Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Reviewed by: Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Suggested Age: Teens, Adults
What is This Book About? It’s 1986 and Eleanor is the new girl at school. She has curly red hair and a eclectic fashion sense. Park is a quiet, half Korean guy who mostly keeps to himself. Park lets Eleanor sit next to him on the bus and they eventually connect through music and comic books.
My Review: I did not expect to like this book as much as I did! This was a book that I lost myself in as I couldn’t get enough of the plot and characters. I think what appealed to me most about Eleanor and Park was that it was so true to life in terms of how many teen relationships begin. Rainbow Rowell made me feel like I was in Eleanor’s place during her point-of-view chapters. This novel captures what it really feels like to have crush on someone as a young adult. I especially like how naturally Eleanor and Park’s relationship progressed from mere curiosity to the mutual, almost voyeuristic way that both of the characters interact on the bus. The fact that the two don’t even speak to one another until about fifty pages in was also something that I felt captured the way teens probably behaved, especially during the 1980s, when they did not have texting as way to communicate. The novel does delve into some darker subject matter pertaining to emotional abuse, so be cautioned.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Nostalgic, Romantic,
Give This a Try if You Like…Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns, Fangirl
Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
FDL Reads is a series of weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.