Eleanor & Park
Warning: Very unpopular opinion about a book everyone is in love with for some reason
I found Eleanor’s behavior toward the end of the book to be appropriate to where she was and what she was going through as a character, especially after re-reading the book.
The fact that she doesn’t look like a certain kind of standardized heroine didn’t bother me, and I thought said some important things about how hard it can be to stand out as different at that age, but it sounds like I didn’t have the same issues with that aspect of the story that you did.
Her (in the moment) willingness to have unprotected sex probably reads differently today than it would have in 1986. It was a different time, some ways. And for all that she thought that, her actual actions in the story are important to consider, too.
Nothing is going to work for everyone, and just because an opinion happens to be unpopular doesn’t invalidate it, especially for something as personal as someone’s reaction to a book.
My reaction to this book was (obviously) a lot more positive than yours, but I really appreciate your willingness to share your thoughts.
Reposted from http://lies.tumblr.com/post/46388263948.
Tags: eleanor & park.
