Eleanor & Park
By Rainbow Rowell
main characters
Park loves music and comic books and he practices tae kwon do, he is half Korean living in the primarily white city of Omaha, Nebraska. Park doesn't have many friends and does not always feel excepted by his sports-loving father.
Eleanor is a misfit. She has bright red curly hair and wears mens clothes, she loves to read and is smart but gets bullied and her family does not have a lot of money and Eleanor has a hard time at home because of her awful stepfather.
summary
Park and Eleanor's very different lives come together when Eleanor doesn't have anywhere to sit on the bus on her first day at her new school. Park allowed Eleanor to sit with her but didn't welcome or talk to her. Slowly Eleanor and Park began interacting more and sharing comics and music and talking to each other and when they held hands they knew that they were meant to be. Eleanor took refuge in Parks house on most nights to get away from her stressful household terrifying step father, Richie. Although Parks parents are uncomfortable and shocked by Eleanor at first they can see their sons undeniable connection with Eleanor and how hard Eleanor's life is at home, so they treat Eleanor as part of the family. Eleanor and Park have a very strong bond love for each other.
it started with comic books...
which led to music...
which led to love
emotions
I felt so many emotions while reading this book because I could see the story from Eleanor and Park's point of view, I could really feel what they were feeling and know what both characters were experiencing throughout the story. I could feel Eleanor's fear of her stepfather as if it were my own. I was so happy for both of them to find someone that they could trust and love and relate to so much.
who would want to read the book?
Anyone who wants to read an untraditional love story. I would say this book would be for more mature audiences because of the language and how scary Eleanor's step father is.
Theme
Eleanor was bullied because of her clothing and the way that she looked. Eleanor had to wear those clothes because her family couldn't afford many nice clothes for her and she tried to hide the holes by pinning pieces of fabric over them. Many people judged Eleanor based on her appearance and what she wore. Eleanor and Parks lives were so different but they found a way to form a deep connection with each other without focusing on materialistic components. "Jesus, she was weird. Today she was dressed like a Christmas tree, with all this stuff pinned to her clothes, shapes cut out of fabric, ribbon..." (p. 24) Even Park judged Eleanor when he first saw her he got to know her and he knew that her appearance was unimportant. You can't make assumptions about people and treat them with disrespect, because you don't know their full story.
"Holding Eleanor's hand was like holding a butterfly. Or a heartbeat. Like holding something complete, and completely alive." (p. 71)
This quote shows Park's love for Eleanor. It shows how much they care for each other. Eleanor completes him.
bibliography
Candy8496. Eleanor and Park. Digital image. Deviantart.com. Deviant Art, 2015. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. <http://candy8496.deviantart.com/art/Eleanor-and-Park-507368235>.