Title: Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 1 / 5
Format: Audio
Pages: 328
Length: 8h 57m
Narrator: Rebecca Lowman, Sunil Malhotra
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:
My Thoughts
I knew nothing about the story or characters when I first started reading ELEANOR & PARK. I’ve read three other Rainbow Rowell books so I was really excited to read this, and I’m sorely disappointed.
I really wish Rowell had written Park as a white person because she didn’t represent his Korean heritage very well (properly). I feel like making him half-Korean only served as a plot device to make him seem like a misfit, a huge problem in and of itself. I feel like the story suffered a great deal because of the bad Asian representation and uncomfortable descriptions of Park, Josh, and Mindy. You could definitely tell that their Korean heritage was from an outsider’s perspective.
I especially hated that the audiobook made it sound like Mindy was Chinese and not Korean. Linguistically speaking, her accent would’ve been different and she would’ve spoken English a lot better than she was portrayed to because she was immersed in English ALL. THE. TIME. She wasn’t a recent immigrant nor was she surrounded by the Korean language on a day to day basis. She also didn’t have access to Korean shows, music, or Internet links because the story’s set in the 1980s. Everything around her was English. Her broken English made her seem stupid and unable to learn the language. It annoyed the hell out of me because of my linguistic background.
I also hated that Mindy didn’t share her heritage with her sons. Park says more than once that he didn’t know what it meant to be Asian. Even if Mindy was sad to leave her country in pursuit of love, I feel like she would’ve shared her culture with her sons. The family didn’t even eat Korean food at their house. I could’ve totally gotten behind Park feeling different from the other kids in school and learning to be proud of his heritage, but none of that was explored.
I can see why there has been a lot of controversy surrounding ELEANOR & PARK and why a lot of P.O.C. readers felt uncomfortable reading it. Not only was there bad Asian representation, there was also bad Black representation. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was one of the books that was a pre-cursor to the Own Voices reading / writing movement. It definitely shows why Own Voices is important.
I did think it was a cute romance and I loved how much Eleanor and Park leaned on each other to survive their day to day hardships, but the problematic portrayal of P.O.C. characters overshadowed the good in my opinion.
The Passengers
Author: John Marrs
Series: Dark Future #2
Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller
Format: Audio
Pages: 337
Length: 11h 40m
Narrator: Clare Corbett, Roy McMillan, Tom Bateman, Shaheen Khan, Kristin Atherton, Patience Tomlinson
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:
My Thoughts
I liked the premise of THE PASSENGERS and I thought the story was very compelling. It definitely kept me reading to the end despite the fact that I hated most of the characters and found parts of the story hard to get through because of the content. *coughSofiacough* I think THE PASSENGERS is plausible except for Clare’s ability to clothe and move her large, dead husband from their bed to the trunk of their car while she was 7 months pregnant. I also think the story portrays an interesting view of Cancel Culture, social media, online anonymity, mob mentality, bipartisan politics, and the future of A.I.
A Fire Endless
Author: Rebecca Ross
Series: Elements of Cadence #2
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Spice: 2 / 5
Format: Audio
Pages: 512
Length: 16h 15m
Narrator: Ruth Urquhart
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
Also in this series: A River Enchanted
My Thoughts
I’m so happy I read A FIRE ENDLESS. It’s everything I wanted in a sequel / conclusion. I was hooked as soon as I started reading and didn’t want to put it down. I loved the Gaelic / Scottish feel to the story and I loved Ruth Urquhart’s narration. Her Scottish accent added so much to the story.
I loved seeing Adaira grab hold of her lineage without sacrificing where and how she was raised. I also loved seeing Torin and Sidra growing into their roles as Laird and Laird’s consort. I thought there was a perfect balance of romance and story, which made my heart happy!
I loved getting a chance to experience life in the West and seeing how different it was from the East. I loved learning more about the Folk, their origins and history, and their hierarchy. I especially loved being a part of the Spirits realm and seeing how it worked. I guessed Bane’s backstory and was excited to see that I was right.
An Offer From A Gentleman
Author: Julia Quinn
Series: Bridgerton #3
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance
Spice: 2.5 / 5
Format: Audio
Pages: 358
Length: 12h 22m
Narrator: Rosalyn Landor
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
Also in this series: The Duke and I, The Viscount Who Loved Me
My Thoughts
AN OFFER FROM A GENTLEMAN is my favorite of the Bridgerton series so far. I absolutely adored the Cinderella (and Ever After) retelling aspect of this one. I loved getting to know Benedict better as we don’t see or hear much from him in the previous two novels. I loved Sophie. She was the perfect stand-in for Cinderella. I especially loved the immediate connection she had with Benedict. Their banter and sexual tension was so much fun to read.
The edition I read had a second epilogue, which I enjoyed (not quite as much as the second epilogue for THE VISCOUNT WHO LOVED ME, but much more than the one for THE DUKE AND I). I loved getting to see Posey’s happy ending as well as get a glimpse into Benedict’s and Sophie’s life together.
Witch Please
Author: Ann Aguirre
Series: Fix-It Witches #1
Genre: Magical Realism, Romance
Spice: 3 / 5
Format: Audio
Pages: 368
Length: 10h 31m
Narrator: Ava Lucas
Reason Read: Just Because
Rating:
Also in this series: Boss Witch
My Thoughts
I basically read WITCH PLEASE in one sitting because I loved it so much. I loved the characters, especially Danica and Titus. Their chemistry was instant and the sexual tension between them was amazing and leaves you wanting for more, creating a cute, fast-paced steamy romance. I loved the setting and the small town feel. The description of the people, shops, and scenery had me ready to book a plane ticket so I could experience it first hand. And, thanks to the descriptions of all the pastries in Titus’ bakery, I’m craving cinnamon rolls and gingersnaps now!
I especially loved the lit bit magic and wish there had been a bit more. I loved the concept of witches and how their magic works. I would love to learn more about them.
Eleanor & Park
Author: Rainbow Rowell
Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Young Adult
Spice: 1 / 5
Format: Audio
Pages: 328
Length: 8h 57m
Narrator: Rebecca Lowman, Sunil Malhotra
Reason Read: Book Club
Rating:
My Thoughts
I knew nothing about the story or characters when I first started reading ELEANOR & PARK. I’ve read three other Rainbow Rowell books so I was really excited to read this, and I’m sorely disappointed.
I really wish Rowell had written Park as a white person because she didn’t represent his Korean heritage very well (properly). I feel like making him half-Korean only served as a plot device to make him seem like a misfit, a huge problem in and of itself. I feel like the story suffered a great deal because of the bad Asian representation and uncomfortable descriptions of Park, Josh, and Mindy. You could definitely tell that their Korean heritage was from an outsider’s perspective.
I especially hated that the audiobook made it sound like Mindy was Chinese and not Korean. Linguistically speaking, her accent would’ve been different and she would’ve spoken English a lot better than she was portrayed to because she was immersed in English ALL. THE. TIME. She wasn’t a recent immigrant nor was she surrounded by the Korean language on a day to day basis. She also didn’t have access to Korean shows, music, or Internet links because the story’s set in the 1980s. Everything around her was English. Her broken English made her seem stupid and unable to learn the language. It annoyed the hell out of me because of my linguistic background.
I also hated that Mindy didn’t share her heritage with her sons. Park says more than once that he didn’t know what it meant to be Asian. Even if Mindy was sad to leave her country in pursuit of love, I feel like she would’ve shared her culture with her sons. The family didn’t even eat Korean food at their house. I could’ve totally gotten behind Park feeling different from the other kids in school and learning to be proud of his heritage, but none of that was explored.
I can see why there has been a lot of controversy surrounding ELEANOR & PARK and why a lot of P.O.C. readers felt uncomfortable reading it. Not only was there bad Asian representation, there was also bad Black representation. I wouldn’t be surprised if this was one of the books that was a pre-cursor to the Own Voices reading / writing movement. It definitely shows why Own Voices is important.
I did think it was a cute romance and I loved how much Eleanor and Park leaned on each other to survive their day to day hardships, but the problematic portrayal of P.O.C. characters overshadowed the good in my opinion.