Though his parents have a strong marriage and clearly love him, he constantly struggles to live up to the expectations of his strict father, who sees him as a bit of a “sissy.” When Eleanor steps onto the bus on her first day of school, nobody is willing to give her a seat. Eleanor struggles with self-esteem and weight issues, and frequently suffers from vicious bullying at the hands of her new classmates, who refer to her as “Big Red.” Park is Korean and somewhat popular, hanging around with a group he doesn’t necessarily like in order to avoid the bullying. Eleanor comes from a broken home her parents are separated, and her mom remarried an alcoholic man who is verbally abusive to Eleanor, her mom, and her four young siblings. At the beginning of the novel, Eleanor has only recently moved back into the area, and is now attending Park’s school for the first time. As someone who enjoys fantasy and sci-fi, I’m always surprised when I find a work of realistic fiction that really resonates with me.Įleanor & Park, as you might imagine, follows the story of two misfit teens, Eleanor Douglas and Park Sheridan. Instead, this novel feels honest each of the characters is incredibly believable, and none are without flaws or imperfections. The book explores many tough themes, from child abuse and alcoholism to bullying and self-esteem, but it never once feels preachy or forced. This was the first book by Rainbow Rowell that I’d read, and I’m beginning to wish I hadn’t waited quite so long to pick up some of her work! I absolutely adored this book it had such a simple story, and yet the main characters were so pure and innocent that it was hard not to be completely absorbed by their romance. The more I read for this blog, the harder it is to choose a favorite.

Someone you could love forever, someone who would forever love you back? And what did you do when that person was born half a world away?” (Rowell 2013, p. “What were the chances you’d ever meet someone like that? he wondered. She looked like art, and art wasn’t supposed to look nice it was supposed to make you feel something” (Rowell 2013, p. “Eleanor was right: She never looked nice.

Rainbow rowell she never looked nice