And I'm finally catching up on reviews! (I only have one left after this one!)
So I better get on with this one!
Here my review of Paper Towns, by John Green!
Paper Towns, by John Green
Title: Paper Towns
Author: John Green
Genre: Contemporary & Romance
Release date: 16th October, 2008
Pages: 305
Blurb: "The thing about Margo Roth
Spiegelman is that really all I
could ever do was let her talk,
and then when she stopped
talking encourage her go on,
due to the facts that
1. I was incontestably in
love with her, and
2. she was absolutely
unprecedent in
every way, and
3. she never really asked
me any questions...
Quentin Jacobson has always
loved Margo from afar. So when
she climbs through his window
to summon him on an all-night
road trip of revenge he cannot
help but follow. But the next
morning, Q turns up at school
and Margo doesn't. She's left
clues to her disappearance, like
a trail of breadcrumbs for Q
to follow.
And everything leads to one
unavoidable question:
Who is the real
Margo?"
My Thoughts
Although I knew I wasn't going to hate this book, I was kind of apprehensive when reading this, because I knew it had a lot of mixed reviews.
But... it was also good enough to be made into a film. So, I picked it up.
And, my overall review is, it wasn't bad.
It also wasn't the most amazing book I've ever read.
It sits nicely in the middle.
It had all the elements that make up a classic John Green book. (That's a good thing). It had quirky and unique characters, (some of them could have had a bit more character development, but I still liked them), it had funny dialogue, and the plot was... cool. The direction the plot took, and all the little details that made the plot that much more interesting were good.
But I'll get into that later.
So... Paper Towns. Most people know the story, because a film has been released recently. But this story centres around a character called Quentin (though he is called Q in the book so I'll call him that), and from the time that they were children, he's had a crush on his neighbour, Margo Roth Spiegelmen, who from afar, seems like this unbelievable risk taker, and sort of perfect (in his eyes). The two of them were friends when they were younger, but years later, they are two completely different people, and... strangers.
But one night, Margo climbs through his window, and from that point on, they partake an awesome journey of risk taking and revenge on her boyfriend.
The next day, Q goes to school. But Margo does not. The rest of the story is Q, and some of his quirky and nerdy, yet still awesome friends (and a couple other people that I won't spoil at this moment) embark on a clue hunting mission in the hope to bring Margo back.
Interesting and fun story, I have to say. You can see why they made it into a film to be honest.
But this is the book.
So here is what I thought.
I liked the characters. They were all different, but they all connected in some ways, to make up an amazing range of characters, that really shouldn't have fitted well, but surprisingly, did. There were Q's friends: Nerdy, and random, and really sarcastic, but with a mean side, they didn't hesitate to nail each-other to the wall, and from an inside look, you might think they hated each-other, but they still stuck around, to nail each-other to the wall yet more. Their the characters that you feel you shouldn't like, because they can be seen as mean, but you still do.
Then there was Margo Roth Spiegelmen. She was the character that Q loved, and thought about, almost obsessively, and even though he thought about her romantically, it wasn't super sucky and gross. She was the legend, the popular, yet tough girl that was so amazing that nothing could touch her. It was difficult to relate to her, until you saw her background, and the side she let nobody see (when they were hunting for clues after he disappearance). After that, she was still a little hard to relate to, but not impossible. Especially after you see her softer side.
Now there's Q. Our protagonist. He was nerdy, but incredibly smart and observant. I liked Q, for the sheer talent he had for being incredibly likeable and easy to relate to. You feel like you understand him, his reasoning for everything, and how he feels the way he does.
So sum-up of the characters is that they sold this book. Paper Towns centres around the characters, and they, along with the story, made the story.
Now the writing. There was just enough description, and just enough dialogue, though most of the book was dialogue (I was okay with that, because the dialogue was REALLY funny and sarcastic, which I loved). But the writing just flowed, as it does with every single John Green book.
Not much else to say on the writing.
Now, the plot. The plot was unique and cool, and I feel like even if I had never picked up a John Green book in my life I would have loved it. Because it involves two things, a night of revenge and rebellion, and then a clue-hunting journey that gives you the freedom you always wanted. The plot screamed freedom, and that was what I liked about it.
But what I also liked was that it was brutally honest. It gave you the impression that something involved in the plot (not going to divulge as to what it is) was perfect and amazing, but then it pulled the curtain away, and revealed it all.
(If you want to know what I'm talking about, read the book).
So overall, I liked the plot.
I liked the whole book to be honest, and I recommend it to anyone who wants a funny, exciting and cool book that isn't too time consuming because it's 300 pages.
It's also a good book to pick up if you're not a reader, but want to get into reading.
So that was my review for Paper Towns, by John Green! I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope it wasn't too long! (I swear, these reviews just keep getting longer and longer!)
I hope you all have a wonderful day, and I will see you all on Monday!
Byeeeee!
-Abi xxxxxxx
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