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almyworld's review against another edition
3.0
To be honest, I couldn't connect to the characters at all, but the metaphors were really nice.
books4thewin7's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jenmangler's review against another edition
3.0
I admire Miles, a bright but virtually friendless junior, for going off in search of "a Great Perhaps." I don't think I would have had the guts at his age, though I'd have wanted to. And I enjoyed reading about his adventures with the Colonel, Takumi and Alaska at Culver Creek boarding school. I hesitate to call this a fun read because of the tragedy that the book centers around (the two chapters of the book are called "before" and "after," so you know it's a doozy), but I really did find it to be a fun read. When I think of Miles and his friends the words "hijinks" and "shenanigans" come to mind. Miles' friends are ultimate pranksters, and I really enjoyed that. The part that's really sticking with me, though, has nothing to do with pranks. It comes at the end of the book when Miles writes, in his world religions final, that "These awful things are survivable, because we are as indestructible as we believe ourselves to be."
xchickadee's review against another edition
3.0
It took me three days to read this book, since the first day I didn't read much. I have read two other books by John Greene, Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns.
I have heard a lot of hype on this book, don't believe I heard anything by about it. So I was hopeful. Even though I heard about this book, I went in not knowing a damn thing. But I like to read books like that most of the time.
Pudge, Miles Halter, could be very annoying. He wasn't a goodie two shoes, so that wasn't what annoyed me. If a girl was touching him in any way, he spoke of the layers between them. And that got annoying, fast. It was like I was reading him as a little kid, not a Junior in high school. In the After, he was whining about her broken promise to him, to his self though. And that was annoying as well. I mean come on! Worse things could happen, and guess what? They did! Grow up.
Alaska Young. She was a feisty one. But she was very hard on herself. We find out why later on. But she too could be annoying. Just not as much as her friend Pudge.
Most of the book was great. It has good quotes to remember and funny scenes that will make you laugh. It all makes up for the annoying parts, for me anyway. But I do get the hype of this book. Give you a lot to think about.
I have heard a lot of hype on this book, don't believe I heard anything by about it. So I was hopeful. Even though I heard about this book, I went in not knowing a damn thing. But I like to read books like that most of the time.
Pudge, Miles Halter, could be very annoying. He wasn't a goodie two shoes, so that wasn't what annoyed me. If a girl was touching him in any way, he spoke of the layers between them. And that got annoying, fast. It was like I was reading him as a little kid, not a Junior in high school. In the After, he was whining about her broken promise to him, to his self though. And that was annoying as well. I mean come on! Worse things could happen, and guess what? They did! Grow up.
Alaska Young. She was a feisty one. But she was very hard on herself. We find out why later on. But she too could be annoying. Just not as much as her friend Pudge.
Most of the book was great. It has good quotes to remember and funny scenes that will make you laugh. It all makes up for the annoying parts, for me anyway. But I do get the hype of this book. Give you a lot to think about.
tjeoconnor's review against another edition
5.0
When I started reading Looking for Alaska, I expected it to be like the other John Green books I'd read, which were all so similar to each other. I went so far as to predict the roles that each character would fill. I'm glad I was wrong. The book starts off with a page setting the time as "before," and a countdown to some mysterious event. This countdown hooks you in so that even as you get to know and love the characters, you have to wonder what's coming. Green does not disappoint. The last day of the countdown is appropriately called "the last day," and since a new semester is just beginning, and there's no other sign of anything about to end, this choice of words sets a tense tone for the end of the first half of the story. The plot twist that comes is brilliantly done. One minute, the Colonel, Pudge, and Alaska are having a mini-party, and the next Alaska has had one of her mood swings and started freaking out over something she won't share with her friends. Pudge drops enough clues, by saying what he and the Colonel should have said but didn't, to let the reader know what's going to happen to her, but it's still a jarring moment. The beginning of the second part of the book, "after," feels like a twisting knife, because while the reader has (probably) guessed that Alaska crashed her car, the characters are still unaware. Pudge is reveling in having finally hooked up with Alaska, and looking forward to doing it again, and he and the Colonel talk casually and irreverently about how they think Dr. Hyde has finally died. Seeing their lack of concern, and knowing what they're about to find out, makes Alaska's death hurt that much more. I wanted to know why it happened just as much as Pudge did - why she freaked out, why she left, what was happening. The final revelation is a bittersweet one, but at the same time, the end of the book seems to trail off. Pudge, the Colonel, and Takumi stop caring just as they find the answer, and it's a little disappointing. Instead of closure, there's only, "Oh, so that's what it was, let's have another cigarette and get ready for finals." The goodbye letter from Takumi also feels unnecessary. While the ending was anticlimactic, it also seemed true to life - when a loved one dies, there isn't often an "aha" moment about it. The grief can be overwhelming at first, but after a while, without you even noticing, the pain just fades off, kind of like the end of this book. Overall, it was an emotionally gripping story that seemed to sum up a) being a teenager and b) the pain and confusion of experiencing death for the first time.
kaimju's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.25
monkeyboystiff's review against another edition
3.0
Didn't think much of this, thought all the characters were annoying especially Alaska herself. With the exception of the narrator they were all hipsters and too cool for anyone. I felt a few tugs at my emotions but not many!
emmmalibrary's review against another edition
3.0
Ma personne en 2014 avait mis à ce livre 5 étoiles... 7 ans plus tard les choses ont changé. Pour être honnête je me souvenais absolument plus de l’histoire du coup je l’ai vraiment redécouvert de A à Z, et je me suis demandé si je comprenais vraiment l’anglais dans le passé
biblionnoisseur's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.5