Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell
reviewed by Abigail Martinez
Eleanor & Park, written by Rainbow Rowell, is a fiction romance novel. The two main characters, as presumed from the title, are Eleanor and Park. Their romance can be seen as a Romeo and Juliet love story. The reader's thoughts can be lead to this through the fact that they are learning about Romeo and Juliet in the english class that they share. They start out as just two people living in the same place, but in two different worlds. Once their romance buds, the parents of the two teenagers do not approve of the other. Although their story is less of a tragedy, considering there is no death involved in their love, it is comparable to the love story of Romeo and Juliet, in the sense that they are two lovers of different worlds that seem to be faced against the world once their paths cross. Rowell's writing technique is my personal favorite. She uses two authors, Eleanor and Park, and throughout the chapters, there are mini sections to show the view from each character. This makes the book more well rounded, and makes the story unbiased in a way, because the opinions of both characters are being displayed. Through this Rowell has more opportunity for both direct and indirect characterization, making the novel more interesting and comprehensible. Eleanor & Park shows the ups and downs of new beginnings and of love through struggle, pain, tears of joy and happiness, through emotions and genuine care.To find out what all of these feelings prove to Eleanor and Park, pick up the book, and I guarantee that you will not be able to put it down!
Practical Magic
by Alice Hoffman
reviewed by Natasha Mertens
Love is very confusing. It is hard to distinguish the difference between what a person needs and what a person wants when in a relationship. It is easy to become lost in a fantasy world of love when blinded by these desires. The book Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman addresses this problem faced by people of all ages. It clearly portrays the harm that can result from a relationship, even if the relationship appears to be perfect.
Sally and Gideon Owen, despite being siblings, are very different. Sally is a thoughtful person who is always careful with what she does in life. Gideon, however, is reckless and ignores the consequences of her actions. When they were little, the Owen sisters moved in to live with their aunts. Since then, their lives have been anything but normal. They have grown up knowing how love can change a person. The sisters have stayed up countless nights listening to women come to the back door of the house begging for their aunt’s help with love. These women are willing to do anything to get what they want, but quickly find out that their desires lead to undesirable consequences. After seeing this, Sally and Gideon swore to never become overwhelmed by love. Despite this, however, they still fall for the trap of love and face the consequences. Both Sally and Gideon leave their aunt’s house in their own time to follow their ideas of an ideal life. Everything is calm until their pasts catch up to them and Sally and Gideon meet each other once again. They help each other through the problems that their love has created while separated and develop an unbreakable bond.
The Owen sisters give the reader a better understanding of just how destructive love can be. They show a strong sense of determination and purpose as they overcome the challenges they find in life. Sally and Gideon set an example for young women to follow as they become more independent and mature. Alice Hoffman wrote a book that is sure to draw readers in and continue to surprise them.
Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell
reviewed by Hannah Huynh
Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park is a coming-of-age novel about two teenagers living in the late 1980s. Eleanor is a sixteen-year old who has bright red hair and has an eccentric taste in clothing. Having an abusive and mean stepdad who hates her, life at home is tough. Because she is afraid to talk to others, she is considered to be an outcast at her school. Park is a quiet boy who ends up in love with Eleanor after meeting her on the bus on their way to school. Park and Eleanor have the same taste in music and enjoy reading comics together. They fall in love and make many memories together. Although they both know that most of the time first love never persists, they are both courageous and determined to try and make it last.
Eleanor & Park portrays the themes of abuse and bullying. Richie, Eleanor’s stepdad, physically abuses his wife and Eleanor. Richie also verbally abuses Eleanor, telling her she is fat and eats too much. Eleanor is also bullied by other girls at school. Because she is also considered a social outcast at her school, others find her to be odd. By expressing these themes throughout the novel, Rowell does a great job of depicting obstacles that teenagers. Rowell uses non-linear narration once in the book. In the beginning of the novel, it is made clear that Park has lost a girl named Eleanor and misses her. Immediately after, Rowell switches to the past and retells the story of Eleanor and Park.
This book about two ill-fated lovers is a story of first love and challenges. When I read this book, I was intrigued throughout the entire novel. When Eleanor was facing the issue of bullying, it was not given who was bullying her. Throughout the book, I kept on guessing who the bully was and continued to read until I figured out who it was. Rowell does a wonderful job of keeping the reader interested by foreshadowing and not revealing things until the end. This funny, bittersweet novel moved me to tears and it is definitely one of my favorite books.
Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell
reviewed by Alyssa Adriano
Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor & Park is romance novel in which two teenage lovebirds living in the 80’s do whatever it will take to make their relationship last. Eleanor is a chubby, red-headed, curly-haired girl who has just moved to town, and Park is the cool guy with an empty seat next to him on the bus. However, the new girl soon takes that seat, and an inspiring, unique relationship is born. Eleanor and Park continue to see each other on the bus everyday and connect to each other through music and comic books. They then begin seeing each other in the hallways, and soon they even get together after school and during weekends; their relationship only grows from there.
As readers flip through the pages, they will notice that Rainbow Rowell uses uses various techniques to convey different meanings and thoughts. She switches the narrative between Eleanor and Park throughout each chapter in the book to focus on Park’s feelings and then Eleanor’s and so on and so forth. Through this method, readers get a view of both characters’ minds and their views on the same events. Also, Rainbow Rowell does not use a plethora of figurative language which I enjoyed because it made the book easier to read and understand.
After reading the novel, Eleanor & Park, I learned so many life lessons through hidden messages in the book. Rainbow Rowell truly teaches readers these lessons, but hides them so well into the writing that one cannot even tell they are there until you relate the story to your daily life. She encourages readers to enjoy the book not only for it is heart-touching story, but also for these messages. Eleanor and Park is such an outstanding novel because of how teenagers can relate so well to everything going on in the novel. For instance, the author says “That girl - all of them - hated Eleanor before they’d even lay eyes on her. Like they’d been hired to kill her in a past life.” (Rowell 11) which is just one of the many instances to which teenagers can relate in this novel. In addition, Rowell writes about how harmful bullying is, how important it is to be yourself, and also to be grateful for your life. She also speaks of domestic abuse and how big of a problem it is. I really enjoyed reading this novel; however, I will say that the book was quite slow in the beginning, but sped up extremely quickly. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves realistic, but heart-warming novels… and to anyone who loves cliffhangers.
Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell
reviewed by Maria Luiso
Rainbow Rowell’s Eleanor and Park is a young adult novel that shows the complexity of teenage love and the impact of race and home life on young adults. Protagonists Eleanor Douglas and Park Sheridan are two complex characters who both struggle with their family life, body image, and self-worth. However, they physically could not be more different. Park is a Korean-American young man who just wants to remain unnoticed by the kids at his school. He wears black exclusively, listens to mixtapes, and struggles with his ethnicity and his feminine looks. Eleanor is a redheaded young woman who struggles with bullying about her body at her new school. She’s sarcastic, has a unique sense of style (scarves tied around her arms, men’s shirts with ties, oversize jeans), and, along with the rest of her family, suffers abuse from her stepfather, Richie. The meeting of the two plants a seed that blossoms into a relationship that make you laugh, cry, and realize how love is found in the most unlikely of places.
The novel, which is narrated jointly by Eleanor and Park, begins with a bus ride. Eleanor, the new girl, gets on the bus, and after not being able to find a seat, is told rather harshly by Park to sit down next to him. As time goes on, the two begin to talk during the rides to and from school. They quickly find that they enjoy each other’s company. Eleanor states that “they agreed on everything important and argued about everything else” (Rowell 64). Their relationship ends up growing into love, despite the challenges they face on the way. At first, the two rarely talk outside of the bus ride, because of Eleanor’s home situation. Even their conversations on the bus are observed by the other students, who make fun of the couple. But a phone call from the privacy Eleanor’s dad’s house reveals their true feelings for each other. As their love continues to grow, Park continues to challenge his identity, and Eleanor’s home situation continues to worsen. The book’s plot twist ending aches of harsh reality and the sacrifices we’ll make for the people we love.
Rowell handles the complexity of Eleanor and Park’s characters extremely well. Parks’ struggle with his identity relates to anyone who struggles with living up to their parent’s expectations or has felt guilty about the way that they think. Park grows up in a well off middle class family. His parents are deeply in love, his grandparents live next door, and he has anything he needs and more. But just because your economic and family circumstances are good does not mean life is perfect. As a short, skinny, slightly feminine guy, Park feels like a disappointment to his father, a tall, strong, capable man. He struggles with dealing with his family’s disapproval of Eleanor and his feelings that her father loves his brother more than he loves him. He feels guilty for judging Eleanor on her looks when he first meets her, and for caring about how Eleanor’s unpopularity rubs off on him. “There were moments,” Park states, “when Eleanor made him feel self-conscious, when he saw people talking and he was sure they were talking about them… and in those moments, [he] thought about pulling back from her.” (Rowell 91) Eleanor, on the other hand, struggles to survive in her terrible domestic situation. Her stepfather abuses her mother, and Eleanor and her siblings are left to fend for themselves. Eleanor’s self esteem is not helped by the fact that her stepfather constantly verbally abuses her and that her classmates make fun of her for her looks. Eleanor is deeply relatable to anyone who has felt self-conscious about their body and personality, and is a sympathetic figure to anyone who has lived in a household of domestic abuse.
Rowell’s use of metaphor and descriptive language gives the novel a tone that makes Eleanor and Park’s relationship seem like some form of art. From the way the two talk about each other [“Park is the sun,”(Rowell 302) Eleanor states] to the way Rowell uses small details to describe the setting of 1986 Nebraska (the cassette mixtapes Eleanor and Park create for each other, and the references to eighties pop culture throughout the book), the use of figurative language makes the book easily relatable and an excellent piece of literature.
Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell
reviewed by Olivia Roginson
Eleanor & Park, a novel by Rainbow Rowell, is filled with the ups and downs of a teenage love story that is plagued by the challenges of fitting in, standing out, and two very different lifestyles. Eleanor is a young girl that has overcome an unimaginable life at home, and has had to deal with inner demons her whole life. Park is a quiet boy who hasn’t quite found who he is yet, and survives high school by staying under the radar. The unlikely pair is put together, and they gradually start to form a relationship throughout the novel.
Eleanor’s life has been anything but normal since her abusive stepfather Richie joined the family. After being kicked out of her home for a year, Eleanor comes back to see things are as bad as ever. She decides to keep her personal life hidden from her classmates. Eleanor makes an effort to stand out from everyone else. Her eye catching fashion choices make her a constant point of ridicule and her bright red curls don’t help. When she first sees Park on the bus, she doesn’t think much of him. She sees the super quiet boy she’s forced to sit next to.
Park has quite the opposite lifestyle of Eleanor’s. He comes from a stable home and has never been known to do things out of the ordinary. Park struggles to find his way, and feels out of place, even in his family. Since he has lived in the same town his whole life, he knows how to handle the school bullies. When he catches a glimpse of Eleanor, he can’t help but worry that he’s stuck sitting next to the weird new girl every day.
Eleanor and Park’s relationship slowly takes a turn as they realize what they have in common. Their similarities begin with comics and gradually advance to more than just seatmates on the bus. Though it takes a while for them to interact, Eleanor and Park form a connection that becomes very apparent.
They both realize their affection for each other and their relationship advances to a romance. However, their love story is filled with obstacles they must overcome. Eleanor decides to keep the entire relationship from her family, in fear of what Richie would do if he were to find out. Park is judged by his friends and peers for associating with the “weird new girl.” Park finds himself getting angry every time someone has something mean to say to Eleanor, and feels a need to protect her from the world. Being in Park’s presence is a safe haven for Eleanor; a place to escape the harsh reality of her life. The couple has to overcome impossible challenges, and is forced to fight to save their love story.
The novel is written in the point of view of Park as well as Eleanor. We are given each view for the different situations, and the perspectives are either similar or completely opposite. Eleanor & Park takes the reader through what it is like to grow up with the environment the characters are put in. We are given a glimpse of what it is like to live in an unstable home, as well as a loving home where you feel lost. It is easy to relate to a character in the novel, whether you come from a difficult upbringing or have ever felt lost in the crowd. The unexpected turns of the novel kept the book interesting and exciting to read. Eleanor & Park was filled with emotion and exemplifies the importance of finding strength and courage where you least expect it.
