Kindred Spirits
by Rainbow Rowell
Source: I bought an e-version from the Google Play Store
Genre: Young adult, romance, fiction, short story, contemporary
Synopsis:
'Everybody likes everything these days. The whole world is a nerd.'
'Are you mad because other people like Star Wars? Are you mad because people like me like Star Wars?'
'Maybe.'
If you broke Elena's heart, Star Wars would spill out. So when she decides to queue outside her local cinema to see the new movie, she's expecting a celebration with crowds of people who love Han, Luke and Leia just as much as she does.
What she's not expecting is to be last in a line of only three people; to have to pee into a collectible Star Wars soda cup behind a dumpster or to meet that unlikely someone who just might truly understand the way she feels.
Review:
This was actually one of the first Rainbow Rowell stories I read. I don't recall exactly how many pages there are, but it definitely is a shorter one. It felt like it could have been a bit longer, and yet it was probably just the perfect length the way it was.
Elena's father instilled in her his love of Star Wars. She had dreamed of the day she could join "the line" to wait for the release of a new movie. When she finally gets her chance, it's not quite what she was expecting. There are only two people in line: the first a hardcore Star Wars fan probably her parents' age (Troy), the other a hostile boy around her age (Gabe). She thinks that maybe the others will join as the days progress... but they never really do.
Waiting in line is a serious business, and people just don't really do it anymore. People ridicule them. Elena's mom drives by frequently trying to convince her to come home. The movie theatre managers reminds them that they can buy their tickets online in advance, there's really no need to sit in line...
As the day approaches, Elena does her best to make the most of the situation: bringing a little life to the line, posting pictures of the fun to her Instagram, and trying to befriend Gabe. Despite his reluctance and hostility, Gabe helps her out with line etiquette (and peeing behind dumpsters in the middle of the night). As the countdown to release day approaches, Elena wears Gabe down, and attracts attention to the line with her Instagram posts.
It's a quick, cute, funny read, and the ending is both sweet and funny. I enjoyed it, but it's not one of my faves, so I only rated it a 3 on Goodreads, but I'd definitely recommend it!
It's a quick, cute, funny read, and the ending is both sweet and funny. I enjoyed it, but it's not one of my faves, so I only rated it a 3 on Goodreads, but I'd definitely recommend it!
My Goodreads rating:
Yes, it was a bit shorter than her usual books, mostly because it was written for World Book Day. I loved the feeling of geekiness I got from it. I too love Star Wars, though perhaps not as much as these characters. ^^;
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll read more Rowell books. Fangirl was a favorite of mine.
I have since read both Fangirl and Carry On. I *loved* Fangirl, and Carry On was ok. :)
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