Author: John Green
Rating: 4.8/5
A Rationale for my Rating (alliteration ftw):
First and foremost, this book is a favorite. Not the favorite. I can't possibly sift through all the books I've ever read and pick only one to be the favorite. But it is a favorite. I've been meaning to read this book for a while--this was my late friend's favorite book--and since I got my library card replaced, I finally got the chance to check it out. And it's a good thing I did.
It's about this guy, Miles Halter, who leaves Florida to attend high school at the prestigious Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama to seek a Great Perhaps. It's there that his life goes from ordinary to extraordinary, for lack of a less-cliched phrase. He meets a group of friends--real, actual friends--and among them is Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and painstakingly in a relationship, Alaska just might be the Great Perhaps that Miles has been voyaging for.
This book had me laughing and smiling and screaming and crying. I swear. It was completely--and heartbreakingly--real. The prose, the characters, the pranks they pull, the alcohol they drink...it's all lovely. I only deducted 0.2 stars since the ending was a tad rushed. Other than that, the book is amazing and I recommend it to everyone and anyone.
A Side Note (Spoiler):
Some people who read the book say that the moral of the story is "Don't drink and drive." This is complete and utter Shit of Bull. I mean, you shouldn't drink and drive, but that was not the point of the whole story. If it was, then they wouldn't all be drinking in the first place. They drank before the incident, and they continued to drink afterwards. There are deeper messages than that one. Besides, it's hinted that Alaska crashed on purpose. On an impulse, but on purpose.
No comments:
Post a Comment