Eleanor & Park

Loved it (with some reservation)

(Spoiler)
I kept wondering whether anything terrible would happen with the stepdad. I had to keep reassuring myself that other reviewers says, "brings back memories of first love", and that can't be right it bad things happened.
It was the only way I got through the book to be honest. Not that the writing was bad - it was great - but because I couldn't stand something terrible happening to such a sweet story.

One problem I had though was that the threat of the stepdad and the constant nagging, "is this story going to be a happy ending or a tragedy?" made it impossible for me to just enjoy the story; to just enjoy the sweetness of first love.

And the ending didn't answer any questions but just raised more; where did her mum and siblings go? Is that postcard just a once off?
I know sometimes it's best to not answer every question, but I'm not one who could appreciate it in this book. And I know true life doesn't give you all the answers, but that's why I'm reading a fiction story.

Overall I loved the start of the book, enjoyed the middle of it, and got really distracted by the darker stuff as the book neared the end. YMMV.

I adored this book. I picked it up at the library based on just the title, having heard it recommended as a fantastic read by someone on Reddit. I'm glad I didn't read any reviews or the synopsis before getting it, as it was a bit like unwrapping a present.

Eleanor is a misfit from a poor, dysfunctional family. Her stepfather is deplorable, and her mother is broken and weak. Park is the token Asian kid in this neighborhood of Omaha (half-Korean), and straddles between his popular friends and being himself. Thrown together on the bus, an odd friendship evolves into romance. Rowell did a great job of capturing first love and the awkwardness of high school / finding your place in the world. The dichotomy of Park's family (they were pretty fantastic, lucky boy) and Eleanor's awful home life (not only poor, but abusive and scary) was perfectly drawn for me. My heart ached for Eleanor, and for Park as he was introduced to a world that he never imagined from the safety of his home.

The ending wasn't what I expected, but still satisfying. To be honest, I'm a little emotionally wrecked by the last few chapters, and need a moment to collect myself. Definitely recommended--4 stars.

No puedo otra cosa que aplaudir a Rainbow Rowell. Me es completamente imposible. Y te preguntarás el porqué. Y la respuesta es sencilla. Ha escrito una novela que merece la pena disfrutar línea a línea. Porque sientes conforme sus protagonistas sienten. Porque como el arte, no busca la belleza, sino generar sentimientos. ¡Y vaya si los genera!
Creo que el punto básico de la historia es que la autora no se ha parado a idealizar a sus personajes. Y es que no es necesario y se agradece enormemente. Una chica llamativa, con curvas, de verdad. Un chico que no se siente atractivo. Amor que nace del roce más directo. Una llama que empieza con una chispa y quema todo lo que se pone a su alcance. Verdadera magia que hace su teatro a través de las páginas de esta obra. Verdaderamente, ha conseguido hacer que me preocupe por la relación de estos dos chavales, tan inexpertos, pero a la vez tan sabios en la vida. Y esas frases de Eleanor... Ese padrastro al que matarías con tus propias manos si no fuera un personaje y delito tipificado... Y sobretodo, sobretodo y sin lugar a dudas, ese final. Ese final de 10 en mi opinión. De verdad, si no lo has leído, te lo recomiendo de todo corazón. Y si así lo haces, vuelve y comparte tu experiencia conmigo. Porque he acabado con los sentimientos a flor de piel.
http://www.letrasenlasnubes.blogspot.com.es/