I'm not yet over Eleanor & Park, neither should you be.

I came across some news. Oh, just you know, normal news. Eleanor & Park is going to be a motion picture. You know, by DreamWorks. Okay? Spazz out with me. 

In case you don't believe me... Read on, fandom!

Big Red is headed to the big screen.  

The girl with the flaming curls (and not-so-flattering nickname) from Eleanor & Park and
her soft-spoken, comic-book-loving crush will soon be getting the cinematic treatment, with DreamWorks Studios picking up film rights to Rainbow Rowell’s bestselling novel.

“Every girl who has read it says, ‘That was me in high school, or that was me in 7th grade,’” Holly Bario, DreamWorks president of production, tells EW. “It reminded all of us of our own sort of awkwardness, or family dysfunction.

The studio was drawn to the teenage love story for the same reason as its legions of fans. “It’s not the typical story where the ugly duckling is in love with the hot guy,” Bario says. “They’re both trying to find their way. They’re both outcasts.”

Set in 1986, and following one school year in Omaha, the novel follows the tentative romance of two 16-year-olds: Eleanor, a somewhat heavy girl overwhelmed by insecurities and trying to survive an abusive household, and Park, the quiet, half-Korean kid who also doesn’t feel like he fits in, but finds refuge in music and comic books. 

After its publication in February 2013, the book spent 12 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list, and has inspired a passionate, devoted following. 

“The book is uniquely structured in that one chapter is told by Eleanor and one chapter is told from Park’s perspective, and they alternate,” Bario points out. “So we’re trying to figure out how to do that in a movie. There are all storts of groovy stylistic things you could do with voice over, or words on the screen, but we want something that’s realRainbow.” 

With that in mind, Rowell – who is repped by UTA — has also been hired to write the screenplay. “She’s in the middle of writing another book, so we’re patiently waiting for her,” Bario said. 

Already on board the project are producer Carla Hacken, who as a studio executive oversaw Walk the Line and The Devil Wears Prada, and executive producer Matt Kennedy (the upcoming Predestination.)

Once the script is in, a director and cast will be attached. DreamWorks hopes to start shooting in 2015. 

But fans don’t need to wait for that … Who would YOU cast in the two main roles? Better to go with unknowns, or find a pair of young actors already on the rise?

           [source: http://insidemovies.ew.com]

And also: how awesome is this fanmade poster? I stumbled upon this on Tumblr. Credits to Antonette of The-Manila-Institute.

We're definitely waiting for this one. 

Peace. Love. Awesomeness.

//c xx.

Rainbow Rowell | Eleanor & Park

     I have started this book like, a month ago but had to put it down because of finals coming up. Then it went forgotten, until my best friend one day asked me if have read it. I was asking for some light-reads and she suggested that I read it.

     To be honest, I was able to afford putting it down the first time because I had the impression of it just being some YA novel with quotable quotes and not much deep impact. But before I knew it, I was ugly-crying under the covers at 2am just because.

***

Two misfits. One extraordinary love.

Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.

Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.

Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. 

[via Goodreads]

***

     This is the first book by Rainbow Rowell that I have read. First things first: how cute is her name, right? Pseudonym or not, I like it. Not that it matters, but still. The name also made me think that the the author was a guy sorry but then I thought what guy would actually name himself rainbow? So I figured it was the last name that got me thinking of a Mr. Rowell so yeah.

[Read further and you might spoil yourself.]

     Of all the things that I love about this book, the one thing that got me is the way that the author presented Eleanor. She's a redhead, and as if that's not enough reason to get bullied, she is also huge. I just don't know if it is chubby-huge or huge-huge, but in my mind it was renaissance model-huge. And she dresses differently from the others, which made me think, "WHYYYY? Aren't bullied girls supposed to be wanting to blend in, not stand out?" But then, girl. That's what you call genius character development.

     So... Park. Park the Asian kid who grew up in a conducive-to-growing-up household is selfish. Compared to Eleanor, his only problem aside from a episodal identity crisis is looking for his father's approval. Oh yeah, and his schoolmates'. But that's pretty much it! He gets fed accordingly, he has both his parents, he has material things (thus the comics and all those records) and he had some good looks in there. I don't even get why he thinks he's an outcast, he could pretty much get in the crowd if he wants to. #YouHaveTheIDatedTinaCardSoGoPlayYouDumbass #PlusYouCanKickAssOkay

     But then we have the other Park. Eleanor's Park. The Park who is pretty in eyeliner. The Park who is deep and caring and selfless. The Park who is too adorable that even Eleanor who hates the word fell in love with. Need I say more?

     Fast forward to the main conflict - the time when Eleanor realized that her life in Omaha was so screwed up so she needs to go to her uncle's. I WAS TORN. To bits. I knew that she needs to get away from that asshole stepfather of hers but then she needs to leave Park. Why is the world so cruel?

     How can I pull myself together after that last chapter, though? What are those 3 words, even? How could you, Rainbow Rowell? You made me fall in love with the idea of first love and then you broke my heart. Cruel, but pure genius.

    I love it and I hate it at the same time, if there is such feeling at all. I love and hate it so much that it hurts. It hurts how much I ship Eleanor & Park and I hate how much I love their respective points of view. I hate how Rainbow Rowell made me feel like an unfortunately deprived and abused teenage girl and I hate how she made me fall in love with the idea of falling in love. I hate it that she took it all away in the blink of an eye, and left me hanging, asking myself what three words would I have written if I was Eleanor.

I give it:

Rock on.