Eleanor and Park Reflection

Eleanor & Park Reflection

Although this book started off pretty slow, I ended up getting really into it and I couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed the book, in fact I cried when I finished it, not because of the ending necessarily, but because it was over and there was no more surprises to look forward to. I generally loved the whole book, from the plot to every aspect of the characters, to the twist ending that I wasn't really expecting. To be honest, this book affected me so much that I actually became interested in reading again. I used to read when I was younger but ever since we were required to read books in school I stopped reading for fun. And now I've started again, I already have a list of books I want to read! Reading this book for my pleasure was much different then reading assigned books from class. Because reading for pleasure makes me want to read and keeps me interested because I pick the book from my favorite genres. However, reading assigned books in class usually bore me and make me hate reading because it feels like it's a chore that I have to do. Occasionally, we do read a book in class that I enjoy, for example, I enjoyed Catcher in the Rye and I enjoyed to Kill a Mockingbird from last year. They both had powerful messages and kept me intrigued until the very end. Additionally, with assigned books to read I try to keep up with the reading and the work that follows, however with an independent reading book, I tend to fall behind or forget to do the work because I get too into my book. And although I didn't finish my book until pretty much the last minute, I do have to say that I did track the character development, I was able to identify the theme, and made connections with other things I've read as well as my personal life and my interests. For example, one reason I believe I was so attached to this book was because I love music, all kinds of music, and this book intertwined music with a beautiful love story. It was truly amazing how they bonded over music and various bands that they loved to listen to, because I knew a lot of the bands they talked about and it just filled me with joy whenever they mentioned their names. And although I loved this book and payed close attention to details, character changes, and the theme, I do believe that I have some things I need to work on. I need to work on keeping up with my reading so I don't finish last minute, and I need to work on being able to identify literary devices because I normally don't even notice them or disregard them while I read. But overall, this was a great reading experience that made me want to read more, especially books written by Rainbow Rowell, who wrote the book I read.

-Giuliana Ponterotto