Ginger of the week

This week's Ginger of the week is a little bit different, I've chosen the eponymous titian character Eleanor Douglas from the book Eleanor & Park.

The novel, written by Rainbow Rowell, follows two misfits - Eleanor, a red-head with a little more junk in the trunk than the other girls in her school, difficult family life and individual style of fashion, and Park - a half-Korean, quiet boy with an eclectic music taste. The pair meet by chance on the school bus and an awkward, completely normal and relatable teenage romance blooms from there.

The book boasts a variety of themes from domestic abuse, to bullying and body image to romance - sounds horrifically dark, I know! But there is humour laced throughout the book and you learn to love Eleanor and Park, it's as if you are on their school bus too.

Rainbow Rowell, born in Nebraska, was originally a columnist writing for the Omaha World-Herald, before turning her hand to writing young adult and adult contemporary novels. In addition to Eleanor & Park, her novels Fangirl and Carry On have also received critical acclaim.

Quotes from Eleanor & Park: