Looking for Alaska (2005)

My oldest daughter is a fan of John Greens work. I've seen "The fault in our stars" movie, it was great, but sad, so I didn't want to read the book. Papertowns doesn't really interest me. My daughter gave me this to read and told me I'd love it... she was right. I didn't even realize while reading this that the school is based off a real school in Alabama, my home State.This info tid bit made me appreciate it even more.

I love this book! This will be a reread for me. I loved the main protagonist, as well as the supporting cast.....except Alaska, who I found selfish and annoying. I was immediately pulled in and did NOT put this down. I finished it in one sitting. Well done Green! ( )

Have you ever read a book that you keep thinking about, even after you are long done with reading it? This is that book. I don't know how John Green has tapped into the teenage brain and heart, but he is basically a genius on those creatures.

This is a coming-of-age book that reminds me of "Catcher in the Rye," just up-to-date. The kids drink, a lot, smoke, a lot, cuss, a lot, have sex, a lot. The characters are great: Pudge, The Colonel, Alaska, the Old Man, the Eagle. The story is from Pudge's point of view and is about a group of outsiders in a private school. They stay on weekends and sometimes holidays. When they go home it is more likely to a trailer than a mansion like some of their peers. These kids are insightful and deep.

The best part for me was when the boys drove "through" the accident. It was so moving and sad and real and horrible. It was exactly what I would have done. Their response was also perfect.

This book is about life and loss. Growing up but not too much. Seriousness and silliness. I laughed literally outloud and cried at all the sad parts. It is about making memories and creating futures. I predict a classic read here.

"There were so many of us who would have to live with things done and things left undone that day. Things that did not go right, things that seemed okay at the time because we could not see the future. If only we could see the endless string of consequences that result from our smallest actions. But we can't know better until knowing better is useless." pg. 218.

Cheers to the Great Perhaps and may we enjoy the ride to wherever that leads. ( )

Funny, charming, moving and true. I liked this a lot even if it maybe lays it on a bit thick at times. ( )

Look, there's plenty of reviews for [[John Green]] books, but most of them are from folks quite a bit younger than me, and I suspect a different gender. This is the second of his books I've read, and I can't help thinking that he is filling a void left by John Hughes. It's a void I'm glad he's filling, frankly, and updating. Hughes tapped into and provided a voice for a whole generation - yes, there are problems with his movies looking back with more sensitive hindsight. And I'm sure Green will suffer the same fate in another couple decades when people look back on his work and the film adaptations. But it's rare to be able to tap into a time and ethos while it's still playing out. While I didn't like this one as much as [The Fault in our Stars], I did like it, especially the main character's obsession with famous dead people's last utterances.

4 bones!!!! ( )

Looking for Alaska was a good book and I enjoyed reading it. The characters are realistic and author Green once again shows his tremendous skill at portraying the pain and uncertainty of teen love. I always feel those emotions again myself every time I read a well written YA book that portrays love. Perhaps that’s why I read YA books, to be reminded of what it felt like to be a teenager.
Still, the book did have its share of the usual flaw in books that include children or teens as major characters. It imbued the protagonist with insights and wise philosophic statements of which no teenager or child would ever be capable.
Overall, though, in spite of these, the books and the feeling of authenticity and genuineness that made it a good read and I can easily see why I so often saw it mentioned or praised by those familiar with it. ( )