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Eleanor & Park

Rainbow Rowell

Start date: July 1, 2014

Finish date: July 31, 2014

Discussion: Stand Alones

Why we're reading this: Won the July Standalone BOTM
[close] Won the July Standalone BOTM

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What Members Thought

Nov 13, 2013 Sofia rated it really liked it

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"Eleanor & Park" is a brilliant novel. It's cleverly put together and gorgeously written.
The characters are very well developed. One of Rowell's greatest talents lies in creating understandable characters: the motive of pretty much everyone in the story is something the reader can relate to. Of course there are some characters whose actions are inexcusable, like Eleanor's stepfather.
The main character's dynamic was also very well done. It did the thing I care the mo ...more

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Jul 25, 2014 Amber rated it liked it

Eleanor and Park was surprisingly amazing, but I'm very split on that opinion. I didn't like Eleanor very much, and even if it makes me sound like a bad person, I'm not really into reading about the heavy, emotional stuff, but the whole book felt like a slow build, a simmering heat from a steady flame. There were so many aspects of it that I hated and then there were others just overshadowed many of my negative feelings.

Eleanor sucked. She didn't suck because she was fat or weird or anything. S Eleanor and Park was surprisingly amazing, but I'm very split on that opinion. I didn't like Eleanor very much, and even if it makes me sound like a bad person, I'm not really into reading about the heavy, emotional stuff, but the whole book felt like a slow build, a simmering heat from a steady flame. There were so many aspects of it that I hated and then there were others just overshadowed many of my negative feelings.

Eleanor sucked. She didn't suck because she was fat or weird or anything. She sucked because she didn't love herself and she shied away from every opportunity to. I feel like everyone around her was just enabling her to keep making herself her own biggest bully by not encouraging her to get help or just talk to someone. Even Park said once that the best way to make her happy was to change the subject. Being self-conscious is a real issue and I understand that a lot of people just can't deal with the pressure of other people's harsh judgements, but sometimes, just saying, "I am beautiful," is a little helpful. Eleanor never once realized that, even until the end (which, by the way, sucked ass). Park, on the other hand, was overall a very likable character. He loved Eleanor and even if he didn't tell her enough that he thought she was smokin' hot, he tried to show her as best as he could. In the beginning, I wasn't really sure because he seemed really hung up on everyone else's opinion, but I think he grew as an individual and was able to move past that (even if the growth wasn't very big).

That being said, their relationship was so utterly real that it left me speechless. It was awkward and uncertain and nerve-racking and took about ten years for either of them to do anything about their feelings, but the build up was worth it. I rarely see it in YA anymore and it was like a breath of fresh air. It made me look past my dislike for Eleanor and made me realize that I like her best when she's with Park. She really was at her best with him, more confident, funnier, and Park would kiss her boots if she asked him to, so sometimes it actually seemed like she felt good about herself.

Another thing that I really liked about Eleanor and Park was the diversity. To be fair, there wasn't very much, but given the time period and the geographic location, I think I can let it slide. Park was half-Asian, Eleanor's best friends were black, and Park's dad fell deeply in love with a Korean woman (Park's mom, if you weren't sure). It was just nice seeing some diversity in YA. Sometimes I think authors forget that there are many races present in the world.

I suppose the ending was supposed to be poetic or something. I think Rainbow Rowell was trying to make it true to Eleanor's character, but the fact that Eleanor just didn't experience enough growth as a character, if any, made it nothing less than frustrating. Basically, my biggest complaint for this whole book is that, although the characters are so well built that I feel as though I could blink and the pages would turn into people before my eyes, there was not even close to enough character growth by the end for anybody. They don't have to be braver or stronger or happier. They just have to have an open mind. That's all it takes. ...more

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Aug 12, 2014 Angeline Joseph rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-2014

It was so good this book. The cutest love story I have ever read. But it sucked when I didn't get the references they kept throwing back and forth! Like star wars, watchmen, The Smiths UGH! I obviously know about them but I never actually read (or listen to their music) them before and throughout the book, I was totally crushed because I couldn't relate to this book like so many others have. God, I really have to watch Star Wars now. One tiny little detail that I liked about this book is when El ...more

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Aug 19, 2014 Mallory rated it really liked it

The beginning of the book was really slow, but as I got further into the story the more I liked it.

Fangirl was better though

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Apr 27, 2014 Kim rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I loved it!! second Rainbow Rowell book that I read but still, Rainbow Rowell did it. I wanna kill Richie too but when the time he game the children gifts..he was kind of good guy like Gru.. if you know what I mean.
I'm looking forward for reading Fangirl since it is a hype and Landline is coming up this August. ...more

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Dec 30, 2013 Olivia Hou rated it really liked it

I think this novel was really cute, but the pacing was really bad. It felt like it was really slow in the beginning and then the ending was so abrupt. I still think it was a pretty good book though!

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