Book Details:
Hardcover: 475 pages
Publisher: Thorndike Press; Lrg edition (25 Sep 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1410460827
ISBN-13: 978-1410460820
Source: Review/Purchased/Gift
Summary:
Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.
Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.
Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.
Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.
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Review:
I think I should start by saying that currently, I’ve not read any new books to post reviews on, and I have a whole backlog of books that I’ve read and was meant to review a while back but never got around to. So, I’m taking this time to catch up on reviews for books that I know people would like :) This will be the case for a lot of the upcoming reviews, unless of course, I state otherwise. Anyway. Ignore my rambling tendencies and let me save you from reading more of my ridiculous chatter. On to the review we go go go!
Throwing in another Rainbow Rowell contemporary, Eleanor and Park first came on my radar late last year - there was a buzz on the blogging front about this cute, adorable contemporary book that everyone was falling in love with. Needless to say, I stayed far away from this book until after the hype had died down so that my opinion on the book would be unbiased and impartial. Have I managed to enjoy the book whilst simultaneously trying not to jump on the bandwagon? Checkkkkk. Kerchinnggg.
Eleanor and Park really is a cute read, focussed on the intertwining lives and loves of two characters, Jack and Jill… just checking to see if you’re awake and paying attention guys. LOL As you may have guessed by now, the 2 main characters are of course called Eleanor and Park. Rowell brings for us in her debut novel, two very distinct and individual characters who couldn’t be more different from each other - yet the way they come together isn’t instant love, or a sudden realisation that they were meant to be. But rather, it’s a slow building fire, that contains all the teenage angst that little youths are meant to have.
Eleanor - new girl at the school, gets on the school bus, spends what must be an eternity looking for a seat whilst silently dying inside at the multitude of student eyes that are boring into her (let’s face it, we’ve ALL had those kill-me-now oh-satan-swallow-me-up moments). Enter Park, who purely to avoid any drama and to save the girl who everyone is staring at, he grudgingly scoots over to allow her to sit next to him and after this act of kindness, spends the rest of the journey pointedly ignoring her. And thus, it begins. IT BEGINS.
Rowell follows this great opening with an unwinding of characters, as slowly these two strikingly contrasting characters get to know each other, accept each other, and love each other. They couldn’t be more different - Park being a Korean boy with a penchant for eyeliner and Eleanor a round, fire headed pale girl who doesn’t want to stand out yet can’t help it with her love of eccentric clothing.
This tale is spun by Rowell as a delightfully cute, angsty, adorable (I can’t think of any other words okay) read where we see romance develop between these 2 kids, who happen to find each other, as well as finding out who they are themselves. You will want to laugh. You will want to cry. You will want to slap someone. You may even want to slap yourself just to avoid da feeelz that this book brings. Do it all. Give in. LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU.
(Like that doesn’t sound sinister at all. Right). Let’s round this off in a normal, non creepy manner shall we? A great romantic contemporary novel for anyone and everyone, especially those who are fans of the likes of Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight, Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares, and of course, books by John Green - to name but a few. Be sure to grab yourself a copy of this book, and check out my review for another one of Rowell’s books, “Attachments” - which can be found here. For now, adios amigos.
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