Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (Jasper's Review)

My Rating: 4.9/5

“Eleanor & Park reminded me not just what it’s like to be young
and in love with a girl, but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book.”
— John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars,
for The New York Times Book Review
“Bono met his wife in high school,” Park says.

“So did Jerry Lee Lewis,” Eleanor answers.

“I’m not kidding,” he says.

“You should be,” she says, “we’re 16.”

“What about Romeo and Juliet?”

“Shallow, confused, then dead.”

“I love you,” Park says.

“Wherefore art thou,” Eleanor answers.

“I’m not kidding,” he says.

“You should be.”

Set over the course of one school year in 1986, Eleanor & Park is the story of two star-crossed misfits – smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under.

OMG. 

   Oh. My. God. I have no reactions for this book... Haha... no, just kidding. But that gif really describes what I looked like after reading that book. Right now I feel really conflicted because 1) I love Rainbow Rowell for writing this modern holy grail of YA Romance but 2) I really hated her for making the book end that way. Believe me. You know what I'm talking about if you've already read this book. So let's get right into the review.

Part 1: The Characters

Fan art from the Special Edition of Eleanor & Park

Eleanor...

         What can I say? I'm in love :D She's the red head in the pictures above. I really don't get her. Sh'es one of those people that you wish that you would meet some time in your life but you never really do. She protects basically everyone before she thinks about protecting herself, she will do anything for the people that she loves; including going through a complete makeover courtesy of Park's mom...

Park...

       He's a complete idiot. He's probably one of those people that wouldn't know what to do even if the instructions were right in front of him. I guess, it's his idiocy that makes him "cute." That and his good looks of course... Anyways, Park is kinda sweet if you look beyond his joking surface. He loves Eleanor with al his heart and I guess that's really all that matters. I know that kinda sounds sappy but really... THIS IS A ROMANCE. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT?

Part 2: The Book

 

Excuse me while I go laugh and cry at the same time. I mean like WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE THINKING. This book is more than just a romance. It's a lot more. Its a Romance, Mystery, Thriller, wait. There's a book genre for this. *Don't fail me now brain* ITS A TRAGICOMEDY *proud of myself* Yes. It was a Tragicomedy. It makes you cry and laugh and die a little reading every page. Reading through Eleanor's pain was really something. How she managed to survive astounds me. And that SOB step father of hers... Just, no. I don't think I could read through that again. As a guy, I should be saying that this book is for little girls and that I didn't cry at all. But as a book reviewer, I'm going to tell you that the little tears just came out of my eyes. I think that the last chapter from the book was the last nail in the coffin containing my heart. This book was just too damn good. Too. Damn. Good. 

Part 3: Bring on the firing squad!

Firstly, I would like to say sorry, not sorry, to all of those people that saw absolutely nothing wrong with the book. But I did see something wrong. Everything just felt kinda weird in the middle. I'm serious. Like, I get that the real "climax" of the book was supposed to be in the middle but... I kind of felt that was some what weak. I personally thought the book would have been perfectly fine skipping the middle calm period. I guess I'm just one of those people that kinda think that there really is no calm in the storm that is a relationship but maybe I'm a pessimist. But then again... Park getting beat up for Eleanor is cute.

Part 4: The Verdict

Read this book when you're happy and need to get a grip on life again. A perfect gift for all your air headed friends *cough cough*

-Jasper