I know it's been sluggish to update, but I've finally finished reading my novel of the week (although, it did take me two weeks, because of reasons). So grab a cup of tea, sit back, and enjoy the thrilling recount of what my impression of Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor and Park.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with this piece of literary genius, Eleanor and Park is a young adult fiction novel which follows the experiences of two teenagers, a girl (Eleanor) and a boy (Park), as they meet and slowly fall in love.
Of course, it's never that simple, and there are many challenges the pair must face, but it's an incredible heart-warming journey (even if it doesn't have a conventional happily ever after).
So, with the basics out of the way, let's move on to my thoughts, and what this novel meant to me.
To be honest, this book didn't speak to me like some of my other favourites, but it was still a really fun and interesting read. It had been suggested to me by multiple people who all held it in high regard, and I was really excited to get my hands on a copy, but I think this excitement and the regard of others lead me to have extremely high expectations, rather than being able to read it and enjoy it for what I myself believed it to be.
So, all in all, while it was still a fantastic piece of literary work, for me it was a little too slow paced and somewhat compared to what I was expecting.
Another reason I may have been underwhelmed by the novel is that, within the first few chapters, I was reminded not only of several books I has to read for school purposes, but also of my own ill experiences at the entertainment of my peers.
So, that was less impartial on my part.
I did, however, enjoy the last several chapters or so, as there was just so much happening and I was probably in a much better mindset for that side of things - rather than the slow build romance of the teens, and their various differences.
So, as it did take me two weeks to complete (and a further few weeks to review), I can't say that it was the greatest book I've ever read, but it really was something special, and to me that's still very important.
I will definitely be reading this particular gem again, because it really is a fantastic piece of fiction, even if I wasn't in the right mind to enjoy it the first time.
Have you ever fallen in love? What is your opinion about 'young love'? Can it withstand the test of time? Let me know in the comments what you think!
I have to apologize again for how long this took me to update, but I've been without a computer and a lot of the time my internet is a little shady. Next review shouldn't be too long, though, as I've finally got a new laptop and a bucket load of inspiration.
Enjoy going back to work and school, for those of you who do. I'll continue to sit here drinking tea and reading whatever comes into my hands next.
-Em xx
