Eleanor & Park was an easy read for me, not because Rainbow Rowell isn't a good writer, but because of the simple plot. I figured at first this book would take me awhile to read because of it's daunting length at first glance, however I was able to finish the entire book in less than a day. The characters have the stereotypical "I-don't-like-you" phase going on at the beginning of the book, but like every other romantic teen fiction novel, they eventually fall in love and etc. etc. I do believe that both characters were extremely well put together; Park is a mixed race semi-popular kid at school while Eleanor is the awkward, slightly overweight red-head who wears whatever she wants and tries to push through not only problems at school, but problems such as abuse and violence at home. It was a moderately good book, but it is not one of my favorites for several reasons.
First of all, the plot was long but the romance side of it flourished (like any teen romance novel), however the conflict seemed like it was never going to be solved. For example, the conflict includes the fact that Eleanor and Park both struggle with fitting in in society and trying to live in peace with their parents, and it's interesting how they go about with solving it, nevertheless the book seemed like it never was going to end.
This leads my to my next point about how the plot seemed to repeat itself and talk in circles. The characters overcame small obstacles as they come along, but the novel takes place over an entire year. At a certain point, I was still interested but sort of bored by the plot just hitting the same problems as before. I don't know, it was just too one-dimensional and without real good emotions, you know?
Finally the ending (don't worry, I won't give it away) was just too abrupt. I can see why this book is a fan of readers, because of its geeky yet charming romance and the characters are so interesting to readers. And don't get me wrong I enjoyed it very much, but on the other hand I feel like this book just wasn't one of my favorites.The falling action is very quick and there's a cliffhanger at the end. It isn't the type of cliffhanger hinting that there will be a sequel, but the cliffhanger that just leaves the reader to ponder about the book for the rest of eternity. The ending was romantically cute, sort of sad and lonely feeling, and I did enjoy the cliffhanger as well as hating it :)
This book did teach a lot about loving who you are, not caring what other people think, and the fact that two opposite people can fall in love and be happy. My favorite quote is from Park talking about how Eleanor isn't perfect, but that she's unique and that's all that matters,
"She looked like art,
and art wasn't supposed to look nice;
it was supposed to make you feel
something."
Rainbow Rowell is definitely an interesting writer with a unique style of giving the reader mixed emotions about certain topics, even though this book was easy to read. I do suggest the book if you are looking for a pleasure read, because I have heard of many readers who absolutely adore this read! Personally, I would rate it a 6/10 because although there are some plot flaws, I enjoyed the adorable, quirky romantic tale between these two different characters.
Stay tuned for more reviews on books like these; I plan on reading Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl and Dan Simmons' Summer of Night (recommended by a close friend) in the next coming weeks!
Love,
Natalie
p.s. while reading the book I found out there is going to be a movie production of the book, and I will definitely make sure to go see it!
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