By John Green
Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs back into his life- dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge-he follows.After their all-nighter ends and a new day break, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. But Q soon learns that there are clues-and they're for him. Urged down a disconnected path, the closer he gets, the less Q sees the girl he thought he knew
Funny how you always think u will have something to say and then when you sit down to write a "review" your mind goes blank and the only thing you can think of to write is ; "yeah, I liked the book."
So please forgive my writing block as I plod through my thoughts.
John Green has got to be one of my favorite new authors. His characters are always quirky and likable and Paper Towns is no different.
In this book we meet Q. A smart "well adjusted" (both his parents are therapists ha!) high school kid. Q is not all that popular and really only has two friends. His friends were hilarious, especially the after prom party and the beer sword.
However, the whole story of finding clues and trying to find Margo kind of got tiring. I mean, yes all the connections to books, and the human condition and peoples opinions of how we see each other etc etc was intriguing and all but Q, with his mindless obsession (just like Capt. Ahab) of finding Margo and being upset when his friends didn't want to do the same made me frustrated with Q.
Now, I am not saying that I didn't enjoy the book, because I really did. I liked the quirky Margo and all of the poems, music, and authors that Green usually throws into his books to make connections. That being said, I felt like I was reading Looking For Alaska all over again, minus the famous last words that Pudge memorized.
So, while I enjoyed reading Paper Towns, I felt that Looking For Alaska was far superior to this book. Who knows what I would have thought if I read Paper Towns first haha!
Oh my gosh, that was torturous trying to write this out. I think I need a nap :-/
7 comments:
I've had that same problem: "I liked it...because...I...liked it." I feel your pain! :)
I think I must be one of the few humans on this earth that has yet to read any of John Green's books. Yes, I just admitted to that. *hides her face in shame* Enjoyed reading your review and reckon I'll give both books ago, although I'll probably start with Looking for Alaska.
lol :) the book sounds interesting....my passion for reading is slowly burning away =___=''
@ Anna - I always feel like I have more to say if I don't like the book. That's sad :(
@ Tammy- LOL *pats back* That's okay, I think I'm one of the few humans on the planet who has not read The Hunger Games
@ A!ko - I think you need a genre change! That always helps me out :)
This is actually my absolute favourite of John Green's books. It's a bit self-conscious and kinda post-modern in a couple of ways (I vaguely remember him saying he wrote it as a reaction to the gaps in the story of Alaska?), and I loved all the literary stuff.
(But I did like Pudge a little more than Q). I admit it :D
Good review, well explained even though I somewhat disagree :)
Great and honest review :) I have never read anything by Mr. Green but I do own a copy of Looking for Alaska.
I tag you in my post :) Hope you check it out!
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