Andrea Tries to Review: Eleanor & Park (Chic Lit Week: Day 1)
I guess I should have explained the whole "Chic Lit Week" idea on a separate post before writing this one, but, alas, I am very lazy. Anyway, I wanted to take a break from dystopian novels and sci-fi in general, so I took it upon myself to choose 7 chic lit (or at least I sort them as under chic lit) novels to finish. I'm not really expecting to finish all in just one week, but the whole metaphor kinda fit. The 7 books represent a week. The first book I picked up is Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.
Here's a summary from Goodreads:
Two misfits.
One extraordinary love.
Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.
Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.
Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try.
((I am yet to find out how to put Goodreads summaries in an aesthetically a pretty way, instead of just copy and pasting. If you have any idea how to do that, please bless me with your knowledge.))
If I were asked to give it the usual star rating most book critics use, I would give it 3 out of 5. But then again, I'm kind of against those star ratings. I mean, I definitely get that they help people get a good sum up of the book's greatness or okay-ness (am I still making sense?), but I feel like no book deserves just stars. Like, each book deserves a review, even if it's just a personal review that you just think up. I don't know. I think I'm speaking with too much sentiment here (Ha. Ha.), but I often feel guilty when I give a book, like just 3 stars or something. Andrea, you talk too much. Alright, let's just begin.
I'll begin with what I loved liked about this book: the characters. First off, main character, Eleanor. She was so different from all the other female protagonists I've ever met in chic lit novels. She wasn't perfectly skinny, didn't have the 'perfect' blonde hair, rosy pink cheeks and the I'm-pretty-but-insecure look and attitude. She was chubby, she had a lot of freckles, dressed weirdly, and had very wild hair. She reflected reality. She looked very real to me. She represented the actual people and not the image magazines had etched into our society's mind as pretty. Despite how different Eleanor was, Park fell in love with her. And that's another great thing about this novel. It showed that love doesn't just happen. Park didn't love Eleanor the moment he saw her. It wasn't a love based on innate appearances. He loved her when they began to share comic books and mix tapes and life stories and secrets. It was a love that never relied on aesthetics. Park wasn't the hottest guy in school, but he was in Eleanor's eyes. Everyone saw Eleanor as "Big Red", but Park saw her as art.
(source)
3
Then again, I'm not an expert writer of any kind, just another reader and amateur writer, so take this review as a grain of salt if you wish. =)
The "A" in LAMP,
Andrea
P.S. Please tell me if I should continue writing reviews (I probably will continue anyway). I know they're still super sketchy and noob-y, but I actually like doing them and it helps me practice my
P.P.S. I already finished AatFK a few weeks back, but I am yet to write a review. I WILL DEFEAT LAZINESS! I'm currently reading Lola and the Boy Next Door. It's a tie-in, if I'm not mistaken? Anyway, that's all, byyyyeee!
Ugh. Super unprofessional, Andrea.
May the comments be ever in my favor (or not)