Book 2 – Fangirl: A Journey Into the World of Fandom

Fangirl is Rainbow Rowell’s 2^nd Young Adult book.  It was published September 10th by St. Martin’s Press and has been met with mostly positive reception.

Upon hearing the name, I was immediately enticed!  When I was younger, I was very involved in the world of Harry Potter fanfiction, so I related right away.  I understood the lingo and the passion behind fanfiction that is discussed throughout the book.

Fangirl follows Cather (Cath) Avery through her first two semesters at college.

The cover shows main character Cath behind her laptop being pestered by friend and (future) love interest Levi as she writes fanfiction.

From the get go, Cath is nervous about her new environment.  She thinks her roommate Reagan hates her, her twin sister Wren would rather room with a complete stranger than the twin she’s lived with for eighteen years, and she has no idea how to make new friends.  Her only solace is through writing “Simon Snow” fanfiction.  Simon Snow is a fictional series that bears a strong resemblance to the Harry Potter series.  Cath goes by Magicath on the interwebz and has a strong following behind her fic called “Carry On, Simon” which she has put her heart and soul in.

As someone who lived a similar lifestyle from 8^th to 10^th grade, I understood much of what Cath talked about in terms of writing fanfiction, the pressures of writing fanfiction, the online community and the fandom.  However, I’m not so sure someone who has not lived this lifestyle would like the book.  The characters and their relationships are intriguing, as are the short interludes where Cath reads her fic aloud, but I don’t quite know if someone who has never read fanfiction would read and enjoy Fangirl.

Considering I did live a similar lifestyle for a large chunk of my adolescence, I related heavily to the book and I enjoyed that there was finally a book that touched on how powerful fanfiction can be.  Many adults look down on such activities, but it truly is a wonderful creative outlet for those fans who truly do not wish the story to die once the last book finishes or the words cease to continue.  It was nice to finally have a published author acknowledge how important fanfiction is to the literate, imaginative youth of today.

Related articles

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Book 1 – Eleanor and Park: A Mirror of Teenage Inadequacy

The book cover shows the silhouettes of Eleanor and Park (L to R) and their shared bond over music.

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell is a love story between two high schoolers in 1986.  They must deal with parental troubles, school bullies, and new love simultaneously.

Eleanor is new to school and, being “chubby” and in high school, she is picked on.  Park, at first, doesn’t even talk to her because she is a new student.  However, since they are on the same bus and sit next to each other, they soon realize their shared passion for both music and comic books.  This creates a bond between them that eventually leads to holding and hands and a full-fledged relationship.

I had heard of the success of Eleanor and Park for a long time, knowing that Rainbow Rowell is emerging as a well-known author, but I had yet to read her books until recently.  Eleanor and Park is her first Young Adult novel and has been reviewed in the New York Times by acclaimed author John Green.  As a giant John Green fan, his enthusiastic review urged me to pick up the pages – or at least pick up my Kindke,

It was one of those books that you truly don’t wish to put down.  I bought it on my Kindle at 8p.m. and read until 1 when I finished.  The book dealt with heartbreak and recovery and friendship above all else and there were quite a few times when I just got the chills because something was said beautifully or some character did something touching.  We all remember being lonely in high school, not able to fit in, and Rowell encapsulates those feelings through both characters although in different ways.  Our own feelings of self-consciousness and inadequacy are mirrored back us through both points of view and we become the characters.  We emote their emotions and we hurt with them.  I laughed and cried and, at the end, my heart broke for the pair of them.

Related articles

• Best YA of 2013: ‘Eleanor & Park’ by Rainbow Rowell (examiner.com)
• Recommended Reading: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell (sonyacheney.wordpress.com)
• Rowell, Rainbow – Eleanor & Park (lostinabookblog.wordpress.com)