Reading guide for Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Reading Guide Questions

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Eleanor says she and Park are too young for true love. Do you believe that? Do you think Eleanor believes that?
2. How do Eleanor and Park's parents shape their outlook on relationships and the future?
3. Is Eleanor's mother a good mother? Why does she stay with Richie?
4. Why does Park's mother change her mind about Eleanor?
5. How is Park's relationship with his mother different from his relationship with his father? Who sees Park more clearly, his father or his mother?
6. Why is Park embarrassed by Eleanor? Is his embarrassment a betrayal?
7. Steve says that he's Park's friend - is he a true friend? Are Steve and Tina good guys or bad guys in the story? Do you think Eleanor and Tina could ever be friends?
8. How would Eleanor and Park's relationship be different in 2013? How would cell phones, digital music, and Internet access change their situation?
9. What is the importance of music in Park's life? And how is it different for Eleanor?
10. Was Eleanor right to run away? Should she have left her brothers and sister behind? Was there more she could have done to help them?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Wednesday Books. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.