Eleanor & Park

Summary:

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 drabber and flatter and never good 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. (Summary and cover courtesy of goodreads.com)

Review:

This book was highly, highly, recommended and it was a total flop for me.  Yes, there was an element of poetic writing that sucked me in for a bit, but ultimately nothing happened.  The “love story” between Eleanor and Park had almost no basis.  They “connected” over comic books and music, yet they know nothing else about each other because they don’t TALK to each other.   Even once they start talking to each other, it’s so limited that I couldn’t manage to give it any more of a chance after 50%.  The other frustration was Eleanor’s living situation.  I really wanted to see a change for the better and would have been willing to stick with it had I seen potential for an improvement.  Once I got to the point the ending was foreshadowed, I saw what was coming and bailed. 

I have to say, the portrayal of Park felt a stereotyped as well, but I’ll leave that to a proper sensitivity editor to take another look.   If you want a romantic throwback to the naïve love of junior high, this might be a dreamy read that’s worth the time.  If you want something with a proper plot and things going somewhere, give it a pass.  

Rating:  1 star!

Who should read it? I’d have to say it’s not worth the time.