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Rainbow Rowell Biography, Books, and Similar Authors

Author Biography  | Interview  | Books by this Author  | Read-Alikes

Rainbow Rowell
Photo: Augusten Burroughs

Rainbow Rowell

Rainbow Rowell Biography

Sometimes Rainbow Rowell writes about adults (Attachments and Landline).

Sometimes she writes about teenagers (Eleanor & Park, Fangirl and Carry On).

But she always writes about people who talk a lot. And people who feel like they're screwing up. And people who fall in love.

When she's not writing, Rainbow is reading comic books, planning Disney World trips and arguing about things that don't really matter in the big scheme of things.

She lives in Nebraska with her husband and two sons.

Rainbow Rowell's website

This bio was last updated on 06/01/2017. In a perfect world, we would like to keep all of BookBrowse's biographies up to date, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's simply impossible to do. So, if the date of this bio is not recent, you may wish to do an internet search for a more current source, such as the author's website or social media presence. If you are the author or publisher and would like us to update this biography, send the complete text and we will replace the old with the new.

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Interview

Author Rainbow Rowell discusses first love and whether any of the characters in Eleanor & Park are based on her.

  • What inspired you to write a misfits-in-love story like Eleanor & Park
    I have always, always wanted to write a first love story. I feel like, when you're 16, you have the greatest-ever capacity for romantic love. You fall in love with every cell of your body. But, at the same time, at that age, you have so little to offer the person you love. You don't belong to yourself quite yet—you still have school and your parents, you don't even have your own space…And you also know that what you're feeling probably won't last. First love usually doesn't. There's a built-in tragedy to falling (truly) in love when you're 16. It's like every 16-year-old in love is either Romeo or Juliet. That is what I wanted to write about.

  • Do you see yourself in any of the characters?
    Ha! I see myself in all the characters! I think I was a lot like Eleanor when I was in high school. I was cynical about love and romance - and the future. But I was never as tough or as hard as she is. I was never that cool. And I identify with Park, too - that feeling Park has that he can't afford to draw attention to himself. I remember feeling like that.

  • Eleanor & Park covers a lot of ground, from difficult family ...

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Books by this Author

Books by Rainbow Rowell at BookBrowse
Slow Dance jacket Carry On jacket Landline jacket Fangirl jacket
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Read-Alikes

All the books below are recommended as read-alikes for Rainbow Rowell but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose read-alikes

  • Sherman Alexie

    Sherman Alexie

    Sherman J. Alexie, Jr., was born in October 1966. A Spokane/Coeur d'Alene Indian, he grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Wellpinit, Washington, about 50 miles northwest of Spokane. Approximately 1,100 Spokane Tribal ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Fangirl

    Try:
    The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
    by Sherman Alexie

  • Cris Beam

    Cris Beam

    Cris Beam is the author of Transparent and has written for public radio's This American Life, as well as for several national magazines. She has an MFA in writing from Columbia and teaches creative writing at Columbia, NYU, ... (more)

    If you enjoyed:
    Fangirl

    Try:
    I Am J
    by Cris Beam

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