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Eleanor & Park
by
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 ev ...more
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 ev ...more
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Hardcover, 328 pages
Published
February 26th 2013
by St. Martin's Press
(first published April 12th 2012)
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Mar 01, 2013
Steph Sinclair
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
John Green fans
Recommended to Steph by:
Everyone
Should I break out in song and dance to "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep?" One lonely star. I'm just as surprised as you are, considering I just KNEW going into Eleanor & Park that I would love it, love it, love it. What reason would I have to believe otherwise? Almost all of my friends loved this book and have sworn fealty to the Goddess of Feels and Might, Rainbow Rowell. And I get it because she is a pretty awesome person and I think she is totally lovely. So trust me when I say I REALLY wanted to love
...more
Edit 5/19: It's been 6 years since I read this book and it has not aged well: https://twitter.com/naomigiddings/sta... This just shows how much we really needed not only diverse books but #ownvoices authors, too.
I'm ...more
“I don't like you, Park," she said, sounding for a second like she actually meant it. "I..." - her voice nearly disappeared - "think I live for you."
He closed his eyes and pressed his head back into his pillow.
"I don't think I even breathe when we're not together," she whispered.
I'm ...more
The Written Review
CLICK HERE for a Booktube Video about:
Ten Fabulous Book Reviews and One That Will Make You Go - doesn't that belong to Miranda Reads?
Now that you know this one made the list check the video review to see the rest (and find the stolen surprise)!
Replace "person" with "book" and you know how I feel. This book just swept me off my feet
I want everyone to meet you. You're my favorite person of all time.
We have Eleanor, "Big Red," the new girl in town.
Her home life ...more
If you've experienced that first love - that heart-wringing, soul-squeezing, crush-the-air-out-of-your-lungs-whenever-you're-apart first love - this book will bitch slap your feels all to hell.
I love it. I love its warmth and its vibrancy, its heartache and its pain, its humor, its meanness, the ugliness, the beauty, the crying, the laughter, the sarcasm. I love Eleanor and I love Park, and I love that there's still a tiny chance for them...and for everyone whose first love was torn ...more
HOLY BATMAN THAT ENDING. I'M A MESS. THAT HURT, BUT IT DIDN'T AT THE SAME TIME. WHAT IS THIS FEELING EVEN? NYEAAHHH.
I've often said that nobody should write for teens who doesn't remember what it was like to be one. Rainbow Rowell remembers, and has captured it beautifully in this book.
You can find the full review and more about this book on my blog!
____________________________________________
“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.”
____________________________________________
5 PERFECT STARS!
You can find the full review and more about this book on my blog!
I never read contemporary books. I have read like 4 maybe till now and didn't really like them. Anyway I ...more
I should have read Eleanor & Park during winter, when it’s freezing outside.
Because it completely warmed my heart, and it’s so hot already, I thought my heart would burst into flames inside my chest.
Believe me or not, but I always thought I was immune to the usual young adult romanticism in books. You know: hand holding, shy smiles and flushed cheeks. I didn’t think I would ever feel actual butterflies reading a YA contemporary romance book.
But I did. And it took me by such surprise that at firs ...more
Because it completely warmed my heart, and it’s so hot already, I thought my heart would burst into flames inside my chest.
Believe me or not, but I always thought I was immune to the usual young adult romanticism in books. You know: hand holding, shy smiles and flushed cheeks. I didn’t think I would ever feel actual butterflies reading a YA contemporary romance book.
But I did. And it took me by such surprise that at firs ...more
I fully admit that I'm a sucky book reviewer. This book for me was so personal that this review is just for me.
Eleanor is just that girl. The weird one that people pick on. Who knows exactly why? She doesn't stand up for herself, she doesn't fight back. I was that girl. This is me my 10th grade year.
If this book had been around then I would have completely worn the pages out. As it is I feel like highlighting and just re-reading the thing until it falls apart.
Talking about Romeo and Juliet ...more
Eleanor is just that girl. The weird one that people pick on. Who knows exactly why? She doesn't stand up for herself, she doesn't fight back. I was that girl. This is me my 10th grade year.
If this book had been around then I would have completely worn the pages out. As it is I feel like highlighting and just re-reading the thing until it falls apart.
Talking about Romeo and Juliet ...more
READ THIS QUOTE, MY ROMANTIC HEARTED FOOLS...READ IT AND LET YOUR HEART GO PITTER PAT...
`*~`*~`*~`*~`*~`*~`*~`*~`*~`*~`*~`*~`*~`*~`*~`*~
““I don't like you, Park," she said, sounding for a second like she actually meant it. "I..." - her voice nearly disappeared - "think I live for you."...more
He closed his eyes and pressed his head back into his pillow.
"I don't think I even breathe when we're not together," she whispered. "Which means, when I see you on Monday morning, it's been like sixty hours sinc
Update 2020: Reading the translated version of this book was like experiencing this story anew. Eleanor has a piece of me with her wherever she goes. Always.
It's also interesting rereading this after many years to see just how much of a saving grace Park and his family were to Eleanor. They offered her so much support that she was lacking at that time. I only noticed that acutely within this reread.
“She never felt like she belonged anywhere, except for when she was lying on her bed, pretend ...more
It's also interesting rereading this after many years to see just how much of a saving grace Park and his family were to Eleanor. They offered her so much support that she was lacking at that time. I only noticed that acutely within this reread.
“She never felt like she belonged anywhere, except for when she was lying on her bed, pretend ...more
3.8/5 Stars ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Wait a fucking minute. There are no more pages? It just ended... like that? Rainbow Rowell, why do me like this? Do you not love your readers? Why would you leave it hanging there? I NEED CLOSURE. OR MAYBE A SECOND BOOK. Or a movie. Who the fuck knows? I know I'm dying right now.
Set over the course of one school year in 1986, th ...more
“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.”
Wait a fucking minute. There are no more pages? It just ended... like that? Rainbow Rowell, why do me like this? Do you not love your readers? Why would you leave it hanging there? I NEED CLOSURE. OR MAYBE A SECOND BOOK. Or a movie. Who the fuck knows? I know I'm dying right now.
Set over the course of one school year in 1986, th ...more
This review originally appeared on Clear Eyes, Full Shelves.
*Reviewer's Note (added 2/5/2016)*
Please be aware that I have turned off all notifications for this review and do not check or respond to comments. It's not that I don't like y'all; it's just that I'd rather spend my time talking about books that I actually, ya know, like.
I have thought about Eleanor & Park everyday since I read it two months ago.
That’s not a compliment.
In some respects, my attitude is perhaps not terribly fair because ...more
*Reviewer's Note (added 2/5/2016)*
Please be aware that I have turned off all notifications for this review and do not check or respond to comments. It's not that I don't like y'all; it's just that I'd rather spend my time talking about books that I actually, ya know, like.
I have thought about Eleanor & Park everyday since I read it two months ago.
That’s not a compliment.
In some respects, my attitude is perhaps not terribly fair because ...more
years after everyone else, i have finally read this book. and now i'm all caught up on the zeitgeist! phew. and damn, now i understand why rainbow rowell is so beloved. i mean, i read Fangirl and thought it was excellent, but this one, while it is not as good as Fangirl, does a couple of things so freaking well that it gave me all the swoons and the swirls.
rainbow rowell has this ability to tap into the teenage experience that is a little spooky. and while john green gets all the credit for bei ...more
rainbow rowell has this ability to tap into the teenage experience that is a little spooky. and while john green gets all the credit for bei ...more
I have so many thoughts and ideas and things I want to discuss, and I can't possible put them all here, but here are some of my main thinkings:
1) PARENTS: Parent's are such an integral part of teenage life - they are the reason you can do things, the reason you can't do things, the reason you have money, etc. This book had parents that were just as important, interesting, and developed as the main characters and I so appreciated that. I especially enjoyed Park's parents: they were so complex and ...more
1) PARENTS: Parent's are such an integral part of teenage life - they are the reason you can do things, the reason you can't do things, the reason you have money, etc. This book had parents that were just as important, interesting, and developed as the main characters and I so appreciated that. I especially enjoyed Park's parents: they were so complex and ...more
I know I said I wasn't going to do a review, because I feel that my status updates are pretty telling enough, but...
First, I just don't see Park's parents as a good example of a couple that "made it" against all odds, as John Green implies. There is NOTHING in this book about how or why they fell in love. As an Asian woman, I look at it through a more disbelieving lens. It sounds like a white man "saving" an Asian woman from her "poor," "lower-rung," "terrible" life. She is basically forced to a ...more
First, I just don't see Park's parents as a good example of a couple that "made it" against all odds, as John Green implies. There is NOTHING in this book about how or why they fell in love. As an Asian woman, I look at it through a more disbelieving lens. It sounds like a white man "saving" an Asian woman from her "poor," "lower-rung," "terrible" life. She is basically forced to a ...more
UPDATE: $1.99 Kindle US 3/7/19
UPDATE 2017: Look at my new special edition of the book! I love it so much! The inside pages on front and back are awesome. I love the new cover too ♥
http://melissa413readsalot.blogspot.c...
They met on the bus.
Eleanor was the new girl, the girl with the vibrant red hair, the one everyone made fun of, but if they only knew what she had to go through at home.
Park is the quiet boy that just wants to be left a lone to do his own thing. He's the only one that would let ...more
UPDATE 2017: Look at my new special edition of the book! I love it so much! The inside pages on front and back are awesome. I love the new cover too ♥
http://melissa413readsalot.blogspot.c...
They met on the bus.
Eleanor was the new girl, the girl with the vibrant red hair, the one everyone made fun of, but if they only knew what she had to go through at home.
Park is the quiet boy that just wants to be left a lone to do his own thing. He's the only one that would let ...more
Aug 24, 2013
Claudia Ramírez
rated it
really liked it
Shelves:
2013,
made-me-cry,
to-re-read,
top-2013,
i-ship-them,
cover-love,
favorites,
unique-writing-style
4.5 stars.
5 stars for Park.
-.5 for the ending, which I liked, but not quite enough.
It was hopeful, BUT NOT ENOUGH. I was smiling when Park smiled at the end, but that's it. Eleanor was so frustrating some times, I was afraid Park would get tired of her, BUT NO! Park really loved her and he was so cute and in my mind I made an epilogue in which they both have their happy endinggggg.
I loved this book. SO, so, so adorable.
5 stars for Park.
-.5 for the ending, which I liked, but not quite enough.
It was hopeful, BUT NOT ENOUGH. I was smiling when Park smiled at the end, but that's it. Eleanor was so frustrating some times, I was afraid Park would get tired of her, BUT NO! Park really loved her and he was so cute and in my mind I made an epilogue in which they both have their happy endinggggg.
I loved this book. SO, so, so adorable.
for people who saw my original review, I want to say I still 100% stand by everything I said. the reason I'm deleting it is because, as a white reviewer, I didn't want to talk over East Asians who have reviewed this book and talked about why it was racist. So I will briefly list my issues with it, and then link to #ownvoices reviews instead. They say what I did and much more but are written by Asian reviewers who's experience and knowledge is better then mine
THE ISSUES I HAD
• sterotyping of Park ...more
THE ISSUES I HAD
• sterotyping of Park ...more
Sometimes you don't get to choose who you love, you just do.
In this novel we learn the story of two little odd birds. "Eleanor", fire redhead, awkwardly dressed, wide. "Park", weird, silent, asian. Two little school misfits slowly getting to know each other during the everyday bus ride to school. From an annoyed greeting insult, to an incomprehensible unconditional love.
Beautiful YA novel, bestseller, moderately short. A pretty safe bet for anyone who enjoys the Young Adult genre. A lot of beaut ...more
In this novel we learn the story of two little odd birds. "Eleanor", fire redhead, awkwardly dressed, wide. "Park", weird, silent, asian. Two little school misfits slowly getting to know each other during the everyday bus ride to school. From an annoyed greeting insult, to an incomprehensible unconditional love.
Beautiful YA novel, bestseller, moderately short. A pretty safe bet for anyone who enjoys the Young Adult genre. A lot of beaut ...more
‘You’re not the Han Solo in this relationship, you know.’
‘I’m totally the Han Solo,’ she whispered.
‘You can be Han Solo,’ he said, ‘And I’ll be Boba Fett. I’ll cross the sky for you.’
This book is one of the best things I have ever read, and I don’t care who you are, if you have feelings, you need to give this book a shot. Eleanor and Park is most definitely on my favorites list and I don’t think I will ever get over this amazing book or the flood of emotions sweeping me away right now.
The ...more
‘I’m totally the Han Solo,’ she whispered.
‘You can be Han Solo,’ he said, ‘And I’ll be Boba Fett. I’ll cross the sky for you.’
This book is one of the best things I have ever read, and I don’t care who you are, if you have feelings, you need to give this book a shot. Eleanor and Park is most definitely on my favorites list and I don’t think I will ever get over this amazing book or the flood of emotions sweeping me away right now.
The ...more
❝He made her feel like more than the sum of her parts.❞
Eleanor & Park. The book that changed my life.
RE-READ: February 24, 2018
RE-READ: July 5, 2016
First time read: Sometime in 2014. ...more
so i actually read this awhile ago, but i held off on writing a review because i had a difficult time expressing how i felt about it. i found myself rationalising my rating based on how i wanted the story to be, and not on how i actually felt about it. i still think 3 stars mights be too generous, but im going to leave it for now.
my problem with this was i just didnt believe in the romance between eleanor and park, which is fundamentally the entire purpose of this story. i know rainbow rowell h ...more
my problem with this was i just didnt believe in the romance between eleanor and park, which is fundamentally the entire purpose of this story. i know rainbow rowell h ...more
Yuck. I’m thinking maybe Rainbow Rowell’s books aren’t for me.
So, about two days after I started this book, it blew up all over twitter for being racist. As a white reviewer, I'm not in the right place to comment on this. However if you want to read a POC's commentary here is the link https://twitter.com/naomigiddings/sta...
As well as this - I have many other reasons why this book was not my cup of tea whatsoever.
At the very least, anyone who knows me will know that romance is NOT my genre. Why ...more
So, about two days after I started this book, it blew up all over twitter for being racist. As a white reviewer, I'm not in the right place to comment on this. However if you want to read a POC's commentary here is the link https://twitter.com/naomigiddings/sta...
As well as this - I have many other reasons why this book was not my cup of tea whatsoever.
At the very least, anyone who knows me will know that romance is NOT my genre. Why ...more
Jan 09, 2017
Lily C
added it
Watch my full review here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoMwH... ...more
5 stars!
Eleanor & Park… this has been sitting on my kindle for a year. HOW has this been just sitting on my kindle for a year??? First off, I’m going to say if you have this book, don’t let it just sit on your kindle. Read it, listen to it, whatever. Just make sure you don’t overlook this one. It’s a book that deserves to be read. These are some of the most special characters and Rainbow Rowell writes some of the best YA ever. So read the ...more
“You’re my favorite person of all time.”
Eleanor & Park… this has been sitting on my kindle for a year. HOW has this been just sitting on my kindle for a year??? First off, I’m going to say if you have this book, don’t let it just sit on your kindle. Read it, listen to it, whatever. Just make sure you don’t overlook this one. It’s a book that deserves to be read. These are some of the most special characters and Rainbow Rowell writes some of the best YA ever. So read the ...more
May 25, 2019
emma
rated it
it was ok
Shelves:
contemporary,
ya,
owned,
auto-buy-authors,
reread,
unpopular-opinion,
reviewed,
gorgeous-covers,
2-stars,
diverse
Well, this is weird.
I am, as anyone who has had the mild-to-severe misfortune of seeing one of my reviews of their timeline knows, a chronic rereader. It’s a problem. I can’t stop.
Like, 1 in 4 books I read now is a reread. I just reread a book less than five months after I read it for the first time. I am barely holding onto my ability to reread Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland approx. once a year, instead of a million times.
In short, with every passing day I come closer to only reading the stoc ...more
I am, as anyone who has had the mild-to-severe misfortune of seeing one of my reviews of their timeline knows, a chronic rereader. It’s a problem. I can’t stop.
Like, 1 in 4 books I read now is a reread. I just reread a book less than five months after I read it for the first time. I am barely holding onto my ability to reread Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland approx. once a year, instead of a million times.
In short, with every passing day I come closer to only reading the stoc ...more
Wow! There was so much about this book that I really loved. 'Eleanor & Park' was touching and beautiful in it's simplicity. This book captured the essence of first love and the perils of high school, while also tackling some serious issues, like abuse.
I listened to the Audible version and I have to give kudos to the narrator(s). The narration was extremely well done. The voices of the characters really drew you in and made you feel like you were right there in the moment with the characters. It ...more
I listened to the Audible version and I have to give kudos to the narrator(s). The narration was extremely well done. The voices of the characters really drew you in and made you feel like you were right there in the moment with the characters. It ...more
This book was everything I've been searching for since Anna and the French Kiss. It gave me that melty, clenchy feeling in my chest, the warm fuzzies in my stomach. I was basically a mess throughout the entire thing. These two characters had my emotions going up and down like someone was beating on them with one of those sledgehammers at a carnival, trying to get them to climb to the top of that lit up pole again and again. And every time I thought they couldn't go any higher, Park would do or s ...more
i read this years ago and loved it but i need to change my rating because i would hate this if i read it now
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| eleanor & park: what are the last three words? | 46 | 628 | 16 hours, 47 min ago | |
| Taylor Swift Fan ...: Eleanor and Park: March 2020 BOTM | 2 | 7 | Mar 25, 2020 05:31AM | |
| 2020 SQHS Your Li...: (posting for Stephany) Eleanor & Park | 3 | 10 | Dec 18, 2019 10:23PM |
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Rainbow Rowell writes books. Sometimes she writes about adults (ATTACHMENTS and LANDLINE). Sometimes she writes about teenagers (ELEANOR & PARK, FANGIRL and THE SIMON SNOW BOOKS.). But she always writes about people who talk a lot. And people who feel like they're screwing up. And people who fall in love.
When she's not writing, Rainbow is reading comic books, planning Disney World trips and arguin ...more
When she's not writing, Rainbow is reading comic books, planning Disney World trips and arguin ...more
Articles featuring this book
The hotly anticipated sequel to 'Carry On' is finally here.
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14 trivia questions
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“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.”
—
8614 likes
“Holding Eleanor's hand was like holding a butterfly. Or a heartbeat. Like holding something complete, and completely alive.”
—
2798 likes
More quotes…
May 28, 2020 07:35AM
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