So this book was originally in my Norfolk holiday TBR post, but I didn't end up reading it then. But my sister was the one who originally suggested I read it, and since she kept bringing it up and asking if I'd read it yet, I thought I'd better just get on with it!
Looking for Alaska
Author:
John Green
Genre:
YA, contemporary
One-sentence summary:
When Miles (Pudge) Halter heads off to boarding school he makes a bunch of new friends, including the enchanting and unpredictable Alaska Young, who profoundly changes his life.
Review:
Having not particularly loved The Fault in Our Stars, I did not hold particularly high hopes for this book. I wasn't expecting to hate it, but wasn't expecting to love it either.
And I was right. I didn't love it. But I was pleasantly surprised by some parts of it. I thought the way the characters dealt with the main event of the story (I don't want to spoil it, but if you've read it you'll know the one I mean) felt quite real. The conversations felt a lot more real than those in The Fault in Our Stars, though they still had that slight self-aware, trying-to-be-clever, no-one-really-talks-like-this side to them.
One thing that my sister and I completely agreed on was that the story really should have been told from another person's point of view. Literally any of the other characters' perspectives would have been more interesting! But, though all the characters were interesting and different on a surface level, they all shared many similar characteristics, which Gus and Hazel Grace from TFiOS also shared: socially awkward, overly witty, quirky and 'edgy' habits...
Final thoughts:
I enjoyed the story and whizzed through it in record time, but it wasn't anything special. The writing style didn't annoy me anywhere near as much as in TFiOS though, which was a huge plus. And the characters were OK and had some positives, as did their general interactions. I found them quite bland and samey sometimes, but ultimately I cared what happened to them, and this book was brought up in my estimations for that reason.
What did you think of Looking for Alaska? Do you agree with my review? Do you like John Green's books? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments!
I loved The Fault In Our Stars but I wasn't blown away by Looking For Alaska, like you said, it was alright. Have you read Paper Towns?
ReplyDeleteHi Danielle! I haven't read Paper Towns.. I've only read the two that I've reviewed on here! I just get the impression that I'm the wrong audience for his books, but I can see why they're right for some people. I'm sure there are loads of things I read at a certain age that were just right for me at the time, but that wouldn't appeal to other people so much. I feel that way about a lot of Sarah Dessen books, though I probably wouldn't enjoy them if I was reading them for the first time now. Wow, long-winded answer!
DeleteWould you recommend Paper Towns?
Rachel
Looking for Alaska was an okay book for me.I didn't love the book, but I liked Alaska-she was a great lead.
ReplyDeleteI am really surprised that you didn't like The Fault in Our Stars.I know that opinions differ, but I loved that book.
Love your blog header by the way, it looks really cute.
Mishma @ As the page turns
uh oh... I replied to your comment and it disappeared! oh well, second time lucky!
DeleteI agree with you, I preferred the character of Alaska to the book as a whole. She really grew on me as the book went on, which was the opposite of what happened with Hazel.. she just got more and more on my nerves! I think part of the reason I was so underwhelmed by TFiOS was that I had such high expectations of it because of everyone recommending it, and it just didn't live up to it.. But by the time I read Looking for Alaska I knew John Green's writing a bit better and didn't expect so much from it. But don't let my (or anyone's) dislike of TFiOS taint your love of the book! I've let that happen to me before and it just takes the fun out of it!! :P
And thanks for the header compliment! I'll be sure to check out your blog too :)
Rachel