Woman Reading

"When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love – and just how hard it pulled you under."  That is part of the blurb from the back of the book, and no statement could be truer.  Reading Eleanor & Park was like taking a trip down memory lane.  Not the bad stuff, of course (because there is a sad side to this book), but the new love.  The slow development through mixed tapes and comics, the aching to stay up late and talk…  The excitement and depth of your feelings for another teenager…  Rainbow Rowell captured these feelings spectacularly.

He was still holding the end of her scarf, rubbing the silk idly between his thumb and fingers.  She watched his hand.

If he were to look up at her now, he'd know exactly how stupid she was.  She could feel her face go soft and gummy.  If Park were to look up at her now, he'd know everything.

He didn't look up.  He wound the scarf around his fingers until her hand was hanging in the space between them.

Then he slid the silk and his fingers into her open palm.

And Eleanor disintegrated.

Eleanor is not what one would call naturally pretty.  She's a little too chubby, her clothes are a little too strange, and her hair is wild, tangled, and bright red on her head.  She's new to town and on her first day of school she immediately becomes the butt of the 'cool kids' jokes.  Park, who grew up in the predominately white town is half Korean and has never quite felt as though he belongs, grudgingly allows Eleanor to take the seat next to him on the bus when nobody will give her a place to sit.  At first they go out of their way to ignore each other completely, however as they continue to ride next to each other day by day they find themselves drawn to each other over music and comics.

This slow building relationship gave me tummy flutters and a case of the giggles.  This 34 year old woman immediately reverted back to being 15 and got caught up in the spell of first love.  It was so sweetly romantic, some would say cheesy but not me.  I love cheesy in a YA love story.  My spirit fell in love with Park right along with Eleanor.  He never tried to rush her or push her into anything that made her uncomfortable.  His love for her was so pure and precious, I just ate it up.

And how they saw each other... ugh, it was heartbreakingly beautiful.  I'm sorry; I'm trying not to inundate you with quotes (I think I quoted this book more than almost any other).  But I have to share these two casual descriptions of Park and Eleanor because it sums up how they see each other so perfectly...

Park through Eleanor's eyes

Park was the only person she knew who wore his backpack actually on his shoulders, not slung over one side - and he was always holding onto the straps, like he'd just jumped out of a plane or something.  It was extremely cute.  Especially when he was being shy and letting his head hang forward.

She pulled the front of his bangs.

He smiled, all shiny cheeks and full lips.

Don't bite his face, Eleanor told herself.  It's disturbing and needy and never happens in situations, comedies, or movies that end with big kisses.

"I'm sorry about yesterday." she said.

He hung onto his straps and shrugged.

"Yesterday Happens."

GOD, it was like he wanted her to eat his face clean off.

Eleanor through Park's eyes

"You always look nice."

"I never look nice." she said.  Like he was an idiot.

"I like the way you look," he said.  It came out more like an argument than a compliment.

"That doesn't mean it's nice," she was whispering, too.

"Fine then, you look like a hobo."

"A hobo?" Her eyes lit.

"Yeah, a gypsy hobo," he said.  "You look like you just joined the cast of Godspell."

"I don't even know what that is."

"It's terrible."

She stepped closer to him.  "I look like a hobo?"

"Worse," he said.  "Like a sad hobo clown."

"And you like it?"

"I love it."

As soon as he said it, she broke into a smile.  And when Eleanor smiled, something broke inside of him.

Something always did.

I mean, how sweet IS that?!  It's just not right.  Even rereading the quotes made me chuckle and shake my head at the adorableness of it.

There's one little complaint, through the book there's strife on Eleanor's side of the story.  You know that at some point it's all going to come to a head and things will come crashing down.  Such as it is in most every book, I suppose.  Suffice to say it happens.  I knew it would.  I just wish that we had gotten more of a clear ending.  I know, authors sometimes like to leave it up to us to imagine an ending which occasionally is fine.  In THIS case, though, I think I wanted to READ it.  This book had too many beautiful moments to not give us the most beautiful moment in the end. 

Park

Park ran his hand out to her hip and back again, catching his thumb under her sweater.  She swallowed and lifted her chin.

He pulled her sweater up farther and, then, without thinking about why, he pulled up his shirt, too, and laid his bare stomach against hers.

Eleanor's face crumpled, and it made him come unhinged.

"You can be Han Solo," he said, kissing her throat.  "And I'll be Boba Fett.  I'll cross the sky for you."

Eleanor

Nothing was dirty.  With Park.

Nothing could be shameful.

Because Park was the sun, and that was the only way Eleanor could think to explain it.