Character Spotlight: Eleanor & Park

Eleanor
Eleanor & Park
by Rainbow Rowell

I absolutely loved Eleanor when I read this book. I thought she was funny, smart, and quirky. I loved her so much that I worried about her the entire time I was reading this book. In fact, I still worry a little about her and it’s been a few weeks.

Things I really like about Eleanor:

• She’s smart and sarcastic. Nothing is better than a character who can be funny/sarcastic, and still be smart. You’re not going to find yourself laughing at her because she accidentally says something stupid.
• She has her own style. I know part of her style comes out of her need to hide the clothes that are falling apart or dirty, but she’s made it her own. She adds different trinkets to her outfits that make her a little more interesting.
• Despite her life and all the terrible things she’s dealing with, you don’t feel pity for her. Don’t get me wrong, like I said, I worry about still, but do I feel sorry for her? No. I should, yes, and at times that was a part of my feelings towards, but I never felt like she was demanding of pity.

Things I don’t really like about Eleanor:

• Her self-consciousness. Hey, we’re all self-conscious about something. I’m not exactly the most confident person in the world, but I cared so much about Eleanor, that I wanted her to be more confident. It does happen slowly, but I wanted it for her.
• I hate that she didn’t open up to Park sooner. I wanted her to be more truthful, but I understand why she wasn’t. I get that. And it’s not that i wanted Park to fix it all for her, I just wanted her to confide in someone so they could help her--earlier than she did.

I loved Eleanor & Park--check out my review here to see more details why-- so it’s not that I didn’t like Eleanor. Like I said, I loved her and her flaws really helped make her who she is. Also, now that I’ve written this, I’m realizing that the things I don’t like about her, are the things I don’t exactly like about myself. Hmmmm...