About the book: Set over the course of one school year in 1986, Eleanor and 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. Quote of the Book: "It's up to us not to lose this."
-Park Sheridan
My thoughts and opinion: I wanted to read this book for the longest time and gosh, reading it was just awesome. It's witty. It's adorable. It's a great book. Although the time period is in the late 1900s, it didn't feel like I was reading something historical (which is good because I probably would have stopped reading).
I loved reading how Eleanor and Park's relationship developed and the thought of them falling in love on a school bus is cute and funny. It was also adorable when Park would give her his comic books and he'd mix cassette tapes for her. I fell out of my chair laughing when Park was searching for all the AA batteries he could find.
Okay now for the characters. Eleanor Douglas is the coolest, strongest, and awesomest (or most awesome to be grammatically correct) girl! I really do admire Eleanor because she has four other siblings and she is so caring. I could never be like that with so many siblings. And even though Eleanor is extremely poor, she makes the best of it. She continues with her life as if nothing is wrong when most people would not be able to take it. I also love how Beebi and DeNice helped her out and took Eleanor under their wings. That was really kind of them and Eleanor had real friends which made the book better knowing things were not all gloomy for her. Eleanor had special people in her life especially Park.
Oh, Park Sheridan. First of all, I would love to meet him. An Asian with green eyes and black hair? Very hot. I kind of thought it was funny how on the cover, Park is wearing a light blue shirt, but in the book, it's mentioned that he usually wears black. Park is so thoughtful and sweet. I like how protective he gets and he's just so perfect with Eleanor. His parents are wonderful too. I hope to have a marriage like theirs.
I don't understand how Sabrina, Eleanor's mother, could be with Richie if he is an abusive, good-for-nothing drunkard who is also a perv. Richie really made me sick to my stomach and I was jumping with joy when I read that she and the kids got up and left Richie. They all deserve way better.
That ending was not enough for me! It totally left me hanging and it's so ambiguous! I like that Rowell left the ending for readers to interpret, but I need to know exactly what the postcard said! I kept looking for more pages to read, but it just ended there.
Eleanor and Park was a wonderful book and I absolutely enjoyed reading it. The characters and the dialogue between Eleanor and Park was so cutesy and adorkable. After I finished reading this book, I felt an urge to go read a comic while listening to the Smiths.
