Looking For Alaska by John GreenDate Released: December 28th 2006
Publisher: Speak
Format: I'm guessing paperback...
Pages: 231 pages
Source: I'm guessing she bought it...
Summary:
Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, 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, who 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.
Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, 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, who 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.
From Goodreads
Kylee's Review:
Everyone that loves reading YA has heard about John Green. If you haven't you're obviously living under a rock and should get out more. I've wanted to read one of his books for a very, very long time and I figured I'd start off with Looking for Alaska because it was the first book of his I added to my TBR. I honestly didn't know exactly what Looking for Alaska was about other than a boy and a girl. I went into the experience of reading it without reading any reviews about it or talking to anyone I know that has read it so I expected a love story with some type of struggle and boy was I way off.
We start off with a scene that shows us how socially awkward and nerdy Miles aka Pudge is in his living room. I didn't love or hate him at first, I was just indifferent towards his character because I didn't connect with him nor did I find him swoon worthy. Right after this scene Miles gets shipped off to Culver Creek to hopefully find friends and find his 'Great Perhaps' because he's tired of his boring life at home. Culver Creek proves to be a place to find something. After Miles gets there we're introduced to the Colonel and oh my gosh you guys I loved him. He was hilarious and I love how he just took Miles under his wing and called him Pudge like they hadn't just met. Literally right after this we meet Alaska. I don't know how I feel about Alaska, I loved the fact that she was such a huge reader and had a personal library in her dorm room and I loved how funny she could be at times but after getting to know her I just don't even know. She was annoying at times and such an ass when it came to the relationship between her and Miles. He automatically swoons over her and dubs her the most beautiful girl in the world and because of this she decides to call him cute throughout the book and then rubs the fact that she has a boyfriend in his face and it just irked me because Miles was so naive when it came to girls. I thought their relationship was going to be more of a main focus in this book and it really wasn't, I like how John Green didn't really explore more of their possible romance and just left it as a bit of a mystery. Takumi was another character we meet later on and he ended up being a bigger part of this story than I thought he would. I liked him, I like how he made Miles realize things throughout the story that he couldn't see because he thought he was 'in love'. I also really liked how he played a role in the guilt that is shown throughout the story.
The title chapters are days before and days after. Before and after what? I can't tell you unless you want me to ruin the story but the fact that John Green did this was genius. It adds mystery to the story and it adds to the impact of how the big event affected everyone and their lives. What happens is tragic and I hate not being able to say what 'it' is but it was definitely not expected. Having read this recently after I read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews was sort of funny because these books are opposite. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl teaches us how it's okay to not let something tragic affect us in a huge way and Looking for Alaska shows us how something tragic can greatly affect us and screw us up. How one person can completely turn your world upside down and change the person you think you are. Seeing Miles struggle throughout the second half of the book was sad and irritating at the same time because he struggled for a good reason and then the other was sort of complete nonsense to me because it wasn't true. Seeing the Colonel struggle as much as he did made a bit more sense and I hated seeing them have such a hard time. Throughout the after/struggle/second half of the book I got a bit bored at times because I felt like nothing was really happening. At the very end of the book though things thankfully picked back up and I loved it. I loved seeing Miles realize that he was okay and the Colonel realize that he was okay too. I loved seeing them realize that they needed to move on and find the next Great Perhaps because maybe life gives us a glimpse of one or maybe it likes us to think we've found one or maybe it likes to give us more than one. Alaska remained a mystery and always will be, for that I think I'll always remember her.
John Green wrote a book I wasn't expecting and added so much depth that I still feel as if I don't quite know how I feel about it. Looking for Alaska wasn't perfect but I really enjoyed it. Per Jude's rating System I'd give it a "I really liked it." and I also want to thank you my Bloggy Twin for letting me be a guest on your amazing blog!
We start off with a scene that shows us how socially awkward and nerdy Miles aka Pudge is in his living room. I didn't love or hate him at first, I was just indifferent towards his character because I didn't connect with him nor did I find him swoon worthy. Right after this scene Miles gets shipped off to Culver Creek to hopefully find friends and find his 'Great Perhaps' because he's tired of his boring life at home. Culver Creek proves to be a place to find something. After Miles gets there we're introduced to the Colonel and oh my gosh you guys I loved him. He was hilarious and I love how he just took Miles under his wing and called him Pudge like they hadn't just met. Literally right after this we meet Alaska. I don't know how I feel about Alaska, I loved the fact that she was such a huge reader and had a personal library in her dorm room and I loved how funny she could be at times but after getting to know her I just don't even know. She was annoying at times and such an ass when it came to the relationship between her and Miles. He automatically swoons over her and dubs her the most beautiful girl in the world and because of this she decides to call him cute throughout the book and then rubs the fact that she has a boyfriend in his face and it just irked me because Miles was so naive when it came to girls. I thought their relationship was going to be more of a main focus in this book and it really wasn't, I like how John Green didn't really explore more of their possible romance and just left it as a bit of a mystery. Takumi was another character we meet later on and he ended up being a bigger part of this story than I thought he would. I liked him, I like how he made Miles realize things throughout the story that he couldn't see because he thought he was 'in love'. I also really liked how he played a role in the guilt that is shown throughout the story.
The title chapters are days before and days after. Before and after what? I can't tell you unless you want me to ruin the story but the fact that John Green did this was genius. It adds mystery to the story and it adds to the impact of how the big event affected everyone and their lives. What happens is tragic and I hate not being able to say what 'it' is but it was definitely not expected. Having read this recently after I read Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews was sort of funny because these books are opposite. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl teaches us how it's okay to not let something tragic affect us in a huge way and Looking for Alaska shows us how something tragic can greatly affect us and screw us up. How one person can completely turn your world upside down and change the person you think you are. Seeing Miles struggle throughout the second half of the book was sad and irritating at the same time because he struggled for a good reason and then the other was sort of complete nonsense to me because it wasn't true. Seeing the Colonel struggle as much as he did made a bit more sense and I hated seeing them have such a hard time. Throughout the after/struggle/second half of the book I got a bit bored at times because I felt like nothing was really happening. At the very end of the book though things thankfully picked back up and I loved it. I loved seeing Miles realize that he was okay and the Colonel realize that he was okay too. I loved seeing them realize that they needed to move on and find the next Great Perhaps because maybe life gives us a glimpse of one or maybe it likes us to think we've found one or maybe it likes to give us more than one. Alaska remained a mystery and always will be, for that I think I'll always remember her.
John Green wrote a book I wasn't expecting and added so much depth that I still feel as if I don't quite know how I feel about it. Looking for Alaska wasn't perfect but I really enjoyed it. Per Jude's rating System I'd give it a "I really liked it." and I also want to thank you my Bloggy Twin for letting me be a guest on your amazing blog!
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LMFAO! Jude, you're so cute! Yes it was paperback and yes I bought it. ♥ Thanks for letting me visit your blog.
ReplyDeletegood blog,,i liked it...
ReplyDeleteMiami jeep
My fave book ever!
ReplyDelete