Review: Looking For Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska by John Green

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Goodreads

Kindle Edition, 221 pages

Published August 14th 2008 by Speak (first published January 1st 2005)

Source: Purchased

My Rating: 4 Stars

From Goodreads:

Before…Miles “Pudge” 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 “the Great Perhaps” 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. After…Nothing is ever the same.

Remember that one time I reviewed Paper Towns and promised to let you know if it was too similar to Looking For Alaska? Well, you now know that I keep my promises, because here it is! Not just my review, but (in my opinion, of course) the answer to that very question.
Short answer: No, it isn’t. Long answer: Yes, I see the comparisons, but they are such vastly different books, I don’t think it’s fair to lump them together. I cannot fully even answer the question for fears of giving anything away in either book, but let me just say this: While there are some similarities between the two (obviously young male protagonists, female love interests, quirky bands of friends), the actual story and characters are nothing alike. I never once felt that I was reading the same book, or even one that similar.
In Looking For Alaska, we meet Miles (henceforth known as “Pudge”) who goes off to a boarding school to escape his humdrum reality. In doing so, he meets a tight group of friends, including “The Colonel” (Chip, his roommate), Alaska (of course, she is the title after all), Takumi, and Lara. First, I enjoyed the male characters in this story so, so much. They were so different, yet all so clever, so funny, so smart in their own ways. Pudge has an odd obsession with last words, The Colonel is the perfect leader for this bunch, and their conversations always had me either smiling, or in deep thought.
I didn’t really read much about this book (quite frankly, I saw “by John Green”, and clicked “buy”), so I just kind of assumed that it would be about some dude looking around for some girl named Alaska (which would have practically screamed Paper Towns, so I really should’ve known better I suppose). Sure, Pudge is “looking”, but not in the sense you’d expect. Basically, Alaska is a big mystery to everyone, myself included. To be honest, I didn’t really know what to make of her. Yes, I am aware that it was probably the point, but it infuriated me at times. I suppose I do get the draw of Alaska, and why Pudge would be interested, since she was so unique and mystifying.
The friendships in this book were so fleshed out, so amazingly well done. It helps that the characters were all so multifaceted that picturing them interacting was not just easy, it was a joy. I probably could have read two hundred more pages with just the witty banter alone.
The plot… There’s a plot twist that I didn’t see coming for awhile, but when I did realize what was going to happen…. sigh. We won’t be speaking of this further, for obvious reasons. There are a few cliched moments, and a few eye-roll moments, but make no mistake, this is a good book. One I won’t likely forget. This book is thought provoking. It will make you laugh, and it will certainly make you cry (and curse John Green for forcing you to buy stock in Kleenex). Ultimately, this is a book that forces you to look at your own feelings on some heavy stuff, but in a way that is so captivating you can’t help but keep reading.

Posted July 14, 2014 by Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight in Review / 3 Comments

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3 responses to “Review: Looking For Alaska by John Green

  1. Ahh! Okay, I’ve only read TFiOS, but I finished my John Green collection the other week, so planning on reading them all when I have the time. The UK covers for Looking for Alaska are pretty ugly (I know, I should be supporting the UK covers but nope), so bought this one on Ebay. Haven’t read Paper Towns yet so I wouldn’t know about the comparisons but glad that in the long run it’s not basically the same story being retold. The huge thing about books with me is the characters, so glad to see these set are just like you’d find and act with your own friends, you know? Ones you can actually imagine being real, so yes! 🙂 I’ll have tissues at the ready when I read it. 😉

    • Well, I obviously had to go look up the UK covers! I actually don’t mind them (if they are the same ones I am seeing online, that is). But I think the US one is more appropriate for the tone of the book for sure. If you like characters, then I think you’ll really like this book- they just felt so, so real. And yeah, don’t forget the tissues 😉

  2. One of the few love stories i have read and the only one i have liked. John green truly captures the essence of true love, or friendship and of longing. His writing makes me feel the emotions of his characters; makes me love them for all their flaws. For their humanity. No vampire can touch this. My head swims while Miles’ does. I feel Alaska’s sense of loss. And i too long for the things that all of them do; for their sake as much as mine.

    My fellow nerdfigters; you shall read a book that shall be placed as a crowning jewel on top of the classics lists; a book that all who have read shall give proudly to their children and say “Let this help you fing your Great Perhaps.”

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