Collaboreads: Eleanor & Park

I'm extremely excited about the opportunity to join in with Mr. Thomas and Me and Rachel A. Dawson for Collaboreads (you can learn more about Collaboreads here).  The criteria for this month's book selection was "a book with someone's name in the title."  I chose Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.  This book has been on my reading list for a while.  I think I read a good review of it somewhere, and liked the cover (always a good reason to read a book), but I don't completely remember.  For whatever reason, I stored it away on my mental reading list and forgot about it until coming across it at the local library.  Eleanor and Park follows the relationship between two misfit high school students in the 1980's.  It was surprisingly delightful and an easy read, a perfect book for the beach. 

Riveting

What part of the book could you NOT get enough of?  - See more at: http://www.mrthomasandme.com/2015/05/collaboreads-book-lovers-link-up.html#sthash.mwLCFBSm.dpuf

What part of the book could you not get enough of? 
While I'm not generally drawn to love stories, the sweetness of this one kept my attention.  Riveting may not be the right word for it, but I loved reading of the interactions between Park and Eleanor and between Park's parents.  Rowell pulled me in with her descriptions of the clumsy interactions, and the butterflies bound to be present in any teenage romance.  The climactic finish to the novel, where Eleanor finds herself in a very difficult situation was very riveting, but I won't give that away.  

Elements

How did you relate to/care for the characters?  What's your thought on the plot line and twists and turns?  
In some ways I was able to relate to Park more than Eleanor.  Park, while a little different from his family, is from a more traditional family that really cares for one another and has given Park a good example of a loving relationship.  But I felt more for Eleanor.  She is very much an angst-filled teenage girl, not yet comfortable in her own skin, and assaulted by bullies and a rough home life.  They are both misfits, and yet each so different. 

Associate

What other books are like this one?  If none, did it remind you of a particular TV or movie with it's themes and characters?  Does it serendipitous-ly line-up with things going on in your life or the news right now?
Eleanor & Park being a young adult love story reminds me of so many young adult novels but the pair of misfits and all of their emotions definitely reminded me of Perks of Being a Wallflower. 

Design

You know you judged this book by the cover.  What did you think of it? How did it relate to the contents of the novel? And the font and layout of the pages? 
I love the cover of this book, and if you check out this book on Goodreads, you will see that I'm not alone.  There is so much fan art based on the cover as well as discussions on who would best portray the characters in a movie adaptation.  I mentioned before, the cover drew me in.  It's a youthful cover, with a drawing of Eleanor and Park listening to music together.  The drawing fits the story well, you could totally see the two sitting side by side on the bus, bonding over comics and music.   

Stars

How many out of five do you give this book?  Would you recommend this book to a friend? 
I would give Eleanor & Park 4.5/5 stars.  It is an easy ready perfect for anyone who enjoys young adult novels.  

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