First Pages: Eleanor & Park

Excerpt from the first page of Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor and Park.

Eleanor & Park First Lines:

Happy sigh. Rainbow Rowell starts off her book with music.  Not surprising, I suppose, since Eleanor and Park are both pictured with headphones on the book cover.  But this hooked me right away--and I'm not sure I realized the book was set in the 80s at first.  However, Rowell establishes time right away with the mention of mixed tapes and a tape deck.  And the Impala.  Just re-reading this beginning makes me want to re-read the whole novel, even if (SPOILER ALERT, MAYBE) I was disappointed with the ending since it was a non-ending to me.

Side note: I loved even more the fact that Park is of mixed heritage in the middle of Nebraska.  In the 80s.  Man, I can just imagine what that may have been like even though I am not mixed and I grew up in a CA suburb in the 80s.  Add in Park's love of The Smiths and I'm hooked.

[For further insight into my thoughts about Eleanor & Park, click here.

The preface from Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. To be honest, I'd forgotten there was a preface!

Tell Dr. Bookworm!

What do you think of the beginning of Eleanor & Park?

What's your favorite mixed tape you've made?  (For newer generations: this is like making a playlist.  But limited time. What's your fave playlist?)