CBR10Bingo: Home Sweet Home Growing up in Nebraska, Willa Cather was required reading. I loved loved loved My Ántonia in junior high, but I soured on her after reading O Pioneers! and hating the bummer of a preachy ending. When I first saw the Home Sweet Home square, I thought I might have to give one of her other books a try until I remembered I have a new favorite Nebraska author, thanks to CBR: Rainbow Rowell! Eleanor & Park went right to my wishlist […]
I Wasn’t As Attached As I Wanted to be…but as I wrote the review, I found that I was
I’ve realized that I’m an odd sort of Rainbow Rowell fan. I liked Eleanor and Park ok-enough. I think I liked the idea of it more than the execution of it. I embraced the nostalgia of the time and of first love but it’s not really a book that I’ll revisit…nor do I ever recommend it to my friends (that’s telling to me). I know that this is blasphemy in these parts and I apologize. But I liked Eleanor and Park enough to read Landline…and […]
I Wanted You to Love Me Like You Used to Do
I first read Eleanor and Park a few years ago. A friend had asked me to join her at a reading by Rainbow Rowell, so I read this in preparation. Eleanor and Park is the perfect introduction to Rowell, and just a wonderful book in general. Probably most of you know the story by now. Two teenagers–Eleanor, a misfit with a terrible home life, and Park, an average Joe who feels alienated from his family and classmates, meet, connect, and eventually fall in love. Teen […]
Puppy love, 80s style
I’m not so much a reader of YA, but Rowell, deservedly, gets a lot of praise and I’ve heard nothing but good things about Eleanor and Park. I liked it fine, but it’s not one that really sticks to my ribs. Summary: It’s 1986, Eleanor is a new kid in high school in Omaha. She meets Park on the school bus — Eleanor dresses weird and comes from a rough family background; Park is biracial and generally just tries to keep his head down. They bond […]