Sometimes I’m way behind the reading trends. For example, pretty much everyone has read Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell by now. So I’m not going to write a traditional review. I figure there might be a few holdouts like me who haven’t decided if they’re going to read the book or not. To help these people out, I’ve written two lists – one of why you should read Eleanor & Park, and one of why you should not. As with everything on this blog, these lists are entirely my own opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree, or to share your own opinion of this book.
Why You Should Not Read Eleanor & Park
- The swearing. It’s sprinkled liberally throughout the book, and if this is something you typically avoid, you might want to avoid this book.
- Verbal, sexual, and physical abuse. Not tons, but not really appropriate for younger readers.
- The ending. It satisfies, but barely. Though I’m not sure there’s a better one.
Why You Should Read Eleanor & Park
- The characters. Eleanor and Park are real and vulnerable. We all knew kids like them in high school. We may even have been kids like them in high school.
- True love. First love. Love that is not puppy love or just a hook up. Love that matters.
- The writing. Rainbow Rowell describes a situation or a feeling with just the right phrase. Every single time.
- The setting. How often do you get to read a book set in 1986?
- Dual points of view. You get the story from Eleanor’s angle and from Park’s angle. It makes you care about the characters just that much more.
- The ending. It’s brilliant. It’s realistic, and it leaves you wanting more.
- The swearing. It’s sprinkled liberally throughout the book, and if this is something you typically avoid, you might want to avoid this book.
- Verbal, sexual, and physical abuse. Not tons, but not really appropriate for younger readers.
- The ending. It satisfies, but barely. Though I’m not sure there’s a better one.
Why You Should Read Eleanor & Park
- The characters. Eleanor and Park are real and vulnerable. We all knew kids like them in high school. We may even have been kids like them in high school.
- True love. First love. Love that is not puppy love or just a hook up. Love that matters.
- The writing. Rainbow Rowell describes a situation or a feeling with just the right phrase. Every single time.
- The setting. How often do you get to read a book set in 1986?
- Dual points of view. You get the story from Eleanor’s angle and from Park’s angle. It makes you care about the characters just that much more.
- The ending. It’s brilliant. It’s realistic, and it leaves you wanting more.
You can probably tell by the fact that my shoulds outnumber my should-nots that I really enjoyed this book and am glad I read it. If you’re on the fence about reading Eleanor & Park, I hope my lists helped! If you’ve already read it, let me know what you thought about it in the comments!
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