Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Review - Looking For Alaska by John Green

Title and Author: Looking for Alaska by John Green
Publisher: Puffin
Publication Date: March 3, 2005
Paperback/Hardcover: 221
Genre: YA

Summary:
Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.

Review:
It took me a while to finally read this book. I had heard a lot of things about it and wasn’t sure it would actually be an enjoyable read.
I am definitely glad I’ve finally read Looking for Alaska, though because it is an amazing book. All the good things I heard about it are true.
Looking for Alaska is about friendship, loss, grief and learning how to deal with it. The book follows one year in the life of Miles Halter who begs his parents to enroll him in Culver Creek Preparatory School. Miles doesn’t have friends and he hopes to start a new life in Culver Creek. He dreams to seek what François Rabelais called “The Great Perhaps.”
Miles quickly befriends his roommate, Chip also known as The Colonel and falls in love with Chip’s friend, Alaska.
I loved all the characters in this book. They are all extremely well written and well drawn. They have unique backgrounds and their emotions are real. Even the secondary characters are well developed. As I read the book I got the feeling I knew exactly who each character was and how they felt. There are no card board cut-out characters in this book, which is a great plus.
I have to say The Colonel is my favorite character. I love the fact he’s a walking human encyclopedia, a good friend and a prankster.
As a narrator Miles is extremely reliable. His voice is clear. He’s honest and easy to connect to.
As the plot develops and the characters try to find out who they really are and what the answer to, for instance, Simón Bolívar’s question “How will I ever get out this Labyrinth?” is, you can’t help but feel connected to them. No wonder this book has won several awards. It is extremely well written and deals with important issues.
Looking for Alaska is a book I would recommend to anyone. John Green wrote a beautiful, heartbreaking story that will stay with you for a long time. It will make you think about life and dead and the effect some people have on your life.
It will make you think about some of lives’ most important questions.

Rating: Must Read

7 comments:

  1. I have this on my Kindle but I haven't gotten around to reading it because right now, my eyes are hurting when I read using Kindle or if I stay on the computer longer. But because of this review, I guess it would be worth the sacrifice - or maybe I could just go find myself a copy in bookstores :D Thank you for this review, the book sounds awesome, as well as your review :D

    Brush Up On Your Reading

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  2. Sounds great. If it's an heartbreaking story I'll definitely read it. I haven't read a sad story for a few months. Thanks for sharing.
    кєяo

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  3. Just hopping through from FF! I'm already a follower. My FF is at Coffee Table Reviews

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  4. I read his book Paper Towns and loved it. He is such a skilled storyteller. Thank you for the review--I really need to make time to read this one.

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  5. John Green is by far my favorite author, I have read and loved all of his books. I follow him on YouTube and have met him at a book signing. He is a wonderful person and writer. He's got a new book coming out early 2012 called The Fault in Our Stars and I can't wait to read it.

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  6. Looking for Alaska is my all-time favorite YA contemporary book, and also my favorite John Green book :)
    I've read it about a billion times

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  7. I love TFIOS, but Looking For Alaska remains my favorite John Green book...I don't know why, maybe because I read it first, but I prefer Miles' voice to Hazel's!
    eleonorerigby24(at)yahoo(dot)it

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