HomeGroupsTalkMoreZeitgeist
Search Site
This site uses cookies to deliver our services, improve performance, for analytics, and (if not signed in) for advertising. By using LibraryThing you acknowledge that you have read and understand our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.

Results from Google Books

Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Loading...

An Abundance of Katherines (original 2006; edition 2008)

by John Green

MembersReviewsPopularityAverage ratingMentions
11,543395564 (3.79)322
Having been recently dumped for the nineteenth time by a girl named Katherine, recent high school graduate and former child prodigy Colin sets off on a road trip with his best friend to try to find some new direction in life while also trying to create a mathematical formula to explain his relationships.… (more)
Member:17aperson
Title:An Abundance of Katherines
Authors:John Green
Info:Speak (2008), Edition: Reprint, Paperback, 272 pages
Collections:Your library
Rating:
Tags:None

Work Information

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (2006)

  1. 70
    Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green (SheReads)
  2. 70
    Looking for Alaska by John Green (mad.)
    mad.: this his john green's first book and although it has a completely different plot and characters it has the same style as an Abundance of Katherines
  3. 20
    The Boyfriend List by E. Lockhart (Runa)
  4. 10
    Going Bovine by Libba Bray (foggidawn)
    foggidawn: Both are great stories using the metaphor of road-trip for self-discovery.
  5. 10
    The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt (Katya0133)
    Katya0133: another book about a child prodigy, very different in style, but I enjoyed both
  6. 10
    Paper Towns by John Green (Morteana)
  7. 00
    The Adventures of Blue Avenger by Norma Howe (suzanney)
  8. 00
    Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner (meggyweg)
  9. 00
    Infinity's Web by Sheila Finch (infiniteletters)
  10. 00
    Mindblind by Jennifer Roy (meggyweg)
  11. 00
    Notes From The Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick (Maiasaura)
  12. 00
    Tripping by Heather Waldorf (wegc)
    wegc: A teenager spends the summer on a hiking trip, facing up to her past and meeting new people. Similar coming-of-age themes.
  13. 00
    In Watermelon Sugar by Richard Brautigan (Othemts)
  14. 00
    Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (BookshelfMonstrosity)
    BookshelfMonstrosity: Though they're not your typical love stories, there's plenty of romance in these offbeat, witty realistic stories of recent high school graduates setting off on new adventures (a road trip, college) that help them discover themselves.
  15. 00
    Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick (livia6)
  16. 01
    A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (Othemts)
Loading...

Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.

No current Talk conversations about this book.

» See also 322 mentions

English (380)  German (5)  Spanish (3)  Dutch (2)  Portuguese (Portugal) (1)  Hungarian (1)  Italian (1)  Danish (1)  Tagalog (1)  All languages (395)
Showing 1-5 of 380 (next | show all)
This is an absolutely delightful YA book. The dialogue and narration are witty, the characters interesting and sympathetic. There's nothing too dark or too harsh in either plot or language. I will definitely be reading/listening to this again. [AUDIOBOOK NOTE: Excellent reader! I'm going to look for more narrations by Jeff Woodman.] ( )
  Treebeard_404 | Jan 23, 2024 |
I am besotted with John Green, who is one of the cleverest writers around. Literate, hilarious, deadly serious. I am now reading everything he's written--unfortunately, I will soon run out! YA novels that are so intelligent, so spot on. ( )
  fmclellan | Jan 23, 2024 |
I don't think I ever finished this book but hopefully I can pick it up soon to reread. ( )
  florrrrr12 | Aug 31, 2023 |
An Abundance of Katherines was an interesting book by John Green - it's the perfect mix of YA and contemporary fiction in my mind. While it's not his best book (in my opinion), it's still a really intriguing read. John Green knows how to write a unique narrative and pull in the reader. Although, his books all tend to be different so you aren't guaranteed to enjoy this book if you liked his other novels. He does an excellent job at changing genres and narratives, and making different stories every time he writes a book.

Colin isn't the most likable protagonist, but that's why I liked him. He wasn't the typical YA character we fall in love with, he had his flaws. His friends were more likable, but to me it made him seem more real. We don't all love ourselves the way we should, so sometimes the protagonist should be more "realistic".

As for the plot, it's has a smooth flow and doesn't build very much. It's more of a contemporary fiction piece that follows the characters throughout. There's no major plot twists or devices that jumped out at me. Yet, this book still worked well in this context! With most authors, I would have given up with a plot like this, but somehow John kept me hooked. That takes a fair bit of talent!

The best part of this book is that it is full of epic quotes. John Green knows how to make quote worthy books that relate to teenagers and adults alike. I have found countless quotes that I can either relate to myself, my situation or my friends and family. That's one of the major things this book has going for it!

I definitely wouldn't recommend this as the first John Green book you read (unless you want to start off "weaker"). While I think it's fantastic, it's not the strongest book (in my opinion, yet again). Especially since this book is the type of novel that you either love or you hate (just look at all of the other reviews - it is split right down the middle). So, take a swing at this book once you've convinced yourself that John is truly remarkable through his other books first.

Five out of five stars - what can I say? I enjoyed it. ( )
  Briars_Reviews | Aug 4, 2023 |
This book is cute and quirky, with several laugh out loud parts! I wasn't expecting the silliness of this one......its definitely more casual and comical than Greens other books. The storyline is lighthearted and playful, and lacks the seriousness of his usual work.

Colin has an... somewhat asinine and unrealistic ....obsession with girls named Katherine. His relationship troubles lead them on a comical road trip where they meet ppl that end up being important to both boys. The cliff notes at the bottom of each page are a unique addition, and very entertaining.

Hassan is a blasts! Easily one of my new fave book characters!

This story is very obviously frivolous and supposed to be comedic and not taken seriously. I'm quite shocked at the critism of both the book and characters here. I think many are missing the blatant satire approach to teens Green took with this one.

Oh well, you can't please them all. My daughters and I appreciated the change of pace, and enjoyed it immensely!! ( )
  Jfranklin592262 | Jul 14, 2023 |
Showing 1-5 of 380 (next | show all)
no reviews | add a review

» Add other authors (2 possible)

Author nameRoleType of authorWork?Status
John Greenprimary authorall editionscalculated
Bliss, DanielAppendixsecondary authorall editionsconfirmed
Woodman, JeffNarratorsecondary authorsome editionsconfirmed
You must log in to edit Common Knowledge data.
For more help see the Common Knowledge help page.
Canonical title
Original title
Alternative titles
Original publication date
People/Characters
Important places
Important events
Related movies
Epigraph
“But the pleasure isn’t owning the person. The pleasure is this. Having another contender in the room with you.” —Philip Roth, The Human Stain
Dedication
To my wife, Sarah Urist Green, anagrammatically:
Her great Russian
Grin has treasure—
A great risen rush.
She is a rut-ranger;
Anguish arrester;
Sister; haranguer;
Treasure-sharing,
Heart-reassuring
Signature Sharer
Easing rare hurts.
First words
The morning after noted child prodigy Colin Singleton graduated from high school and got dumped for the nineteenth time by a girl named Katherine, he took a bath.
Quotations
Colin had always preferred baths; one of his general policies in life was never to do anything standing up that could just as easily be done lying down.
—pg. 3
But mothers lie. It’s in the job description.
—pg. 4
Crying adds something: crying is you, plus tears. But the feeling Colin had was some horrible opposite of crying. It was you, minus something.
—pg. 7
Prodigies can very quickly learn what other people have already figured out; geniuses discover that which no one has ever previously discovered. Prodigies learn; geniuses do.
—pg. 10
“Hassan Harbish. Sunni Muslim. Not a terrorist.”
“Lindsey Lee Wells. Methodist. Me, neither.”
—pg. 32
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)
Disambiguation notice
Publisher's editors
Blurbers
Original language
Information from the Dutch Common Knowledge. Edit to localize it to your language.
Canonical DDC/MDS
Canonical LCC

References to this work on external resources.

Wikipedia in English (3)

Having been recently dumped for the nineteenth time by a girl named Katherine, recent high school graduate and former child prodigy Colin sets off on a road trip with his best friend to try to find some new direction in life while also trying to create a mathematical formula to explain his relationships.

No library descriptions found.

Book description
Haiku summary

LibraryThing Author

John Green is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.

profile page | author page

Current Discussions

None

Popular covers

Quick Links

Rating

Average: (3.79)
0.5 2
1 47
1.5 8
2 175
2.5 29
3 595
3.5 132
4 936
4.5 112
5 619

Penguin Australia

An edition of this book was published by Penguin Australia.

» Publisher information page

 

About | Contact | Privacy/Terms | Help/FAQs | Blog | Store | APIs | TinyCat | Legacy Libraries | Early Reviewers | Common Knowledge | 203,205,454 books! | Top bar: Always visible