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What are readers saying about Paper Towns?
| Reviews of Paper Towns - Page 1 of 2 |
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-02-27 12:16:05.
(Language: English)
  
Loved the first third of the book and its dark humor. The middle gets lost in a murky fog trying too hard to 'find meaning' in song lyrics and poems and drags. The last third of the book regains the momentum from the start. I would recommend this more for boys, grades 10-12, who identify themselves with the nerd crowd or anyone who has survived an under-provisioned road trip.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-11-30 07:21:14.
(Language: English)
John Green can do no wrong! Another amazing favorite.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-04-19 02:16:15.
(Language: English)
Some fun and interesting props and ideas but he's already written this book and I don't think teens or anyone needs to get the point of the book hit over their heads every other chapter- we can never truly know each other. Wish he had come up with a more original plot for these characters and locations. it's good, but hmm, I think I've read this before.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-11-23 12:35:38.
(Language: English)
Told from an amazing first person Quentin just seems like someone you would know and could be total friends with. John Green is hillarious and an outstanding author. I was sucked into this book right when I started, I think everyone should read it, its so funny and hillarious, but there is a sense of intenseness that I just don't know how to describe. My favorite part has to be when Ben gets drunk... haha it was funny. I think everyone should read it, it was a very adrenaline running story. :P
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-07-14 12:45:38.
(Language: English)
An amazing book written by the ever-funny John Green, one that is very hard to put down once opened. I received my copy weeks after i was supposed to due to a shipping error, and once received I began reading the hilarity immediately. The story flows well, and is funny while also remaining serious. It deals with issues, while not common, readers can put themselves in the shoes of the characters and think about how they would react to the various situations and how it differs from the characters' reactions. all in all, it's an amazing book that is definitely worth any price.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-03 11:32:32.
(Language: English)
My favorite YA author--his writing is edgy and sweet. I think readers of all ages will go for this novel about a high school kid who follows clues to find his hipster neighbor. I have several students who march to their own drummers and I think they will enjoy this book. Green also wrote An Abundance of Katherines and Looking for Alaska.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-10-07 07:37:03.
(Language: English)
There were so many lines I just had to stop and reread several times, soaking in the thoughtful wordcraft behind them... Looking for Alaska absolutely set me bawling, but really only gave me one line that I can't get out of my head. I will be rereading Paper Towns even more for its philosophical content (yes, philosophical content) and style than for the story itself. Truly a novel for the thinking reader. Excellently written. Well done, John!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-10-26 07:30:21.
(Language: English)
There are some books that you just have to read with a pencil in your hand. This is one of them. There are also some books that move you to tears, no matter how public the place where you're reading it. This is also one of those books. There are some books that you can't put down, but you find yourself wanting to read extra slowly to make them last. This is also one of those books. There are some books that you're never the same after reading...I think you get the picture.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-11-02 04:11:31.
(Language: English)
It is a John Green novel, need I say more? It is witty, pensive, filled with a copious amount of nerdy factoids and most importantly it was written by John Green! The best book I have read this year. It is complex with layers upon layers of fantastic observations that leave one wondering if they even understand themselves. Yet, even under this serious layer there is a heartwarming and funny core that is realistic and engrossing. It is the best John Green book yet.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-12-10 02:18:52.
(Language: English)
It's John Green. I'm not going to do anything but love it.
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Angel posted a review at 2009-06-03 08:05:30.
(Language: English)
An extraordinary book about how important it is to see people for who they truly are instead of how you imagine them to be. I really enjoyed everything about this book…the writing style is superb, the story truthful, thought provoking and well crafted. I’ll be reading John Green’s other books next.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-14 04:55:37.
(Language: English)
This is something I don't normally say, but this book probably changed my life. Quite possibly the most amazing thing I've ever seen put into text. Now that I've gotten that ridiculousness out of me - I loved this book so much I've started personally buying multiple copies to give to my friends. That is how much I think people should read this book. I don't even need to tell you what it's about, just read it. Please.
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Chantelle posted a review at 2008-11-04 03:54:03.
(Language: English)
Paper Towns is John Green's third novel and is by far his best. In the way Looking for Alaska brought tragedy and pain, Paper Towns brings hope and humor; however, not to an unrealistic point. Everyone has a person in their life they idolize, Paper Towns teaches us things aren't always what they seem and neither are people. With a great connection to "Song of Myself," by Walt Whitman readers are in for an amazing literary journey, similar to the journey Green’s characters take. Prepare yourself to be sucked in and keep those empty beer bottles near you, because you will laugh so hard you’ll need to pee.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-02 11:46:21.
(Language: English)
okay. so, i'm very fond of john green. he's hilarious, and i love his writing and enjoy reading his books. HOWEVER, i felt that this book was too much like Looking for Alaska. both featured a male who is obsessed with a screwed-up, enigmatic girl and has to go on some sort of hunt to find or understand her but doesn't actually "get" her in the end. and i suppose Looking for Alaska was more emotional/powerful for me because it's more tragic. HOWEVER, i liked the paper towns and paper people thing. i thought ben's plot was hilarious, but i also liked that unlike ben, Q did not attempt to fit in but instead rebelled from the fake culture (going to the subdivisions instead of prom, etc) as margo wanted. looking for alaska had a very strong anti-drinking message...but it was put up against "in order to stop being boring and make cool friends, you have to drink and smoke," which i didn't quite understand. so, i really liked paper town's message about fitting in. i just felt the story was less powerful and too similar.
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Jennifer posted a review at 2009-11-15 08:36:22.
(Language: English)
Reviewed by coollibrarianchick for TeensReadToo.com I first fell in love with John Green when he came out with the book LOOKING FOR ALASKA. I was equally enchanted with AN ABUNDANCE OF KATHERINES. Last night, I finally finished John Green's latest and greatest addition, PAPER TOWNS. Mind you, I have been trying to finish it for three days crammed between work, work, and more work. It got to the point that something had to give and it was going to be my work, because I just had to finish the book. I read someone else's review and she said that she was tempted to skip to page 305, the last page, to see what happened to one of the main characters, Margo. I want this person to know I was tempted to but, alas, I did not peek either - I was so proud of myself. Besides, waiting until the end made the book even more satisfying. Reading this book reminded me of the people who I went to high school with - the band geeks, the jocks, the Untouchable popular kids. I knew people that were like Margo, Quentin, Radar, Ben, and Lacey. Some I liked, others I didn't. I get Margo's feeling of needing to get out of the paper town she lives in so she doesn't get even more sucked in. Would I have done it her way? Probably not, but her way led to some really funny dialogue between the characters and a neat little mystery to figure out. PAPER TOWNS pulls you in from the beginning. One thing Green does so well is go into detail, painting rich layers seamlessly tying together the characters and their stories. We read a story about something that happened in Quentin and Margo's childhood and then skip forward many years to a time right before Prom, which Quentin will not go to for any amount of money offered. Things get interesting when Margo shows up at his window dressed liked a ninja, insisting that he has to help her. Mind you, Margo is Quentin's unrequited love, so you tell me, does he go along with Margo's adventure? It only takes a little coaxing, but he sure does. The night, as they accomplish all the things on Margo's list, who is hellbent on revenge, is pretty magical, not just for Quentin but Margo, too. School the next day was definitely interesting, for lack of a better word. Quentin struggles to say awake in class because their adventure lasted to just about dawn, and then realizes that Margo isn't in school. I am not sure if I would have gone to school, either, after all they had done the night before.... The question will soon become - where is Margo? She has seemingly disappeared, leaving clues for Quentin to find. Will Quentin and his friends figure out the clues, and will they lead to Margo? And if they do, will she be dead or alive? You will just have to read the book to find out. It will not surprise me one iota if Green walks away with a few awards for this book. Definitely another winner!
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Kim posted a review at 2009-02-26 01:09:09.
(Language: English)
Technically young adult fiction, but a great read nonetheless; it's well written and deep not to mention an overall compelling storyline. I'm always a fan of variations on the classic coming of age tale, and this definitely qualifies. Green explores some great themes about life, self hood and identity while Quentin (a high school senior)and crew search for their newly-missing childhood friend.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-27 08:41:12.
(Language: English)
Paper Towns is just awesome. Knowing John Green, that's just the only word that comes to mind. This makes me laugh, because John Green is the type of person who really isn't a band geek by technical standards, however he might as well be considered one because his friends were. This is exactly the same way he portrays his narrative and main character, Quentin. I laugh because that was me pre-drumline. xDD I also could personally relate to Margo Roth Spiegelman. I'm not "popular" by any means, nor do I ever want to be, but some of her experiences have me going, "Yeah, I can relate and understand why she did that."
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-03-27 01:53:31.
(Language: English)
What an awesome book! John Greene writes characters I want to hang out with, which to me is very important. Quentin Jacobsen has always been neighbors with Margo Roth Speigelman, and they were friends when they were younger. Just a few weeks before graduation, Margo wakes Quentin in the middle of the night, since he has access to a car, and make him an accomplice to her revenge on some classmates, and, at the end of the night, they break into Sea World, because that's the one park Margo hasn't yet broken into. After this incredible night, Margo disappears, but leaving behind some clues that Quentin and his friends Ben and Radar start figuring out and tracking around Orlando, FL. In the meantime, the end of school nears, and all that goes with it--the prom, parties, final exams--all of which the guys need to participate in while they try to find Margo. A final clue figured out the morning of graduation sends them on a hilarious road trip to see if they can find Margo at the end of it. This is a good mystery, a good story of the end of high school, and a great story of friendship.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-02-09 06:39:15.
(Language: English)
I actually put this book down twenty pages in, disappointed for some reason. I am so glad I picked it back up. Once the story got going, and I got over the narrator's semi-annoying sidekick, I really fell into the story. I love the kind of books that incorporate another piece of literature into the plot...this one dives into Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass poem, one of my favorites, and uses lines from it as clues for the narrator to track down the girl he has idealized that has run away. Really great read. Such an amazing author!
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-08-06 04:25:10.
(Language: English)
This was a very good book; the climax (the long car trip to find Margo) was particularly good. The content was more conservative than in "Looking for Alaska" (less sex, drinking, and profanity). I was kind of bummed out by what happens when they finally find Margo though. Overall, a very good book. I liked it a lot more than "Looking for Alaska."
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-07-08 02:16:10.
(Language: English)
There's so much to love about Paper Towns. Q is your average, boring teenager, and that is somehow exhilirating to read about when he's thrown from his comfort zone into the craziness of Margo Roth Speiglman, who is like the live, somewhat more reigned in version of Alaska Young, fiery, intense, magical. I love John Green's female characters almost as much as I love the books he writes. They flow and expand and never lose the intesity and epicness they held at the beginning. They move you, they never lose you. He writes Paper Towns with the loving and hopeful care that a father has. You can tell he wants these characters to find each other, but the logistics of life keep them apart. All I can say is read Paper Towns.
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A Reader posted a review at 2010-06-30 01:53:56.
(Language: English)
This book is a light read, nothing too intense, but as you get deeper into the story it seems that you can not put the book down! With the characters second guessing their own actions, you tend to see into yourself and others in your own life. Amazing quotes, usable monologues, an all-round great book. 3 thumbs up.
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-09 07:58:12.
(Language: English)
Green has written another wonderful book, but it lacks the rare breed of heart his first novel had and it's humor is often misplaced. The book is plagued by several small problems, the greatest of which is Green's insistence on restating his theme. It's repeated in varried forms throughout the novel, some times out of place, awkward, or annoying. Additionally, Green's (or Margos) mystery isn't that difficult to figure out- in fact the last piece of the puzzle was the only real stumper because the reader couldn't have known the answer. I found myself trying to get through parts of the book quickly simply because Q couldn't figure it out fast enough. I also didn't particularly care about the sub-plot with Ben. With that said- I think this is probably a fantastic book for teens. For someone who has yet to experience their final years of high school- the book may (or may not) be more relatable. The book is easy to read, it has a purpose and it's even worth a laugh or two. Read it if you're a nerdfighter, read it if you're in high school, read it if you like John Green, but otherwise you can find something better. Holy Shitstickers!
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A Reader posted a review at 2008-12-31 01:47:25.
(Language: English)
It was a good read. There were moments where I felt that the book dragged on a bit, but the book redeemed itself with its moments of adventure and excitement. I understand that the book gave basic ideas of the meaning of life or the impact of society on human behavior, but I feel that these basic thoughts allow the reader to expand on the thoughts and form their own interpretations of life and society's impact. I find myself wanting to loosely connect this book to 1984 (1984 would be a much more intense version that only focuses on the idea of the government and society's control on the population). I enjoyed reading this book.
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A Reader posted a review at 2009-01-08 10:19:59.
(Language: English)
Having read this book twice and hearing the author discuss it in his own words, I feel that this book is a great work. Entertaining, insightful and poignant this book is greater than the sum of its parts. One must look beyond the plot to discover the theme of this book...and as stated in a review by Joe on December 9th, "His theme is repeated in many forms throughout the novel" Dude, the what a theme is, that is what makes it a theme..... This book left me with a feeling of inspiration and hope. Everyone should read it.
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| Reviews of Paper Towns - Page 1 of 2 |
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