“She never looked nice. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice; it was supposed to make you feel something.” – Eleanor & Park // Rainbow Rowell
It feels like I’m running a Rainbow Rowell marathon right now. Okay, maybe just a 5k since I’ve just read two of her novels (thus far). But like any good race, I finished with a sense of accomplishment and motivation.
I’d like to interrupt your regularly scheduled program to dedicate another paragraph (please reference my review of Fangirl) to the amazement I feel at the fact that these books take place in Omaha. As in middle of the US, no mountains, no lakes, surrounded by a sea of corn, Omaha, Nebraska. To say Eleanor & Park or Fangirl are regional stories would be incorrect to say the least, but it still warms my heart to think that Rainbow Rowell grew up in the place I call home. The whole state of Nebraska is like that small town that spouted out an Olympic athlete 8 years ago and still advertises it on their Welcome! billboard. When someone does something notable here, everyone knows about it and will tell anyone who’ll listen that [insert celebrity name here] is from Omaha. Okay, now back to the review, Drew.
Eleanor & Park warmed my heart. The characters are delicately construed and you root for them. Like from the first page. It’s almost like I was sitting on that bus with Park when the new girl made her way down the aisle. I cringed at the awkwardness of it all, really felt those 6 inches between Eleanor and Park – it was awesome. The less awesome parts – Eleanor’s creepy stepfather, Park’s mom’s dislike for Eleanor, THE FREAKING ENDING – were pitfalls. Rowell gave me a ticket and took me on a rollercoaster ride, I’ll tell you what.
I loved the quaintness of their romance. Rowell spends pages describing both Eleanor and Park’s reactions to their simple act of hand holding on the bus. I felt real emotion for their first “date” that was literally a phone call. There wasn’t a ton of touching but when their was, it was just the right amount of sweet and sexy. It’s a modern-day forbidden romance. There’s a very intentional reference to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet in the novel: Rowell wants readers to think about what young love means, to read beyond the kill-myself-for-the-guy-I-met-3-days-ago in the play.
In the midst of a serious domestic violence situation at home and rifts between family members, Eleanor and Park form a bond. Eleanor says, “I don’t like you, Park. Sometimes I think I live for you” and I think that pretty much sums up why their relationship is so true. Romeo and Juliet who?
Eleanor & Park is great. It’ll make your heart sing to the tune of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” by Joy Division. Speaking of which: if you didn’t know, Rowell created a bunch of playlists on Spotify that inspired her novels. Click on this link to access them. You’re welcome. Also, if you haven’t noticed, I’ll be including some of my fan art in each review for your enjoyment!
READ. IT. Then comment your thoughts on this post like a good old fashioned digital bookclub.
