"Books can be dangerous. The best ones should be labelled 'This could change your life'."
-Helen Exley

"A novel is the chance to try on a different life for size."
-Marion C. Garretty

Monday, March 12, 2012

Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Pages: 221
BEFORE. Miles "Pudge" Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (Francois Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possible 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 Greta Perhaps, and steals his heart.
AFTER. Nothing is ever the same.

Ramblings: John Green has yet amazed me. Filled with joy, laughter, amazing pranks, sorrow, deep pasts, and heart crushing twists, Looking for Alaska has affected me like no other.

Characters: There are quite a few main characters, but my favorite being Alaska. She brings such life to this story, and I fell in love with her personality and vibrant love for life from the moment she entered the scene. I also love that she has a huge library! She has so much that she looks forward to in life, it was so inspirational. As for Pudge, I loved watching his transformation from this lanky, nervous, self-conscious boy to this (still lanky) fun-loving, confident boy. Moving to the boarding school was the best thing for him and I was rooting for him every step of the way.

Plot: There is this huge question throughout the book: how to get out of this labyrinth that we are all supposedly stuck in, and there are a few different ways that we look at it through the book. It was so eye opening, and that's one of the reasons that I love John Green's books. They always have this deep, life lesson that is brought up at the beginning of the story and resolved as the story progresses. It was super interesting and days later, I'm still thinking about it!

Overall: Looking for Alaska certainly surpassed by expectations (which were set very high from his other book I read, The Fault in Our Stars) and that just amazes me. I guess I'm going to have to read Paper Towns pretty soon also! I seriously wouldn't pass up this book, read it in one sitting this past Saturday. It is a magnificent read that will capture every readers heart.

Overall Rating: 5 Stars

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