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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
John Green never fails to amuse me. I have read this book after The Paper Towns and The Fault In Our Stars. I was shocked is it the same John Green who wrote TFIOS. It's typical John Greenish book, the same set up but different story. That's why I like him. The Characters were so good and realistic. The crazy Alaska, the smart Colonel and the greater perhaps seeking Pudge. A wonderful Trio. The plot was greatly planned, it didn't deviate anywhere. If this was John Green's first book, then he definitely pulled off. But I want to know only one thing is it an accident or is it a suicide?
SPOILERS-
The first time i read Looking for Alaska, I got it from the library; I had never heard of John Green before. I was hopelessly addicted to this book. It was one that was extremely hard to put down. I read all the way up to the day after when I started to bawl like a baby.
This isn't a love story, it's not a mystery. I'm not sure what it is, but it's the reason why Green will always remain my favorite author for a long time.
The first time i read Looking for Alaska, I got it from the library; I had never heard of John Green before. I was hopelessly addicted to this book. It was one that was extremely hard to put down. I read all the way up to the day after when I started to bawl like a baby.
This isn't a love story, it's not a mystery. I'm not sure what it is, but it's the reason why Green will always remain my favorite author for a long time.
reflective
medium-paced
I thoroughly enjoyed this coming of age story and particularly loved the characters. Their development, friendships and adventures as well as life’s hard lessons made me want to tag along with them a little while longer.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don’t really know how I feel about out this book. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t like it that much either. Although, I think that’s largely because I didn’t actually know what this was about when I started it and I just don’t think it’s the type of book for me.
emotional
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
John Green's Looking for Alaska is a funny yet tragic masterpiece for young adult readers. It's a coming-of-age story of infatuation, loss, grief, the meaning of life, and the awkward emotions involved with being a teenager. While I read this book way later than its intended target audience, I got heavy nostalgia from Pudge and his newfound friend group as it heavily reminded me of some of the clever degenerates I hung out with in high school. The same spirit of rebellion, a lust for fun, and awkward discovery took me back to a time long gone. On the same note, I really enjoyed how the novel hard-switched from the teen party atmosphere to an intense story of grief and loss at a young age. The way each person deals with the sudden loss of their friend and tries to make meaning of it all is deep on so many levels and resonates heavily with me. The only drawback of the novel for me is that you'd have to be in a very specific or stable mindset to make it through. Once the section with all of the loss and grief kicks in, it becomes a fairly hard read. It can get very depressing - intensely so. Green really makes the loss of one of the characters feel personal - much like the reader lost a friend too. Looking for Alaska is an insanely good read for those who are living through (or wanting to re-experience) that feeling of teen discovery as well as those who have experienced the struggles of loss and what to make of it. Beware if you're already sad or depressed, but otherwise, I highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Suicide, Grief, Car accident, Alcohol
Moderate: Bullying, Sexual content, Toxic friendship
Minor: Vomit
Alcohol/Alcoholism: Several of the characters drink to excess in sneaky ways to avoid getting caught, sometimes for pleasure and sometimes to drown out pain.
Car accident/Child death/Death/Suicide: One major character dies suddenly in a drunken car accident. The accident and aftermath take up the entirety of the 2nd half of the book. It's unclear whether it was truly an accident or a suicide attempt, but it is debated throughout that 2nd half.
Grief: The characters experience varying levels of intense grief after the accident, including but not limited to experiencing illness, scream-crying, fist-pounding, drinking to excess, and putting themselves in dangerous situations.
Bullying: Many pranks, name-calling, and clique wars occur throughout the novel.
Sexual content: A character's infatuation with another is described in-detail, ranging from physical description to the inner monologue of his sexual desire. One character seems passively obsessed with sex. Two minor characters are caught naked in the same bed preceding the events of the novel. One character makes out with another and gets very handsy. One character gives another a blowjob, awkwardly and needing instruction from a different character to do it correctly.
Toxic friendship: Most of the characters are in what I would refer to as a toxic friendship with one another. They frequently put each other down and are mean to one-another, and then turn around and hug or encourage one another.
Vomit: One character vomits on another character after getting a concussion. One character vomits in a trashcan after learning about the car accident and its resulting death.
Meh, nahh,nuh,nope, no thank you, NO!!! DNF’d after three quarters of the read.
P.S- Did John Green really write it??or the fault is in me?? I don’t know and don’t care. I cannot take the language used by the teens- who-think-they-know-better-and-act-all-funky in this book, everything that comes out of their mouth almost sounds like a pirate’s vocabulary!
P.S- Did John Green really write it??or the fault is in me?? I don’t know and don’t care. I cannot take the language used by the teens- who-think-they-know-better-and-act-all-funky in this book, everything that comes out of their mouth almost sounds like a pirate’s vocabulary!