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Rainbow Rowell

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Eleanor & Park Kindle Edition

by Rainbow Rowell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.4 28,768 ratings

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#1 New York Times Best Seller!

"Eleanor & Park reminded me not just what it's like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it's like to be young and in love with a book."-John Green, The New York Times Book Review
Bono met his wife in high school, Park says.
So did Jerry Lee Lewis, Eleanor answers.
I'm not kidding, he says.
You should be, she says, we're 16.
What about Romeo and Juliet?
Shallow, confused, then dead.
I love you, Park says.
Wherefore art thou, Eleanor answers.
I'm not kidding, he says.
You should be.
Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits-smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you'll remember your own first love-and just how hard it pulled you under.

A New York Times Best Seller!
A 2014 Michael L. Printz Honor Book for Excellence in Young Adult Literature
Eleanor & Park is the winner of the 2013 Boston Globe Horn Book Award for Best Fiction Book.
A Publishers Weekly Best Children's Book of 2013
A New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of 2013
A Kirkus Reviews Best Teen Book of 2013
An NPR Best Book of 2013

From the Publisher


	Fangirl	Eleanor & Park	Carry On	Wayward Son	Any Way the Wind Blows

Customer Reviews	15,708	28,768	10,722	6,421	3,962
Price	$7.93	$10.50	$15.45	$8.79	$13.59
Read more from New York Times bestselling author Rainbow Rowell!	"Consider me a fangirl of this charming coming-of-age tale.” –Entertainment Weekly	"This sexy, smart, tender romance thrums with punk rock and true love." –Gayle Forman, author of If I Stay and Where She Went	"A powerful, politically minded allegory about sexual, ethnic and class identity—with a heady shot of teenage lust." —The New York Times Book Review	"A classic page-turner." —Booklist (starred review)	“Fun . . . Clever . . . Rowell delivers her most profoundly emotional story yet..” —Vanity Fair

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of the Month, March 2013: While Eleanor & Park is technically classified as YA lit and has a cutesy cover, don’t let the stigma of “books for teens” fool or deter you. It is written about teens, sure, but the themes are so universal that anyone who survived high school will relate to the lives of the two protagonists. Eleanor is the new girl in town and her wild red hair and patchwork outfits are not helping her blend in. She ends up sitting next to Park on the bus, whose tendencies towards comic books don’t jibe with the rest of his family’s love of sports. They sit in awkward silence every day until Park notices that Eleanor is reading his comics over his shoulder; he begins to slide them closer to her side of the seat and thus begins their love story. Their relationship grows gradually--making each other mixed tapes (it is 1986 after all) and discussing X-Men characters--until they both find themselves looking forward to the bus ride more than any other part of the day. Things aren’t easy: Eleanor is bullied at school and then goes home to a threatening family situation; Park’s parents do not approve of Eleanor’s awkward ways. Ultimately, though, this is a book about two people who just really, really like each other and who believe that they can overcome any obstacle standing in the way of their happiness. It’s a gem of a book. --Caley Anderson

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Right from the start of this tender debut, readers can almost hear the clock winding down on Eleanor and Park. After a less than auspicious start, the pair quietly builds a relationship while riding the bus to school every day, wordlessly sharing comics and eventually music on the commute. Their worlds couldn’t be more different. Park’s family is idyllic: his Vietnam vet father and Korean immigrant mother are genuinely loving. Meanwhile, Eleanor and her younger siblings live in poverty under the constant threat of Richie, their abusive and controlling stepfather, while their mother inexplicably caters to his whims. The couple’s personal battles are also dark mirror images. Park struggles with the realities of falling for the school outcast; in one of the more subtle explorations of race and the other in recent YA fiction, he clashes with his father over the definition of manhood. Eleanor’s fight is much more external, learning to trust her feelings about Park and navigating the sexual threat in Richie’s watchful gaze. In rapidly alternating narrative voices, Eleanor and Park try to express their all-consuming love. You make me feel like a cannibal, Eleanor says. The pure, fear-laced, yet steadily maturing relationship they develop is urgent, moving, and, of course, heartbreaking, too. Grades 9-12. --Courtney Jones

Review

"Funny, hopeful, foul-mouthed, sexy and tear-jerking, this winning romance will captivate teen and adult readers alike" -- KIRKUS, starred review

"The pure, fear-laced, yet steadily maturing relationship Eleanor and Park develop is urgent and breathtaking and, of course, heartbreaking, too." -- BOOKLIST, starred review

"This sexy, smart, tender romance thrums with punk rock and true love." -- GAYLE FORMAN, author of If I Stay

"A breathless, achingly good read about love and outsiders." -- STEPHANIE PERKINS, author of Anna and the French Kiss

About the Author

RAINBOW ROWELL lives in Omaha, Nebraska, with her husband and two sons. She's also the author of Carry On, Landline, Fangirl, Eleanor & Park, and Attachments.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Eleanor & Park

By Rainbow Rowell

St. Martin's Press

Copyright © 2014 Rainbow Rowell
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-250-04499-0

Excerpt

1

park

XTC was no good for drowning out the morons at the back of the bus.
Park pressed his headphones into his ears.
Tomorrow he was going to bring Skinny Puppy or the Misfits. Or maybe he’d make a special bus tape with as much screaming and wailing on it as possible.
He could get back to New Wave in November, after he got his driver’s license. His parents had already said Park could have his mom’s Impala, and he’d been saving up for a new tape deck. Once he started driving to school, he could listen to whatever he wanted or nothing at all, and he’d get to sleep in an extra twenty minutes.
“That doesn’t exist!” somebody shouted behind him.
“It so fucking does!” Steve shouted back. “Drunken Monkey style, man, it’s a real fucking thing. You can kill somebody with it.…”
“You’re full of shit.”
“You’re full of shit,” Steve said. “Park! Hey, Park.”
Park heard him, but didn’t answer. Sometimes, if you ignored Steve for a minute, he moved on to someone else. Knowing that was 80 percent of surviving with Steve as your neighbor. The other 20 percent was just keeping your head down.…
Which Park had momentarily forgotten. A ball of paper hit him in the back of the head.
“Those were my Human Growth and Development notes, dicklick,” Tina said.
“I’m sorry, baby,” Steve said. “I’ll teach you all about human growth and development—what do you need to know?”
“Teach her Drunken Monkey style,” somebody said.
“Park!” Steve shouted.
Park pulled down his headphones and turned to the back of the bus. Steve was holding court in the last seat. Even sitting, his head practically touched the roof. Steve always looked like he was surrounded by doll furniture. He’d looked like a grown man since the seventh grade, and that was before he grew a full beard. Slightly before.
Sometimes Park wondered if Steve was with Tina because she made him look even more like a monster. Most of the girls from the Flats were small, but Tina couldn’t be five feet. Massive hair included.
Once, back in middle school, some guy had tried to give Steve shit about how he better not get Tina pregnant because if he did, his giant babies would kill her. “They’ll bust out of her stomach like in Aliens,” the guy said. Steve broke his little finger on the guy’s face.
When Park’s dad heard, he said, “Somebody needs to teach that Murphy kid how to make a fist.” But Park hoped nobody would. The guy who Steve hit couldn’t open his eyes for a week.
Park tossed Tina her balled-up homework. She caught it.
“Park,” Steve said, “tell Mikey about Drunken Monkey karate.”
“I don’t know anything about it.” Park shrugged.
“But it exists, right?”
“I guess I’ve heard of it.”
“There,” Steve said. He looked for something to throw at Mikey, but couldn’t find anything. He pointed instead. “I fucking told you.”
“What the fuck does Sheridan know about kung fu?” Mikey said.
“Are you retarded?” Steve said. “His mom’s Chinese.”
Mikey looked at Park carefully. Park smiled and narrowed his eyes. “Yeah, I guess I see it,” Mikey said. “I always thought you were Mexican.”
“Shit, Mikey,” Steve said, “you’re such a fucking racist.”
“She’s not Chinese,” Tina said. “She’s Korean.”
“Who is?” Steve asked.
“Park’s mom.”
Park’s mom had been cutting Tina’s hair since grade school. They both had the exact same hairstyle: long spiral perms with tall feathered bangs.
“She’s fucking hot is what she is,” Steve said, cracking himself up. “No offense, Park.”
Park managed another smile and slunk back into his seat, putting his headphones back on and cranking up the volume. He could still hear Steve and Mikey, four seats behind him.
“But what’s the fucking point?” Mikey asked.
“Dude, would you want to fight a drunk monkey? They’re fucking huge. Like Every Which Way But Loose, man. Imagine that bastard losing his shit on you.”
Park noticed the new girl at about the same time everybody else did. She was standing at the front of the bus, next to the first available seat.
There was a kid sitting there by himself, a freshman. He put his bag down on the seat beside him, then looked the other way. All down the aisle, anybody who was sitting alone moved to the edge of their seats. Park heard Tina snicker; she lived for this stuff.
The new girl took a deep breath and stepped farther down the aisle. Nobody would look at her. Park tried not to, but it was kind of a train wreck/eclipse situation.
The girl just looked like exactly the sort of person this would happen to.
Not just new—but big and awkward. With crazy hair, bright red on top of curly. And she was dressed like … like she wanted people to look at her. Or maybe like she didn’t get what a mess she was. She had on a plaid shirt, a man’s shirt, with half a dozen weird necklaces hanging around her neck and scarves wrapped around her wrists. She reminded Park of a scarecrow or one of the trouble dolls his mom kept on her dresser. Like something that wouldn’t survive in the wild.
The bus stopped again, and a bunch more kids got on. They pushed past the girl, knocking into her, and dropped into their own seats.
That was the thing—everybody on the bus already had a seat. They’d all claimed one on the first day of school. People like Park, who were lucky enough to have a whole seat to themselves, weren’t going to give that up now. Especially not for someone like this.
Park looked back up at the girl. She was just standing there.
“Hey, you,” the bus driver yelled, “sit down!”
The girl started moving toward the back of the bus. Right into the belly of the beast. God, Park thought, stop. Turn around. He could feel Steve and Mikey licking their chops as she got closer. He tried again to look away.
Then the girl spotted an empty seat just across from Park. Her face lit with relief, and she hurried toward it.
“Hey,” Tina said sharply.
The girl kept moving.
“Hey,” Tina said, “Bozo.”
Steve started laughing. His friends fell in a few seconds behind him.
“You can’t sit there,” Tina said. “That’s Mikayla’s seat.”
The girl stopped and looked up at Tina, then looked back at the empty seat.
“Sit down,” the driver bellowed from the front.
“I have to sit somewhere,” the girl said to Tina in a firm, calm voice.
“Not my problem,” Tina snapped. The bus lurched, and the girl rocked back to keep from falling. Park tried to turn the volume up on his Walkman, but it was already all the way up. He looked back at the girl; it looked like she was starting to cry.
Before he’d even decided to do it, Park scooted toward the window.
“Sit down,” he said. It came out angrily. The girl turned to him, like she couldn’t tell whether he was another jerk or what. “Jesus-fuck,” Park said softly, nodding to the space next to him, “just sit down.”
The girl sat down. She didn’t say anything—thank God, she didn’t thank him—and she left six inches of space on the seat between them.
Park turned toward the Plexiglas window and waited for a world of suck to hit the fan.

Copyright © 2013 by Rainbow Rowell

(Continues...)Excerpted from Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. Copyright © 2014 by Rainbow Rowell. Excerpted by permission of St. Martin's Press.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008SAZHLQ
Publisher ‏ : ‎ St. Martin's Griffin; Special ed. edition (February 26, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 26, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 575 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 335 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #84,698 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)

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4.4 28,768 ratings

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Rainbow Rowell

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Rainbow Rowell writes all kinds of stuff.

Sometimes she writes about adults (ATTACHMENTS, LANDLINE). Sometimes she writes about teenagers (ELEANOR & PARK, FANGIRL). Sometimes — actually, a lot of the time — she writes about lovesick vampires and guys with dragon wings (THE SIMON SNOW TRILOGY).

Recently, she’s been writing short stories. Her first collection, SCATTERED SHOWERS, is out now. She also writes the monthly SHE-HULK comic for Marvel.

Rainbow lives in Omaha, Nebraska.

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lily hanks 🪩

Good Book!

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2024

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Rainbow Rowell's "Eleanor & Park" is a poignant tale that resonates deeply with readers of all ages. Set against the backdrop of 1980s Omaha, Nebraska, this novel beautifully captures the complexities of adolescence, first love, and the challenges of navigating life's uncertainties.

From the moment I opened the book, I was drawn into the world of Eleanor and Park - two misfit teenagers whose unlikely bond transcends social boundaries and societal expectations. Rowell's writing is both raw and tender, immersing the reader in the characters' innermost thoughts and emotions as they grapple with family issues, peer pressure, and the exhilarating highs and devastating lows of young love.

What sets "Eleanor & Park" apart is its authenticity. Rowell doesn't shy away from addressing difficult topics such as bullying, domestic violence, and body image issues, yet she infuses the narrative with moments of humor, hope, and genuine human connection. The characters feel incredibly real, flawed yet undeniably relatable, and their journey is both heartwarming and heart-wrenching in equal measure.

As someone who grew up during the same time period depicted in the novel, I found myself nodding along to the references to mixtapes, comic books, and cassette players, which added an extra layer of nostalgia and familiarity to the story. However, "Eleanor & Park" is far more than just a nostalgic trip down memory lane - it's a timeless coming-of-age tale that transcends generational boundaries and speaks to the universal experiences of love, loss, and self-discovery.

In conclusion, "Eleanor & Park" is a beautifully written and emotionally resonant novel that will stay with me long after I've turned the final page. Whether you're a teenager navigating the tumultuous waters of adolescence or an adult reflecting on the innocence and intensity of first love, this book is sure to capture your heart and leave a lasting impression. Highly recommended for anyone in search of a captivating and unforgettable read.

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Tash50Tash50

Heart rending and worthy with depth. (Includes Reading Age Suggestion)

Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2013

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I picked this book up for some light reading on a day home sick from work. I saw the high reviews and thought, not my typical read and I certainly am not the target demographic but, I'll give it a whirl.

I wasn't expecting what I received from reading this book. How to explain what I did get...and the following isn't intended to be melodramatic.

I was sucker punched, emotionally invested (hugely), horrified, awed, saddened, at times uplifted, grateful for some aspects of human nature and then human nature made me horrified by morally repugnant events. I guess what I'm trying to communicate without being overly sappy (and failing) how much this book made me feel. Highs and lows. It was demoralizing and insightful at the same time. There are so many simple moments of raw emotion on each opposite end of the spectrum and they transition so rapidly, you find yourself going, whoah how'd we get here when we were literally just over there? But in a good way.

It is an emotional roller coaster, but one of simplicity. The writing is fairly clean and well presented. The characters are complex in their simplicity and they invoked strong reactions in me. I wanted to get to the next sentence, paragraph, and page as quickly as possible to find out more about them. I was cheering and jeering alternately for almost each primary figure and several secondary ones.

The book starts a little slow and then when you're not looking or expecting it, your stomach drops out on you, just like riding a roller coaster. All of a sudden your roped into this complex scenario which almost everyone who's been in high school has experienced to a lesser or greater degree. (I mean the broad picture of high school and interactions within that framework not necessarily what specific circumstances that occur with the female lead. I don't want to elaborate so as not to give away the story.)

The writer sets her hook in you without you knowing it, and slowly begins to reel you in and then wham - you're in the boat and being filleted thinking how did that happen so quick? I couldn't put this down (but again starts a wee bit slowly) and tore through it.

The author alternates viewpoints without rehashing the same events to death and keeps a very good rhythm and flow. She doesn't answer all the questions for you or wrap everything in a pretty package for you. It's gritty and raw enough to sink your teeth into and yet still leaves room for you to form your own opinion about where the story takes you and how it ends.

It is not a warm fuzzy happy book in most ways but there is redemption and hope in the bleakness that does make it worthy and not a tragedy entirely. I feel as though I'm not doing the story justice with this review but I don't know how else to word this tale. It's sad and inspiring with sarcasm and loathing and real life undiluted through teenagers eyes who are dealing with feelings and experiences that is beyond their years that they shouldn't have to deal with but are none the less. And they do so while experiencing and exploring normal facets of growing up. I guess that's the summation. It blends what is normal and right with what isn't and it doesn't sugar coat the journey while doing so.

I hope you read it. It was worth it and then some. Sorry for the long review but for such a short read it has so much depth that it's difficult to write about the reading experience of it (particularly without spoilers) and convey all its beauty and sadness.

P.S. after posting my review I noticed most of the other reviews were by people who were given copies to read for reviews. I paid for this book and felt it mandatory to say I bought this. There's nothing wrong with that system but sometimes I wonder about those reviews. Are they truthful. Well for this book, I agree conclusively that the reviews were merited in my opinion.

If I could've I would've given 4.5 stars. Enjoy.

EDIT on 7 July 14: I recently re-read this book again due to how wonderful and touching I think this story is. (I swear it gets better every time I read it). Previously, my review garnered some questions regarding what my opinion was on what age level was appropriate for reading this book. My initial review didn't touch on this topic - but you can see some of the comments/discussions on that topic if you hit the comments button below my review. I figured I should go back, edit, and add "my opinion" in the up-front review - this is especially relevant as when I re-read the book this time - I did it with that very topic in my mind.

This book has some graphic language in it. To be clear - the areas that deal with the graphic language and subject matter are a part of the story line and have relevance to the story/plot. It is not just thrown in for the heck of it. It reflects how some (not all) persons of the age group in this book talk however, the truly graphic language (and scenarios) I'm specifically speaking of - without trying to give away the story - have a direct nexus to the plot of the book. This is a young adult book with crossovers to adult readers, but some parents may find some of the subject matter or language objectionable for their children depending on their age/maturity.

I can't speak for every child nor parent out there or what they deem appropriate, want, or don't want their child to read. I can say that after re-reading this book with a young adult audience in mind - parents may want to read the book prior to making a decision based on your child's maturity level. I think 15+ is reasonable (again this is a broad based statement and shouldn't be taken as a blanket response). If you allow your child to watch Rated "R" movies than you may not have an issue with the limited explicit language in this book. Make no mistake, this book has very little to do with throwing around explicit content just to throw it around. It plays a role in the story. It is a touching tale that has aspects which deal with a teenager who is exposed to a negative situation, and that is where the language plays into it. But there is more to the plot of this story than just that negative situation. I'd be very sorry if someone completely missed ever reading this superb story based solely on some limited dialogue. There are very innocent and beautiful aspects of the story as well - which are the majority. The language and scenario I am speaking of is a part of the story, but there are many aspects of the story which are perfectly acceptable and, in my opinion, those aspects are not objectionable.

I wouldn't dismiss this story out of hand because of the language. If you are on-the-fence regarding subject matter content, I would suggest reading the book yourself to decide if it is suitable for your child. It is a worthwhile read for an adult as well. You may end up wanting to wait to let your child read it or deem it OK. In either case I think it is safe to say many people who read this book to screen it for their children will find it moving and heart rending.

This book was written with the intent of young adults in mind, and has receive awards/nominations in the young adults genre. I hope this assists a little more with determining the age level.

131 people found this helpful

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Hpervez

Unputdownable

Reviewed in Canada on June 26, 2022

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Gripping. Real. Immersive. Brought back so many childhood memories, and trauma. It was like reading one long poem. Beautiful book.

Eleonora Lilith D'Elia

Eleanor&Park lingua inglese

Reviewed in Italy on August 7, 2023

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Arrivato in tempo. Ottime condizioni.

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Alexandre Zuin Alegria

Adorable romance, poetic prose

Reviewed in Brazil on June 14, 2020

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Love the author's way of writing, abstract and intense in describing feelings and sensations. Really sells the young romance, the intensity of being a teen and feeling everything for the first time, something I personally appreciate now more than ever, having come out of that fase not long ago.

2 people found this helpful

Maria A

Mi libro favorito de todos los tiempos

Reviewed in Spain on April 19, 2020

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Cierto es que yo me leído este libro idioma que no es el mío nativo pero nací se me ha hecho un lenguaje muy ligero un libro nada pesado de capítulos muy cortos. Una historia de amor muy bien desarrollada de poco en poco para nada insta-love. Muy recomendable eso si el final sin decir spoilers hay opiniones de todo tipo de gente que le parece perfecto y gente que está muy en desacuerdo en mi opinión es un final que encaja que no era el que me hubiera gustado pero creo que es el correcto. Además envió y estado del producto perfecto.

One person found this helpful

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LadyRings

Reseña de empaque no del libro.

Reviewed in Mexico on April 26, 2018

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Acabo de recibir mi producto el día de hoy. La reseña en sí no es sobre el libro -el libro es bellísimo y si te gusta la lectura teen adult, te lo súper recomiendo, todos los de Rainbow tienen ese algo especial 5 estrellas-, sino la manera en que venía empacado. Es sabido que si compramos una edición de colección es porque nos gusta coleccionar, vaya, los libros especiales. Pero éste en particular venía mal empacado, sin protección, moviéndose de un lado a otro y llegó con una esquina rota. Estoy decepcionada, normalmente todos los empaques vienen muy bien protegidos.

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Eleanor & Park

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