Thursday, July 31, 2008

Looking For Alaska - John Green



The awaited review is finally here! If you don't feel like reading it, go to the YouTube channel tonight - the video is uploading right now!

I apoligize for taking so long - it was just a few days ago when I could finally start forming reviews about this book that didn't go: "Awesome. Go buy NOW." So here it is.

I couldn't summarize this very well myself, so I used the jacket flap:

First Drink.
First Prank.
First Friend.
First Girl.
Last Words.

Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words - and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.

Looking for Alaska brilliantly chronicles the indelible impact one life can have on another. A stunning debut, it marks John Green's arrival as an important new voice in contemporary fiction.


Thing I Liked Best About The Book: The relationship between the characters.
The relationship between all the characters were written so uniquely. Miles didn't act the same to every other character - the relationships between Miles and his classmates, parents, and teachers were all unique depending on what person you looked at.

Thing I Liked Least: Skipping of Weeks.
When I read, I don't really like it when books skip lots of days at one time. I can see how you would need to skip a few days so your story doesn't drag, but I didn't like how Looking for Alaska would skip weeks at a time. I understand why the author had to do it, but I still didn't like it.

Another thing I liked about Looking for Alaska was after a main character died (I'm not telling who!) the students at Culver Creek handled it like I would think a real school would. The reactions and how they were written made it feel like I was at the school, they were that real.

Basically, this book was really good. I plan on reading more John Green soon.



There were a lot of quotes that I liked in this book, but I'm just going to put one down here:

"There comes a time when we realize that our parents cannot save themselves or save us, that everyone who wades through time eventually gets dragged out to sea by the undertow - that, in short, we are all going." - page 120.

hope.

9 comments:

Kelsey said...

Hey, Hope! I liked your review, but personally I didn't care for this book. I reviewed it awhile ago. But awesome review. I understand where your coming from.

PS-your YouTube video has static so you can't hear yourself.

Anna said...

Kelsey -- Thanks for letting me know about that. I looked at what I uploaded and it wasn't there, so I deleted the other one and am re-uploading it. Hopefully it won't get static from uploading again. :] But check back later tonight - it should be back up by then.

Anonymous said...

I read about 30 pages of this book, but had to take it back to the library before finishing it. I hope to get around to it eventually.

Great review! I'm linking to it on my blog entry tonight!

Liv said...

I'm so so glad you read this! It is a very good book and is definitely one that'll stay with you. Great review!

Suey said...

Hey! Thanks for visiting my blog!

I loved this book, but I loved An Abundance of Katherines better... and I'm so looking forward to his next one, Paper Towns.

Anonymous said...

I've wanted to read this book for a while. I'll have to get it.

I nominated you! Check out my blog for the details.

Kayla (Midnight Twilight)

Shooting Stars Mag said...

loveee this book. definitely a favorite of mine now. i'm glad you liked it. great review. i liked how you focused on the things you liked and didn't like. i agree that miles' reactions to people were varied and that was awesome. :)

Lauren

Lenore Appelhans said...

I just bought this and look forward to my scheldule clearing so I can read it!

Have you entered this week's Shannon Greenland contest? It's for the latest book that came out yesterday and a whole set of 4 books.

Melissa Walker said...

ooh, i just love, love, loved this book!! maybe i'm old? i cannot get alaska off my mind.