Will Grayson, Will Grayson (2010) is John Green's second co-authored work, and by far the worst of his that I have read.
There are two teens named Will Grayson in Chicago. The first (whose chapters are written by Green) is attractive, positive, and smart and has two sidekicks: Tiny, a big, openly gay guy, and Jane, a possibly gay girl. The second Will (written by David Levithan) is depressed, sensitive, and also gay but has barely any friends. The two Wills eventually meet, their lives become intertwined and they become friends.
The idea of two teens with the same name meeting each other is certainly original. However, some of the plot details were not. Take WG#1's only friends, Tiny and Jane, who make him unpopular by association. Wow! This sounds exactly like the situation of Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) from Tina Fey's Mean Girls. In my past readings of John Green, his story details seemed much more authentic.
Besides the familiar plot, there are many other issues with the novel. To start, there is way too much detail -- weird, irrelevant anecdotes and symbolic life lessons from both authors did nothing for me or the plot. Speaking of the plot, there was so little of it that, by the end of this weak co-production, there were no distinct changes in either of the Wills. In any case, both of them were so dull that I didn't care. The worst was yet to come, though. Even though this is a novel, most of the details were realistic enough, except for the forced ending. I won't spoil it for you, but it certainly felt out of sync with the rest of the novel because it was so ridiculous.
I've read both good and bad from John Green, but this was by far his worst. I give this book one star out of five. Needless to say, it is going to be a while before I pick up another John Green to read.
Thirteen Reasons Why (2007) is regarded as a YA fiction jewel and is Jay Asher's first novel.
Clay Jensen is a high schooler whose classmate, Hannah Baker, has recently killed herself. Clay mysteriously receives a package of cassette tapes in the mail that have been narrated by Hannah. He soon learns that Hannah intended for the cassettes to be listened to by the thirteen people whose actions are the "reasons" she killed herself. Hannah has insured that each person who receives the tapes will send them to the next person "implicated" in her suicide.
Hannah's story, as told on the cassettes, appears in the book in italics, juxtaposed with Clay's reactions. Despite the font changes, it is hard to differentiate the narratives because the voices are similar. Strike one against the book.
Hannah Baker is interesting. She blames the schoolmates mentioned on her cassettes for her problems. Realistically, her problems happen to a lot of people in high school, barely any of whom kill themselves. If there were more detail about Hannah's past, and not just the events right before her suicide, it would have been easier to understand why she did it. Without knowing the background and deeper issues, it's unrealistic for her to have killed herself over a few incidents with jerks and moving to a new school. Strike two.
In the end, Clay's reactions to Hannah's suicide tale are not fully revealed to us; his only response is to approach and talk to a wallflower. The weak ending means we don't learn how all of the characters tie up their feelings for Hannah. The botched ending is strike three.
I understand Asher's message: that our actions affect everyone, so be careful about what you do and say. Great message, poorly executed.
I don't understand why this book has received such lofty praise. The writing is mediocre and there are plenty of better and more realistic books on teen suicide (Looking For Alaska, It's Kind of a Funny Story, The Bell Jar). One out of five stars.
Eleanor & Park is a 2013 young adult novel that has received a Michael L. Printz book honor, among many awards.
Eleanor Douglass is a red-headed, overweight high school girl who recently moved to Omaha, Nebraska. She lives an impoverished life with her mother, her four siblings, and her abusive stepfather. Park Sheridan is an Asian-American high school boy who meets Eleanor on the bus. As time goes by, Eleanor and Park bond over music and comic books and eventually end up dating, despite their different backgrounds.
The story is told by a third-person omniscient narrator who alternates the points of view of Eleanor and Park. I didn't care for this style of storytelling - if you're going to alternate points of view, let the characters narrate the story themselves in the first person.
I felt the writing wasn't very special - it lacked depth and description, which would have enhanced the book. The author focused more on Eleanor than Park and by the end of the book, I felt disappointed that there was less of his story told.
Eleanor and Park's relationship developed slowly and peaked in the last third of the story. I liked the way Rowell didn't rush it (as in most YA love stories) - this made it much more meaningful.
Eleanor and Park brings out all the feelings a good love story should; sadness, hope, heartbreak, and joy. For its meaningful love
story, I give Eleanor and Park three and a half out of five stars, despite some major flaws.
The Book Thief is Markus Zusak's fifth work. First published in 2005, it was on The New York Times' best seller list for over 230 weeks and has won numerous awards. In addition, The Book Thief was made into a movie in 2013.
Liesel Meminger is a nine year old orphan living in 1939 Nazi Germany. Fortunately, she does not have to face the world alone - she is taken in by Hans and Rosa Hubermann. Hans teaches Liesel how to read and inspires her love for words and books. Sometime after Liesel settles in, the Hubermanns hide a Jew in their basement, and Liesel learns to adjust.
The Book Thief is narrated by Death, who tells the story through a detailed and omniscient lens. Death's account of Liesel's journey adds a dark, humorous tone which is surprising and unexpected.
Zusak's writing is stellar. The book is chock full of clever comparisons, interesting chapter juxtapositions, and well thought-out symbols. The writing was the best aspect of the book.
This is a book which I felt was almost perfect. It pulls on every thread of emotion and I really admire Zusak for accomplishing such a feat. A solid, well-deserved five out of five stars.
This is John Green's (The Fault In Our Stars) first novel. It won the Michael L. Printz Award and there are plans to adapt it into a film.
It is difficult to summarize this book's plot mainly because mid-book, there is an event that changes the course of the novel. I'll just fill you in on the first half.
Floridian Miles Halter is looking for a fresh start to his junior year in high school and opts for his Dad's old boarding school in Alabama. There he makes new friends including the mysterious Alaska. She sucks Miles into her complicated life while making him fall in love with her. That is really as far as I can go in summarizing the novel without giving away the plot.
I read this book three years ago and decided to reread it after the recent explosion of popularity of The Fault In Our Stars. I didn't really appreciate the beauty of Looking For Alaska the first time around. This book has so much depth, richness, and sadness. In addition, its message is so relatable to the teen experience; teens are often lost in their own mazes of life from which it can seem like there is no way out.
Green's writing is neither beautiful nor imaginative, but it is raw and still entertaining. That is what gives the book its distinct edge.
Looking For Alaska can be read on multiple levels. You are required to interpret the ending for yourself and the author does not give much closure. If there were no additional thinking required, this book would be a meaningless tale about teenagers. I rate this book five out of five stars because it is a labyrinth (read the book, you'll get the diction) in and of itself.
