"Eleanor & Park" - Rainbow Rowell

Hello fellow bibliophiles! I've recently joined my first book club! I know... hard to believe I've never been in one before. In preparation for my first "meeting" I'm not only reading the book for the month, but other books by the author as I have never read any of her books before. A fellow acquaintance told me of the "bookache" she felt after reading Eleanor & Park and how "she wishes she could read it for the first time again." SO after checking out 4-5 books by Rainbow Rowell and getting this rave review I figured why not, let's start there!

"Two misfits. One extraordinary love. 

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem darker and flatter and never god enough... Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises... Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds-- smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try." 

I laughed. I cried. My heart swooned and then it shattered and swooned again. I loved the innocence of the lyrics and references to Romeo & Juliet. It was sweet and emotional. Between it's pages the narrative held all the feelings that us "different" kinds of kids felt as teenagers who weren't the prom queen or star quarterback. I loved all the personality in the writing of the characters, both secondary and main. The descriptions were detailed to the point I could clearly see myself within it's pages yet wasn't bogged down with adjectives. There is so much I could say about this book yet no words to describe how I truly feel at this moment. So I'll put it simply. I picked up E & P and didn't put it down until I was finished. I wish I could read it for the first time over and over and experience the story again. I'll leave you with two of my favorite quotes from the book. Read it and you will understand why I picked out these two specifically!

"That night, Park made a tape with the Joy Division song on it, over and over again. He emptied all his handheld video games and Josh's remote control cars, and called his grandma to tell her that all her wanted for his birthday in November was AA batteries. (page 60)"

"And you look like a protagonist." She was talking as fast as she could think. "You look like the person who wins in the end. You're so pretty, and so good. You have magic eyes," she whispered. "And you make me feel like a cannibal." (page 113)"

Read this book. Dive head first and live within it's pages. As always, feel free to share any comments, suggestions, and recommendations!

Happy reading fools :)

P.S. Sorry for the delay in getting this out. For once in my life I am experiencing what it's like to watch October baseball! It's taken over a good portion of my life. GO CUBBIES!!!