As the book came to its finish, I found that it was ending differently than I thought it would. I assumed that all of the references to Romeo and Juliet would result in the deaths of at least one character. I believed this character would most likely be Eleanor based off of the beginning introduction. Yet I was proven wrong. I believe that Rainbow Rowell intended to make us think that's what would happen in the end of the story. Eleanor even poked fun at Romeo and Juliet and I thought Ms. Rowell was setting the book up for some irony that they would die in a similar way. All the hints that eluded to Shakespeare were simply there to fool us. When the moment came where it seemed most likely our characters would meet their demise, the moment passed without harm to either character.
I'll admit that I thought there was going to be some tragic ending still after Park helps Eleanor escape the town. With Eleanor ignoring him and Park becoming depressed, I honestly expected a Romeo and Juliet style suicide with Park killing himself and Eleanor herself when she found out. I know, I'm a real cheerful guy to think those things but I blame Ms. Rowell for leading me that way. I think she did a good job at leading us to think that.
My overall opinion on the book was that it was well-written but not my style of book. I liked the character development that occurred because the viewpoints swapped between Park and Eleanor, allowing us to see their thoughts. Personally, I prefer books with more action in them such as the Maze Runner, Hunger Games, and Divergent Trilogies. However, I still think that the book was okay overall and would rate it a 2.5 out of 5 on a "how I enjoyed it scale" and a 3.5 out of 5 overall.
I was also anticipating a tragic ending given the Romeo and Juliet references. In a way the ending was tragic (but... you know... minus all the death) but it was a teenager version of tragic. They were separated, very sad, no body dies, Nice!!
ReplyDeleteI still find the Romeo/Juliet comparison to be very inaccurate, and the author simply has to address it, as any awkward love story would. In the modern world, the death of a child is simply too shocking and unrealistic, comparitively to what it was in Shakespeare's life.
ReplyDeleteI though the same thing about someone dying at the end of the story. In my mind i could see a fatal car accident caused by Richie chasing Eleanor.
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea to rate the book. I didn't think it would end too tragically, and I'm glad it didn't. The author kept it realistic and I appreciate it.
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