.  I enjoyed every aspect of this book, except for the ending.  The ending broke my heart and left me wanting more. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a realistic story about young love.

You can also see my review posted on Goodreads here: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/647835106

And my review on my Youtube channel here:


And purchase from Amazon here: 

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