I give this one 4/5 cassette tapes.
This is my second Rainbow Rowell book and I just love her writings! Eleanor & Park tells the story of two star-crossed love birds that aren't ready for love but willing to take the plunge anyway. Eleanor is the new kid on the bus that is unerringly quiet but who's outer appearance is incredibly loud. Park is the one guy who lets Eleanor have a seat on the bus on her first day and thinks she's really weird. These two slowly bond over their love of comic books and music and end up falling head over heels for each other. Told through alternating points of view this awkward love affair is engaging and smart.
I had a hard time putting this one down! Eleanor & Park just seem so weird together at first and then out of nowhere it all makes sense. Park's family is picture perfect on the outside and Eleanor's is the family you avoid at all costs. I really bonded with these characters in different ways and for different reasons. They are each so unique, caring, and funny. I would certainly recommend this book to others who are looking for a good read that will hold your attention and make your heart reach out to the characters.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Synopsis~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.