So, if you read the posts regularly, you will know that Hayley (Hayley from Home) rather enjoy sharing books, and ‘Eleanor and Park’ was another gem that she passed my way.
I had no idea what to expect from this book, as it was not one that I had been particular aware of – but that is all part of the fun of sharing books, because it always takes you on a new adventure. This novel was one that I struggled to put down because I just wanted to find out more and more about Eleanor and Park. This is a book where the characters are really the most important aspect, possibly even more important than the tale itself, as they are the tale.
Eleanor is the quirky new girl in town; nothing about her conforms to the teenage ‘norm’, and this brings her to attention of Park, who has also not really been sure if he fits into the ‘norm’ that everyone expects him to. However, there is so much in Eleanor’s life that almost prevents her from being the ‘norm’ even if she wanted to, and creates barriers that she struggles to knock down.
The relationship that blossoms between Eleanor and Park is romantic and grounded in comic books and music – but becomes so much more. I do not like to write posts that are spoilers, and I am not about to change that now, but this book has one of the most wonderful last lines of any novel I have ever read. The fact it is so open to interpretation means that this novel will stay with you long after you have read the final words – as you find yourself trying to create the ending for characters that you wanted, or accepting that maybe it was not meant to be the ending you had always imagined.
This really is a tale about falling in love for the first time – the all-encompassing love that becomes the only thing that really matters, whatever the situation.
I enjoyed the style of this novel as it flitted between the thoughts of our two central characters. This kept the pace of the story going and allowed you to feel like you were really getting to know the characters. I am keen to read more titles by Rainbow Rowell and I am thankful that, through the shared love of reading, another new author has been brought to my attention to be added to the ever-growing ‘to be read’ pile.