Summer Reading: Eleanor & Park Entry IV

I chose this book because it was a love story. I never found the point in reading young adult love stories, or any love stories for the matter because they tend to be unrealistic, ‘no one can be that happy and a ending cannot be that perfect’ is what I thought, but, I gave it a shot to see what a love story- one that doesn’t belong to you would look like. I am glad I chose this book. Rainbow Rowell, the author, remembers what being young in love is like. I thought the love story of Eleanor and Park falling in love is down to earth and realistic. Eleanor and Park are very much like real life people and the emotions are dead on target. The personal connection I can offer after reading would be my own relationship which ended shortly ago. I was shocked when so many of the feelings Eleanor and Park went through were similar to what me and my boyfriend went through. Some of the connections that I can fully relate to is fact there is desperation in your first love. You want it so badly to work out that you do rash things even when you’re smart enough to know it won’t work out. Additionally, it’s special, like Eleanor and Park I think being able to share first experiences with someone who means a lot to you sticks in your heart for life.

I would recommend this book to those who love a good romance or a John Green fan. I cannot say much regarding how good it is compared to other romance novels(because I don’t usually read them) but this love story (the love story only strictly speaking) will not fail to impress. The book is flawed in many ways being messy in its never ending 80s references and the racism factor that should have been prevalent in the novel. Racism towards minority ethnic characters was almost non-existent besides a cheap joke at the beginning where kids living in the same neighborhood assume Park is Chinese instead of Korean. Other than that the love story itself was realistic and depicts a young romance that feels nothing but real. You’ll be rooting for Eleanor and Park all the way to the end.

Summer Reading: Eleanor & Park Entry III

He’d stopped trying to bring her back.

She’d only came back when she felt like it, in dreams and lies and broken-down déjà vu.

Like, he’d been driving to work, and he’d see a girl with red hair standing on the corner- and he’d swear, for half a choking moment, that it was her.

Then he’d see that the girl’s hair was more blonde than red.

And that she was holding a cigarette… And wearing a Sex Pistols T-shirt.

Eleanor hated the Sex Pistols.

Eleanor…

Standing behind him until he turned his head. Lying next to him just before he woke up. Making everyone seem drabber and flatter and never good enough.

Eleanor ruining everything.

Eleanor, gone.

He’d stopped trying to bring her back.

What we immediately understand from the passage is that Eleanor plays a role in the life of man narrating the story. As a reader I feel a sense of urgency to ask 'why?'. Why would he stop trying to bring this Eleanor back? This makes me want to read more to find answers but this isn’t the main reason I chose this passage. The main reason I chose this part of the story to share is because it is dynamic enough that it tugs a little on the heart strings even when you don’t know who the characters are yet. It makes you curious to know who ‘he’ is. It makes you question: Who is Eleanor to this he? How did Eleanor ruin everything? How is she gone? You can feel sadness eluding in the words when the ‘he’ in the passage describes someone that is no longer with him. Human beings naturally remember sad moments than happy ones. Happiness is like a rush of dopamine and we always want more while sadness is like a shock to your system and is hard to forget. I found this to be the most painful and relatable part of the story. We all know what it’s like to lose something. It immediately becomes the most important thing to us and we suddenly have the urge to want it back.