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When two teens, one gay and one straight, meet accidentally and discover that they share the same name, their lives become intertwined as one begins dating the other's best friend, who produces a play revealing his relationship with them both.Tags
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Will Grayson, Will Grayson is an amazing book. Simply amazing. But the sad thing is, I was actually a bit reticent to pick it up because the summaries of the book I've read sounded..well..kind of boring and a little vague. "It's about being a teenager in high school" (aren't they all?), "It's got heart" (eye-roll), "it's about friendship" (gag). And most of all the descriptions about it being about a musical really turned me away because, well, I really don't like musicals. And high school musicals? Hmm....
But in the end (or rather from the very beginning) I was completely blown away by this book--by its authenticity, by its courage, and yes, by its heart. The characters felt like real teenagers and the characters were all meaty and show more interesting. I should summarize a little bit--basically the book is about a straight boy named Will Grayson who has a gay best friend (a huge guy named Tiny--and yes, hilarity ensues) who happens to meet another boy named Will Grayson, a depressed teenager who is struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. At first Tiny seems like a comic relief for the book, but over time he grows into one of the most important characters of the book (in yes, what is a little bit of an over-the-top cheesy ending).
The true genius lies in the way the authors show kids just plain being mean to each other and themselves (intentionally and unintentionally) and doing it in a way that makes us want to keep reading. As a writer struggling to give some of my YA characters authenticity, I couldn't help but be in awe of this book. show less
But in the end (or rather from the very beginning) I was completely blown away by this book--by its authenticity, by its courage, and yes, by its heart. The characters felt like real teenagers and the characters were all meaty and show more interesting. I should summarize a little bit--basically the book is about a straight boy named Will Grayson who has a gay best friend (a huge guy named Tiny--and yes, hilarity ensues) who happens to meet another boy named Will Grayson, a depressed teenager who is struggling to come to terms with his sexuality. At first Tiny seems like a comic relief for the book, but over time he grows into one of the most important characters of the book (in yes, what is a little bit of an over-the-top cheesy ending).
The true genius lies in the way the authors show kids just plain being mean to each other and themselves (intentionally and unintentionally) and doing it in a way that makes us want to keep reading. As a writer struggling to give some of my YA characters authenticity, I couldn't help but be in awe of this book. show less
John Green is my favorite author. I'll just get that out of the way now. I could gush about his books for days, but I'll try to contain myself. With Will Grayson, Will Grayson, I knew I could expect in-depth characters, an interesting story, and great writing. But, this book wasn't written by one author; it was written by two. Although David Levithan is another popular young adult author, I had never read one of his books before, so I didn't know what to expect. What I found was brilliance.
Each author wrote from the perspective of one of the Will Graysons in alternating chapters. I expected to love John Green's Will Grayson, and I did. Will is a typical teenager dealing with life, love, and friendship. His best friend, Tiny Cooper, is a show more larger-than-life character who is both extraordinary and believable at the same time. The humor and honesty in these chapters was highly enjoyable.
Even though I loved John Green's Will, I have to say that David Levithan's Will blew me away. Will is a teenager dealing with depression and I was astounded by how real the depression was portrayed. I've heard reviewers’ comment that this Will was unlikable in the beginning, but I disagree. As a mental health professional, I know quite a bit about depression and I saw Will's "unlikable" behavior as a reaction to the depression. This endeared me to the character instead of pushed me away. It has been a very long time since I've felt so connected to a character. Also, there was more plot in this storyline, so I enjoyed that aspect as well.
One of my favorite aspects of this book is that I couldn't predict the story. Specifically, there is a huge moment in the middle of the book (I won't spoil it) that completely took me off guard. I literally stared at the page for several minutes in shock. I had to re-read the previous passage a few times before it sunk in enough for me to move on. The shock and emotion that part elicited has been unmatched by anything else I've read.
I can't think of anything I didn't like about this book. It was fabulous from beginning to end. I actually stayed up till two am on a weekday, just so I could finish the story. I highly recommend this book to everyone. show less
Each author wrote from the perspective of one of the Will Graysons in alternating chapters. I expected to love John Green's Will Grayson, and I did. Will is a typical teenager dealing with life, love, and friendship. His best friend, Tiny Cooper, is a show more larger-than-life character who is both extraordinary and believable at the same time. The humor and honesty in these chapters was highly enjoyable.
Even though I loved John Green's Will, I have to say that David Levithan's Will blew me away. Will is a teenager dealing with depression and I was astounded by how real the depression was portrayed. I've heard reviewers’ comment that this Will was unlikable in the beginning, but I disagree. As a mental health professional, I know quite a bit about depression and I saw Will's "unlikable" behavior as a reaction to the depression. This endeared me to the character instead of pushed me away. It has been a very long time since I've felt so connected to a character. Also, there was more plot in this storyline, so I enjoyed that aspect as well.
One of my favorite aspects of this book is that I couldn't predict the story. Specifically, there is a huge moment in the middle of the book (I won't spoil it) that completely took me off guard. I literally stared at the page for several minutes in shock. I had to re-read the previous passage a few times before it sunk in enough for me to move on. The shock and emotion that part elicited has been unmatched by anything else I've read.
I can't think of anything I didn't like about this book. It was fabulous from beginning to end. I actually stayed up till two am on a weekday, just so I could finish the story. I highly recommend this book to everyone. show less
5Q 4P (my codes) 4Q 4P (actual VOYA codes)
I mostly agree with the VOYA rating, though I think the writing is flawless and hilarious and bitingly accurate in its portrayal of love, loss, and longing both for love and acceptance and recognition in the primordial soup of high school. This book has wide appeal, especially in its thoughtful portrayal of both straight and gay relationships, their commonalities and pitfalls. I laughed out loud, shed a few tears, and rooted for Tiny and his crazy musical the whole way! Also, this is a great example of how sexual encounters among teens can be modeled and nurtured in a healthy, positive way.
I mostly agree with the VOYA rating, though I think the writing is flawless and hilarious and bitingly accurate in its portrayal of love, loss, and longing both for love and acceptance and recognition in the primordial soup of high school. This book has wide appeal, especially in its thoughtful portrayal of both straight and gay relationships, their commonalities and pitfalls. I laughed out loud, shed a few tears, and rooted for Tiny and his crazy musical the whole way! Also, this is a great example of how sexual encounters among teens can be modeled and nurtured in a healthy, positive way.
One Will Grayson, begrudgingly defined by his best friend, lives by two rules: don't care too much and shut up. The other Will Grayson, clinically depressed, lives for his internet boyfriend. Chance and humiliation unite the pair of Will Graysons in a porn store one desperate Chicago night. Two-rule Will's best friend Tiny Cooper, falls quickly for the other Will Grayson - (or will, as his chapters never use capital letters, a visual extension of the apathy his depression causes). Flamboyantly huge, and hugely gay, Tiny has constantly been in the throes of love and heartbreak, and he's writing a play about it. As will and Tiny grow closer, Will and Tiny grow apart. Bringing together two fantastic authors, each writer giving one Will show more Grayson a voice, this story about different kinds of love - friendship, romantic, reluctant and unhealthy -sails along with crisp, funny text and an ending that's theatrical in more ways than one. show less
Having heard entirely varying accounts of this collaborative novel, I approached it with both hope and trepidation. I worried that the format of the even numbered chapters (without capitalization, ala texting or instant messaging) would irritate me to the point that I could not get through the book. Thankfully, both Will Graysons, from whose perspectives the reader sees, are intelligent and use decent grammar. The lack of capitalization becomes easy enough to ignore, especially for people of the instant communication generation. Format aside, this book was absolutely fabulous, much like Tiny Cooper. The characters are flawed and can actually be imagined to be real high school students. The story and writing has a bit of magic; perhaps show more it is simply the magic of truth or acceptance, but it is a magic. Heterosexual and homosexual love are both celebrated in this fabulous teen novel that has been a long time in coming. I highly recommend this! show less
This had an amazing portrayal of depression, and a really good send-up of the "it's all in your head, just get out and enjoy life" meme. Both Will Graysons rang very true to me, and Tiny was larger than life but someone I would have loved to know.
My only complaint was that this book fails the Bechdel test pretty badly.
My only complaint was that this book fails the Bechdel test pretty badly.
The story of two teenaged boys named Will Grayson, told in alternating first person chapters. Each Will Grayson is dealing with questions about friendships, relationships, and sexuality. Their chance meeting helps spur each of them toward better understanding of himself. Green and Levithan both handle voice brilliantly (each of them wrote the chapters about one of the Wills), and the interior emotional life of young men is tenderly but realistically rendered. All of the main characters leap off the page (Tiny Cooper, who I think is both someone we all probably knew in high school or college and someone unique and all his own, is unforgettable), and the climax, where the coincidence of the two Will Graysons meeting plays a part, is show more moving and perfect. Recommended unreservedly and most especially to anyone who wonders why adults should bother with YA. show less
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ThingScore 90
Romans over homoseksuelen kennen doorgaans een noodlottig einde. Er gaat iemand dood of er wordt iemand terminaal ziek. Dat moet een van de redenen zijn waarom homoboekhandels tegenwoordig veel porno verkopen om het hoofd boven water te houden, van de romans raken hun klanten depressief. Bij de jeugdroman Will Grayson, Will Grayson van de Amerikanen John Green en David Levithan is het totaal show more omgedraaid. Het boek is prachtig, met vaart en humor beschreven, alleen het einde is van zo’n suikerzoet Hollywoodgehalte dat het glazuur je van de tanden springt. Doodzonde. (En dan komt er ook nog een toegift: ‘We geven toe dat Gods liefde je nooit kan worden afgenomen, omdat je bent wie je bent doordat God je heeft gemaakt.’) show less
added by PGCM
John Green en David Levithan – Will Grayson, Will Grayson
dinsdag 11 januari 2011 om 17u00
Wie vreesde dat de laatste goeie roman over jongeren al was geschreven, moet Will Grayson, will grayson van het duo John Green-David Levithan maar eens lezen.
John Green en David Levithan – Will Grayson, will grayson
Uitgeverij: Lemniscaat
Aantal pagina’s: 277
Prijs: 16,95 euro
ISBN: show more 978-90-477-0327-3
Uitgeverij Lemniscaat houdt de vinger aan de pols van de betere Amerikaanse jongerenliteratuur. Bij bosjes worden recente Young Adult-romans vertaald. In deze actuele fictie krijg je niet zozeer 'probleemjongeren', maar wel stevige jongvolwassenen die evenzeer de greep op het leven verliezen als hun lot in eigen handen nemen.
De protagonisten zijn helemaal 'nu': well informed, opgegroeid in gebroken gezinnen, vroegrijp, en in die wirwar ook nog altijd op zoek naar de liefde die vriendschap heet (of andersom). De verhalen spelen zich af op school, in grootsteden, niet zelden hebben de levensechte personages megalomane projecten in hun hoofd.
Doordat veel scheppers van die jongerenpersonages zelf zijn opgegroeid met het internet, sms, msn, blogs, Facebook et cetera, worden communicatiemedia vlotjes in de verhalen geïntegreerd. Binnensboeks hoppen van het ene genre naar het andere is allang geen trend meer, het is bijna een must.
John Green en David Levithan zijn twee kleppers van de Amerikaanse Young Adult-school. Lemniscaat vertaalde een roman die ze samen schreven: Will Grayson/will grayson.
Dat samen knutselen aan jongerenverhalen is een betrekkelijk nieuw fenomeen. Uitgeverij Querido past het op een andere manier toe in haar reeks Slash-boeken, waarbij 'gevestigde auteurs' levensechte verhalen van jongeren optekenen, in samenspraak.
Bij Will Grayson/will grayson kozen Green en Levithan ervoor elk een personage met dezelfde naam uit te werken. In het ene hoofdstuk komt de ene Will Grayson (mét hoofdletters) aan het woord, in het andere doet de andere will grayson zijn verhaal (zonder hoofdletters). Tot ze - het klinkt geforceerd maar verloopt vrij natuurlijk - elkaar als bij toeval op een dag ontmoeten en hun levens verstrengeld raken.
Will Grayson 1 is een vrij normale adolescent: ietwat teruggetrokken, behoorlijk nuchter en onzeker, maar met het hart op de juiste plaats. Zijn identiteit wordt mede bepaald door zijn allerbeste vriend, Tiny Cooper: een onrustige, vitalistische en narcistische homo die 'out and proud' een musical over zichzelf en de liefde in elkaar bokst.
Will Grayson 2 is een ietwat geïsoleerde en zwartgallige jongeling. Hij zit als homo nog in de kast en kampt met een depressie. Zijn klankbord is de al even cynische Maura, die zich dan weer geen blijf weet met haar verliefdheid op haar homomaatje. show less
dinsdag 11 januari 2011 om 17u00
Wie vreesde dat de laatste goeie roman over jongeren al was geschreven, moet Will Grayson, will grayson van het duo John Green-David Levithan maar eens lezen.
John Green en David Levithan – Will Grayson, will grayson
Uitgeverij: Lemniscaat
Aantal pagina’s: 277
Prijs: 16,95 euro
ISBN: show more 978-90-477-0327-3
Uitgeverij Lemniscaat houdt de vinger aan de pols van de betere Amerikaanse jongerenliteratuur. Bij bosjes worden recente Young Adult-romans vertaald. In deze actuele fictie krijg je niet zozeer 'probleemjongeren', maar wel stevige jongvolwassenen die evenzeer de greep op het leven verliezen als hun lot in eigen handen nemen.
De protagonisten zijn helemaal 'nu': well informed, opgegroeid in gebroken gezinnen, vroegrijp, en in die wirwar ook nog altijd op zoek naar de liefde die vriendschap heet (of andersom). De verhalen spelen zich af op school, in grootsteden, niet zelden hebben de levensechte personages megalomane projecten in hun hoofd.
Doordat veel scheppers van die jongerenpersonages zelf zijn opgegroeid met het internet, sms, msn, blogs, Facebook et cetera, worden communicatiemedia vlotjes in de verhalen geïntegreerd. Binnensboeks hoppen van het ene genre naar het andere is allang geen trend meer, het is bijna een must.
John Green en David Levithan zijn twee kleppers van de Amerikaanse Young Adult-school. Lemniscaat vertaalde een roman die ze samen schreven: Will Grayson/will grayson.
Dat samen knutselen aan jongerenverhalen is een betrekkelijk nieuw fenomeen. Uitgeverij Querido past het op een andere manier toe in haar reeks Slash-boeken, waarbij 'gevestigde auteurs' levensechte verhalen van jongeren optekenen, in samenspraak.
Bij Will Grayson/will grayson kozen Green en Levithan ervoor elk een personage met dezelfde naam uit te werken. In het ene hoofdstuk komt de ene Will Grayson (mét hoofdletters) aan het woord, in het andere doet de andere will grayson zijn verhaal (zonder hoofdletters). Tot ze - het klinkt geforceerd maar verloopt vrij natuurlijk - elkaar als bij toeval op een dag ontmoeten en hun levens verstrengeld raken.
Will Grayson 1 is een vrij normale adolescent: ietwat teruggetrokken, behoorlijk nuchter en onzeker, maar met het hart op de juiste plaats. Zijn identiteit wordt mede bepaald door zijn allerbeste vriend, Tiny Cooper: een onrustige, vitalistische en narcistische homo die 'out and proud' een musical over zichzelf en de liefde in elkaar bokst.
Will Grayson 2 is een ietwat geïsoleerde en zwartgallige jongeling. Hij zit als homo nog in de kast en kampt met een depressie. Zijn klankbord is de al even cynische Maura, die zich dan weer geen blijf weet met haar verliefdheid op haar homomaatje. show less
added by PGCM
A wonderfully campy, sweet, romantic gesture in the spectacular style that readers have come to expect from these two YA masters.
added by khuggard
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Author Information
30+ Works 115,850 Members
John Green was born in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 24, 1977. He graduated from Kenyon College in 2000 with a double major in English and religious studies. Before becoming a writer, he was a publishing assistant and production editor for Booklist, which is a book review journal. His first novel, Looking for Alaska, was published in 2005 and show more won the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in Young Adult literature in 2006. His other works include An Abundance of Katherines, a 2007 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book; Paper Towns, which won the 2009 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel and the 2010 Corine Literature Prize; and The Fault in Our Stars, which was a New York Times Best Seller. He is also the co-author, with David Levithan, of Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Two of John Green's titles, The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns, have been made into major motion pictures. His title, An Abundance of Katherines, made the New York Times Best Seller List. Paper Towns made The New Zealand Best Seller List 2015. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
John Green is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
64+ Works 36,094 Members
David Levithan was born in 1972. He graduated from Brown University in 1994 and is a senior editor at Scholastic. He has written numerous books including Boy Meets Boy, The Realm of Possibility, Every Day, and Another Day. (Bowker Author Biography)
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Series
Work Relationships
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Will Grayson, Will Grayson
- Original title
- Will Grayson, Will Grayson
- Original publication date
- 2010-04-06
- People/Characters
- Will Grayson; Tiny Cooper; Jane Turner; Maura
- Important places
- Chicago, Illinois, USA; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Naperville, Illinois, USA
- Dedication
- To David Leventhal
(for being so close)
-DL
To Tobias Huisman
-JG - First words
- When I was little, my dad used to tell me, “Will, you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can’t pick your friend’s nose."
- Quotations
- Tiny Cooper is not the world's gayest person, and he is not the world's largest person, but I believe he may be the world's largest person who is really, really gay, and also the the world's gayest person who is really, reall... (show all)y large.
There are probably some girls who don’t want guys to show up at their house randomly on a Tuesday night with questions about Edwin Schrodinger. I am sure such girls exist. But they don’t live at my house. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)he may be heavy, but right now he floats.
- Original language
- English; English US
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 8,615
- Popularity
- 1,265
- Reviews
- 350
- Rating
- (3.86)
- Languages
- 18 — Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Norwegian (Bokmål), Polish, Portuguese, Croatian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 82
- ASINs
- 28