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kalinamiski1's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Graphic: Car accident, Alcohol, and Grief
Moderate: Suicide, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, and Addiction
Minor: Bullying and Eating disorder
magixsdream's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Sexual content
Minor: Violence and Bullying
bookishgoob's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Abandonment, Bullying, Car accident, Child death, and Death
sunflowervol28's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Body shaming and Car accident
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Bullying, Car accident, Death, and Drug use
j_emerson18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Moderate: Addiction, Bullying, Sexual content, Panic attacks/disorders, and Mental illness
Minor: Car accident
imcatwby's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Death of parent, Car accident, Bullying, and Alcohol
literalottie's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There's just so much about Looking for Alaska that resonates with me. The characters are all so flawed and yet so real, their actions and interactions throughout this book are equal parts heartbreaking, heartwarming, and, sometimes, hilarious. I watched the miniseries last year and absolutely loved it. I'm so grateful they got it right, because this story deserves it.
Whenever I think about this book, I think about the overarching motifs - the labyrinth of suffering, and the "Great Perhaps". The idea that we ultimately don't get out of the labyrinth, but we have to choose to be in it, always in search of our next "Great Perhaps". There are plenty of people who deride this book, along with John Green's other works, as "fake deep". I'm not going to say I adore all of his work (see my 2 star review of Paper Towns I posted a mere few hours ago), nor will I say anyone who dislikes his books are "wrong". But this book speaks to me in a matter that's, at least to me, real. And that's what matters in the end.
Graphic: Mental illness, Suicide, and Grief
Moderate: Car accident and Alcohol
Minor: Bullying
katsbooks's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
"We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken."
“Sometimes you lose a battle. But mischief always wins the war."
“If only we could see the endless string of consequences that result from our smallest actions. But we can't know better until knowing better is useless.”
My feelings about this book are constantly in flux. On the one hand, this book gutted me as a teenager. I have actively thought about getting the fourth quote I listed above tattooed on my body. I think it was my first foray into literature that dug deeper and got philosophical. It broke my little teenage brain. So naturally, the climax caught me by complete surprise and I distinctly remember the visceral ache I felt. That's good writing. When a book makes you feel something that much, it holds a special place in your heart.
But now, I've had about 15 years to intellectualize and philosophize on things that previously broke teenage Kat's brain and I have thoughts. First of all, as an adult, I do not like most of the characters. For the record, that's not a critique, it's actually probably a compliment. The characters are teenagers and they're supposed to be young and dumb and do young and dumb things. As a teenager, I liked how mysterious Alaska was but I'm not a huge fan of how she seems to embody the trope of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. We ultimately know little about her and her presence seems to be a vehicle for the boys of the story to grow and learn about themselves and their world. To his credit, Green addresses that a few times and the main character seems to acknowledge that he believed what he wanted to believe about Alaska and never really truly knew her. I think it would have improved the story to have a few moments that truly humanized Alaska for the main characters instead of leaving her this enigmatic figure in their lives. I also think it led to a romanticization of her obvious mental illness which is never fully addressed. The boys discuss it as a factor in their investigation but since what happened is never fully understood, they can't really know how much of a factor it actually was. I can appreciate that the author was probably trying to make a point about the ambiguity of events like the one that occurred in the climax but I think it would have been possible to still discuss her probable mental illness regardless of intention. This bothered me enough to knock it down to three stars but it creeped back up to four because of the nostalgia factor. It really was my gateway into more intellectual reading materials.
Overall, this book has some fantastic writing. If you like coming-of-age novels with some philosophy thrown in, this is probably a book you would enjoy. However, there are definitely books out there that would give a similar vibe that are much more inclusive than a story that centers a cishet, straight, white boy. Essentially, this is a great supplement to the genre but I don't know if it should stand as an exemplar.
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Car accident, Child death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, and Death
Moderate: Cursing and Death of parent