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A review by michaelapr
Paper Towns by John Green

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Paper Towns is one of those books that are misunderstood in the most ironic way. I've seen many people criticize it as book about a manic pixie dream girl - which I can understand to a certain extent. The reason why this is ironic is that at the beginning of the book Quentin and everyone else DOES think of Margo Roth Spiegelman as a not real person, a manic pixie dream girl but then as the book goes on Quentin realizes what a mistake this was and he tried to understand who she truly is as he tries to find her - and ultimately fails. Because you can't know a person fully but you can at least try. In the process he also realizes this about his friends and himself, which is the part I like the best.
The book itself is a fun read. The characters are funny and endearing with their teenage antics. Does the book sometimes go into long spiels about life that can't seem a bit much for a supposed 18-year old - yes. But I don't mind because it all fit in with the story itself. Do I wish we had a more tidy ending? Yes. But then it still fits with the story itself: there is a future that is hopeful but we can't guess what it looks like even if we can try, just like Quentin's quest.