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Looking for Alaska

John Green (Goodreads Author)

4.07 · Rating details · 913,664 Ratings · 49,936 Reviews

Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Bec ...more

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Paperback, 221 pages

Published December 28th 2006 by Speak (first published March 3rd 2005)

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Apr 01, 2010 Cristina rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2010

I didn't like this book.

This is not what I expected to be. I hoped to find a book in the style of Stargirl (or something novel) and what did I find? A bunch of teens who try to ease their anxieties in their not-so-original vices and a sudden drama which leads to nonsense talking. All hiding, of course, in a couple of beautiful quotes that wrap all the 'inspiring-sites' on the internet, the reason I got to the book and I bet that you too.

Boring, it was so so boring.

I didn't like the characters. ...more

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Mar 30, 2014 Patrick rated it it was amazing

Shelves: books-i-would-blurb

My assistant Amanda has been a John Green fan for ages, which is one of the reasons I decided to start giving his stuff a read.

I decided to start here because it was one of his first books.

After I finished this book, I went to her and asked, "Are all of John Green's books going to leave me feeling like I've had a hole kicked straight through my guts?"

"Not all of them," she said. "But yeah. Some."

I thought about this for a while, then asked her. "In Name of the Wind, when X happens, did it fee ...more

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Sep 11, 2010 karen rated it really liked it

Shelves: and-so-this-is-grad-school, pretty-girls-make-graves, welcome-author, why-yes-i-ya

some people are careless, and in an adrenaline-fueled all-caps teen reviewing frenzy, will inadvertently give a major spoiler for this book.

avoid these people, even though ordinarily, they are pretty cool.

this is a really well-written teen fiction book. i mean, it won the printz award, i'm not discovering america here. i think i wanted to emphasize that it definitely reads like a book intended for a teen audience. and i think that me as a teen would have numbered this among my very favorite book ...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Clair rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, reviewed, faves

I did not cry.

But, John Green still managed to hit me where it really hurt.

And it was awesome.

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Jul 22, 2015 Shelby *trains flying monkeys* rated it did not like it

Shelves: liburry-book, read-2015, young-adult, the-trolls-will-come

That's me, realizing I was about to give a big one star to a super popular book on Goodreads.

It didn't stop me. This book was beyond stupid.

Miles is a little nerd boy from Florida, he is going away to boarding school hoping for a new life or maybe his "Great Perhaps". The Great Perhaps comes from a minute reference to some poet. Thrown in to this book to make it all edgy and shit. Fail.

Once he gets there his roommate (the requisite character that is so poor but super smart) befriends him. The ...more

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Feb 29, 2012 Michelle, the Bookshelf Stalker Queen of the Undead rated it did not like it

Update- 4/12/14

This review/rant receives more comments than any other book review I have. I decided to reply to a few of the comments in my review because the people that don't like my review/rant don't like it for pretty much the same reasons. First, please note there are spoilers. However, the spoilers aren't really spoilers since it doesn't affect your enjoyment or lack of enjoyment if you know the big secret. Nevertheless, a helpful few have pointed out that I have spoilers and I didn't mark ...more

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Mar 08, 2010 Todd rated it did not like it

Shelves: 12s-13s, mature, sad, 12s-13s-contemporary-realistic

Wow. I must've skipped a bunch of pages or read the Hebrew translation or was having root canal or something because that was one terrible book. All those awards-- WHAT??? Such a clumsy story— every move of the author was heavy-handed and so transparent I felt like I was a fly on John Green's ceiling watching him go "Oh that's good-- oh that's just precious" and fall asleep in his soup again.
Miles—I mean "Pudge,"as he is deemed within minutes of his arrival at his School of Great Perhaps— may b Wow. I must've skipped a bunch of pages or read the Hebrew translation or was having root canal or something because that was one terrible book. All those awards-- WHAT??? Such a clumsy story— every move of the author was heavy-handed and so transparent I felt like I was a fly on John Green's ceiling watching him go "Oh that's good-- oh that's just precious" and fall asleep in his soup again.
Miles—I mean "Pudge,"as he is deemed within minutes of his arrival at his School of Great Perhaps— may be looking for Alaska throughout this story but I sure knew her right away. She's the pretty girl who's even prettier because she's a bit damaged and makes you feel like you have a chance with her because she's a flirt. Yes, she's a hopelessly thin character, as are they all (with the exception of The Colonel). Takumi, for example, who is supposed to be one of the Big Four around whom this story revolves, is completely characterized by his unrealistic rap improvs ("My rhymin' is old school, sort of like the ancient Romans/ The Colonel's beats is sad like Arthur Miller's Willy Loman") and basically disappears from the story until required by the plot to re-emerge with More Information. Lara, Pudge's first girlfriend, is so bland she is given a Russian accent complete with long e's for short i's ("I put the stuff een the gel... and then I deed the same thing een Jeff's room") to prevent her from evaporating off the page and into THEEN ARE. In fact, each character is carefully provided with a shtick, often a savant-like "talent" that would in reality win game shows but is meant to be That Thing That Makes Him Special: The Colonel can remember capitals of countries to the point of extreme autism! Pudge knows the last words of famous people— only he's so doggone quirky that he reads the biography but not the work of the famous person! And our precious Alaska? She keeps stacks and stacks of books in her room that she intends to read (when she's done selling cigarettes to high school kids, I guess), called her life library (or something), but has wrestled with life's Big Questions alongside some very Heavy Thinking Authors, and can recite poetry, of course. Everybody is way too philosophical and literary for their own good, but god forbid the reader is allowed to think. Lest you miss the point, every moment is interpreted for you:

I finally understood that day at the Jury: Alaska wanted to show us we could trust her. Survival at Culver Creek meant loyalty, and she had ignored that. But then she'd shown me the way. She and the Colonel had taken the fall for me to show me how it was done, so I would know what to do when the time came

Ok, then—I guess that's what happened, except that's just not the way high school kids work.
Even word choice reveals fear we won't get it; if an author has to tell you FIVE TIMES in the book that the character "deadpanned" instead of "said" (the Colonel"deadpanned" three times and Pudge, just a little less dry I guess, "deadpanned" twice) then either the dialogue is not written well or the author believes it is not written well. (The former, at least).
So just hanging with these kids leaves one searching for a third dimension, but then the story itself pretty much jumps genres halfway through, from slacker-YA-Holden-mentioned-on-the-back-cover to straight mystery. Why'd she do what she did? Lest I "spoil" this story for you, I won't go into this part, but suffice it to say the above question is left out in the sun to rot while we are forced to look on, sniffing the decay.
The story doesn't work in any genre anyway. I know what the story is supposed to do— make me fall in love with Alaska, feel all warm and cozy when the four friends smoke cigarettes, shoot the breeze, and look out for one another, and care when one of them screams with cosmic agony, but alas. Maybe if I wasn't basically tapped on the shoulder and demanded these reactions I would be better at having them, but lines fall flat and soggy like cigarettes tossed casually into some cliche prep-school lake:

The Colonel let go of my sweater and I reached down and picked up the cigarettes. Not screaming, not through clenched teeth, not with the veins pulsing in my forehead, but calmly. Calmly. I looked down at the Colonel and said, "F— you."

My first Kindle read, too!

...more

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Jan 17, 2013 Sarah ❤ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, romance, damaged-hero-or-heroine, book-boyfriends, he-stole-my-heart, what-a-sweetheart, yes-i-cried-dont-judge-me

I'm going to explain my emotions about this book in a billion of gifs because I love this book too much to put into words <3

So first I was like...

because Pudge was pretty cool.

Then we met the Colonel, and I did this

because the Colonel is awesome! and he got my approval.

Then we met Alaska and I go

because, who knows? She's really not that bad.

Then we really get to know her and I'm like

Then ALL this stuff happens and I don't know what to expect, because now we're at the After part, and I'm exci ...more

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Jun 28, 2011 Megs ♥ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: e-books, favs

This was the first book I ever read by John Green. It was given to me in 2007 when I had no idea who John Green was. I wish this book had been around when I was a teen. I really enjoyed the story, but I think I would have liked it even more if I wasn't already past that point in my life. Even still, I loved this book.

Miles is in search for the great perhaps, and has a fascination with famous last words. He meets Alaska Young who is basically the girl of his dreams. Their journey together at boar ...more

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Nov 04, 2012 Kat (Lost in Neverland) rated it really liked it

Shelves: beautiful-writing

First time hearing about this book;

Friend online gushes on how amazing and fantabulous this book is.

Me: Okay, I'll check it out. Plus it's cool since I was born in Alaska. The book is about Alaska right?

Friend: *laughs*

Me: O__o It's not about Alaska?

Friend: *still laughing*

Me: IT'S NOT ABOUT ALASKA?

The End.

True Story.

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May 12, 2011 K.D. Absolutely rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommended to K.D. by: Aaron Vincent

Shelves: ya, borrowed

I belong to the generation that enjoyed St. Elmo’s Fire, a 1985 American coming-of-age film that starred the then showbiz newbies, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andre McCarthy and Demi Moore. That was shown here in the Philippines when I was in my first year of working after college and I was able to relate to many of its characters so I watched it twice or thrice. Oh well, I was with my girlfriend then and you know how dark and cold were the theatres during those years when they were not yet inside I belong to the generation that enjoyed St. Elmo’s Fire, a 1985 American coming-of-age film that starred the then showbiz newbies, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andre McCarthy and Demi Moore. That was shown here in the Philippines when I was in my first year of working after college and I was able to relate to many of its characters so I watched it twice or thrice. Oh well, I was with my girlfriend then and you know how dark and cold were the theatres during those years when they were not yet inside the malls.

So, now at 47, graying and with joints aching especially during cold mornings, I am just too old to appreciate a story about a bunch of young (college) kids who get into all troubles precisely because they are young. They drink booze, smoke, defy school rules, swear, have free sex and, in their attempt to cover their foolishness, do various kinds of franks towards the school authorities.

I definitely had my share of foolishness when I was at their age. I guess it had something to do with being young – the feeling when you want to assert myself, make a territorial mark between your generation and that of your parent’s or test the extent of their patience (and in so doing test whether they really care or not). Last Sunday, my daughter had an outburst inside the car saying that she did not have a friend at school. My daughter who was very active in school leading the Robotics Team, emceeing school programs, leading the daily prayer as one of the school DJs, being class president for at least two years and playing various kinds of sports during annual intramurals. She said that she felt alone (she is an only child) and she oftentimes ate lunch alone. My wife and I felt sad about her revelations. We thought that she was doing fine as whenever we were in her school, we oftentimes heard many of her fellow students greeting her “hi.” We even joked that she should be the most popular student in school. This was something that I and my wife did not experience when we were in high school as we were low-profile people then and even now in our respective life circles. We advised her to just make the most of what can still be done for the rest of the senior year - probably concentrate with a few friends instead of reaching out to all – as it is just 8 months before graduation. In college, she will probably have a totally new set of friends so she can forge new ties and hope those will be stronger and more lasting. Anyway, friends come and go. Those classmates-friends we had in college tend to stick with us after our school years as we normally land in the same field or industry. Moreover, in the end what really matter are the learnings from each friend we encounter in our lives. Learnings that help us to become better persons as we take our journey in this thing called life.

That’s why I was able to relate to this novel. I could imagine the disappointment Miles “Pudge” Halter felt when nobody but two attended his goodbye party for him. That’s why I could imagine the anxiety he felt facing his own “Great Perhaps” when he made his first step towards the boarding school, Culver Creek. That’s why I felt the pain and suprise when he was thrown off the creek just because he was sharing his room with Chip “The Colonel” Martin. That’s why I understood when Pudge and Chip cried with guilt and sadness with longing and fondness when Alaska Young disappeared from their lives.

This is a novel about being young and what goes with it – emotionally vulnerable, trying to fit in, trying to find one’s place under the sun, trying to face the whole world armed with what little knowledge and strength gained in the first one or two decades of stay on this treacherous yet still beautiful earth.

John Green shows us the generation of today. His characters may not be totally different from the St. Elmo’s buddies I used to relate with. However, this is their time. We had ours. So, let’s step down and give them the stage but keep ourselves at bay to coach if they ask us to. Otherwise, let’s leave them and let them strengthen their wings for them to fly away and fulfill the hearts’ wishes.

Thanks to Dra. Ranee for lending to me her copy of this book! ...more

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Jul 01, 2015 Darth J rated it it was ok

Shelves: disappointing

I had been putting off reviewing this book for a while. It also took me much longer to read than I thought it would. Having read An Abundance of Katherines and Paper Towns first, I can say that Green seems to repeat a lot of the same themes and personalities. This may have been his first book, but it was probably my least favorite of the ones I've already read. (And no, I will not read The Fault in Our Stars for reasons.)

The one thing I did like about this book and saved it from being a 1 star w ...more

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Feb 05, 2009 Tricia added it

Did not finish.

This book was just too much--too much smoking, drinking, sex, and foul language. As a teenager, I hated it then and I don't want to rehash it now. I didn't care about any of the characters except Miles and I hated how he just went along with everything thrown in his path without a second thought--the smoking, drinking, porn, etc.

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Oct 17, 2016 Kai rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: owned, 2016

“We need never be hopeless because we can never be irreperably broken.”

Again, I know, I'm late. This book is incredibly popular, and it's been waiting patiently in my bookshelf for at least two years now. I've read Paper Towns (which was boring af) and The Fault In Our Stars (which is one of my favourite books). Looking for Alaska was something in between.

Characters:
Miles, the main character, is as interesting and charming as toast. So are his parents, but they lack even more character depth. Ch ...more

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Mar 04, 2017 Sarah rated it did not like it

Shelves: a-failed-romance, all-these-white-people, because-bad-girls, because-rich-people, because-shock-value, beware-of-draco-in-leather-pants, beware-of-mary-sue, beware-of-useless-adults, beware-of-narcissist, bookful-of-idiots

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

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Aug 02, 2015 Fabian rated it really liked it

Here's me acknowledging the power of John Green. Hats off!

No, this one is not as bittersweet as "The Fault in Our Stars", but still, this is unputdownable supreme! Its the type of literature that gets one excited about reading, about reminiscing about adolescence and school. Because everyone has had a childhood, a first love, a stage of rebellion, this type of book strikes inner chords & you swiftly become infected with the virus of nostalgia.

To read one of his novels is to remember that yo ...more

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Jan 13, 2013 Kristalia rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: buddy-reads, own-physical-copy, gifted-to-me, age-mature-young-adult, made-me-smile-or-laugh, reviewed, 4-to-5-stars, favorites, type-standalone-story

Final rating: 4.5/5 stars

"Teenagers think they are invincible" with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are."

Loved it! I couldn't put it down - just like i expected. John Green is seriously talented, and even though i don't like this book as much as i love his "The Fault in Our Stars", it was still wonderful book.

I have to admit that i was o ...more

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Jun 14, 2010 Madeline rated it it was amazing

Shelves: kids-and-young-adult

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

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Feb 18, 2014 Lotte rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: all-time-favourites, a-young-adult-fiction, x-made-me-cry, ge-ya-contemporary

I first read this book in 2008 when I was 14 and it turned out to be the book that sparked my love for literature.
I've always loved reading, but before that I only read for the sake of entertainment. Looking for Alaska was the first book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading, but that simultaneously and more importantly, made me think about greater issues in life for a long time after I had finished reading.
Now that I'm 21, I understand that while this remains to be a highly philosophical book, it's ...more

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Apr 26, 2008 Kristopher Jansma rated it liked it

Shelves: bookblog

I've been getting in touch with my inner Young Adult this week, in preparation for yet another final rewrite on my own YA book. This has, for the most part, amounted to listening to Death Cab for Cutie and reading Looking for Alaska - a book that I have been actively avoiding. The story of this is long and somewhat personal, so feel free to skip this part if you just want to know if the book is good.

I first heard of Looking for Alaska in my thesis workshop, when a girl very snidely told me I'd h I've been getting in touch with my inner Young Adult this week, in preparation for yet another final rewrite on my own YA book. This has, for the most part, amounted to listening to Death Cab for Cutie and reading Looking for Alaska - a book that I have been actively avoiding. The story of this is long and somewhat personal, so feel free to skip this part if you just want to know if the book is good.

I first heard of Looking for Alaska in my thesis workshop, when a girl very snidely told me I'd have to take out part of my own book because it sounded very similar to this book she'd heard about on NPR, which had not even come yet out at that point. Stubbornly I refused to cut the section (and even read it at my thesis reading) and when Alaska finally did come out, I flipped through just enough of it to decide my book was way better and then abandoned it. Sadly, Alaska has dogged me ever since. Agents and editors alike have told me that my book is too similar to it - which is apparently not a good thing - despite Alaska having won a number of awards and such. Anyway, sour grapes aside, I decided that if the comparisons are inevitable, I might as well know what I'm being held up against.

So what do the young adults of this world really want? Sex, apparently. And a stiff drink or twelve.

Looking for Alaska is about normal, skinny Miles Halter, quickly nicknamed Pudge, who gets into Culver Creek Boarding School and leaves in search of something more interesting. His quirky personality trait is that he memorizes the famous last words of various historical figures - a party trick that he uses to successfully get in with his roommate, who goes by "the Colonel" and the smoky little sexpot down the hall, Alaska Young. Wait, you might be saying, what's with all these funny nicknames? Well, Alaska turns out to be nearly the only name in the book that isn't a nickname - though we do find out that her parents decided to let her name herself at the age of 5. Even the Dean is referred to as The Eagle by the Culver Creekians. Try as I might I can't recall a lot of excessive nicknaming in my youth. I suppose there were a few guys I knew who pretty much went by their last names, when there were too many Adams or Brians in the bunch. I had one friend who referred to himself as the Emperor... but we didn't really call him that on a daily basis. Anyway, I digress.

The story is split into two parts - Before & After - and I won't give away the event that divides the two. All I will say is that the structure and the subject matter reminded me immensely of The Secret History by Donna Tartt (which incidentally was my main inspiration as well...) But just as I felt that the second half of History sags, Alaska does too. It's hard to talk about why without spoiling the twist, so I'll focus my energy on the Before section, which will give you the gist.

As I said earlier, Pudge loves Famous Last Words, (this is actually the facet that the snarky workshop girl told me was too close to my own book) and I expected to hate this quirk - but in fact it grew on me. The whole book grew on me - the romantic tension between him and Alaska is perfect, and there are an awful lot of incredibly poignant moments as Pudge grows accustomed to the school and it's strange rules and rhythms. Ultimately the book becomes a youthful meditation on life and death, which made me realize part of the joy of YA writing - just as in the Death Cab songs, the emotions can be laid much barer than in more serious literary works where things always seem to have to stay sort of ambiguous and sophisticated. Teenagers are supposed to be a little melodramatic, and that's sort of the joy of it. Badly done, you get Gossip Girl style antics, a lot of who-cheated-on-whom-with-whomever-else. But rightly done, you get something like the better parts of Looking for Alaska.

So what's leftover? A lot of ridiculous stuff. The Colonel and Alaska are more or less perpetually drunk (she buries wine bottles in the woods) and there's a good deal of cigarette smoking going on as well - for which they are occasionally punished. Fellatio is simulated on a tube of toothpaste (then performed in real life). Alaska's big hunky boyfriend from another school comes by frequently and everyone talks racily about how much sex they seem to have and just how much Alaska loves it. Worse than anything, when the characters are good and drunk (which is often) they will break out in absurd, spontaneous, freestyle rapping. In between all the genuine, poignant moments of the book, are a million moments where they're all so jaded and edgy and wacky you almost wish you could reach in and smack all their heads together. Maybe that's just me.

A friend of mine who actually went to boarding school observed to me the other day that none of the boarding school books she's ever read (including Alaska, which she did not like) give any realistic idea of the sheer volume of WORK that needs to be done. There's essentially no time leftover to get up to any trouble, she said. At any rate, Culver seems to be a somewhat less romanticised boarding school than the Exeters and Andovers of the world. It's in Alabama for one thing. Most of the rich kids head home on the weekends (leaving only our protagonists to get up to trouble). There's very little sense that any of them feel pressure to do well or accomplish anything extraordinary in life. The overriding question of the book is how one can escape the constant sufferings of life - not suffering like having to work hard or being humiliated or anything - think more like a teenager - it is the suffering of unrequited love, parents that just don't get it, the fear of getting expelled for one's various illicit pleasures, the embarrassment of puking on a girl... etc. Ultimately the book hinges on a more deeply serious moment - the sort that makes this philosophical question really important for them, and puts their previous, childish problems in perspective. However, as I said earlier, this moment comes halfway through, making the final half of the book one very tedious denouement.

Ultimately, the good in this book will stick in my mind far more than the bad. The character's absurdities and the shaky structure are both quickly forgotten upon putting the book down. I'm genuinely glad that I read it, and not only because now I have a better idea of what to avoid with my own book. Alaska is a great character, when she's not a little bit over the top. And maybe that's just what being a teenager is all about.

...more

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Sep 12, 2012 Emma rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

I was recommended this by a good friend and I was really looking forward to it. I love the vlogbrothers videos and the first chapter really made me want to read it and find out more but it didn't live up to the expectation that the first few chapters set up.

My main problem with the book was the characters. It wasn't even that they were underdeveloped. Alaska and Miles just pissed me off. I let some of it slide by because I understand certain parts were intentional but Miles was just so whiny. I ...more

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Jun 05, 2015 Jasmine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: all-time-favorites, highly-recommend, positive-ideas, practical-methods, realism, strong-emotions, thought-provoking, will-reread, preciously-owned

If people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.

Throughout the book, extremely loud and incredibly close soundtrack came to my mind the whole time. The melody fits the story so well.

I never thought Miles "Pudge" Halter's turning point in life would be like that. Absolutely, totally, completely life-changing difference before and after. It's like, well, experiencing a heartbroken and mysterious loss at school. Ironically, he went to Alabama in search of his so-called "Great Perhaps" ...more

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Aug 22, 2016 jayne rated it it was ok

The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.

John Green has established himself a very large fan base of readers, who are very fond of his work and writing.

Unfortunately, after reading a lot of his work, I can't say that I belong to that fanbase. Neither his characters nor writing nor plot make me swoon.

Alright, that was a very formal way of saying that his books are not for me.

Now, let's cut to the chase, shall we?

Everybody loves to read a good, ol' raging review about a con ...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Christy rated it really liked it

Shelves: audio-books-i-own, college-highschool-love, made-me-cry, unforgettable-reads

photo Lookingforalasksa3jpg_zps608ce186.jpg

Looking for Alaska is my second John Green book. Even though it was very different than TFiOS, it was still emotional, moving and just quirky enough to make me smile and laugh.

Miles Halter's moves to Alabama to go to boarding school. This is his big adventure. A chance to make some friends, live a life bigger than the one he's been living in Florida. On his first day there, he becomes friends with his roommate, my favorite and most memorable character, Chip aka the Colonel. He also meets a gir ...more

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Jul 11, 2015 Franco Santos rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: libros-en-digital

No es una mala novela. Lo popular no siempre es malo.

No es el tipo de novelas que suelo leer, pero quise darle una oportunidad a esta historia. Fue una gran sorpresa. No le tenía muy buenas expectativas, sin embargo me encontré con una escritura madura, un relato correctamente hilvanado y una trama que abordaba un tema muy delicado como es la muerte.

Lo negativo que tiene este libro son el final: muy predecible y absurdo, y los personajes: no me sentí identificado con ninguno. Green generalizó a ...more

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Mar 18, 2011 Mariel rated it liked it

Recommends it for: workin' on leavin' the livin'

Recommended to Mariel by: exit does not exist

What was I doing reading John Green's Looking for Alaska when I famously (coughs) despised large parts of the author's An Abundance of Katherines? (I'm emulating Miles here. Wait, I already talk like that!) 1. I disliked it enough to feel mean and want to give John Green another shot before writing him off forever as a potential book friend. 2. It was super cheap in the closing local Borders. 3. I'm not that original about selecting books. 4. What else are the late hours of the night for if not What was I doing reading John Green's Looking for Alaska when I famously (coughs) despised large parts of the author's An Abundance of Katherines? (I'm emulating Miles here. Wait, I already talk like that!) 1. I disliked it enough to feel mean and want to give John Green another shot before writing him off forever as a potential book friend. 2. It was super cheap in the closing local Borders. 3. I'm not that original about selecting books. 4. What else are the late hours of the night for if not reading? 5. I wasn't liking much the books I was plumbing through. Looking for Alaska is, if nothing else, readable. Rot & Ruin? Not so much. I wonder how long teen books about boy characters will benefit from my hatred of Rot & Ruin? (Noooo, Mariel, don't! You'll end up having to read another Maberry book. I definitely do not want to read another Maberry book.)

The John Green formula (is this is first book? I'm too lazy to look it up) is at play: Colin (from 'Katherines') had his "eureka" moments modelled after geniuses in history. Miles favors last words of famous dead people. It was a bit too cutesy for me that he ALSO wanted a "great perhaps". Too much emulating, for me. A boy comes to life realizations after a series of events that bring together and then drive apart the young characters. The formula isn't needed for a hook to get into that. However, I did like that John Green wrote about John Adams last words in the afterword. "Thomas Jefferson still lives." He didn't. I only knew about this from an episode of The West Wing (TWW nerds unite!). I like looking into stories about lives because of last words. It didn't really have much to do with Miles's relationships with his friends, though. I guess it was like the comic relief in a Disney film? It's there in case the parents are getting bored...

Colin got under my skin. It depressed me that the whole point was being better than everyone else. Miles and his friends are looking for distraction in each other. Solace, yeah, but mostly distraction. Making shit happen so they won't have to think about what they are really doing (or not doing. It IS a boarding school story). Alaska is a teen girl version of Clementine from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I've been coming across a few of these lately. Not that I blame them. I adore Clementine. What Clementine had, and Alaska didn't, is enough of a life outside Miles's perspective. Looking for Alaska is supposed to be about FINDING the girl outside of that. Green didn't quite make it there. I appreciated the sentiments, though. It's like watching a funeral of someone you don't know, to me. It sucks that they are dead. I could probably make up a story to myself about what they were like. I could pull it from abstract sources and get carried away with it. How much of it would be based on me? Miles? There's not enough MILES for that. He's kinda generic teen boy. Maybe that's good for the teens who feel this kinda mutual solace in each other for experiencing those teen things. I don't remember feeling part of a larger group. It was a long time ago, though.

Nice sentiments though. Dreaming of the future to escape the present? Good one, Alaska. I remember thinking those same things about people being energy that just changes form when I was Miles's age. That's the most religious I ever got. I'm sure I felt smart at the time. (Asshole.)

It was cool that Alaska said she smoked to die. Morrissey nod!

Okay, if I'm being honest I did feel an extra dab of sympathy for Miles being a Floridian who moves to Alabama. That was me, once.

I'll probably not read another John Green book. I don't need the distraction of hijinks right now (maybe some other night). It's hard enough going through life trying to patch together some feeling of humankind by wondering what other people go through. I take it on faith that this shit is hard. Now, what the hell was Alaska really thinking? Because I loved her when she didn't want to answer the whats, whens, whys, hows. Me too.

I'm glad that John Green wrote about people who cared about being people for something worth more than being better than other people. It wasn't a waste of time being around them even if I didn't get past the surface we're all in this together stuff. Sentiments are better than beat downs.

P.s. John Green probably loves the film Real Genius. I always used it to embarass my dog. "Where's mama's little soldier!" (um the part where the geek calls home and the evil kids use it to publically humiliate him.) I have no business picking on this stuff... ...more

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Jul 11, 2007 Carrie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, favorites, re-read

In Looking For Alaska, John Green tells the story of Miles, a smart, skinny teen who decides to go to the same boarding school his father attended in the hopes of finding a different life. The reader gets a glimpse of what Miles’ home life is like at the beginning of the novel when his mother throws a going-away party for him, and only two people show up. Once at boarding school, Miles quickly befriends his roommate, nicknamed The Colonel. The Colonel introduces him to the rest of his inner circ ...more

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Jun 10, 2010 Stephanie *Very Stable Genius* rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, 2012

This review will be somewhat of a spoiler. Don’t read it unless you’ve read the book or don’t want to. You have been warned.

“Poof……….and you’re gone.”

This was a line in the book that described death, sudden death in particular. It’s sounds just about right to me. It is exactly that. One moment there was a person, full of life, and then the next moment that person ceases to exist. It’s a difficult thing to wrap your head around.

In Looking for Alaska there is a sudden, stupid death and I thought J ...more

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Nov 16, 2013 Laz rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: everyone, every one

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary, romance, all-time-favorites, books-i-own

“When adults say, "Teenagers think they are invincible" with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cann

“When adults say, "Teenagers think they are invincible" with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.”

This is what a call an amazing book. It was nothing less than I expected John Green to write. I loved it so much because it was amazingly well-written and god-help-me these funny cues and the naughty scenes and the dirty vocabulary was so so unexpected from John Green. This was even criticized for the use of vocabulary it it. Loved it.

I love Miles, with his scrawny ass and all. I loved the way he evolved into a more mature and grown up kid than he was before. He made friends, he felt pain and lost friends. He met the girl of his dreams and fell in love with her. He lost her, she slipped right through his hands. Miles felt it all in an avalanche of feelings. He got through so much in such a short period of time. I'm not sure I would have able to handle it as well as he did. He's a strong dude and he may not look it but he certainly is an amazing person.

Mile made genuine relationships. He was introverted and in a way he got past this, he let people get through his tough exoskeleton. I'm sure he doesn't regret anything, I believe that feels like it was all worth it. I think he came out a better person in the end. Yes, he made mistakes. But who doesn't? And at that age, too.

I started reading this expecting.. I don't know what I expected, but it certainly wasn't this. I'm sure John Green is an evil person, who loves creating books such as good as this and The Fault in Our Stars but always adding something that'll break your heart into tiny little particles.. I'm not sure there's another author like him, he can take the most meaningless thing, turn it into something heart-breaking and have you sob before you can spell h-e-a-r-t-b-r-e-a-k.

I got so attached to Miles. I'm sure y'all can see my name here on Goodreads. It's more like a tribute to him rather than I simply liked his last name. Miles is one of those characters that you'll feel a profound connection with, I'm sure of it. He's a real and genuine character with flaws. He's a kid with problems, who's not sure about himself, but somehow in this book we can see how can friends influence us.. Sometimes badly, sometimes good.

In this book I saw how pigheadedness can turn into something bad in seconds. The simple act of not believing in yourself, in believing less of you, in thinking you're not worth anyone's love.. Not confiding to anyone about the real you, creating a facade for all to see.. Making a shell of your body, closing in all of your feelings & all of your hurt. Don't let yourself do this, help yourself because if you won't help yourself, then how can anyone else help saving you?

Forgive yourself, for whatever mistakes you've made, you're young and you still got all the time in the world to correct this mistake & instead make something good out of it. You have this chance, don't let it slip away from you.

“The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.”
...more

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Mar 11, 2009 Leslie added it

This is a decent book. I pretty much devoured it despite a big qualm. Perhaps it's sour grapes but why perpetuate the age-old idea that hot teen girls who are emotionally tore up = glittery/alluring? What about girls with tore-up physiques AND tore-up emotions? Oh, silly me. They’re repugnant.

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About John Green

John Green

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

John Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award presented by the American Library Association. His second novel, An Abundance of Katherines, was a 2007 Michael L. Printz Award Honor Book and a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. His next novel, Paper Towns, is a New ...more

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