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螒谓伪味畏蟿蠋谓蟿伪蟼 蟿畏谓 螒位维蟽魏伪
螣 螠维喂位蟼 围维位蟿蔚蟻 纬慰畏蟿蔚蠉蔚蟿伪喂 伪蟺蠈 蟿伪 蟿蔚位蔚蠀蟿伪委伪 位蠈纬喂伪 蠁畏渭喂蟽渭苇谓蠅谓 伪谓胃蟻蠋蟺蠅谓... 魏喂 苇蠂蔚喂 魏慰蠀蟻伪蟽蟿蔚委 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏谓 伪蟽蠁伪位萎 味蠅萎 蟽蟿慰 蟽蟺委蟿喂 蟿慰蠀. 桅蔚蠉纬蔚喂 慰喂魏蠈蟿蟻慰蠁慰蟼 纬喂伪 蟿慰 螝维位尾蔚蟻 螝蟻喂魏 蟺蟻慰魏蔚喂渭苇谓慰蠀 谓伪 伪谓伪味畏蟿萎蟽蔚喂 伪蠀蟿蠈 蟺慰蠀 慰 蔚蟿慰喂渭慰胃维谓伪蟿慰蟼 蟺慰喂畏蟿萎蟼 桅蟻伪谓蟽慰蠀维 巍伪渭蟺蔚位苇 慰谓蠈渭伪蟽蔚 蟿慰 螠蔚纬维位慰 螉蟽蠅蟼. 螤慰位位维 蟺蔚蟻喂渭苇谓慰蠀谓 蟿慰谓 螠维喂位蟼 蔚魏蔚委, 伪谓维渭蔚蟽伪 蟽蟿伪 慰蟺慰委伪 魏伪喂 畏 螒位维蟽魏伪 螕喂伪谓纬魏. 螘蠀蠁蠀萎蟼, 伪蟽蟿蔚委伪, 渭蟺蔚蟻未蔚渭苇谓畏 魏伪喂 胃伪谓伪蟿畏蠁蠈蟻伪 蟽苇尉喂, 畏 螒位维蟽魏伪 胃伪 蟺伪蟻伪蟽蠉蟻蔚喂 蟿慰谓 螠维喂位蟼 蟽蟿慰 位伪尾蠉蟻喂谓胃蠈 蟿畏蟼 魏伪喂 胃伪 蟿慰谓 蔚魏蟽蠁蔚谓未慰谓委蟽蔚喂 蟺蟻慰蟼 蟿慰 螠蔚纬维位慰 螉蟽蠅蟼.
韦慰 螒谓伪味畏蟿蠋谓蟿伪蟼 蟿畏谓 螒位维蟽魏伪 魏伪蟿伪纬蟻维蠁蔚喂 渭蔚 渭慰谓伪未喂魏蠈 蟿蟻蠈蟺慰 蟿畏谓 伪谓蔚尉委蟿畏位畏 蔚蟺委未蟻伪蟽畏 蟺慰蠀 渭蟺慰蟻蔚委 谓伪 伪蟽魏萎蟽蔚喂 渭喂伪 味蠅萎 蟺维谓蠅 蟽蔚 渭喂伪 维位位畏. 螆蠂慰谓蟿伪蟼 蟿喂渭畏胃蔚委 渭蔚 蟽蔚喂蟻维 位慰纬慰蟿蔚蠂谓喂魏蠋谓 尾蟻伪尾蔚委蠅谓, 伪蠀蟿蠈 蟿慰 蔚魏蟺位畏魏蟿喂魏蠈 尾喂尾位委慰 蟽畏渭伪蟿慰未蠈蟿畏蟽蔚 蟿畏谓 维蠁喂尉畏 蟿慰蠀 韦味慰谓 螕魏蟻喂谓 蠅蟼 渭喂伪蟼 蟻畏尉喂魏苇位蔚蠀胃畏蟼 谓苇伪蟼 蠁蠅谓萎蟼 蟽蟿慰 蠂蠋蟻慰 蟿畏蟼 蟽蠉纬蠂蟻慰谓畏蟼 位慰纬慰蟿蔚蠂谓委伪蟼.
螇尉蔚蟻伪 谓伪 伪谓伪纬谓蠅蟻委味蠅 渭蔚 蟿畏 渭委伪 蟿伪 蟿蔚位蔚蠀蟿伪委伪 位蠈纬喂伪 蟺慰蠀 蔚委蠂伪谓 喂未喂伪委蟿蔚蟻畏 尾伪蟻蠉蟿畏蟿伪, 慰蟺蠈蟿蔚 苇尾伪位伪 渭蔚 蟿慰 谓慰蠀 渭慰蠀 谓伪 蔚尉伪蟽蠁伪位委蟽蠅 渭喂伪 尾喂慰纬蟻伪蠁委伪 伪蠀蟿慰蠉 蟿慰蠀 蟿蠉蟺慰蠀, 蟿慰蠀 危喂渭蠈谓 螠蟺慰位委尾伪蟻. 螇蟿伪谓 蟺慰位蠉 蠈渭慰蟻蠁伪 蟿蔚位蔚蠀蟿伪委伪 位蠈纬喂伪, 伪位位维 未蔚谓 蟿伪 魏伪蟿伪位维尾伪喂谓伪 伪魏蟻喂尾蠋蟼.
芦危蔚 蟺慰喂慰 位伪尾蠉蟻喂谓胃慰 伪谓伪蠁苇蟻蔚蟿伪喂;禄 胃苇位畏蟽伪 谓伪 渭维胃蠅.
螡慰渭委味蠅 蟺蠅蟼 蟿蠋蟻伪 蔚委谓伪喂 畏 魏伪蟿维位位畏位畏 蟽蟿喂纬渭萎 谓伪 蟺蠅 蠈蟿喂 畏 螒位维蟽魏伪 萎蟿伪谓 蟺伪谓苇渭慰蟻蠁畏. 螆蟿蟽喂 蠈蟺蠅蟼 魏伪胃蠈蟿伪谓 蟽蟿慰 蟽魏慰蟿维未喂 未委蟺位伪 渭慰蠀, 渭蠉蟻喂味蔚 喂未蟻蠋蟿伪 魏伪喂 萎位喂慰 魏伪喂 尾伪谓委位喂伪, 蔚谓蠋 蔚魏蔚委谓畏 蟿畏 谓蠉蠂蟿伪 渭蔚 蟿慰 伪未蠉谓伪渭慰 蠁蔚纬纬维蟻喂 渭慰谓维蠂伪 蟿畏 蟽喂位慰蠀苇蟿伪 蟿畏蟼 渭蟺慰蟻慰蠉蟽伪 谓伪 尉蔚蠂蠅蟻委蟽蠅鈥� 螒魏蠈渭畏 魏伪喂 蟽蟿慰 蟽魏慰蟿维未喂 蠈渭蠅蟼, 渭蟺慰蟻慰蠉蟽伪 谓伪 未喂伪魏蟻委谓蠅 蟿伪 渭维蟿喂伪 蟿畏蟼 鈥� 蠁蠅蟿蔚喂谓维 蟽渭伪蟻维纬未喂伪. 螘委蠂蔚 蟿苇蟿慰喂伪 渭维蟿喂伪, 蟺慰蠀 蟽蔚 蟺蟻慰未喂苇胃蔚蟿伪谓 谓伪 蟿畏谓 蠀蟺慰蟽蟿畏蟻委尉蔚喂蟼 蟽蔚 魏维胃蔚 蟿畏蟼 蟺蟻慰蟽蟺维胃蔚喂伪. 螝伪喂 未蔚谓 萎蟿伪谓 伪蟺位蠋蟼 蟺伪谓苇渭慰蟻蠁畏, 伪位位维 魏慰蠀魏位维蟻伪...
螘魏蔚委谓畏 伪魏蟻喂尾蠋蟼 蟿畏 蟽蟿喂纬渭萎, 蟿慰 未喂维蟽蟿畏渭伪 蟺慰蠀 渭蔚蟽慰位维尾畏蟽蔚 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 蟽蟿喂纬渭萎 蟺慰蠀 蟿畏 蟻蠋蟿畏蟽伪 纬喂伪 蟿慰 位伪尾蠉蟻喂谓胃慰 渭苇蠂蟻喂 蟺慰蠀 渭慰蠀 伪蟺维谓蟿畏蟽蔚, 蟽蠀谓蔚喂未畏蟿慰蟺慰委畏蟽伪 蟿畏谓 伪尉委伪 蟺慰蠀 苇蠂慰蠀谓 慰喂 魏伪渭蟺蠉位蔚蟼... 螘委蠂伪 蟺伪蟻伪蟿畏蟻萎蟽蔚喂 魏伪渭蟺蠉位蔚蟼 魏喂 维位位慰蟿蔚 蠁蠀蟽喂魏维, 蠈渭蠅蟼 蟺慰蟿苇 蠅蟼 蟿蠈蟿蔚 未蔚谓 蔚委蠂伪 蟽蠀位位维尾蔚喂 蔚蟺伪魏蟻喂尾蠋蟼 蟿畏 蟽畏渭伪蟽委伪 蟿慰蠀蟼.
韦慰 螒谓伪味畏蟿蠋谓蟿伪蟼 蟿畏谓 螒位维蟽魏伪 魏伪蟿伪纬蟻维蠁蔚喂 渭蔚 渭慰谓伪未喂魏蠈 蟿蟻蠈蟺慰 蟿畏谓 伪谓蔚尉委蟿畏位畏 蔚蟺委未蟻伪蟽畏 蟺慰蠀 渭蟺慰蟻蔚委 谓伪 伪蟽魏萎蟽蔚喂 渭喂伪 味蠅萎 蟺维谓蠅 蟽蔚 渭喂伪 维位位畏. 螆蠂慰谓蟿伪蟼 蟿喂渭畏胃蔚委 渭蔚 蟽蔚喂蟻维 位慰纬慰蟿蔚蠂谓喂魏蠋谓 尾蟻伪尾蔚委蠅谓, 伪蠀蟿蠈 蟿慰 蔚魏蟺位畏魏蟿喂魏蠈 尾喂尾位委慰 蟽畏渭伪蟿慰未蠈蟿畏蟽蔚 蟿畏谓 维蠁喂尉畏 蟿慰蠀 韦味慰谓 螕魏蟻喂谓 蠅蟼 渭喂伪蟼 蟻畏尉喂魏苇位蔚蠀胃畏蟼 谓苇伪蟼 蠁蠅谓萎蟼 蟽蟿慰 蠂蠋蟻慰 蟿畏蟼 蟽蠉纬蠂蟻慰谓畏蟼 位慰纬慰蟿蔚蠂谓委伪蟼.
螇尉蔚蟻伪 谓伪 伪谓伪纬谓蠅蟻委味蠅 渭蔚 蟿畏 渭委伪 蟿伪 蟿蔚位蔚蠀蟿伪委伪 位蠈纬喂伪 蟺慰蠀 蔚委蠂伪谓 喂未喂伪委蟿蔚蟻畏 尾伪蟻蠉蟿畏蟿伪, 慰蟺蠈蟿蔚 苇尾伪位伪 渭蔚 蟿慰 谓慰蠀 渭慰蠀 谓伪 蔚尉伪蟽蠁伪位委蟽蠅 渭喂伪 尾喂慰纬蟻伪蠁委伪 伪蠀蟿慰蠉 蟿慰蠀 蟿蠉蟺慰蠀, 蟿慰蠀 危喂渭蠈谓 螠蟺慰位委尾伪蟻. 螇蟿伪谓 蟺慰位蠉 蠈渭慰蟻蠁伪 蟿蔚位蔚蠀蟿伪委伪 位蠈纬喂伪, 伪位位维 未蔚谓 蟿伪 魏伪蟿伪位维尾伪喂谓伪 伪魏蟻喂尾蠋蟼.
芦危蔚 蟺慰喂慰 位伪尾蠉蟻喂谓胃慰 伪谓伪蠁苇蟻蔚蟿伪喂;禄 胃苇位畏蟽伪 谓伪 渭维胃蠅.
螡慰渭委味蠅 蟺蠅蟼 蟿蠋蟻伪 蔚委谓伪喂 畏 魏伪蟿维位位畏位畏 蟽蟿喂纬渭萎 谓伪 蟺蠅 蠈蟿喂 畏 螒位维蟽魏伪 萎蟿伪谓 蟺伪谓苇渭慰蟻蠁畏. 螆蟿蟽喂 蠈蟺蠅蟼 魏伪胃蠈蟿伪谓 蟽蟿慰 蟽魏慰蟿维未喂 未委蟺位伪 渭慰蠀, 渭蠉蟻喂味蔚 喂未蟻蠋蟿伪 魏伪喂 萎位喂慰 魏伪喂 尾伪谓委位喂伪, 蔚谓蠋 蔚魏蔚委谓畏 蟿畏 谓蠉蠂蟿伪 渭蔚 蟿慰 伪未蠉谓伪渭慰 蠁蔚纬纬维蟻喂 渭慰谓维蠂伪 蟿畏 蟽喂位慰蠀苇蟿伪 蟿畏蟼 渭蟺慰蟻慰蠉蟽伪 谓伪 尉蔚蠂蠅蟻委蟽蠅鈥� 螒魏蠈渭畏 魏伪喂 蟽蟿慰 蟽魏慰蟿维未喂 蠈渭蠅蟼, 渭蟺慰蟻慰蠉蟽伪 谓伪 未喂伪魏蟻委谓蠅 蟿伪 渭维蟿喂伪 蟿畏蟼 鈥� 蠁蠅蟿蔚喂谓维 蟽渭伪蟻维纬未喂伪. 螘委蠂蔚 蟿苇蟿慰喂伪 渭维蟿喂伪, 蟺慰蠀 蟽蔚 蟺蟻慰未喂苇胃蔚蟿伪谓 谓伪 蟿畏谓 蠀蟺慰蟽蟿畏蟻委尉蔚喂蟼 蟽蔚 魏维胃蔚 蟿畏蟼 蟺蟻慰蟽蟺维胃蔚喂伪. 螝伪喂 未蔚谓 萎蟿伪谓 伪蟺位蠋蟼 蟺伪谓苇渭慰蟻蠁畏, 伪位位维 魏慰蠀魏位维蟻伪...
螘魏蔚委谓畏 伪魏蟻喂尾蠋蟼 蟿畏 蟽蟿喂纬渭萎, 蟿慰 未喂维蟽蟿畏渭伪 蟺慰蠀 渭蔚蟽慰位维尾畏蟽蔚 伪蟺蠈 蟿畏 蟽蟿喂纬渭萎 蟺慰蠀 蟿畏 蟻蠋蟿畏蟽伪 纬喂伪 蟿慰 位伪尾蠉蟻喂谓胃慰 渭苇蠂蟻喂 蟺慰蠀 渭慰蠀 伪蟺维谓蟿畏蟽蔚, 蟽蠀谓蔚喂未畏蟿慰蟺慰委畏蟽伪 蟿畏谓 伪尉委伪 蟺慰蠀 苇蠂慰蠀谓 慰喂 魏伪渭蟺蠉位蔚蟼... 螘委蠂伪 蟺伪蟻伪蟿畏蟻萎蟽蔚喂 魏伪渭蟺蠉位蔚蟼 魏喂 维位位慰蟿蔚 蠁蠀蟽喂魏维, 蠈渭蠅蟼 蟺慰蟿苇 蠅蟼 蟿蠈蟿蔚 未蔚谓 蔚委蠂伪 蟽蠀位位维尾蔚喂 蔚蟺伪魏蟻喂尾蠋蟼 蟿畏 蟽畏渭伪蟽委伪 蟿慰蠀蟼.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
33.4k people are currently reading
793k people want to read
About the author
John Green
92听books311k听followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the 欧宝娱乐 database with this name.
John Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award presented by the American Library Association. His second novel, An Abundance of Katherines, was a 2007 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His next novel, Paper Towns, is a New York Times bestseller and won the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best YA Mystery. In January 2012, his most recent novel, The Fault in Our Stars, was met with wide critical acclaim, unprecedented in Green's career. The praise included rave reviews in Time Magazine and The New York Times, on NPR, and from award-winning author Markus Zusak. The book also topped the New York Times Children's Paperback Bestseller list for several weeks. Green has also coauthored a book with David Levithan called Will Grayson, Will Grayson, published in 2010. The film rights for all his books, with the exception of Will Grayson Will Grayson, have been optioned to major Hollywood Studios.
In 2007, John and his brother Hank were the hosts of a popular internet blog, "," where they discussed their lives, books and current events every day for a year except for weekends and holidays. They still keep a video blog, now called "The Vlog Brothers," which can be found on the website, or a direct link .
John Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award presented by the American Library Association. His second novel, An Abundance of Katherines, was a 2007 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His next novel, Paper Towns, is a New York Times bestseller and won the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best YA Mystery. In January 2012, his most recent novel, The Fault in Our Stars, was met with wide critical acclaim, unprecedented in Green's career. The praise included rave reviews in Time Magazine and The New York Times, on NPR, and from award-winning author Markus Zusak. The book also topped the New York Times Children's Paperback Bestseller list for several weeks. Green has also coauthored a book with David Levithan called Will Grayson, Will Grayson, published in 2010. The film rights for all his books, with the exception of Will Grayson Will Grayson, have been optioned to major Hollywood Studios.
In 2007, John and his brother Hank were the hosts of a popular internet blog, "," where they discussed their lives, books and current events every day for a year except for weekends and holidays. They still keep a video blog, now called "The Vlog Brothers," which can be found on the website, or a direct link .
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October 13, 2021
, and in an adrenaline-fueled all-caps teen reviewing frenzy, will inadvertently give a major spoiler for this book.
avoid these people, even though ordinarily, they are pretty cool.
this is a really well-written teen fiction book. i mean, it won the printz award, i'm not discovering america here. i think i wanted to emphasize that it definitely reads like a book intended for a teen audience. and i think that me as a teen would have numbered this among my very favorite books. however, as an adult, there are a lot of years between me and the characters in this book, and i have read a lot more books than the average teen, so i am mostly jaded and ruined, but imagine me discovering this at say, 13...
1) a group of smart kids going to boarding school who read all the time and take pleasure in learning and have hundreds of books and quote marquez and rabelais. karen would have loved to have had friends like these.
2) emotionally unstable female lead who is mysterious and changeable who is not afraid of her sexuality but doesn't use it all the time to get what she wants who says tough and dramatic things like Y'all smoke to enjoy it. i smoke to die. (thirteen year old karen loves this line, grown up karen rolls her eyes)
3) drinking and smoking and fornicating that do not lead to bad grades and ruined lives. there are other causes for those things...
4) blow job tips. 'nuff said
5) brief crash course in eastern religions that would have been so exotic to small town karen.
and the structure would have been novel to young karen: countdown leading up to the event then countdown leading away from it. very cool.
so i see why the kids like it. and i liked it, too, but i think it would have been more important and surprising and enchanting to me as a kid - all the first love and first loss type stuff, all the unwritten behavioral codes between the teens and the authority figures, and the slow unravel of a mystery. very cool.
but i have a question. and it is a spoiltastic question, so i am going to put up a barrier of images to protect anyone who has not read it, and wants to. these will be subliminal suggestions that are so subtle you won't even know what is happening...
dude, seriously - why didn't jake go to alaska's funeral?? there is no reason for him not to have and there is absolutely no explanation given. it makes it easier for the author, yeah, to not have to write a confrontation scene between jake and pudge, and to have the mystery unravel more slowly, but it makes zero sense for someone so in love with his girl to not go to her funeral. seriously. dumb. i will accept any private messages about this, to keep the thread spoiler-free, but until john green tells me why, i am going to say "dumb."
avoid these people, even though ordinarily, they are pretty cool.
this is a really well-written teen fiction book. i mean, it won the printz award, i'm not discovering america here. i think i wanted to emphasize that it definitely reads like a book intended for a teen audience. and i think that me as a teen would have numbered this among my very favorite books. however, as an adult, there are a lot of years between me and the characters in this book, and i have read a lot more books than the average teen, so i am mostly jaded and ruined, but imagine me discovering this at say, 13...
1) a group of smart kids going to boarding school who read all the time and take pleasure in learning and have hundreds of books and quote marquez and rabelais. karen would have loved to have had friends like these.
2) emotionally unstable female lead who is mysterious and changeable who is not afraid of her sexuality but doesn't use it all the time to get what she wants who says tough and dramatic things like Y'all smoke to enjoy it. i smoke to die. (thirteen year old karen loves this line, grown up karen rolls her eyes)
3) drinking and smoking and fornicating that do not lead to bad grades and ruined lives. there are other causes for those things...
4) blow job tips. 'nuff said
5) brief crash course in eastern religions that would have been so exotic to small town karen.
and the structure would have been novel to young karen: countdown leading up to the event then countdown leading away from it. very cool.
so i see why the kids like it. and i liked it, too, but i think it would have been more important and surprising and enchanting to me as a kid - all the first love and first loss type stuff, all the unwritten behavioral codes between the teens and the authority figures, and the slow unravel of a mystery. very cool.
but i have a question. and it is a spoiltastic question, so i am going to put up a barrier of images to protect anyone who has not read it, and wants to. these will be subliminal suggestions that are so subtle you won't even know what is happening...
dude, seriously - why didn't jake go to alaska's funeral?? there is no reason for him not to have and there is absolutely no explanation given. it makes it easier for the author, yeah, to not have to write a confrontation scene between jake and pudge, and to have the mystery unravel more slowly, but it makes zero sense for someone so in love with his girl to not go to her funeral. seriously. dumb. i will accept any private messages about this, to keep the thread spoiler-free, but until john green tells me why, i am going to say "dumb."
March 23, 2016
That's me, realizing I was about to give a big one star to a super popular book on 欧宝娱乐.
It didn't stop me. This book was beyond stupid.
Miles is a little nerd boy from Florida, he is going away to boarding school hoping for a new life or maybe his "Great Perhaps". The Great Perhaps comes from a minute reference to some poet. Thrown in to this book to make it all edgy and shit. Fail.
Once he gets there his roommate (the requisite character that is so poor but super smart) befriends him. The Colonel aka Chip takes Miles (now known as Pudge) under his wing and now he has friends!
Including the super special Alaska, she is the beautiful, cool and allusive girl. She is moody and spontaneous. Of course, the boys all love her milkshake..including our Pudge.
That smoking line? It's from the book. *head-desk*
Then another thing..and this was a big one for me. John Green, you have enough dang money that if you are going to write southern characters at least try, TRY!!! to get them halfway right.
You just put every stupid stereotype known into the characters that are southern for this book. You made them all sound stupid.
If they didn't go to this wonderful boarding school that erased their accent they sounded like ignorant hicks.
I hate to tell you honey, but last time I check Florida is also in the south. They have accents too.
You lost a star just for not taking the two seconds to research southern speech. I've lived here my whole life and I have never heard someone speak like you had several characters speaking.
Anyways, for me. This book glorified the whole "oh I'm so dark" "don't you want to be me" shit. FOR ME
My southern ass will give this book a big ole "hell to the no."
(I really need that sarcasm font)
For all the little fangirls and trolls that I'm sure I'll being seeing really soon. Here's a message for you.
and bite me.
Book source: Library
July 13, 2021
WROTE THIS IN 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now I am TEN YEARS OLDER.
****
I didn't like this book.
This is not what I expected to be. I hoped to find a book in the style of Stargirl (or something novel) and what did I find? A bunch of teens who try to ease their anxieties in their not-so-original vices and a sudden drama which leads to nonsense talking. All hiding, of course, in a couple of beautiful quotes that wrap all the 'inspiring-sites' on the internet, the reason I got to the book and I bet that you too.
Boring, it was so so boring.
I didn't like the characters. Alaska was unbearable (oh no wait, she was awesome if you were a character too: fantastic girl,beautiful and wonderful and ohmarrymerightnowplease, and she had to be an intelligent woman, so the author made her feminist and an avid reader, to prove she had brains), and there is no need to write about the boys because... booh.
The main character was a cronic linnet, who got lost in his difficulties (mostly, not having a girlfriend, such a big problem you see) and searching The Great Perhaps, thing he forgot to do so easily so...
What a waste of time!
2013 EDIT: almost FOUR years have passed since I read and reviewed Looking for Alaska and I hope nobody expects me to discuss anything related to the book. It's great if you loved the book but I didn't. Maybe at this time of my life I would express myself in a different way but when I wrote this I was convinced of all I said before.
After Looking for Alaska, I read other John Green's books. And I loved some of them, like really did. It's sad that Looking for Alaska didn't work for me but I think it is wonderful that it did for you. Not so many books can inspire that kind of passion :_)
Thanks everybody for your likes and comments and my apologies for not answering them anymore.
2020 EDIT: I read this MORE THAN TEN YEARS AGO (I was about 20, so before sending me to tiktok guess my actual age first, please, I could be your mother by now) and I still get comments saying the same thing over and over again and honestly... I read the comments twice in the last... two or three years. Don鈥檛 waste your time being angry at me for not sharing your thoughts about a book because If you are lucky I鈥檒l notice next year and... well, I bet you have better things to do.
And nowadays I ONLY REVIEW IN SPANISH. So don't expect more reviews on crack like this unless you speak or understand Spanish. Thank you very much!
Now I am TEN YEARS OLDER.
****
I didn't like this book.
This is not what I expected to be. I hoped to find a book in the style of Stargirl (or something novel) and what did I find? A bunch of teens who try to ease their anxieties in their not-so-original vices and a sudden drama which leads to nonsense talking. All hiding, of course, in a couple of beautiful quotes that wrap all the 'inspiring-sites' on the internet, the reason I got to the book and I bet that you too.
Boring, it was so so boring.
I didn't like the characters. Alaska was unbearable (oh no wait, she was awesome if you were a character too: fantastic girl,beautiful and wonderful and ohmarrymerightnowplease, and she had to be an intelligent woman, so the author made her feminist and an avid reader, to prove she had brains), and there is no need to write about the boys because... booh.
The main character was a cronic linnet, who got lost in his difficulties (mostly, not having a girlfriend, such a big problem you see) and searching The Great Perhaps, thing he forgot to do so easily so...
What a waste of time!
2013 EDIT: almost FOUR years have passed since I read and reviewed Looking for Alaska and I hope nobody expects me to discuss anything related to the book. It's great if you loved the book but I didn't. Maybe at this time of my life I would express myself in a different way but when I wrote this I was convinced of all I said before.
After Looking for Alaska, I read other John Green's books. And I loved some of them, like really did. It's sad that Looking for Alaska didn't work for me but I think it is wonderful that it did for you. Not so many books can inspire that kind of passion :_)
Thanks everybody for your likes and comments and my apologies for not answering them anymore.
2020 EDIT: I read this MORE THAN TEN YEARS AGO (I was about 20, so before sending me to tiktok guess my actual age first, please, I could be your mother by now) and I still get comments saying the same thing over and over again and honestly... I read the comments twice in the last... two or three years. Don鈥檛 waste your time being angry at me for not sharing your thoughts about a book because If you are lucky I鈥檒l notice next year and... well, I bet you have better things to do.
And nowadays I ONLY REVIEW IN SPANISH. So don't expect more reviews on crack like this unless you speak or understand Spanish. Thank you very much!
September 19, 2016
I'm going to explain my emotions about this book in a billion of gifs because I love this book too much to put into words <3
So first I was like...
because Pudge was pretty cool.
Then we met the Colonel, and I did this
because the Colonel is awesome! and he got my approval.
Then we met Alaska and I go
because, who knows? She's really not that bad.
Then we really get to know her and I'm like
Then ALL this stuff happens and I don't know what to expect, because now we're at the After part, and I'm excited...
Then BAM!
And I'm like...
Because there is NO WAY that can happen and I'm pretty sure someone is playing a sick, sick joke on me.
Then I realize its not a joke, and the waterworks start flowing...
And I'm like...
And...
Then I finally calm down...
And I'm trying to stay strong and remember it's only a book so I'm like...
Then I can't help myself and go back to ugly crying...
Then FINALLY... acceptance.
or as close as I can get to it!
Then, after all that, I realize... I LOVE THIS BOOK!
So first I was like...
because Pudge was pretty cool.
Then we met the Colonel, and I did this
because the Colonel is awesome! and he got my approval.
Then we met Alaska and I go
because, who knows? She's really not that bad.
Then we really get to know her and I'm like
Then ALL this stuff happens and I don't know what to expect, because now we're at the After part, and I'm excited...
Then BAM!
And I'm like...
Because there is NO WAY that can happen and I'm pretty sure someone is playing a sick, sick joke on me.
Then I realize its not a joke, and the waterworks start flowing...
And I'm like...
And...
Then I finally calm down...
And I'm trying to stay strong and remember it's only a book so I'm like...
Then I can't help myself and go back to ugly crying...
Then FINALLY... acceptance.
or as close as I can get to it!
Then, after all that, I realize... I LOVE THIS BOOK!
March 30, 2014
My assistant Amanda has been a John Green fan for ages, which is one of the reasons I decided to start giving his stuff a read.
I decided to start here because it was one of his first books.
After I finished this book, I went to her and asked, "Are all of John Green's books going to leave me feeling like I've had a hole kicked straight through my guts?"
"Not all of them," she said. "But yeah. Some."
I thought about this for a while, then asked her. "In Name of the Wind, when X happens, did it feel like that when you read it?"
(Except I didn't say X, obviously. I mentioned a particular scene in my first book.)
"Well," Amanda said, "Not really. His scene is more central to his book. But even so, yeah. It was kinda like that."
"Shit," I said. "Sorry about that."
So yeah. Sorry about that.
I decided to start here because it was one of his first books.
After I finished this book, I went to her and asked, "Are all of John Green's books going to leave me feeling like I've had a hole kicked straight through my guts?"
"Not all of them," she said. "But yeah. Some."
I thought about this for a while, then asked her. "In Name of the Wind, when X happens, did it feel like that when you read it?"
(Except I didn't say X, obviously. I mentioned a particular scene in my first book.)
"Well," Amanda said, "Not really. His scene is more central to his book. But even so, yeah. It was kinda like that."
"Shit," I said. "Sorry about that."
So yeah. Sorry about that.
May 18, 2024
I just want to know what weed addicted brunette broke JOHN GREEN heart in highs school and gave him enough material for a decade鈥檚 worth of identical books.
I have really got nothing to say about this book. It鈥檚 shitty like all of this other books no doubt about that!!
Speaking of MILES PUDGE HALTER is a misogynistic piece of shit. Throughout the book he objectifies Alaska and cheats on Lara , he belittles Takumi and is just a whining piss baby.
I have really got nothing to say about this book. It鈥檚 shitty like all of this other books no doubt about that!!
Speaking of MILES PUDGE HALTER is a misogynistic piece of shit. Throughout the book he objectifies Alaska and cheats on Lara , he belittles Takumi and is just a whining piss baby.
April 24, 2014
Wow. I must've skipped a bunch of pages or read the Hebrew translation or was having root canal or something because that was one terrible book. All those awards-- WHAT??? Such a clumsy story鈥� every move of the author was heavy-handed and so transparent I felt like I was a fly on John Green's ceiling watching him go "Oh that's good-- oh that's just precious" and fall asleep in his soup again.
Miles鈥擨 mean "Pudge,"as he is deemed within minutes of his arrival at his School of Great Perhaps鈥� may be looking for Alaska throughout this story but I sure knew her right away. She's the pretty girl who's even prettier because she's a bit damaged and makes you feel like you have a chance with her because she's a flirt. Yes, she's a hopelessly thin character, as are they all (with the exception of The Colonel). Takumi, for example, who is supposed to be one of the Big Four around whom this story revolves, is completely characterized by his unrealistic rap improvs ("My rhymin' is old school, sort of like the ancient Romans/ The Colonel's beats is sad like Arthur Miller's Willy Loman") and basically disappears from the story until required by the plot to re-emerge with More Information. Lara, Pudge's first girlfriend, is so bland she is given a Russian accent complete with long e's for short i's ("I put the stuff een the gel... and then I deed the same thing een Jeff's room") to prevent her from evaporating off the page and into THEEN ARE. In fact, each character is carefully provided with a shtick, often a savant-like "talent" that would in reality win game shows but is meant to be That Thing That Makes Him Special: The Colonel can remember capitals of countries to the point of extreme autism! Pudge knows the last words of famous people鈥� only he's so doggone quirky that he reads the biography but not the work of the famous person! And our precious Alaska? She keeps stacks and stacks of books in her room that she intends to read (when she's done selling cigarettes to high school kids, I guess), called her life library (or something), but has wrestled with life's Big Questions alongside some very Heavy Thinking Authors, and can recite poetry, of course. Everybody is way too philosophical and literary for their own good, but god forbid the reader is allowed to think. Lest you miss the point, every moment is interpreted for you:
Ok, then鈥擨 guess that's what happened, except that's just not the way high school kids work.
Even word choice reveals fear we won't get it; if an author has to tell you FIVE TIMES in the book that the character "deadpanned" instead of "said" (the Colonel"deadpanned" three times and Pudge, just a little less dry I guess, "deadpanned" twice) then either the dialogue is not written well or the author believes it is not written well. (The former, at least).
So just hanging with these kids leaves one searching for a third dimension, but then the story itself pretty much jumps genres halfway through, from slacker-YA-Holden-mentioned-on-the-back-cover to straight mystery. Why'd she do what she did? Lest I "spoil" this story for you, I won't go into this part, but suffice it to say the above question is left out in the sun to rot while we are forced to look on, sniffing the decay.
The story doesn't work in any genre anyway. I know what the story is supposed to do鈥� make me fall in love with Alaska, feel all warm and cozy when the four friends smoke cigarettes, shoot the breeze, and look out for one another, and care when one of them screams with cosmic agony, but alas. Maybe if I wasn't basically tapped on the shoulder and demanded these reactions I would be better at having them, but lines fall flat and soggy like cigarettes tossed casually into some cliche prep-school lake:
My first Kindle read, too!
Miles鈥擨 mean "Pudge,"as he is deemed within minutes of his arrival at his School of Great Perhaps鈥� may be looking for Alaska throughout this story but I sure knew her right away. She's the pretty girl who's even prettier because she's a bit damaged and makes you feel like you have a chance with her because she's a flirt. Yes, she's a hopelessly thin character, as are they all (with the exception of The Colonel). Takumi, for example, who is supposed to be one of the Big Four around whom this story revolves, is completely characterized by his unrealistic rap improvs ("My rhymin' is old school, sort of like the ancient Romans/ The Colonel's beats is sad like Arthur Miller's Willy Loman") and basically disappears from the story until required by the plot to re-emerge with More Information. Lara, Pudge's first girlfriend, is so bland she is given a Russian accent complete with long e's for short i's ("I put the stuff een the gel... and then I deed the same thing een Jeff's room") to prevent her from evaporating off the page and into THEEN ARE. In fact, each character is carefully provided with a shtick, often a savant-like "talent" that would in reality win game shows but is meant to be That Thing That Makes Him Special: The Colonel can remember capitals of countries to the point of extreme autism! Pudge knows the last words of famous people鈥� only he's so doggone quirky that he reads the biography but not the work of the famous person! And our precious Alaska? She keeps stacks and stacks of books in her room that she intends to read (when she's done selling cigarettes to high school kids, I guess), called her life library (or something), but has wrestled with life's Big Questions alongside some very Heavy Thinking Authors, and can recite poetry, of course. Everybody is way too philosophical and literary for their own good, but god forbid the reader is allowed to think. Lest you miss the point, every moment is interpreted for you:
I finally understood that day at the Jury: Alaska wanted to show us we could trust her. Survival at Culver Creek meant loyalty, and she had ignored that. But then she'd shown me the way. She and the Colonel had taken the fall for me to show me how it was done, so I would know what to do when the time came
Ok, then鈥擨 guess that's what happened, except that's just not the way high school kids work.
Even word choice reveals fear we won't get it; if an author has to tell you FIVE TIMES in the book that the character "deadpanned" instead of "said" (the Colonel"deadpanned" three times and Pudge, just a little less dry I guess, "deadpanned" twice) then either the dialogue is not written well or the author believes it is not written well. (The former, at least).
So just hanging with these kids leaves one searching for a third dimension, but then the story itself pretty much jumps genres halfway through, from slacker-YA-Holden-mentioned-on-the-back-cover to straight mystery. Why'd she do what she did? Lest I "spoil" this story for you, I won't go into this part, but suffice it to say the above question is left out in the sun to rot while we are forced to look on, sniffing the decay.
The story doesn't work in any genre anyway. I know what the story is supposed to do鈥� make me fall in love with Alaska, feel all warm and cozy when the four friends smoke cigarettes, shoot the breeze, and look out for one another, and care when one of them screams with cosmic agony, but alas. Maybe if I wasn't basically tapped on the shoulder and demanded these reactions I would be better at having them, but lines fall flat and soggy like cigarettes tossed casually into some cliche prep-school lake:
The Colonel let go of my sweater and I reached down and picked up the cigarettes. Not screaming, not through clenched teeth, not with the veins pulsing in my forehead, but calmly. Calmly. I looked down at the Colonel and said, "F鈥� you."
My first Kindle read, too!
March 22, 2020
yup. this is not the right book to read for the first time at 23 years old in 2020. yup
October 8, 2023
"The Great Perhaps."
Miles 鈥楶udge鈥� Halter is a quirky teenage boy starting Culver Creek Preparatory High School. In short time there he befriends strategist Chip 鈥楾he Colonel鈥� Martin, gifted Takumi Hikohito and beautiful Alaska Young. The wild and troublesome group quickly grows close and strong in camaraderie; until the fateful day arrives when their lives are forever changed. Sometimes you can see the storm coming, but often tragedy occurs when you least expect it.
Another Green masterpiece alongside 鈥淭he Fault in Our Stars鈥� , with many quotes and moments to remember by. In 鈥淟ooking for Alaska鈥� you can find many of the elements that made TFIOS so great; the captivating writing style, the ever memorable characters, the unputdownable pacing, the engrossing plot twists, and so on. The story is divided in two parts, the 鈥楤efore鈥� and 鈥楢fter鈥�. Both parts distinctively unique, emotional and sometimes even funny. And Gosh! I really loved that wild and crazy ending!
However, unlike TFIOS, I couldn鈥檛 fully empathize with the characters. I understood them, I accompanied them in their pain and joy, but couldn鈥檛 deeply connect with them. The characters are hardly lovable, and most of the time borderline unlikable, if not completely obnoxious. Yet, despite being seriously flawed, you still grow to love them, or at least as part as the story as a whole, whether you like it or not. So very memorable characters, for all the right and wrong reasons.
All in all, discounting a few cons, this was an unique and beautiful story that will most likely stay with me for the rest of my days, or so already has for the past decade. A must read in life, especially if you enjoy Green or anything YA. Highly Recommendable, for the right audience.
*** The TV series (2019) is a fairly faithful adaptation, capturing much of the book鈥檚 essence. Charlie Plummer, Kristine Froseth and Denny Love; Pudge, Alaska and The Colonel, respectively, the best of the movie by far. Not a superb acting mind you, but a great casting nonetheless. Loved the artistic cinematography of the whole series and the quirky young adult vibe. The eight episodes reasonably faithful to the work, the last one being my favorite. The ending was exquisite and beautifully depicted. Of course the book was vastly superior in almost every way, like so often happens, but still a great complement to the reading; and always a fantastic experience to see a book you loved come to life. Recommendable.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[2005] [221p] [YA] [Highly Recommendable] ["So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that, if people were rain, I was a drizzle, and she was a hurricane."]
-----------------------------------------------
鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽� The Fault in Our Stars
鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽� Looking for Alaska
-----------------------------------------------
鈥滶l Gran Tal Vez.鈥�
Miles 鈥楶udge鈥� Halter es un extra帽o chico adolescente empezando la Preparatoria Mayor Culver Creek. A poco tiempo de llegar se hace amigo de Chip 鈥楨l Coronel鈥� Martin, el enigm谩tico Takumi Hikohito y la hermosa Alaska Young. El alocado y problem谩tico grupo r谩pidamente crece fuerte y unido en camarader铆a; hasta que un fat铆dico d铆a llega cuando sus vidas dan un terrible vuelco. A veces pod茅s ver venir la tormenta, pero a menudo la tragedia golpea cuando menos lo esperas.
Otra obra maestra de Green junto a 鈥淏ajo la Misma Estrella鈥� , con muchas citas y momentos para el recuerdo. En 鈥淏uscando a Alaska鈥� se pueden encontrar muchos de los elementos que hicieron a BLME tan grande; el cautivador estilo de escritura, los siempre memorables personajes, el ritmo que no te permite parar, los absorbentes giros de trama, y dem谩s. La historia se divide en dos partes, el 鈥楢ntes鈥� y 鈥楧espu茅s鈥�. Ambas partes distintivamente 煤nicas, emotivas y a veces hasta graciosas. 隆Y por Dios! 隆C贸mo am茅 ese salvaje y alocado final!
Sin embargo, a diferencia de BLME, no pude empatizar completamente con los personajes. Los comprend铆, los acompa帽茅 en las buenas y en las malas, pero no pude conectar profundamente con ellos. Los personajes apenas si son queribles, y la mayor parte del tiempo rayando desagradables, si es que no completamente insoportables. Aun as铆, a pesar de todas sus grandes fallas, uno aprende a quererlos, o al menos como parte de la historia en su conjunto, ya sea que te guste o no. Tan memorables personajes, por buenas y malas razones.
Dentro de todo, descontando algunos contras, esta fue una historia hermosa y 煤nica que muy probablemente permanecer谩 conmigo por el resto de mis d铆as, o as铆 ha sido el caso durante la 煤ltima d茅cada. Un deber para leer en la vida, especialmente si disfrut谩s de Green o cualquier cosa Joven Adulto. Altamente Recomendable, para la audiencia correcta.
*** La mini serie de TV (2019) es una bastante fiel adaptaci贸n, capturando mucha de la esencia del libro. Charlie Plummer, Kristine Froseth y Denny Love; Pudge, Alaska y El Coronel, respectivamente, lo mejor de la pel铆cula por lejos. No una sobresaliente actuaci贸n en absoluto, pero s铆 un gran elenco. Am茅 la art铆stica cinematograf铆a de toda la serie y la rara vibra de joven adulto. Los ocho episodios razonablemente fieles a la obra, el 煤ltimo siendo mi favorito. El final fue exquisito y maravillosamente representado. Por supuesto el libro fue superior en casi cualquier forma, como tantas veces pasa, pero igualmente un gran complemento para la lectura; y siempre una hermosa experiencia ver un libro que amaste cobrar vida. Recomendable.
-----------------------------------------------
NOTA PERSONAL :
[2005] [221p] [Joven Adulto] [Altamente Recomendable] ["As铆 que regres茅 a mi habitaci贸n y ca铆 sobre la litera inferior, pensando que si las personas fueran lluvia, yo ser铆a llovizna y ella, un hurac谩n."]
-----------------------------------------------
Miles 鈥楶udge鈥� Halter is a quirky teenage boy starting Culver Creek Preparatory High School. In short time there he befriends strategist Chip 鈥楾he Colonel鈥� Martin, gifted Takumi Hikohito and beautiful Alaska Young. The wild and troublesome group quickly grows close and strong in camaraderie; until the fateful day arrives when their lives are forever changed. Sometimes you can see the storm coming, but often tragedy occurs when you least expect it.
Another Green masterpiece alongside 鈥淭he Fault in Our Stars鈥� , with many quotes and moments to remember by. In 鈥淟ooking for Alaska鈥� you can find many of the elements that made TFIOS so great; the captivating writing style, the ever memorable characters, the unputdownable pacing, the engrossing plot twists, and so on. The story is divided in two parts, the 鈥楤efore鈥� and 鈥楢fter鈥�. Both parts distinctively unique, emotional and sometimes even funny. And Gosh! I really loved that wild and crazy ending!
However, unlike TFIOS, I couldn鈥檛 fully empathize with the characters. I understood them, I accompanied them in their pain and joy, but couldn鈥檛 deeply connect with them. The characters are hardly lovable, and most of the time borderline unlikable, if not completely obnoxious. Yet, despite being seriously flawed, you still grow to love them, or at least as part as the story as a whole, whether you like it or not. So very memorable characters, for all the right and wrong reasons.
All in all, discounting a few cons, this was an unique and beautiful story that will most likely stay with me for the rest of my days, or so already has for the past decade. A must read in life, especially if you enjoy Green or anything YA. Highly Recommendable, for the right audience.
*** The TV series (2019) is a fairly faithful adaptation, capturing much of the book鈥檚 essence. Charlie Plummer, Kristine Froseth and Denny Love; Pudge, Alaska and The Colonel, respectively, the best of the movie by far. Not a superb acting mind you, but a great casting nonetheless. Loved the artistic cinematography of the whole series and the quirky young adult vibe. The eight episodes reasonably faithful to the work, the last one being my favorite. The ending was exquisite and beautifully depicted. Of course the book was vastly superior in almost every way, like so often happens, but still a great complement to the reading; and always a fantastic experience to see a book you loved come to life. Recommendable.
-----------------------------------------------
PERSONAL NOTE :
[2005] [221p] [YA] [Highly Recommendable] ["So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that, if people were rain, I was a drizzle, and she was a hurricane."]
-----------------------------------------------
鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽� The Fault in Our Stars
鈽呪槄鈽呪槄鈽� Looking for Alaska
-----------------------------------------------
鈥滶l Gran Tal Vez.鈥�
Miles 鈥楶udge鈥� Halter es un extra帽o chico adolescente empezando la Preparatoria Mayor Culver Creek. A poco tiempo de llegar se hace amigo de Chip 鈥楨l Coronel鈥� Martin, el enigm谩tico Takumi Hikohito y la hermosa Alaska Young. El alocado y problem谩tico grupo r谩pidamente crece fuerte y unido en camarader铆a; hasta que un fat铆dico d铆a llega cuando sus vidas dan un terrible vuelco. A veces pod茅s ver venir la tormenta, pero a menudo la tragedia golpea cuando menos lo esperas.
Otra obra maestra de Green junto a 鈥淏ajo la Misma Estrella鈥� , con muchas citas y momentos para el recuerdo. En 鈥淏uscando a Alaska鈥� se pueden encontrar muchos de los elementos que hicieron a BLME tan grande; el cautivador estilo de escritura, los siempre memorables personajes, el ritmo que no te permite parar, los absorbentes giros de trama, y dem谩s. La historia se divide en dos partes, el 鈥楢ntes鈥� y 鈥楧espu茅s鈥�. Ambas partes distintivamente 煤nicas, emotivas y a veces hasta graciosas. 隆Y por Dios! 隆C贸mo am茅 ese salvaje y alocado final!
Sin embargo, a diferencia de BLME, no pude empatizar completamente con los personajes. Los comprend铆, los acompa帽茅 en las buenas y en las malas, pero no pude conectar profundamente con ellos. Los personajes apenas si son queribles, y la mayor parte del tiempo rayando desagradables, si es que no completamente insoportables. Aun as铆, a pesar de todas sus grandes fallas, uno aprende a quererlos, o al menos como parte de la historia en su conjunto, ya sea que te guste o no. Tan memorables personajes, por buenas y malas razones.
Dentro de todo, descontando algunos contras, esta fue una historia hermosa y 煤nica que muy probablemente permanecer谩 conmigo por el resto de mis d铆as, o as铆 ha sido el caso durante la 煤ltima d茅cada. Un deber para leer en la vida, especialmente si disfrut谩s de Green o cualquier cosa Joven Adulto. Altamente Recomendable, para la audiencia correcta.
*** La mini serie de TV (2019) es una bastante fiel adaptaci贸n, capturando mucha de la esencia del libro. Charlie Plummer, Kristine Froseth y Denny Love; Pudge, Alaska y El Coronel, respectivamente, lo mejor de la pel铆cula por lejos. No una sobresaliente actuaci贸n en absoluto, pero s铆 un gran elenco. Am茅 la art铆stica cinematograf铆a de toda la serie y la rara vibra de joven adulto. Los ocho episodios razonablemente fieles a la obra, el 煤ltimo siendo mi favorito. El final fue exquisito y maravillosamente representado. Por supuesto el libro fue superior en casi cualquier forma, como tantas veces pasa, pero igualmente un gran complemento para la lectura; y siempre una hermosa experiencia ver un libro que amaste cobrar vida. Recomendable.
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NOTA PERSONAL :
[2005] [221p] [Joven Adulto] [Altamente Recomendable] ["As铆 que regres茅 a mi habitaci贸n y ca铆 sobre la litera inferior, pensando que si las personas fueran lluvia, yo ser铆a llovizna y ella, un hurac谩n."]
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March 10, 2023
Update- 3/10/23
Boy I was passionate 9 years ago. 馃う鈥嶁檧锔� I still dislike this story but any book that gets me this worked up, deserved better from me. If you can write so well, that I become so invested into the characters, even if I hate those characters, you are a brilliant writer. Officially giving another 2 star for a total of 3 stars.
Update- 4/12/14
This review/rant receives more comments than any other book review I have. I decided to reply to a few of the comments in my review because the people that don't like my review/rant don't like it for pretty much the same reasons. First, please note there are spoilers. However, the spoilers aren't really spoilers since it doesn't affect your enjoyment or lack of enjoyment if you know the big secret. Nevertheless, a helpful few have pointed out that I have spoilers and I didn't mark them. So are you happy now?
Ok, now to another criticism. Many lovely critics bring up the same point- "maybe John Green just wanted to show a flawed character & you just don't grasp the flawed character"...blah,blah,blah, I'm paraphrasing here and kinda combining all the criticism.
All right I'll bite. Yes, Alaska is flawed. That is obvious. Ok? Did Mr. Green show how Alaska was flawed and resolve either her flaws or how others deal with her flaws if she chose not to change her ways? Nope. Still not buying my argument? Ok. Let's say for the sake of argument, Alaska was a puppy abuser. She goes around kicking puppies. Is her puppy kicking dealt with? Do any of the characters say "listen Alaska Darling, you kick one more puppy and I'm kicking your ass"? Ok, maybe that is a bit extreme, how about does Mr. Green have his characters abandon Alaska because she refuses to give up her puppy kicking ways? Nope. I know, you are saying, "listen, you stupid idiot, Alaska didn't abuse puppies, she only abused other's people's kindness, took advantage of people, emotionally manipulated people and was an all around piss poor person that used her own poor past to lash out". Oh, ok, I see what you mean, nope, not a puppy kicker...clearly I'm wrong.
Below is the old rant/review...enjoy
I'm totally going to regret putting this review in and I'll probably change it later but oh...what...the...hell....
Poor Alaska. She screwed up in her past. She blames herself for something that happened when she was a child. It caused her to be moody, withdrawn, angry, and unpredictable. It caused her to drink too much, take unnecessary risks, take advantage of other people鈥檚 kindness. One minute Alaska was fun, the life of the party, caring, and everyone鈥檚 best friend. The next minute, she was the bitch.
Poor, poor Alaska. Let鈥檚 save Alaska.
Give me a break!
Alaska acted the way she did because she could. She used her past as an excuse for her destructive behavior. Alaska鈥檚 friends enabled Alaska鈥檚 behavior because they didn鈥檛 stand up to her. In fact, they had destructive behavior that needed to be addressed as well but since this book is called 鈥淟ooking for Alaska鈥�, I鈥檓 going to focus on Alaska.
Many people had really shitty childhoods. Many people were physically and mentally abused as children. Many people were left to survive on their own as children鈥ungry, dirty and alone. These people didn鈥檛 grow up to use their bad childhood, their own guilt, or their past mistakes to act out, take advantage of other people, or to basically treat people like crap.
I鈥檓 not uncaring. Far from it. I have a ton of compassion. I鈥檓 too caring. But being a victim does not excuse your behavior. Being a victim does not justify your behavior. You still have to treat people with kindness, compassion, love, and honesty regardless of what struggles you survived. Get help, and then move on.
If someone is treating you wrong, call them on it. Don鈥檛 look into their past to try to explain away their behavior. That is BS. It isn鈥檛 quirkiness, it isn鈥檛 moodiness, it is abuse.
So dear Miles aka Pudge, why are you seeking Alaska鈥檚 forgiveness? You did nothing wrong except failing to recognize Alaska鈥檚 destructive behavior and failing to get away from it.
If a person is friendly, kind, caring one minute, but then angry, withdrawn the next, THEY have a problem.
If a person is drinking too much, partying to hard, ignoring authority, breaking the rules, THEY have a problem.
If you are trying to figure the above-mentioned person out, if you are trying to solve that person鈥檚 problems, figure out why they are the way they are, YOU have a problem.
I鈥檓 off my pedestal now.
I鈥檓 going to probably change this review once I stop being so irritated but for right now, I鈥檓 rolling with it. And if I didn鈥檛 鈥済et鈥� the true meaning of the book, well, I鈥檓 sorry; I don鈥檛 want to 鈥済et鈥� it. I don鈥檛 care. Alaska sucked as a friend and she was a lousy human being, and she took up too much of my time by reading the book.
Boy I was passionate 9 years ago. 馃う鈥嶁檧锔� I still dislike this story but any book that gets me this worked up, deserved better from me. If you can write so well, that I become so invested into the characters, even if I hate those characters, you are a brilliant writer. Officially giving another 2 star for a total of 3 stars.
Update- 4/12/14
This review/rant receives more comments than any other book review I have. I decided to reply to a few of the comments in my review because the people that don't like my review/rant don't like it for pretty much the same reasons. First, please note there are spoilers. However, the spoilers aren't really spoilers since it doesn't affect your enjoyment or lack of enjoyment if you know the big secret. Nevertheless, a helpful few have pointed out that I have spoilers and I didn't mark them. So are you happy now?
Ok, now to another criticism. Many lovely critics bring up the same point- "maybe John Green just wanted to show a flawed character & you just don't grasp the flawed character"...blah,blah,blah, I'm paraphrasing here and kinda combining all the criticism.
All right I'll bite. Yes, Alaska is flawed. That is obvious. Ok? Did Mr. Green show how Alaska was flawed and resolve either her flaws or how others deal with her flaws if she chose not to change her ways? Nope. Still not buying my argument? Ok. Let's say for the sake of argument, Alaska was a puppy abuser. She goes around kicking puppies. Is her puppy kicking dealt with? Do any of the characters say "listen Alaska Darling, you kick one more puppy and I'm kicking your ass"? Ok, maybe that is a bit extreme, how about does Mr. Green have his characters abandon Alaska because she refuses to give up her puppy kicking ways? Nope. I know, you are saying, "listen, you stupid idiot, Alaska didn't abuse puppies, she only abused other's people's kindness, took advantage of people, emotionally manipulated people and was an all around piss poor person that used her own poor past to lash out". Oh, ok, I see what you mean, nope, not a puppy kicker...clearly I'm wrong.
Below is the old rant/review...enjoy
I'm totally going to regret putting this review in and I'll probably change it later but oh...what...the...hell....
Poor Alaska. She screwed up in her past. She blames herself for something that happened when she was a child. It caused her to be moody, withdrawn, angry, and unpredictable. It caused her to drink too much, take unnecessary risks, take advantage of other people鈥檚 kindness. One minute Alaska was fun, the life of the party, caring, and everyone鈥檚 best friend. The next minute, she was the bitch.
Poor, poor Alaska. Let鈥檚 save Alaska.
Give me a break!
Alaska acted the way she did because she could. She used her past as an excuse for her destructive behavior. Alaska鈥檚 friends enabled Alaska鈥檚 behavior because they didn鈥檛 stand up to her. In fact, they had destructive behavior that needed to be addressed as well but since this book is called 鈥淟ooking for Alaska鈥�, I鈥檓 going to focus on Alaska.
Many people had really shitty childhoods. Many people were physically and mentally abused as children. Many people were left to survive on their own as children鈥ungry, dirty and alone. These people didn鈥檛 grow up to use their bad childhood, their own guilt, or their past mistakes to act out, take advantage of other people, or to basically treat people like crap.
I鈥檓 not uncaring. Far from it. I have a ton of compassion. I鈥檓 too caring. But being a victim does not excuse your behavior. Being a victim does not justify your behavior. You still have to treat people with kindness, compassion, love, and honesty regardless of what struggles you survived. Get help, and then move on.
If someone is treating you wrong, call them on it. Don鈥檛 look into their past to try to explain away their behavior. That is BS. It isn鈥檛 quirkiness, it isn鈥檛 moodiness, it is abuse.
So dear Miles aka Pudge, why are you seeking Alaska鈥檚 forgiveness? You did nothing wrong except failing to recognize Alaska鈥檚 destructive behavior and failing to get away from it.
If a person is friendly, kind, caring one minute, but then angry, withdrawn the next, THEY have a problem.
If a person is drinking too much, partying to hard, ignoring authority, breaking the rules, THEY have a problem.
If you are trying to figure the above-mentioned person out, if you are trying to solve that person鈥檚 problems, figure out why they are the way they are, YOU have a problem.
I鈥檓 off my pedestal now.
I鈥檓 going to probably change this review once I stop being so irritated but for right now, I鈥檓 rolling with it. And if I didn鈥檛 鈥済et鈥� the true meaning of the book, well, I鈥檓 sorry; I don鈥檛 want to 鈥済et鈥� it. I don鈥檛 care. Alaska sucked as a friend and she was a lousy human being, and she took up too much of my time by reading the book.
Read
April 25, 2021鈥淲e need never be hopeless because we can never be irreperably broken.鈥�
Again, I know, I'm late. This book is incredibly popular, and it's been waiting patiently in my bookshelf for at least two years now. I've read Paper Towns (which was boring af) and The Fault In Our Stars (which is one of my favourite books). Looking for Alaska was something in between.
Characters:
Miles, the main character, is as interesting and charming as toast. So are his parents, but their lack of character depth is even worse. Chip, his roommate, saved me from falling asleep, and Alaska is a bit of a clich茅. She is every toast-boy's fantasy, curvy, but also smart, a bookworm and feminist.
Plot:
Hmm. What's the plot? Boarding school, pranks, bullies, girls with boobs, alcohol and cigarettes. Way too many cigarettes - which really annoys me. Yeah, teens smoke out of stupidity but why write about it, and, in a way, promote it. Not cool. Listen guys, smoking: not cool.
Thoughts:
I don't get the point. I didn't feel emotionally connected to any of the characters and this lack of feelings took away the sympathy and understanding for them. This book sure is overrated, but not bad. The dialogues are okay and the pranks are fun, but I don't feel like this must have been written.
Again, I know, I'm late. This book is incredibly popular, and it's been waiting patiently in my bookshelf for at least two years now. I've read Paper Towns (which was boring af) and The Fault In Our Stars (which is one of my favourite books). Looking for Alaska was something in between.
Characters:
Miles, the main character, is as interesting and charming as toast. So are his parents, but their lack of character depth is even worse. Chip, his roommate, saved me from falling asleep, and Alaska is a bit of a clich茅. She is every toast-boy's fantasy, curvy, but also smart, a bookworm and feminist.
Plot:
Hmm. What's the plot? Boarding school, pranks, bullies, girls with boobs, alcohol and cigarettes. Way too many cigarettes - which really annoys me. Yeah, teens smoke out of stupidity but why write about it, and, in a way, promote it. Not cool. Listen guys, smoking: not cool.
Thoughts:
I don't get the point. I didn't feel emotionally connected to any of the characters and this lack of feelings took away the sympathy and understanding for them. This book sure is overrated, but not bad. The dialogues are okay and the pranks are fun, but I don't feel like this must have been written.
February 7, 2012
This was the first book I ever read by John Green. It was given to me in 2007 when I had no idea who John Green was. I wish this book had been around when I was a teen. I really enjoyed the story, but I think I would have liked it even more if I wasn't already past that point in my life. Even still, I loved this book.
Miles is in search for the great perhaps, and has a fascination with famous last words. He meets Alaska Young who is basically the girl of his dreams. Their journey together at boarding school begins and John takes us on an exciting ride in which you constantly feel there is impending doom lurking ahead.
I'm going to keep this review short, because so much has been said on this book. The writing is as great as I always expect now from JG, and the story unfolds with a great pace that makes you never want to put the book down. You will probably feel some excitement, sadness, and maybe even a little anger reading this book, but I think this book will be memorable. This is an outstanding coming-of-age novel that doesn't resort to a "happily ever after" ending, but the characters each seek closure on their own terms. The characters are well drawn, witty, and full of individual quirks. This book also includes some fun pranks, some great humor, and some shocking turns of events. I loved the "before"/"after" and the whole countdown. I thought that was a really neat tool that helped build suspense.
Looking For Alaska is a book I still love and recommend years later, and occasionally still think about. It remains my favorite JG book, and I would like to personally thank the person who gave me this book for introducing me to this wonderful writer.
Recommend to everyone, really!
Miles is in search for the great perhaps, and has a fascination with famous last words. He meets Alaska Young who is basically the girl of his dreams. Their journey together at boarding school begins and John takes us on an exciting ride in which you constantly feel there is impending doom lurking ahead.
I'm going to keep this review short, because so much has been said on this book. The writing is as great as I always expect now from JG, and the story unfolds with a great pace that makes you never want to put the book down. You will probably feel some excitement, sadness, and maybe even a little anger reading this book, but I think this book will be memorable. This is an outstanding coming-of-age novel that doesn't resort to a "happily ever after" ending, but the characters each seek closure on their own terms. The characters are well drawn, witty, and full of individual quirks. This book also includes some fun pranks, some great humor, and some shocking turns of events. I loved the "before"/"after" and the whole countdown. I thought that was a really neat tool that helped build suspense.
Looking For Alaska is a book I still love and recommend years later, and occasionally still think about. It remains my favorite JG book, and I would like to personally thank the person who gave me this book for introducing me to this wonderful writer.
Recommend to everyone, really!
April 28, 2025
鈰嗭健掳路鈽侊笌 '饾摌饾摨 饾摴饾摦饾摳饾摴饾摰饾摦 饾攢饾摦饾摶饾摦 饾摶饾摢饾摬饾摲, 饾摌 饾攢饾摢饾摷 饾摥饾摶饾摬饾攦饾攦饾摰饾摦 饾摢饾摲饾摥 饾摷饾摫饾摦 饾攢饾摢饾摷 饾摢 饾摫饾摼饾摶饾摶饾摬饾摤饾摢饾摲饾摦.' 鈽傗€р倞藲 鈽侊笍鈰呪櫋饟們 啵� 执侄指.
This was really freaking good. Damn, Green writes some great characters!
鈥滒潛ｐ潛别潛� 饾摳饾摲饾摰饾攤 饾攢饾摢饾攤 饾摳饾摼饾摻 饾摳饾摨 饾摻饾摫饾摦 饾摰饾摢饾摣饾攤饾摶饾摬饾摲饾摻饾摫 饾摳饾摨 饾摷饾摼饾摨饾摨饾摦饾摶饾摬饾摲饾摪 饾摬饾摷 饾摻饾摳 饾摨饾摳饾摶饾摪饾摬饾摽饾摦.鈥�
鈺扳 Real, raw and unfiltered.
The beauty of this story is that it doesn't hide anything. It showcases what young love and growing up really are in a brutal and honest light. How the characters communicate, their relationships with each other, their pasts and the pleasure that comes with being a bad kid shines through the pages.
I might actually prefer this book to The Fault in Our Stars... Idk, the jury is still out on that one lol.
This is a book of grief, friendship, escapes and life. It鈥檚 dark, and romantic. Thought provoking, character driven tale of Alaska and Miles. The ending will leave you heartbroken.
You might not sob out buckets like most readers did at the end of The Fault in Our Stars, but you'll get attached to Miles and Alaska, just as they do to each other.
鈥滒潛ｐ潛别潛葛潛娥潛潛� 饾摂饾摥饾摬饾摷饾摳饾摲鈥欚潛� 饾摰饾摢饾摷饾摻 饾攢饾摳饾摶饾摥饾摷 饾攢饾摦饾摶饾摦 鈥滒潛橉潛解€欚潛� 饾摽饾摦饾摶饾攤 饾摣饾摦饾摢饾摼饾摻饾摬饾摨饾摼饾摰 饾摳饾摽饾摦饾摶 饾摻饾摫饾摦饾摶饾摦鈥�. 饾摌 饾摥饾摳饾摲鈥欚潛� 饾摯饾摲饾摳饾攢 饾攢饾摫饾摦饾摶饾摦 饾摻饾摫饾摦饾摶饾摦 饾摬饾摷, 饾摣饾摼饾摻 饾摌 饾摣饾摦饾摰饾摬饾摦饾摽饾摦 饾摬饾摻鈥欚潛� 饾摷饾摳饾摱饾摦饾攢饾摫饾摦饾摶饾摦, 饾摢饾摲饾摥 饾摌 饾摫饾摳饾摴饾摦 饾摬饾摻鈥欚潛� 饾摣饾摦饾摢饾摼饾摻饾摬饾摨饾摼饾摰鈥�.
喹ㄠ鈥库赌库赌苦锞犩鈥库赌库赌苦喹�
This was really freaking good. Damn, Green writes some great characters!
鈥滒潛ｐ潛别潛� 饾摳饾摲饾摰饾攤 饾攢饾摢饾攤 饾摳饾摼饾摻 饾摳饾摨 饾摻饾摫饾摦 饾摰饾摢饾摣饾攤饾摶饾摬饾摲饾摻饾摫 饾摳饾摨 饾摷饾摼饾摨饾摨饾摦饾摶饾摬饾摲饾摪 饾摬饾摷 饾摻饾摳 饾摨饾摳饾摶饾摪饾摬饾摽饾摦.鈥�
鈺扳 Real, raw and unfiltered.
The beauty of this story is that it doesn't hide anything. It showcases what young love and growing up really are in a brutal and honest light. How the characters communicate, their relationships with each other, their pasts and the pleasure that comes with being a bad kid shines through the pages.
I might actually prefer this book to The Fault in Our Stars... Idk, the jury is still out on that one lol.
This is a book of grief, friendship, escapes and life. It鈥檚 dark, and romantic. Thought provoking, character driven tale of Alaska and Miles. The ending will leave you heartbroken.
You might not sob out buckets like most readers did at the end of The Fault in Our Stars, but you'll get attached to Miles and Alaska, just as they do to each other.
鈥滒潛ｐ潛别潛葛潛娥潛潛� 饾摂饾摥饾摬饾摷饾摳饾摲鈥欚潛� 饾摰饾摢饾摷饾摻 饾攢饾摳饾摶饾摥饾摷 饾攢饾摦饾摶饾摦 鈥滒潛橉潛解€欚潛� 饾摽饾摦饾摶饾攤 饾摣饾摦饾摢饾摼饾摻饾摬饾摨饾摼饾摰 饾摳饾摽饾摦饾摶 饾摻饾摫饾摦饾摶饾摦鈥�. 饾摌 饾摥饾摳饾摲鈥欚潛� 饾摯饾摲饾摳饾攢 饾攢饾摫饾摦饾摶饾摦 饾摻饾摫饾摦饾摶饾摦 饾摬饾摷, 饾摣饾摼饾摻 饾摌 饾摣饾摦饾摰饾摬饾摦饾摽饾摦 饾摬饾摻鈥欚潛� 饾摷饾摳饾摱饾摦饾攢饾摫饾摦饾摶饾摦, 饾摢饾摲饾摥 饾摌 饾摫饾摳饾摴饾摦 饾摬饾摻鈥欚潛� 饾摣饾摦饾摢饾摼饾摻饾摬饾摨饾摼饾摰鈥�.
喹ㄠ鈥库赌库赌苦锞犩鈥库赌库赌苦喹�
April 30, 2017
I got 23 pages into this stink-bomb of a novel and had to put it down. This is exceedingly rare for me, but it's just that bad.
Our hero, Miles Halter, is a weird, spoiled kid who likes reading the ends of biographies just to get people's last words. He doesn't always even read the whole book, just the ending. Miles thinks this habit makes him deep. Miles is wrong.
We know Miles is shallow from page 3. He's leaving his public school for a fancy boarding school, and only two friends, Marie and Will, show up to bid him adieu. Miles does not appreciate this gesture because Marie and Will are dorks, theater geeks, and they like Jesus Christ Superstar, which Miles has somehow never heard of but already knows he doesn't like. Also, Will is fat. The horror.
Luckily for Miles, he is soon to escape this hellish existence of being forced to socialize with overweight people who don't recoil like demons at the name of Jesus. At his fancy-pants school, he meets Chip "The Colonel" his jerk of a roommate, but Chip's alright because he looks like "a scale model of Adonis" and he smokes.
Then there's Takumi, who's Asian and talks with his mouth full. So far, that is all we know about Takumi, and I have a horrible feeling that that is all we will ever know about Takumi.
And then there's Alaska Young- "the hottest girl in the world" who introduces herself to Miles by gleefully recounting how she got groped by a random, randy boy over the summer. Alaska is like Miles in that she loves to read (a word which here means "parse, but pretend to have read the whole thing") big nonfiction books. Usually girls who like this kind of reading don't boast about their sexual exploits, because they are mature enough not to have any. They also don't drink, smoke, or partake of drugs.
But to paraphrase Gandalf at the edge of Mirkwood, this is the John Green-verse, a world that only appears similar to ours, and we're in for all kinds of fun wherever we go.
Chip gives Miles the nickname "Pudge" because Miles is skinny. Green clearly expects us all to be rolling in the aisles over this one. Green's expectations are way off.
The night before school begins, Miles gets abducted from his room while Chip is out. The boys who take him make him a duct tape mummy and throw him in a pond, an ordeal which he miraculously survives. These three guys tried to murder him, but they were thin and attractive and didn't say anything about Jesus, so we're cool.
I neither know nor care what happens after this point. From what I've heard, Miles and Alaska make out, despite each already having a girlfriend/boyfriend, and Miles receives a sexual favor of the Bill Clinton variety from his girlfriend while Alaska looks on and gives the girl instructions. Then Alaska goes drunk-driving and dies, prompting an existential crisis on the part of her friends, who wonder if the car crash was a purposeful suicide.
They market this book to kids as young as twelve.
John Green is not a particularly good writer, despite what you might have heard. His prose isn't bad, but it's hardly the ambrosial poetry it's been marketed as. The supposedly deep thoughts of the kids are clearly tacked on - it's not natural for Alaska to go from "OMG he honked my boob" (her words, not mine) to "General Bolivar wondered 'How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?'" Every time Miles mentioned his Great Perhaps, I wanted to clobber someone. Nobody on Earth thinks, acts, or talks like this.
Green clearly fancies himself a great sage of adolescence, and his characters worthy to keep the company of the best YA protagonists. What he doesn't realize is that the great characters are great because they're not sold to the reader as perfect; rather, they are shown to be real kids with flaws and virtues. A few examples:
-Huck Finn ( ) is a gritty protagonist, but truly gritty, not some pampered rich kid affecting a hard life to evade moral responsibility. Huck is a weather-worn, stained pair of workman's jeans, while Miles Halter and Company are the $425 Nordstrom jeans splattered with fake mud.
-Jo March ( ), like Green's characters, is a bookworm who yearns for more adventure than her small town can provide. But unlike them, she learns the value of temperance, sacrifice, and humility.
-Anne Shirley ( ) is superficially a lot like a Green character, a precocious reader who loves to show off her big vocabulary and Deep Thoughts. But unlike Green's nihilistic dramatis personae, Anne believes fervently in Goodness - not just in God, while that's big, but in the inherent potential of every human being. She also recognizes her mistakes and learns from them.
-Eustace Clarence Scrubb has a lot of Greenish tics. He collects bugs, and he could probably have a good conversation with Miles and Alaska about famous last words and grain elevators. Eustace looks down on his cousins the Pevensies, whom he perceives as stupid, and he keeps a journal, wherein he is the only smart or sane person in a sea of idiots who enjoy the outdoors and talk about Aslan (Christ Superstar). Eustace basically is a Green hero at the start of , but Lewis sees him as he is - utterly insufferable. What a pity no one could turn Miles Halter into a dragon; it might have been a character-building experience.
-Scout Finch ( ) is extremely observant and intelligent, but unlike a Green kid, never puts on airs about it. She never even really recognizes how different she is from the children around her. She's nine when the story ends, but she's far more mature than Miles or any of his friends.
- Meg Murray ( ) is a brainiac who looks and acts like one - a mousy-haired, bespectacled dork with no discernible social life, whose best friend is her (autism spectrum?) little brother. She doesn't degrade the people around her. She just wants to save her family.
(The last two examples are from a movie and a TV show, but they're still light-years ahead of anybody in a Green book).
- Sarah Williams ( ) fancies herself a genius, who's so much better than her peers that she'd rather do one-person plays in the park than interact with other high school kids. She quickly learns that she's not nearly as grown-up as she thought she was, and that by living mentally in a fantasy world, she almost lost her baby brother and got embroiled in a relationship with a rather unstable man that neither she nor he was ready for. Sarah becomes mature when she admits her immaturity. Green's people don't think they have anything to learn.
- the entire main cast of are strange, maladjusted, and alienated from the mainstream like Green's kids are - but in realistic ways. Some of them are drug-addled partiers, others are readers and perceivers. The writers of the show understood that a wild girl like Kim Kelly, who boasts of her Maenadish adventures just like Alaska, would not enjoy reading, while a bright kid like Lindsay Weir would try pot and skipping school, but feel the whole time like she was betraying herself. Green just amalgamates incompatible personality traits without a shred of realism.
That's not even getting into the zig-zagging language of the book. Green drops heavy swear words frequently, but thinks the reader needs every bit of real information spelled out for them. At the end of chapter 1, Miles explains to his parents who Francois Rabelais was, despite the fact that his dad owns the book about Rabelais that Miles read. This unnatural dialogue reveals how dumb Green thinks his readers are.
It would have been better for Miles-as-narrator to step away from the scene and explain Rabelais briefly to the reader. Alcott, Montgomery, Lewis, L'Engle or Lee would have just had him say "As Rabelais said on his deathbed..." and leave it to the reader to find out who Rabelais was. Believe it or not, kids, there was a time when novelists knew you were smart enough to use an encyclopedia!
And what of the gratuitous crudity and innuendo in this book? Alaska is utterly objectified. The first time we meet her, she's bragging about getting felt up. To a pair of boys, no less, one of whom she doesn't even know. When she's having a supposedly deep conversation by the pond with Miles, he's more focused on her curves, which he describes over and over again in detail, than in anything she's saying. It's the Male Gaze Run Amok.
I understand that men are easily distracted by the bodies of women, especially women as beautiful as we're told Alaska is. But Miles is so filled with lust for her that it's uncomfortable to read about. If I have to read about men looking at women and being horny, I'll stick with Ovid. He can get disgusting, but he's a far superior writer to Green in any translation, and at least in Ovid many of the women do not seek to be objectified. I'll take Apollo/Daphne over Miles/Alaska any day. Also, Metamorphoses boasts such niceties as symbolism, flashes of genuine humor, and explosions.
All in all, this is a terrible book which somehow won awards and gained its author a huge, worshipful following. He has since rewritten it many times, changing the characters' names and tweaking the subject matter slightly. All his books pretend to be profound when they're really just paeans to narcissism, nihilism, and bad decisions. His fans gobble this stuff up because it makes them feel special and unique without challenging them to change their lives or examine their characters.
Worse, Green's genre can be a slippery slope to other "profound" YA novels such as the potentially harmful Thirteen Reasons Why, which in light of its alarmingly popular Netflix adaptation will soon be getting a review from me.
In short, don't give this man your money, time or brain cells.
Our hero, Miles Halter, is a weird, spoiled kid who likes reading the ends of biographies just to get people's last words. He doesn't always even read the whole book, just the ending. Miles thinks this habit makes him deep. Miles is wrong.
We know Miles is shallow from page 3. He's leaving his public school for a fancy boarding school, and only two friends, Marie and Will, show up to bid him adieu. Miles does not appreciate this gesture because Marie and Will are dorks, theater geeks, and they like Jesus Christ Superstar, which Miles has somehow never heard of but already knows he doesn't like. Also, Will is fat. The horror.
Luckily for Miles, he is soon to escape this hellish existence of being forced to socialize with overweight people who don't recoil like demons at the name of Jesus. At his fancy-pants school, he meets Chip "The Colonel" his jerk of a roommate, but Chip's alright because he looks like "a scale model of Adonis" and he smokes.
Then there's Takumi, who's Asian and talks with his mouth full. So far, that is all we know about Takumi, and I have a horrible feeling that that is all we will ever know about Takumi.
And then there's Alaska Young- "the hottest girl in the world" who introduces herself to Miles by gleefully recounting how she got groped by a random, randy boy over the summer. Alaska is like Miles in that she loves to read (a word which here means "parse, but pretend to have read the whole thing") big nonfiction books. Usually girls who like this kind of reading don't boast about their sexual exploits, because they are mature enough not to have any. They also don't drink, smoke, or partake of drugs.
But to paraphrase Gandalf at the edge of Mirkwood, this is the John Green-verse, a world that only appears similar to ours, and we're in for all kinds of fun wherever we go.
Chip gives Miles the nickname "Pudge" because Miles is skinny. Green clearly expects us all to be rolling in the aisles over this one. Green's expectations are way off.
The night before school begins, Miles gets abducted from his room while Chip is out. The boys who take him make him a duct tape mummy and throw him in a pond, an ordeal which he miraculously survives. These three guys tried to murder him, but they were thin and attractive and didn't say anything about Jesus, so we're cool.
I neither know nor care what happens after this point. From what I've heard, Miles and Alaska make out, despite each already having a girlfriend/boyfriend, and Miles receives a sexual favor of the Bill Clinton variety from his girlfriend while Alaska looks on and gives the girl instructions. Then Alaska goes drunk-driving and dies, prompting an existential crisis on the part of her friends, who wonder if the car crash was a purposeful suicide.
They market this book to kids as young as twelve.
John Green is not a particularly good writer, despite what you might have heard. His prose isn't bad, but it's hardly the ambrosial poetry it's been marketed as. The supposedly deep thoughts of the kids are clearly tacked on - it's not natural for Alaska to go from "OMG he honked my boob" (her words, not mine) to "General Bolivar wondered 'How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?'" Every time Miles mentioned his Great Perhaps, I wanted to clobber someone. Nobody on Earth thinks, acts, or talks like this.
Green clearly fancies himself a great sage of adolescence, and his characters worthy to keep the company of the best YA protagonists. What he doesn't realize is that the great characters are great because they're not sold to the reader as perfect; rather, they are shown to be real kids with flaws and virtues. A few examples:
-Huck Finn ( ) is a gritty protagonist, but truly gritty, not some pampered rich kid affecting a hard life to evade moral responsibility. Huck is a weather-worn, stained pair of workman's jeans, while Miles Halter and Company are the $425 Nordstrom jeans splattered with fake mud.
-Jo March ( ), like Green's characters, is a bookworm who yearns for more adventure than her small town can provide. But unlike them, she learns the value of temperance, sacrifice, and humility.
-Anne Shirley ( ) is superficially a lot like a Green character, a precocious reader who loves to show off her big vocabulary and Deep Thoughts. But unlike Green's nihilistic dramatis personae, Anne believes fervently in Goodness - not just in God, while that's big, but in the inherent potential of every human being. She also recognizes her mistakes and learns from them.
-Eustace Clarence Scrubb has a lot of Greenish tics. He collects bugs, and he could probably have a good conversation with Miles and Alaska about famous last words and grain elevators. Eustace looks down on his cousins the Pevensies, whom he perceives as stupid, and he keeps a journal, wherein he is the only smart or sane person in a sea of idiots who enjoy the outdoors and talk about Aslan (Christ Superstar). Eustace basically is a Green hero at the start of , but Lewis sees him as he is - utterly insufferable. What a pity no one could turn Miles Halter into a dragon; it might have been a character-building experience.
-Scout Finch ( ) is extremely observant and intelligent, but unlike a Green kid, never puts on airs about it. She never even really recognizes how different she is from the children around her. She's nine when the story ends, but she's far more mature than Miles or any of his friends.
- Meg Murray ( ) is a brainiac who looks and acts like one - a mousy-haired, bespectacled dork with no discernible social life, whose best friend is her (autism spectrum?) little brother. She doesn't degrade the people around her. She just wants to save her family.
(The last two examples are from a movie and a TV show, but they're still light-years ahead of anybody in a Green book).
- Sarah Williams ( ) fancies herself a genius, who's so much better than her peers that she'd rather do one-person plays in the park than interact with other high school kids. She quickly learns that she's not nearly as grown-up as she thought she was, and that by living mentally in a fantasy world, she almost lost her baby brother and got embroiled in a relationship with a rather unstable man that neither she nor he was ready for. Sarah becomes mature when she admits her immaturity. Green's people don't think they have anything to learn.
- the entire main cast of are strange, maladjusted, and alienated from the mainstream like Green's kids are - but in realistic ways. Some of them are drug-addled partiers, others are readers and perceivers. The writers of the show understood that a wild girl like Kim Kelly, who boasts of her Maenadish adventures just like Alaska, would not enjoy reading, while a bright kid like Lindsay Weir would try pot and skipping school, but feel the whole time like she was betraying herself. Green just amalgamates incompatible personality traits without a shred of realism.
That's not even getting into the zig-zagging language of the book. Green drops heavy swear words frequently, but thinks the reader needs every bit of real information spelled out for them. At the end of chapter 1, Miles explains to his parents who Francois Rabelais was, despite the fact that his dad owns the book about Rabelais that Miles read. This unnatural dialogue reveals how dumb Green thinks his readers are.
It would have been better for Miles-as-narrator to step away from the scene and explain Rabelais briefly to the reader. Alcott, Montgomery, Lewis, L'Engle or Lee would have just had him say "As Rabelais said on his deathbed..." and leave it to the reader to find out who Rabelais was. Believe it or not, kids, there was a time when novelists knew you were smart enough to use an encyclopedia!
And what of the gratuitous crudity and innuendo in this book? Alaska is utterly objectified. The first time we meet her, she's bragging about getting felt up. To a pair of boys, no less, one of whom she doesn't even know. When she's having a supposedly deep conversation by the pond with Miles, he's more focused on her curves, which he describes over and over again in detail, than in anything she's saying. It's the Male Gaze Run Amok.
I understand that men are easily distracted by the bodies of women, especially women as beautiful as we're told Alaska is. But Miles is so filled with lust for her that it's uncomfortable to read about. If I have to read about men looking at women and being horny, I'll stick with Ovid. He can get disgusting, but he's a far superior writer to Green in any translation, and at least in Ovid many of the women do not seek to be objectified. I'll take Apollo/Daphne over Miles/Alaska any day. Also, Metamorphoses boasts such niceties as symbolism, flashes of genuine humor, and explosions.
All in all, this is a terrible book which somehow won awards and gained its author a huge, worshipful following. He has since rewritten it many times, changing the characters' names and tweaking the subject matter slightly. All his books pretend to be profound when they're really just paeans to narcissism, nihilism, and bad decisions. His fans gobble this stuff up because it makes them feel special and unique without challenging them to change their lives or examine their characters.
Worse, Green's genre can be a slippery slope to other "profound" YA novels such as the potentially harmful Thirteen Reasons Why, which in light of its alarmingly popular Netflix adaptation will soon be getting a review from me.
In short, don't give this man your money, time or brain cells.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 21, 2020
My favorite from John Green. This reminds me of high school.
July 25, 2021
i truly believe that this book dealt more damage to this generation's psyche than a year-plus of pandemic lockdown.
and that is a significant claim from me, because i am in emotional and mental shambles at this point.
the john green-i-est of all john green books.
part of a project i'm doing where i review books i read a long time ago and take it as an excuse to up the degree of john green hate content i've created
and that is a significant claim from me, because i am in emotional and mental shambles at this point.
the john green-i-est of all john green books.
part of a project i'm doing where i review books i read a long time ago and take it as an excuse to up the degree of john green hate content i've created
November 4, 2023
this book fixed something that it didn鈥檛 break. we all had that time period where we got lost, needed to be found by ourselves, not by anyone else. but struggling because that dark thoughts towards yourself are so strong that you cannot find a way out from your own suffering, and trying to ignore that pain with all your power. i never found a way to put that dark times into words, however miles鈥� and alaska鈥檚 words have done that for me.
鈥滲efore I got here, I thought for a long time that the way out of the labyrinth was to pretend that it did not exist, to build a small, self-sufficient world in a back corner of the endless maze and to听pretend that I was not lost, but home.听But that only led to a lonely life accompanied only by the last words of the already-dead, so I came here looking for a Great Perhaps, for real friends and a more-than-minor life.鈥�
ignoring a problem, staying away from reckless acts, avoiding conflict at all costs, blaming yourself constantly, trying to heal by yourself quietly; these are all things that comes along with the mistakes you have done, even though your brain knows that you are not guilty, your heart makes you wonder, was it your fault, could you have been a better person, was there a way out, could you do things differently?
the way these topics were examined in this book was incredibly realistic that i felt like someone put a mirror in my thoughts, and reflected into those pages. and i really believe that everyone can find a piece of themselves on these pages, because i don鈥檛 believe that there is someone who is alive, and doesn鈥檛 blame themselves for something they have done, even people that we believe are bad people.
your past is a lesson, not a life sentence. because of our fear that we will make a mistake again, we choose the safe paths, isolating ourselves from the passion of life, creating a bland but secure one. we should not just exist or survive, we should live and feel alive. i know sometimes it is hard to believe that, but this book shows these facts to you so well that, you got no choice but to listen to it.
鈥淲hen adults say, "Teenagers think they are invincible" with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.鈥�
i dived into this expecting a quick and enjoyable read, however it turned out to be the one that speaks to my soul so clearly. it presented a voice i that cannot speak, and i really hope that if you haven鈥檛 read this one yet, you can understand that you are not the first person who has self-guilt, and you will never be the last.
鈥淚t's not life or death, the labyrinth. Suffering. Doing wrong and having wrong things happen to you. That's the problem. Bolivar was talking about the pain, not about the living or dying. How do you get out of the labyrinth of suffering?鈥�
plot of this is that the main character miles 鈥榩udge鈥� is getting sick of his boring an plain life and wanting to find his own 鈥檛he great perhaps鈥� by enrolling culver creek boarding school. he meets his people there, colonel, takumi, lara and鈥� alaska. those people are known to pull incredible pranks, living their life passionately by acting like there is no tomorrow, which made the 鈥檅别蹿辞谤别鈥� part of the book a lot entertaining. however the part where i got so connected with the book was, the part 鈥檃蹿迟别谤鈥�.
鈥淚 wanted to be one of those people who have streaks to maintain, who scorch the ground with their intensity. But for now, at least I knew such people, and they needed me, just like comets need tails.鈥�
miles 鈥榩udge鈥�: i tend to dislike high schoolers in books, because they are usually written either too unrealistically mature for their age, or the quite opposite, total immature teens. miles was the perfect example of a teenager, he had insecurities, anxious thoughts, confidence, love, desire to get academic validation, and wish to spend time with his friends and his crush. he also had this poetic side that made me smile softly, he described alaska鈥檚 half smile as mona lisa鈥檚 unique smile, just wanting to sleep with alaska without having no sexual interaction, calling her dorm that he shares with colonel 鈥榟ome鈥�.. he was such a beautiful boy with all of his self destructive thoughts, loyalty for his friends, gratitude towards his family and many other things.
鈥淲hen I look at my room, I see a girl who loves books.鈥�
alaska: she was fucked up so beautifully. you can鈥檛 understand her character but in reality you can, you get so mad at her, after a second you want to hug her, you curse at her morals, a few moments later you praise her intelligence. the complexity of her character was incredibly well-written, you can feel her duality of wanting to stay alive, but wanting to just disappear from the world at the same time so clearly. she hates herself, she loves herself; she is loyal, she is unfaithful; she is smart, she is stupid. i really cannot explain her character to you, because she is incredibly unique that i think everyone would describe her differently.
鈥淚magining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.鈥�
there will always be books that we won鈥檛 able to read, friends we won鈥檛 able to comfort, songs we won鈥檛 able to listen, words we cannot speak, corners of the maze we cannot turn. but we can enjoy the memories we have, and make the most of it by being brave and kind, both to others and to ourselves.
鈥淲e are as indestructible as we believe ourselves to be.鈥�
i cried two times while writing this. we are all scared, we are all anxious, we all have suffered, but we all get through it, or getting through it. but we are not just our fears, anxiety or pain, we are also our kindness, dreams and love. none of us will be happy all time, but never suffer all the time either. we will fall apart at the end, but we can leave some kindness and love behind us.
鈥淲e are greater than the sum of our parts.鈥�
nov 3: this book was so perfect that, there is no way that i can justify it with a review, but i will try. rtc.
oct 31: am i too late to read this馃馃徎鈥嶁檧锔�
鈥滲efore I got here, I thought for a long time that the way out of the labyrinth was to pretend that it did not exist, to build a small, self-sufficient world in a back corner of the endless maze and to听pretend that I was not lost, but home.听But that only led to a lonely life accompanied only by the last words of the already-dead, so I came here looking for a Great Perhaps, for real friends and a more-than-minor life.鈥�
ignoring a problem, staying away from reckless acts, avoiding conflict at all costs, blaming yourself constantly, trying to heal by yourself quietly; these are all things that comes along with the mistakes you have done, even though your brain knows that you are not guilty, your heart makes you wonder, was it your fault, could you have been a better person, was there a way out, could you do things differently?
the way these topics were examined in this book was incredibly realistic that i felt like someone put a mirror in my thoughts, and reflected into those pages. and i really believe that everyone can find a piece of themselves on these pages, because i don鈥檛 believe that there is someone who is alive, and doesn鈥檛 blame themselves for something they have done, even people that we believe are bad people.
your past is a lesson, not a life sentence. because of our fear that we will make a mistake again, we choose the safe paths, isolating ourselves from the passion of life, creating a bland but secure one. we should not just exist or survive, we should live and feel alive. i know sometimes it is hard to believe that, but this book shows these facts to you so well that, you got no choice but to listen to it.
鈥淲hen adults say, "Teenagers think they are invincible" with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.鈥�
i dived into this expecting a quick and enjoyable read, however it turned out to be the one that speaks to my soul so clearly. it presented a voice i that cannot speak, and i really hope that if you haven鈥檛 read this one yet, you can understand that you are not the first person who has self-guilt, and you will never be the last.
鈥淚t's not life or death, the labyrinth. Suffering. Doing wrong and having wrong things happen to you. That's the problem. Bolivar was talking about the pain, not about the living or dying. How do you get out of the labyrinth of suffering?鈥�
plot of this is that the main character miles 鈥榩udge鈥� is getting sick of his boring an plain life and wanting to find his own 鈥檛he great perhaps鈥� by enrolling culver creek boarding school. he meets his people there, colonel, takumi, lara and鈥� alaska. those people are known to pull incredible pranks, living their life passionately by acting like there is no tomorrow, which made the 鈥檅别蹿辞谤别鈥� part of the book a lot entertaining. however the part where i got so connected with the book was, the part 鈥檃蹿迟别谤鈥�.
鈥淚 wanted to be one of those people who have streaks to maintain, who scorch the ground with their intensity. But for now, at least I knew such people, and they needed me, just like comets need tails.鈥�
miles 鈥榩udge鈥�: i tend to dislike high schoolers in books, because they are usually written either too unrealistically mature for their age, or the quite opposite, total immature teens. miles was the perfect example of a teenager, he had insecurities, anxious thoughts, confidence, love, desire to get academic validation, and wish to spend time with his friends and his crush. he also had this poetic side that made me smile softly, he described alaska鈥檚 half smile as mona lisa鈥檚 unique smile, just wanting to sleep with alaska without having no sexual interaction, calling her dorm that he shares with colonel 鈥榟ome鈥�.. he was such a beautiful boy with all of his self destructive thoughts, loyalty for his friends, gratitude towards his family and many other things.
鈥淲hen I look at my room, I see a girl who loves books.鈥�
alaska: she was fucked up so beautifully. you can鈥檛 understand her character but in reality you can, you get so mad at her, after a second you want to hug her, you curse at her morals, a few moments later you praise her intelligence. the complexity of her character was incredibly well-written, you can feel her duality of wanting to stay alive, but wanting to just disappear from the world at the same time so clearly. she hates herself, she loves herself; she is loyal, she is unfaithful; she is smart, she is stupid. i really cannot explain her character to you, because she is incredibly unique that i think everyone would describe her differently.
鈥淚magining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.鈥�
there will always be books that we won鈥檛 able to read, friends we won鈥檛 able to comfort, songs we won鈥檛 able to listen, words we cannot speak, corners of the maze we cannot turn. but we can enjoy the memories we have, and make the most of it by being brave and kind, both to others and to ourselves.
鈥淲e are as indestructible as we believe ourselves to be.鈥�
i cried two times while writing this. we are all scared, we are all anxious, we all have suffered, but we all get through it, or getting through it. but we are not just our fears, anxiety or pain, we are also our kindness, dreams and love. none of us will be happy all time, but never suffer all the time either. we will fall apart at the end, but we can leave some kindness and love behind us.
鈥淲e are greater than the sum of our parts.鈥�
nov 3: this book was so perfect that, there is no way that i can justify it with a review, but i will try. rtc.
oct 31: am i too late to read this馃馃徎鈥嶁檧锔�
March 17, 2013
First time hearing about this book;
Friend online gushes on how amazing and fantabulous this book is.
Me: Okay, I'll check it out. Plus it's cool since I was born in Alaska. The book is about Alaska right?
Friend: *laughs*
Me: O__o It's not about Alaska?
Friend: *still laughing*
Me: IT'S NOT ABOUT ALASKA?
The End.
True Story.
Read
February 5, 2009Did not finish.
This book was just too much--too much smoking, drinking, sex, and foul language. As a teenager, I hated it then and I don't want to rehash it now. I didn't care about any of the characters except Miles and I hated how he just went along with everything thrown in his path without a second thought--the smoking, drinking, porn, etc.
This book was just too much--too much smoking, drinking, sex, and foul language. As a teenager, I hated it then and I don't want to rehash it now. I didn't care about any of the characters except Miles and I hated how he just went along with everything thrown in his path without a second thought--the smoking, drinking, porn, etc.
April 4, 2022
I know so many author fans鈥� favorite book is Fault in our stars! But my all time favorite work of John Green is absolutely this book!
You ask me why? I say: those characters, those brilliant dialogues, that freaking, mind blowing trage鈥� okay I鈥檓 shutting my mouth鈥�
This time I鈥檓 not gonna be the one who gives detailed spoilers about the story she fell so hard.
I鈥檓 also not gonna write pages and pages comments to express how much I loved this book! I did! I do! I will!
So I鈥檓 letting my favorite characters make the talk by quoting their remarkable dialogues! Here are they: ( oh, and one more thing: if you didn鈥檛 watch the marvelous Hulu adaptation of the book, give it a try: it definitely and adroitly reflected the soul of the book! )
鈥淭he only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive!鈥�
鈥淭homas Edison's last words were "It's very beautiful over there". I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful.鈥�
鈥淲hen adults say, "Teenagers think they are invincible" with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.鈥�
鈥淲hen I look at my room, I see a girl who loves books.鈥� ( I think this line is worth to get tattooed on my wrist)
鈥淚 may die young, but at least I'll die smart.鈥� ( another tattoo line for me)
鈥淎nd then something invisible snapped insider her, and that which had come together commenced to fall apart.鈥�
鈥淪ometimes you lose a battle. But mischief always wins the war.鈥�
Yes, I think I鈥檒l keep rereading this one! It鈥檚 already at my all time favorites list!
You ask me why? I say: those characters, those brilliant dialogues, that freaking, mind blowing trage鈥� okay I鈥檓 shutting my mouth鈥�
This time I鈥檓 not gonna be the one who gives detailed spoilers about the story she fell so hard.
I鈥檓 also not gonna write pages and pages comments to express how much I loved this book! I did! I do! I will!
So I鈥檓 letting my favorite characters make the talk by quoting their remarkable dialogues! Here are they: ( oh, and one more thing: if you didn鈥檛 watch the marvelous Hulu adaptation of the book, give it a try: it definitely and adroitly reflected the soul of the book! )
鈥淭he only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive!鈥�
鈥淭homas Edison's last words were "It's very beautiful over there". I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful.鈥�
鈥淲hen adults say, "Teenagers think they are invincible" with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.鈥�
鈥淲hen I look at my room, I see a girl who loves books.鈥� ( I think this line is worth to get tattooed on my wrist)
鈥淚 may die young, but at least I'll die smart.鈥� ( another tattoo line for me)
鈥淎nd then something invisible snapped insider her, and that which had come together commenced to fall apart.鈥�
鈥淪ometimes you lose a battle. But mischief always wins the war.鈥�
Yes, I think I鈥檒l keep rereading this one! It鈥檚 already at my all time favorites list!
January 19, 2022
Looking for Alaska, John Green
Looking for Alaska is John Green's first novel, published in March 2005 by Dutton Juvenile.
Before. Miles 鈥淧udge鈥� Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave 鈥渢he Great Perhaps鈥� even more (Francois Rabelais, poet).
He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe.
Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young.
She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . .
After. Nothing is ever the same.
鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 乇賵夭 蹖丕夭丿賴賲 賲丕賴 丿爻丕賲亘乇 爻丕賱2018賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 丿乇 噩爻鬲鈥屬堌堐� 丌賱丕爻讴丕貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 噩丕賳 诏乇蹖賳貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 賮丕胤賲賴 噩丕亘蹖讴貨 賵蹖乇丕爻鬲賴 蹖 爻丕蹖賴 爻丕乇貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 賲蹖賱讴丕賳貨 爻丕賱1397貨 丿乇256氐貨 卮丕亘讴9786008812531貨 賲賵囟賵毓 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 丕蹖丕賱丕鬲 賲鬲丨丿賴 丌賲乇蹖讴丕 亘乇丕蹖 賳賵噩賵丕賳丕賳 - 爻丿賴21賲
丿丕爻鬲丕賳貙 亘蹖賳 賳賵噩賵丕賳丕賳貙 賵 丿乇 賮囟丕蹖 賲丿乇爻賴 賲蹖鈥屭柏必� 賵 丕夭 毓卮賯鈥屬囏й� 賳賵噩賵丕賳丕賳賴貙 賵 賳丕乇賵丕蹖蹖賴丕蹖蹖 讴賴 丿乇 丿亘蹖乇爻鬲丕賳貙 賵 亘蹖賳 賮乇夭賳丿丕賳 禺丕賳賵丕丿賴鈥� 賴丕蹖 胤亘賯丕鬲 賲禺鬲賱賮 亘乇賯乇丕乇 丕爻鬲貙 爻禺賳 賲蹖鈥屭堐屫� 芦賲丕蹖賱夭 賴丕賱鬲乇禄貙 夭賳丿诏蹖 亘蹖鈥屬呚ж必й屰� 乇丕 賲蹖鈥屭柏必з嗀� 丕賵 鬲氐賲蹖賲 賲蹖鈥屭屫必� 亘賴 賲丿乇爻賴鈥� 蹖 卮亘丕賳賴鈥� 乇賵夭蹖 芦讴賱賵乇 讴乇蹖讴禄貙 丿乇 芦賮賱賵乇蹖丿丕禄 亘乇賵丿貨 鬲賳賴丕 爻乇诏乇賲蹖貙 賵 毓賱丕賯賴 蹖 芦賲丕蹖賱夭禄貙 禺賵丕賳丿賳 丌禺乇蹖賳 噩賲賱丕鬲 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴鈥� 賴丕貙 賵 丕賳爻丕賳鈥屬囏й� 亘夭乇诏 丕爻鬲貨
噩賲賱賴鈥� 丕蹖 丕夭: 芦賮乇丕賳爻賵丕 乇丕亘賱賴禄貨 丿乇 讴鬲丕亘 夭賳丿诏蹖賳丕賲賴 蹖 丕蹖卮丕賳貙 鬲賵噩賴 芦賲丕蹖賱夭禄 乇丕貙 噩賱亘 讴乇丿賴 丕爻鬲: 芦賲賳 亘賴 噩爻鬲鈥屬堌堐� 卮丕蹖丿賽 亘夭乇诏 賲蹖鈥屫辟堎�.禄 賵 丕蹖賳鈥屫ж池� 讴賴 芦賲丕蹖賱夭禄貙 鬲氐賲蹖賲 賲蹖鈥屭屫必� 丿乇 噩爻鬲噩賵蹖 芦卮丕蹖丿賽 亘夭乇诏 禺賵丿禄 亘丕卮丿貨 丿乇 卮亘丕賳賴鈥� 乇賵夭蹖貙 丕賵 亘丕 丿禺鬲乇蹖 亘賴 賳丕賲 芦丌賱丕爻讴丕 蹖丕賳诏禄貙 丌卮賳丕 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 丿禺鬲乇蹖 夭蹖亘丕貙 噩匕丕亘貙 亘丕賴賵卮貙 賵 亘丕賲夭賴貙 讴賴 匕賴賳 倬蹖趩蹖丿賴鈥� 丕蹖 丿丕乇丿貨 丿禺鬲乇蹖 丨蹖乇鬲鈥� 丕賳诏蹖夭貙 讴賴 賵噩賵丿卮 亘賴鈥� 禺賵丿蹖 禺賵丿貙 賳賵毓蹖 乇禺丿丕丿 丕爻鬲貨 丕賵 芦賲丕蹖賱夭禄 乇丕貙 亘賴 丿賳蹖丕蹖 禺賵丿 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘ必� 賵 乇丕賴 乇爻蹖丿賳 亘賴 芦卮丕蹖丿賽 亘夭乇诏禄 乇丕貙 亘乇丕蹖卮 賴賲賵丕乇 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 賵 丕賱亘鬲賴 趩蹖夭蹖 乇丕 (丿賱卮 乇丕) 丕夭 丕賵 賲蹖鈥屭屫必� 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬囏й� 芦丿乇 噩爻鬲鈥屬堌堐� 丌賱丕爻讴丕禄貙 賴賲诏蹖 賳賵噩賵丕賳丕賳蹖 賴爻鬲賳丿 讴賴 賲蹖鈥屫堌з囐嗀� 丕夭 夭賳丿诏蹖 賱匕鬲 亘亘乇賳丿貙 賵 丕夭 賮乇氐鬲鈥屬囏� 賳賴丕蹖鬲 丕爻鬲賮丕丿賴 乇丕 亘讴賳賳丿
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕蹖賳蹖 24/10/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 27/10/1400賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
Looking for Alaska is John Green's first novel, published in March 2005 by Dutton Juvenile.
Before. Miles 鈥淧udge鈥� Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave 鈥渢he Great Perhaps鈥� even more (Francois Rabelais, poet).
He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe.
Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young.
She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . .
After. Nothing is ever the same.
鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 乇賵夭 蹖丕夭丿賴賲 賲丕賴 丿爻丕賲亘乇 爻丕賱2018賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
毓賳賵丕賳: 丿乇 噩爻鬲鈥屬堌堐� 丌賱丕爻讴丕貨 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴: 噩丕賳 诏乇蹖賳貨 賲鬲乇噩賲: 賮丕胤賲賴 噩丕亘蹖讴貨 賵蹖乇丕爻鬲賴 蹖 爻丕蹖賴 爻丕乇貨 鬲賴乇丕賳貙 賲蹖賱讴丕賳貨 爻丕賱1397貨 丿乇256氐貨 卮丕亘讴9786008812531貨 賲賵囟賵毓 丿丕爻鬲丕賳賴丕蹖 賳賵蹖爻賳丿诏丕賳 丕蹖丕賱丕鬲 賲鬲丨丿賴 丌賲乇蹖讴丕 亘乇丕蹖 賳賵噩賵丕賳丕賳 - 爻丿賴21賲
丿丕爻鬲丕賳貙 亘蹖賳 賳賵噩賵丕賳丕賳貙 賵 丿乇 賮囟丕蹖 賲丿乇爻賴 賲蹖鈥屭柏必� 賵 丕夭 毓卮賯鈥屬囏й� 賳賵噩賵丕賳丕賳賴貙 賵 賳丕乇賵丕蹖蹖賴丕蹖蹖 讴賴 丿乇 丿亘蹖乇爻鬲丕賳貙 賵 亘蹖賳 賮乇夭賳丿丕賳 禺丕賳賵丕丿賴鈥� 賴丕蹖 胤亘賯丕鬲 賲禺鬲賱賮 亘乇賯乇丕乇 丕爻鬲貙 爻禺賳 賲蹖鈥屭堐屫� 芦賲丕蹖賱夭 賴丕賱鬲乇禄貙 夭賳丿诏蹖 亘蹖鈥屬呚ж必й屰� 乇丕 賲蹖鈥屭柏必з嗀� 丕賵 鬲氐賲蹖賲 賲蹖鈥屭屫必� 亘賴 賲丿乇爻賴鈥� 蹖 卮亘丕賳賴鈥� 乇賵夭蹖 芦讴賱賵乇 讴乇蹖讴禄貙 丿乇 芦賮賱賵乇蹖丿丕禄 亘乇賵丿貨 鬲賳賴丕 爻乇诏乇賲蹖貙 賵 毓賱丕賯賴 蹖 芦賲丕蹖賱夭禄貙 禺賵丕賳丿賳 丌禺乇蹖賳 噩賲賱丕鬲 賳賵蹖爻賳丿賴鈥� 賴丕貙 賵 丕賳爻丕賳鈥屬囏й� 亘夭乇诏 丕爻鬲貨
噩賲賱賴鈥� 丕蹖 丕夭: 芦賮乇丕賳爻賵丕 乇丕亘賱賴禄貨 丿乇 讴鬲丕亘 夭賳丿诏蹖賳丕賲賴 蹖 丕蹖卮丕賳貙 鬲賵噩賴 芦賲丕蹖賱夭禄 乇丕貙 噩賱亘 讴乇丿賴 丕爻鬲: 芦賲賳 亘賴 噩爻鬲鈥屬堌堐� 卮丕蹖丿賽 亘夭乇诏 賲蹖鈥屫辟堎�.禄 賵 丕蹖賳鈥屫ж池� 讴賴 芦賲丕蹖賱夭禄貙 鬲氐賲蹖賲 賲蹖鈥屭屫必� 丿乇 噩爻鬲噩賵蹖 芦卮丕蹖丿賽 亘夭乇诏 禺賵丿禄 亘丕卮丿貨 丿乇 卮亘丕賳賴鈥� 乇賵夭蹖貙 丕賵 亘丕 丿禺鬲乇蹖 亘賴 賳丕賲 芦丌賱丕爻讴丕 蹖丕賳诏禄貙 丌卮賳丕 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 丿禺鬲乇蹖 夭蹖亘丕貙 噩匕丕亘貙 亘丕賴賵卮貙 賵 亘丕賲夭賴貙 讴賴 匕賴賳 倬蹖趩蹖丿賴鈥� 丕蹖 丿丕乇丿貨 丿禺鬲乇蹖 丨蹖乇鬲鈥� 丕賳诏蹖夭貙 讴賴 賵噩賵丿卮 亘賴鈥� 禺賵丿蹖 禺賵丿貙 賳賵毓蹖 乇禺丿丕丿 丕爻鬲貨 丕賵 芦賲丕蹖賱夭禄 乇丕貙 亘賴 丿賳蹖丕蹖 禺賵丿 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘ必� 賵 乇丕賴 乇爻蹖丿賳 亘賴 芦卮丕蹖丿賽 亘夭乇诏禄 乇丕貙 亘乇丕蹖卮 賴賲賵丕乇 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 賵 丕賱亘鬲賴 趩蹖夭蹖 乇丕 (丿賱卮 乇丕) 丕夭 丕賵 賲蹖鈥屭屫必� 卮禺氐蹖鬲鈥屬囏й� 芦丿乇 噩爻鬲鈥屬堌堐� 丌賱丕爻讴丕禄貙 賴賲诏蹖 賳賵噩賵丕賳丕賳蹖 賴爻鬲賳丿 讴賴 賲蹖鈥屫堌з囐嗀� 丕夭 夭賳丿诏蹖 賱匕鬲 亘亘乇賳丿貙 賵 丕夭 賮乇氐鬲鈥屬囏� 賳賴丕蹖鬲 丕爻鬲賮丕丿賴 乇丕 亘讴賳賳丿
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕蹖賳蹖 24/10/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 27/10/1400賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
July 11, 2019
i really wish i had read this when it first came out, because i think john greens writing has become stronger over time, so i didnt quite love this as much as his more recent stuff. but its still classic JG - need i say more?
i know JG is one of those polarising authors - you either hate him or you love him with no in between - but i find his characterisation of teens really fascinating. many claim his characters are pretentious. i mean, how many teenagers do you know literally searching for their great perhaps like pudge? probably none. but i think he does a great job at portraying teenagers how they perceive themselves. i definitely thought i was an intellectual and enlightened human at that age as well, so i get it.
overall, not my favourite book by him, but it still has that quintessential john green touch that i adore.
鈫� 3.5 stars
i know JG is one of those polarising authors - you either hate him or you love him with no in between - but i find his characterisation of teens really fascinating. many claim his characters are pretentious. i mean, how many teenagers do you know literally searching for their great perhaps like pudge? probably none. but i think he does a great job at portraying teenagers how they perceive themselves. i definitely thought i was an intellectual and enlightened human at that age as well, so i get it.
overall, not my favourite book by him, but it still has that quintessential john green touch that i adore.
鈫� 3.5 stars
March 11, 2020
Here's me acknowledging the power of John Green. & hats off!
No, this one is not as bittersweet as "The Fault in Our Stars", but still, this is unputdownable supreme! Its the type of literature that gets one excited about reading, about reminiscing about adolescence and school. Because everyone has had a childhood, a first love, a stage of rebellion, this type of book strikes inner chords & you swiftly become infected with the virus of nostalgia.
To read one of his novels is to remember that you were once new & naive, too!
No, this one is not as bittersweet as "The Fault in Our Stars", but still, this is unputdownable supreme! Its the type of literature that gets one excited about reading, about reminiscing about adolescence and school. Because everyone has had a childhood, a first love, a stage of rebellion, this type of book strikes inner chords & you swiftly become infected with the virus of nostalgia.
To read one of his novels is to remember that you were once new & naive, too!
August 5, 2011
I belong to the generation that enjoyed St. Elmo鈥檚 Fire, a 1985 American coming-of-age film that starred the then showbiz newbies, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andre McCarthy and Demi Moore. That was shown here in the Philippines when I was in my first year of working after college and I was able to relate to many of its characters so I watched it twice or thrice. Oh well, I was with my girlfriend then and you know how dark and cold were the theatres during those years when they were not yet inside the malls.
So, now at 47, graying and with joints aching especially during cold mornings, I am just too old to appreciate a story about a bunch of young (college) kids who get into all troubles precisely because they are young. They drink booze, smoke, defy school rules, swear, have free sex and, in their attempt to cover their foolishness, do various kinds of franks towards the school authorities.
I definitely had my share of foolishness when I was at their age. I guess it had something to do with being young 鈥� the feeling when you want to assert myself, make a territorial mark between your generation and that of your parent鈥檚 or test the extent of their patience (and in so doing test whether they really care or not). Last Sunday, my daughter had an outburst inside the car saying that she did not have a friend at school. My daughter who was very active in school leading the Robotics Team, emceeing school programs, leading the daily prayer as one of the school DJs, being class president for at least two years and playing various kinds of sports during annual intramurals. She said that she felt alone (she is an only child) and she oftentimes ate lunch alone. My wife and I felt sad about her revelations. We thought that she was doing fine as whenever we were in her school, we oftentimes heard many of her fellow students greeting her 鈥渉i.鈥� We even joked that she should be the most popular student in school. This was something that I and my wife did not experience when we were in high school as we were low-profile people then and even now in our respective life circles. We advised her to just make the most of what can still be done for the rest of the senior year - probably concentrate with a few friends instead of reaching out to all 鈥� as it is just 8 months before graduation. In college, she will probably have a totally new set of friends so she can forge new ties and hope those will be stronger and more lasting. Anyway, friends come and go. Those classmates-friends we had in college tend to stick with us after our school years as we normally land in the same field or industry. Moreover, in the end what really matter are the learnings from each friend we encounter in our lives. Learnings that help us to become better persons as we take our journey in this thing called life.
That鈥檚 why I was able to relate to this novel. I could imagine the disappointment Miles 鈥淧udge鈥� Halter felt when nobody but two attended his goodbye party for him. That鈥檚 why I could imagine the anxiety he felt facing his own 鈥淕reat Perhaps鈥� when he made his first step towards the boarding school, Culver Creek. That鈥檚 why I felt the pain and suprise when he was thrown off the creek just because he was sharing his room with Chip 鈥淭he Colonel鈥� Martin. That鈥檚 why I understood when Pudge and Chip cried with guilt and sadness with longing and fondness when Alaska Young disappeared from their lives.
This is a novel about being young and what goes with it 鈥� emotionally vulnerable, trying to fit in, trying to find one鈥檚 place under the sun, trying to face the whole world armed with what little knowledge and strength gained in the first one or two decades of stay on this treacherous yet still beautiful earth.
John Green shows us the generation of today. His characters may not be totally different from the St. Elmo鈥檚 buddies I used to relate with. However, this is their time. We had ours. So, let鈥檚 step down and give them the stage but keep ourselves at bay to coach if they ask us to. Otherwise, let鈥檚 leave them and let them strengthen their wings for them to fly away and fulfill the hearts鈥� wishes.
Thanks to Dra. Ranee for lending to me her copy of this book!
So, now at 47, graying and with joints aching especially during cold mornings, I am just too old to appreciate a story about a bunch of young (college) kids who get into all troubles precisely because they are young. They drink booze, smoke, defy school rules, swear, have free sex and, in their attempt to cover their foolishness, do various kinds of franks towards the school authorities.
I definitely had my share of foolishness when I was at their age. I guess it had something to do with being young 鈥� the feeling when you want to assert myself, make a territorial mark between your generation and that of your parent鈥檚 or test the extent of their patience (and in so doing test whether they really care or not). Last Sunday, my daughter had an outburst inside the car saying that she did not have a friend at school. My daughter who was very active in school leading the Robotics Team, emceeing school programs, leading the daily prayer as one of the school DJs, being class president for at least two years and playing various kinds of sports during annual intramurals. She said that she felt alone (she is an only child) and she oftentimes ate lunch alone. My wife and I felt sad about her revelations. We thought that she was doing fine as whenever we were in her school, we oftentimes heard many of her fellow students greeting her 鈥渉i.鈥� We even joked that she should be the most popular student in school. This was something that I and my wife did not experience when we were in high school as we were low-profile people then and even now in our respective life circles. We advised her to just make the most of what can still be done for the rest of the senior year - probably concentrate with a few friends instead of reaching out to all 鈥� as it is just 8 months before graduation. In college, she will probably have a totally new set of friends so she can forge new ties and hope those will be stronger and more lasting. Anyway, friends come and go. Those classmates-friends we had in college tend to stick with us after our school years as we normally land in the same field or industry. Moreover, in the end what really matter are the learnings from each friend we encounter in our lives. Learnings that help us to become better persons as we take our journey in this thing called life.
That鈥檚 why I was able to relate to this novel. I could imagine the disappointment Miles 鈥淧udge鈥� Halter felt when nobody but two attended his goodbye party for him. That鈥檚 why I could imagine the anxiety he felt facing his own 鈥淕reat Perhaps鈥� when he made his first step towards the boarding school, Culver Creek. That鈥檚 why I felt the pain and suprise when he was thrown off the creek just because he was sharing his room with Chip 鈥淭he Colonel鈥� Martin. That鈥檚 why I understood when Pudge and Chip cried with guilt and sadness with longing and fondness when Alaska Young disappeared from their lives.
This is a novel about being young and what goes with it 鈥� emotionally vulnerable, trying to fit in, trying to find one鈥檚 place under the sun, trying to face the whole world armed with what little knowledge and strength gained in the first one or two decades of stay on this treacherous yet still beautiful earth.
John Green shows us the generation of today. His characters may not be totally different from the St. Elmo鈥檚 buddies I used to relate with. However, this is their time. We had ours. So, let鈥檚 step down and give them the stage but keep ourselves at bay to coach if they ask us to. Otherwise, let鈥檚 leave them and let them strengthen their wings for them to fly away and fulfill the hearts鈥� wishes.
Thanks to Dra. Ranee for lending to me her copy of this book!
July 19, 2016
I first read this book in 2008 when I was 14 and it turned out to be the book that sparked my love for literature.
I've always loved reading, but before that I only read for the sake of entertainment. Looking for Alaska was the first book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading, but that simultaneously and more importantly, made me think about greater issues in life for a long time after I had finished reading.
Now that I'm 21, I understand that while this remains to be a highly philosophical book, it's not the "deepest" and most perfect book ever. However, it still means the world to me and I'll always be thankful for John Green for writing it.
I've always loved reading, but before that I only read for the sake of entertainment. Looking for Alaska was the first book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading, but that simultaneously and more importantly, made me think about greater issues in life for a long time after I had finished reading.
Now that I'm 21, I understand that while this remains to be a highly philosophical book, it's not the "deepest" and most perfect book ever. However, it still means the world to me and I'll always be thankful for John Green for writing it.
October 29, 2016
One day I鈥檓 going to put together an anthology of John Green鈥檚 three novels, and it will be titled 鈥淗ot Bipolar Girls and the Boys Who Worship Them.鈥�
This is the third John Green book I鈥檝e read so far, and the patterns are starting to appear. (Less so with , I must admit, but most of the elements are still there so I鈥檓 counting it) In every book (, , ) our hero is a slightly awkward but likable young man who has some quirky obsession and quirky friends. He meets a girl, who is your typical Manic Pixie Dream Girl, except on crack. Boy obsesses over Girl, Girl does not give much of a damn. Girl is impulsive and difficult to understand and shows many signs of being mentally unbalanced, but Boy does not care because she is hot. Story continues in this vein for a while, and then Girl does something that causes all hell to break loose, goes totally off the rails, and Boy is left to pick up the pieces and continue worshipping Girl, although not quite in the same way he did before.
John Green certainly has a thing for the Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype, and the good news is he鈥檚 starting to ease up on it 鈥� the girls get steadily less crazy and more likable as the books get newer, and since I read the books in the opposite order they were written, it was interesting to watch the escalation. Katherine I is mostly normal, although still a constant source of mystery and worship. Margot Roth Speigleman is Alaska Young on medication. And Alaska Young is...well. I鈥檝e been trying to think of some mythical figure I can compare her to (there鈥檝e got to be a million myths about beautiful women who bring destruction, right?) and the best I can come up with is actually from Peter Pan. Remember the mermaids? They鈥檙e beautiful and fascinating and mysterious, and they draw you in with their singing. But the second you get close to them, they grab you and drag you under the water and drown you. Alaska Young is a mermaid. She鈥檚 impulsive and fun and sexy and confident, and then as soon as anyone starts feeling comfortable with her, suddenly she becomes sullen or furious or cruel. Miles, the Awkward But Likeable Quirky Boy, doesn鈥檛 even try to resist her. He falls, hard, for Alaska and bravely endures her ups and downs, and he suffers for it along with everyone else who was foolish enough to fall in love with her. She stubbornly remains a mystery throughout the book, refusing to explain her actions or moods, and this continues to the moment when she drives off campus, drunk and raging, and ends up driving her car straight into a police car (the siren was on, the lights flashing) that was parked on the highway at an accident site. She is killed instantly, and even after her death Miles and his friends continue to be consumed by her.
The book is divided into two parts 鈥� before Alaska鈥檚 death, and after. Based on the reviews I鈥檝e read, everyone seems to like the Before better, but I disagree. I like the After, mostly because I couldn鈥檛 stand Alaska, but also because I think the writing gets better in the After part. The thing I love about John Green (and the reason this gets five stars, despite my griping) is the way he writes about emotions. That sounds silly, but it鈥檚 true 鈥� he understands fear and pain and grief better than almost any author I鈥檝e ever read, and it鈥檚 always heartbreakingly beautiful when he writes about them. In my review of I quoted a brilliant paragraph he wrote about fear, and in Looking for Alaska it鈥檚 grief:
鈥淚 am staring at the ground beneath me. I cannot stop thinking that she is dead, and I cannot stop thinking that she cannot possibly be dead. People do not just die. I can鈥檛 catch my breath. I feel afraid, like someone has told me they鈥檙e going to kick my ass after school and now it鈥檚 sixth period and I know full well what鈥檚 coming. It is so cold today 鈥� literally freezing 鈥� and I imagine running to the creek and diving in headfirst, the creek so shallow that my hands scrape against the rocks, and my body slides into the cold water, the shock of the cold giving way to numbness, and I would stay there...鈥�
That鈥檚 the stuff I love about this book 鈥� the aftermath of the destruction Alaska wreaks. In all the Before sections, it just felt like the characters were stalling for time, waiting for that inevitable disaster to happen. Once it does, I suddenly became completely invested in the book and decided that I needed to give it five stars.
鈥�...one thing I learned from science classes is that energy is never created and never destroyed. And if Alaska took her own life, that is the hope I wish I could have given her. Forgetting her mother, forgetting her friends and herself 鈥� those are awful things, but she did not need to fold into herself and self-destruct. Those awful things are survivable, because we are as indestructible as we believe ourselves to be. When adults say 鈥楾eenagers think they are invincible鈥� with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don鈥檛 know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We thinks that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.鈥�
Also, for the record: I think she did it on purpose. I don鈥檛 think she left campus planning to kill herself, but she saw the police car and decided, on the spur of the moment, to drive straight at it. I think she meant to do it.
UPDATE: Whilst dicking around on tumblr, I found a snippet of a poem by Warsan Shire and I had to post it at the end of this review, because I think it perfectly expresses what Alaska would say if she were allowed to tell this story in her own words, and it also illustrates what John Green fails to understand about his Manic Pixie Dream Girl obsession:
"You want me to be a tragic backdrop so that you can appear to be illuminated, so that people can say 鈥榃ow, isn鈥檛 he so terribly brave to love a girl who is so obviously sad?鈥� You think I鈥檒l be the dark sky so you can be the star? I鈥檒l swallow you whole."
This is the third John Green book I鈥檝e read so far, and the patterns are starting to appear. (Less so with , I must admit, but most of the elements are still there so I鈥檓 counting it) In every book (, , ) our hero is a slightly awkward but likable young man who has some quirky obsession and quirky friends. He meets a girl, who is your typical Manic Pixie Dream Girl, except on crack. Boy obsesses over Girl, Girl does not give much of a damn. Girl is impulsive and difficult to understand and shows many signs of being mentally unbalanced, but Boy does not care because she is hot. Story continues in this vein for a while, and then Girl does something that causes all hell to break loose, goes totally off the rails, and Boy is left to pick up the pieces and continue worshipping Girl, although not quite in the same way he did before.
John Green certainly has a thing for the Manic Pixie Dream Girl archetype, and the good news is he鈥檚 starting to ease up on it 鈥� the girls get steadily less crazy and more likable as the books get newer, and since I read the books in the opposite order they were written, it was interesting to watch the escalation. Katherine I is mostly normal, although still a constant source of mystery and worship. Margot Roth Speigleman is Alaska Young on medication. And Alaska Young is...well. I鈥檝e been trying to think of some mythical figure I can compare her to (there鈥檝e got to be a million myths about beautiful women who bring destruction, right?) and the best I can come up with is actually from Peter Pan. Remember the mermaids? They鈥檙e beautiful and fascinating and mysterious, and they draw you in with their singing. But the second you get close to them, they grab you and drag you under the water and drown you. Alaska Young is a mermaid. She鈥檚 impulsive and fun and sexy and confident, and then as soon as anyone starts feeling comfortable with her, suddenly she becomes sullen or furious or cruel. Miles, the Awkward But Likeable Quirky Boy, doesn鈥檛 even try to resist her. He falls, hard, for Alaska and bravely endures her ups and downs, and he suffers for it along with everyone else who was foolish enough to fall in love with her. She stubbornly remains a mystery throughout the book, refusing to explain her actions or moods, and this continues to the moment when she drives off campus, drunk and raging, and ends up driving her car straight into a police car (the siren was on, the lights flashing) that was parked on the highway at an accident site. She is killed instantly, and even after her death Miles and his friends continue to be consumed by her.
The book is divided into two parts 鈥� before Alaska鈥檚 death, and after. Based on the reviews I鈥檝e read, everyone seems to like the Before better, but I disagree. I like the After, mostly because I couldn鈥檛 stand Alaska, but also because I think the writing gets better in the After part. The thing I love about John Green (and the reason this gets five stars, despite my griping) is the way he writes about emotions. That sounds silly, but it鈥檚 true 鈥� he understands fear and pain and grief better than almost any author I鈥檝e ever read, and it鈥檚 always heartbreakingly beautiful when he writes about them. In my review of I quoted a brilliant paragraph he wrote about fear, and in Looking for Alaska it鈥檚 grief:
鈥淚 am staring at the ground beneath me. I cannot stop thinking that she is dead, and I cannot stop thinking that she cannot possibly be dead. People do not just die. I can鈥檛 catch my breath. I feel afraid, like someone has told me they鈥檙e going to kick my ass after school and now it鈥檚 sixth period and I know full well what鈥檚 coming. It is so cold today 鈥� literally freezing 鈥� and I imagine running to the creek and diving in headfirst, the creek so shallow that my hands scrape against the rocks, and my body slides into the cold water, the shock of the cold giving way to numbness, and I would stay there...鈥�
That鈥檚 the stuff I love about this book 鈥� the aftermath of the destruction Alaska wreaks. In all the Before sections, it just felt like the characters were stalling for time, waiting for that inevitable disaster to happen. Once it does, I suddenly became completely invested in the book and decided that I needed to give it five stars.
鈥�...one thing I learned from science classes is that energy is never created and never destroyed. And if Alaska took her own life, that is the hope I wish I could have given her. Forgetting her mother, forgetting her friends and herself 鈥� those are awful things, but she did not need to fold into herself and self-destruct. Those awful things are survivable, because we are as indestructible as we believe ourselves to be. When adults say 鈥楾eenagers think they are invincible鈥� with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don鈥檛 know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We thinks that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.鈥�
Also, for the record: I think she did it on purpose. I don鈥檛 think she left campus planning to kill herself, but she saw the police car and decided, on the spur of the moment, to drive straight at it. I think she meant to do it.
UPDATE: Whilst dicking around on tumblr, I found a snippet of a poem by Warsan Shire and I had to post it at the end of this review, because I think it perfectly expresses what Alaska would say if she were allowed to tell this story in her own words, and it also illustrates what John Green fails to understand about his Manic Pixie Dream Girl obsession:
"You want me to be a tragic backdrop so that you can appear to be illuminated, so that people can say 鈥榃ow, isn鈥檛 he so terribly brave to love a girl who is so obviously sad?鈥� You think I鈥檒l be the dark sky so you can be the star? I鈥檒l swallow you whole."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 5, 2018
Final rating: 4.5/5 stars
Loved it! I couldn't put it down - just like i expected. John Green is seriously talented, and even though i don't like this book as much as i love his "", it was still wonderful book.
I have to admit that i was on verge of crying on almost every page from the "After" part. And then, in the end, i did cry a little. Let out a tear or two... But, it was beautiful ending, and i loved it :)
CHARACTERS :
We follow a group of people from the perspective of Miles and those people are Colonel(aka,real name Chipper),Takumi,Alaska and Lara. I liked Miles a lot, he was cool, interesting and nice...Colonel, on the other hand, was fantastic character, crazy, with strong personality... Takumi was great too, even though i wished there was more of him; Lara was here and there, likeable and cute girl and in the end we have Alaska... Alaska is a different story... even though she was fun to read about, i still didn't feel anything toward hure. Sure, she may be crazy and she might be awesomely defensive of womankind, but overall i didn't feel much about her. But, she was still loveable.
They were fun, they were crazy, they did some extremely crazy things and in the end, i will miss reading about them (not like i won't read it again).
OVERALL :
Some people say that the best years of our lives are when we are young, when we are teens, when we are in college... when we first fall in love, when we go on our first day...When we are with friends... But some stories finish before we even blink.
BUDDY READ WITH MY BEAUTIFUL !
鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼�
REVIEW(S) RELATED TO THIS BOOK:
鈼� Paper Towns
鈼� Looking for Alaska
鈼� The Fault in Our Stars
This review can be found on my blog: also known as...
"Teenagers think they are invincible" with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are."
Loved it! I couldn't put it down - just like i expected. John Green is seriously talented, and even though i don't like this book as much as i love his "", it was still wonderful book.
I have to admit that i was on verge of crying on almost every page from the "After" part. And then, in the end, i did cry a little. Let out a tear or two... But, it was beautiful ending, and i loved it :)
CHARACTERS :
"So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane."
We follow a group of people from the perspective of Miles and those people are Colonel(aka,real name Chipper),Takumi,Alaska and Lara. I liked Miles a lot, he was cool, interesting and nice...Colonel, on the other hand, was fantastic character, crazy, with strong personality... Takumi was great too, even though i wished there was more of him; Lara was here and there, likeable and cute girl and in the end we have Alaska... Alaska is a different story... even though she was fun to read about, i still didn't feel anything toward hure. Sure, she may be crazy and she might be awesomely defensive of womankind, but overall i didn't feel much about her. But, she was still loveable.
鈥淪ometimes I don't get you,' I said.
She didn't even glance at me. She just smiled toward the television and said, 'You never get me. That's the whole point.鈥�
They were fun, they were crazy, they did some extremely crazy things and in the end, i will miss reading about them (not like i won't read it again).
鈥淲hat the hell is that?" I laughed.
"It's my fox hat."
"Your fox hat?"
"Yeah, Pudge. My fox hat."
"Why are you wearing your fox hat?" I asked.
"Because no one can catch the motherfucking fox.鈥�
OVERALL :
Some people say that the best years of our lives are when we are young, when we are teens, when we are in college... when we first fall in love, when we go on our first day...When we are with friends... But some stories finish before we even blink.
BUDDY READ WITH MY BEAUTIFUL !
鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼� 鈼�
REVIEW(S) RELATED TO THIS BOOK:
鈼� Paper Towns
鈼� Looking for Alaska
鈼� The Fault in Our Stars
This review can be found on my blog: also known as...
July 1, 2015
"white girl who's not like the other girls, finds the boy of her dreams.. a white boy who's not like the other boys!" This perfectly sums up every John Green book. All his characters are socially awkward, know the names of foreign poets and come up with phrases like "My thoughts are stars I cannot put into constellations" randomly. It is so pretentious. John Green is one of the most overrated authors in YA.
April 29, 2013
I was recommended this by a good friend and I was really looking forward to it. I love the vlogbrothers videos and the first chapter really made me want to read it and find out more but it didn't live up to the expectation that the first few chapters set up.
My main problem with the book was the characters. It wasn't even that they were underdeveloped. Alaska and Miles just pissed me off. I let some of it slide by because I understand certain parts were intentional but Miles was just so whiny. I couldn't handle it.
By the time I got to the "After" section of the book I was going through the motions; counting pages, skipping whole paragraphs that seemed unimportant and screaming internally at my book. The took so long to figure out the great mystery of the incident that is didn't seem plausible for a group of teenagers who are supposed to be smart.
I have since read another John Green book and I truly loved it. His writing is excellent and it is so refreshing to see a YA novel with a male voice. I also rather liked that they actually did homework and went to classes. So, please, go and but another of his books and truly enjoy the author that is John Green.
My main problem with the book was the characters. It wasn't even that they were underdeveloped. Alaska and Miles just pissed me off. I let some of it slide by because I understand certain parts were intentional but Miles was just so whiny. I couldn't handle it.
By the time I got to the "After" section of the book I was going through the motions; counting pages, skipping whole paragraphs that seemed unimportant and screaming internally at my book. The took so long to figure out the great mystery of the incident that is didn't seem plausible for a group of teenagers who are supposed to be smart.
I have since read another John Green book and I truly loved it. His writing is excellent and it is so refreshing to see a YA novel with a male voice. I also rather liked that they actually did homework and went to classes. So, please, go and but another of his books and truly enjoy the author that is John Green.
December 30, 2018
my first boyfriend was obsessed with looking for alaska and anything john green and that should鈥檝e rung alarm bells in my head but unfortunately i was as dumb and as stupid as this book
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