Eleanor & Park by Rainbow RowellMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
The story of a girl with a "difficult" home life (to say the least) and her burgeoning relationship with a indie-music loving boy, set in Omaha in 1986, Eleanor & Park is a good, quick read. Much sadder and darker than I expected, given it's "young adult" pedigree, I felt it was surprisingly sophisticated in language and tone. The only thing "young" about it was the plot that felt somewhat plodding and simplistic, like I was a step ahead of the narrative most of the time as it moved from A to B to C as expected. That said, I was on board with the characters throughout, and compelled to get to the ending. The world and situations felt real and heart-wrenching and the characters authentic. With one notable (and unfortunate) exception there aren't clear-cut "good guys" or "bad guys," etc -- everyone (with that one ugly exception) is nuanced and human and the emotional core of the story rings authentic. This novel didn't change my perception of young love or high school struggles or open new windows to the human heart, but I nevertheless enjoyed reading from start to stop.
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