Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

35 reviews

remindmetoread's review against another edition

emotional funny reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

First read 2015.
This book was wonderful. Every sentence put butterflies in my stomach. Pretty much. I feel like Rainbow Rowell captured the first love experience so well. A lot better than Romeo & Juliet. It's so fantastic. So cute. So everything. I was feeling so nostalgic because I've never read a book so relatable of young love. I felt like Eleanor & Park understood me and it was so beautifully written.

Update: I stand by my original review. I still felt the same feelings reading this book 9 years a part. It just really takes me back to being in love in high school. I know there's problems in this book with race, but I really just chuck it up to the time period. The author is a white woman, so I did question if it's her place to create a perspective of a half-Korean family. Were there sensitivity readers? Is this a good representation of a Korean woman marrying a white man who came to her country for war? All that was in the back of my mind, but when I don't think too hard about it, I just love what Eleanor and Park are able to make out of their situations. It just felt so high school. How did Rainbow Rowell capture it so well? How could she transport me like that? Not that I had the exact experiences of Eleanor. It was just the feelings. It triggered giddiness for me. I was overwhelmed with heart eyes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, and Violence

Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, and Xenophobia

manudonato's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Racism, Toxic relationship, Stalking, and Abandonment

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Homophobia, Violence, Blood, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

relapsedheretic's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I read this again every few years, and every single time it never fails to make me both laugh and cry

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Pedophilia, Abandonment, and Alcohol

Minor: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Blood, and War

lisewolters's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming and Bullying

Moderate: Cursing, Domestic abuse, and Violence

Minor: Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Abandonment, and Alcohol

geurimgirl's review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

A cute and bittersweet love story that makes you feel like you’re in high school again

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Content Warnings

Minor: Pedophilia and Violence

leontyna's review against another edition

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I don't know how to rate it, on one hand reading this book feels like a teen experience and I liked most of the premise, on the other hand there are numerous issues with the way it's written. I read it in translation, so I wasn't even aware of some of them until I read some reviews (for example the slurs).
I picked it up from the library because I enjoyed Rowell's other books. I was aware of the problematic depiction of race in this one but I wanted to make my own opinion, so I decided to read it. Having finished it, I agree that Rowell made many unfortune choices writing it. There are parts that seem fine but on the whole I just wish Park wasn't Korean, since clearly the author didn't have much idea about the culture and there is so much explicit and subtle racism in the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Fatphobia, Racial slurs, and Racism

Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Violence

Minor: Addiction

alex_k99's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Violence, and Sexual harassment

The system wouldn't let me add parental neglect, but watch out for that if it's a difficult topic

bettymer91's review against another edition

dark lighthearted reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, and Violence

marlee_grace's review against another edition

dark lighthearted sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

I really wanted to like this book. It was sweet and I liked the characters, I really saw them. But I just found the entire plot dragged on way too long. Slow burn for a disappointing ending with strings left untied. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Violence, and Cultural appropriation

lj_baldwin's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

The story sometimes felt like it was not going anywhere which could be frustrating. I also initially thought the book would be a much more mushy read, and more heavily music focus than it turned out to be. What I found instead was a pure love between incompatible people (maybe more a matter of incompatible lives and experiences), and a behavioural pattern from Eleanor that on a personal note was too triggering at times. I'm not sure yet if I "liked" it, but at the very least can say that Rainbow Rowell's writing was pleasant enough to make it a quick reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence