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Dec 16, 2009

Emma rated it:

Picture this: You used to be a childhood prodigy. Member of an academic game team. You excelled in school. You were special. You met a girl named Katherine and the two of you started dating.

Then she dumps you.

Then eighteen more girls named Katherine dump you.

Suddenly, you're a teenager with no claim to fame except for your former status as a prodigy. No new ideas. No girl. No plans for the summer excepting wasting away in your room and moping.

This More...

5 comments like (38 people liked it)

Oct 30, 2010

Kim rated it:

Colin Singleton is not a vampire or a werewolf or a sorcerer or a punning Austin zombie. He doesn’t live in a dystopian society, he hasn’t slept with his teacher. He doesn’t do drugs, his parents aren’t divorced, and he’s suffered no traumas unless you count being dumped by a slew (okay, nineteen) of girls named Katherine.

So, why am I reading this? I have been programmed to only care about supernatural cute boys. I call this my mid life crisis. If I give in and self analyze, I More...

13 comments like (44 people liked it)

Oct 08, 2011

Cory rated it:

I've had this book sitting on my desk for two months. I'm a huge John Green fan, so you can see why this is problematic.

The Albuquerque library system is pretty bad. Out of all the libraries systems I've ever used, this has to be the worst. Not only does it not stock any of Justine Larbalestier's books, but it also doesn't have a decent collection of John Green's books.

It took me three months to get a copy of An Abundance of Katherines. It took me two months to finish it More...

2 comments like (12 people liked it)

Jan 26, 2009

Dawn rated it:

Things that I was sick of by the end of this book:

1. Anagrams and tangents
2. Use of the words jewfro, fug, fugger, fugging, kafir
3. Colin's whining--actually, Colin in general
4. Katherines

9 comments like (61 people liked it)

Apr 18, 2008

Anna rated it:

I was not terribly impressed with Katherines. I read Green's Looking For Alaska and thought it was one of the best young adult novels I have ever read SO I was expecting this book to measure up to a higher standard. Unfortunately, it did not even come close.

Here's my beef with the book:

1) The characters. I had a really hard time getting into Katherines because the characters were not too likable. Green gave the characters personalities, but he missed something in the cha More...

5 comments like (19 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Kate rated it:

Damn, what a great book! An Abundance of Katherines represents the best kind of young adult fiction - the kind that even my regular, non-YA-fic-geeky grown-up friends might like to read, because it's just a fantastic, universal, well-crafted story.

The characters in this book are uniformly likeable, but not in a bland way; in particular, the friendship between protagonist Colin, a washed-up child prodigy, and his buddy Hassan, a wise-cracking Muslim, is dead-on about the way guys com More...

8 comments like (10 people liked it)

Mar 05, 2011

Isamlq rated it:

Read Count 2:

Funny. Painfully funny. If you have never read a John Green novel, I suppose getting started with Katherines would not be a bad idea. Yes, Collin is a whiny self centered washed up prodigy... but at least he admits it. And if he does get to you, and he did get to me at times... the other characters tend to make up for his lack. I loved, loved, loved reading this story again... perfect road trip material... i had to bite my cheek several times to keep from laughing out lou More...

3 comments like (7 people liked it)

Jan 31, 2008

Krissa rated it:

I think I already said this in a review but I might just need a break from young adult fiction, because everyone I know who reads YA raved about this novel and I read it from cover to cover without once really engaging, and with far too many inward groans and eye-rolls.

I mean, for starters, the quirky teenaged characters were, um, very quirky. Very reliably quirky. Everyone had their schtick and everyone talked like they were in a Joss Wheden show. And hey, I LOVE Joss Whedon but it' More...

2 comments like (12 people liked it)

Dec 20, 2010

Tina rated it:

Original post at One More Page

When the need to read contemporary novels hit me, it stays and it stays until the need decides it's satisfied. And what better book to fill that contemporary need than something written by John Green?

I was really planning to read John Green's books in order of publication, but Paper Towns had to come first due to an insistent friend and because I covered that with plastic first. I didn't mind, although I was kind of wary thinking of how this More...

7 comments like (6 people liked it)

Apr 02, 2009

Michael rated it:

Colin Singleton is a child prodigy who is looking to make his mark on the world. Graduating high school, Colin feels like his one significant mark made on the world by his genius was appearing on a cable game show and winning big for several days running. Colin is looking to make his mark and prove he's the genius that he deep down, yearns to be.

In his life, Colin has dated 19 women--all of them named Katherine. After being dumped for the nineteenth time, Colin decides there must More...

0 comments like (5 people liked it)

Aug 02, 2007

Audrey rated it:

Maybe it's because I taught high school for so many years, but I find myself relating so clearly to that age group. Fantastic novel -- really captures the whole heartache of getting dumped (although in Colin's case it's something he should be used to by now...) Green's characters are funny and moving and heartfelt and real -- such a distinctive voice. Lots of great stuff here -- proves that a good story really is in the details. Loved the math theory underlying the formula at the heart of the no More...

0 comments like (6 people liked it)

Dec 16, 2009

Trin rated it:

Former child prodigy Colin Singleton has two problems: one, he doesn't think he's really turned out to be a genius so much as a guy with a super-absorby brain and a passion for anagrams; and two, he's been dumped by nineteen different girls named Katherine, and the latest, Katherine XIX, has really broken his heart. To try to solve this problem, Colin's best friend Hassan decides that they should go on a road trip—which they do, though it ends abruptly in the small town of Gunshot, Tennessee, a More...

1 comment like (5 people liked it)

Feb 03, 2012

Airiz rated it:

Is there actually a formula for romantic relationships? Colin Singleton, protagonist of John Green’s second book, An Abundance of Katherines, thinks he can make one.

Colin Singleton: washed-up child prodigy, anagram-crazy, and has been dumped by nineteen girls named Katherine. He wallows in the Katherines-induced depression, until his overweight Judge Judy-loving Muslim friend, Hassan, drags him into a road trip to give a solution to his love problem. Colin works on his Theorem of Und More...

0 comments like (3 people liked it)

Mar 12, 2008

Kaella rated it:

I really, REALLY, REALLY wanted to love this book. I really did. As a nerdfighter, I was ecstatic when I started reading it. But right from the beginning, I knew it was going to be a big disappointment. And I was right.

It's definitely not as good as Looking for Alaska. Colin (not TOC) is just plain annoying. He's always got something matter-of-fact to say and it makes you roll your eyes after the third time. He was hard to like. Also, the footnotes drove me CRAZY. Despite th More...

2 comments like (4 people liked it)

Feb 23, 2009

Aerin rated it:

also at In Search of Giants

John Greene popped up on Steph Su’s “Coupla Interviews” – I simply noted the coincidence that he’d written a book on my wishlist – Abundance of Katherines – and that, for an Indiana boy, he’s hot. Not all authors are - think Stephen King, J.K.Rowling, Neil Gaiman, Stephanie Meyer (obviously there are exceptions). Still, my sister’s name is Katharine (the spelling difference is very important) so I knew I needed to read this book.

An Abundance o More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 30, 2011

Lolliepop rated it:

loved it! just hoped it could be longer and focus more on Hassan..it just reminds me to The Kite Runner in someway..hahaha

best quote:

“Because you're only thinking they-might-not-like-me-they-might-not-like-me, and guess what? When you act like that, no one likes you.”

3 comments like (3 people liked it)

Jun 10, 2011

Lindsey rated it:

I admit I got very excited when I opened this book at the library and saw graphs on several pages. The math was pretty elementary, but it doesn't matter anyway because you don't have to be good at math to enjoy this book; the author claims he's not good at math either and seems to avoid going into much detail at all throughout the book so as to not scare away readers. There is an appendix for readers who want to really understand the math, but it really adds nothing for people who already know m More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 01, 2010

Anastasia rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

9 comments like (2 people liked it)

Dec 09, 2011

Julianna rated it:

Yes! Finally! I've been waiting to read this book because I wanted to use it for an English project, and tomorrow I can finally start it! WOOT! I LOVE John Green. DFTBA!

Quick reaction: I have a confession to make: this book will probably ring truer to my ears (err eyes?) than anyone else's, because while I don't consider myself a prodigy or whatnot, I happen to be known as quite intelligent (I'm not saying I am or trying to brag. Just giving you insight). And the dorkily beautiful ne More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 25, 2011

Michelle. rated it:

Oh, man how I enjoy reading John Green's work. They always make me feel happy for some reason.

So, the whole idea(if it were real life) of only dating girls with the name Katherine, that's K-A-T-H-E-R-I-N-E, is really ridiculous and idiotic. But in this book, the whole concept of that fits perfectly and isn't idiotic, especially since the main character is a genious.

I love how John Green put different languages in the story because it teaches me new things. And by things I More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 04, 2011

Amanda rated it:

Colin Singleton, a child prodigy in the mildest sense (meaning he didn’t grow up to be a genius, though still very smart), has a fetish of sorts about girls named Katherine. He’s only ever dated Katherines, and he’s been dumped by 19 of them. His last failed relationship hit him really hard, so his best friend – an overweight, Muslim funny-man named Hassan – convinces him to set out on a road trip. The two settle in backwoods Tennessee, where, as Hassan puts it, God shakes up the snow globe of t More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 24, 2012

Infinite Playlist rated it:

Mein letztes ungelesenes John Green Buch und es war so so toll! An Abundance of Katherines spiegelt wie kein anderes Green Buch diesen fantastischen Humor und diese originellen, liebenswerten Außenseitercharaktere wider, für die dieser Autor in meinen Augen steht.

Colin ist ein sogenanntes Wunderkind. Schon im Kleinkindalter kann er lesen und verschlingt seitdem alles, was ihm in die Finger kommt. Sein spezielles Talent ist das Bilden von Anagrammen - und zwar in einem Affentempo und More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 29, 2008

Jennifer rated it:

Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com

If you had the opportunity to devise a theorem that could correctly predict the outcome of a romantic relationship, would you do it? If it worked, would you use it? Can it even be done? This is the problem plaguing Colin Singleton, recent high school graduate, nearly-former child prodigy, hopeful genius. Colin, you see, has a significant problem. He falls in love quite easily, which in and of itself isn't such a bad thing. The fact that all of his l More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 08, 2008

Debbie rated it:

I enjoyed this book so much! It's the laugh-out-loud-funniest book I think I've ever read, even beating out A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck. (But to be fair, A Long Way from Chicago is shorter.)

Colin Singleton is a prodigy. He speaks 11 languages, does anagrams for fun and can name the junior senator of New Hampshire in 1873. He has just graduated from high school and has also just been dumped by his girlfriend, Katherine. She's the 19th girlfriend he's had and the 19th named More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 09, 2008

Lori rated it:

This was a great book but somewhat difficult to read. Everyone should give it a try. It is from the guy's perspective. In short, it is a story of Colin (the protagonist) who is a genius and falls in love with girls named Katherine. Colin classifies everyone into two categories, the Dumpers and the Dumpees. Colin is a dumpee, he is always dumped by his girlfriends (probably because he is such a nerd).

I enjoyed the hilarious footnotes throughout the book. For example, "The world r More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Dec 26, 2007

Patrick rated it:

The author of Printz winner Looking for Alaska spins another story about lost love which is — while more comedic and less tragic — no less moving. In an attempt to understand and/or outrun the albatrosses in his life, Colin Singleton takes a road trip after graduating from high school. He needs to leave behind the eighteen girlfriends (all named Katherine) who dumped him, and eighteen years as a prodigy crushed by people's expectations of him. Traveling with his best friend Hassan, they decide t More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 25, 2008

BCL rated it:

Can mathematical formulas actually predict when relationships will end? Colin Singleton, who fears that his high point in life passed when he made it onto an obscure gameshow for child geniuses, certainly thinks so! After Colin ends up on the "dumpee" end of his 19th relationship with a Katherine, he and his friend Hassan set out on an epic road trip to Gutshot, Tennessee, where they hope to figure themselves out...and maybe, just maybe, meet some girls who aren't named Katherine!
More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 13, 2008

J-Lynn rated it:

I re-read this book after meeting the author John Green at a teacher's conference. He was incredibly quick witted and just as funny in person as in this book. His acceptance speech for the Printz honor was fantastic and well worth visiting the American Library Association's website for the transcript. In the speech, he discussed that he wanted to write a book with a muslim character that was a normal guy, much like his college roomate. He wanted to combat the stereotypes and prejudices that More...

1 comment like (3 people liked it)

Nov 24, 2010

Heather rated it:

An Abundance of Katherines contains the typical John Green formula; however, unlike John's other successes, this book lacked the humorous best friend and possessed a nerd narrator obsessed with math. As I detest math, I found no joy in reading a book whose plot revolved around theorems. I was not at all surprised that this narrator had found himself dumped by a succession of Katherine's as protractors will not keep a lady warm at night. The only reason I saved this book from being placed on my s More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Aug 23, 2007

Jean rated it:

What an amazing book! It is so rare to find a book that describes the heartache of a boy who has been dumped, but to find one with such a great plot and such great characters is a treat. Of course I was not into the math - I have to take John Green's word that it works. But what a great concept. When I was in high school I sat in front of a guy who tried to mathematically prove that there is a God. Yes, he was a geeky genius. No, I don't know if he married or dated anyone named Katherine. More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

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