Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “Looking for Alaska” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

Looking for Alaska

John Green (Goodreads Author)

4.03 · Rating details · 1,070,837 ratings · 55,030 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

Get A Copy

Paperback, 221 pages

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

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about Looking for Alaska, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

Best Young Adult Books

11,368 books — 78,886 voters

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Best Teen Books About Real Problems

2,604 books — 12,850 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.03 ·

Rating details

· 1,070,837 ratings · 55,030 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of Looking for Alaska

Apr 01, 2010 Cristina rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2010

WROTE THIS IN 2010!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Now I am TEN YEARS OLDER.

****

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 yo ...more

flag 1432 likes · Like · see review

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

flag 757 likes · Like · see review

Sep 11, 2010 karen rated it really liked it

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

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

flag 527 likes · Like · see review

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

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

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 hi ...more

flag 508 likes · Like · see review

Jan 17, 2013 Sarah ❤ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, romance

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 excited ...more

flag 378 likes · Like · see review

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

flag 365 likes · Like · see review

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

flag 361 likes · Like · see review

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 their lack of character depth is even w ...more

flag 311 likes · Like · see review

Mar 07, 2020 Maria rated it it was ok · review of another edition

yup. this is not the right book to read for the first time at 23 years old in 2020. yup

flag 302 likes · Like · see review

Jun 28, 2011 Megs ♥ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favs, e-books

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

flag 273 likes · Like · see review

Aug 27, 2014 Nick rated it really liked it

My favorite from John Green. This reminds me of high school.

flag 235 likes · Like · see review

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.

flag 219 likes · Like · see review

Mar 04, 2017 Sarah rated it did not like it

Shelves: a-failed-romance, how-very-original, read-something-else, because-villainesses, beware-of-mary-sue, whine-and-cheese, because-shock-value, raging-hormones, was-that-really-necessary, beware-of-draco-in-leather-pants

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

flag 190 likes · Like · see review

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

flag 184 likes · Like · see review

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.

flag 181 likes · Like · see review

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 you ...more

flag 178 likes · Like · see review

Aug 18, 2017 jessica rated it really liked it · review of another edition

i really wish i had read this when it first came out, because i think john greens writing has become stronger over time, so i didnt quite love this as much as his more recent stuff. but its still classic JG - need i say more?

i know JG is one of those polarising authors - you either hate him or you love him with no in between - but i find his characterisation of teens really fascinating. many claim his characters are pretentious. i mean, how many teenagers do you know literally searching for thei ...more

flag 174 likes · Like · see review

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

Recommended to K.D. by: Aaron Vincent

Shelves: borrowed, ya

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

flag 171 likes · Like · see review

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

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

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 ...more

flag 142 likes · Like · see review

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.

flag 123 likes · Like · see review

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

Shelves: a-young-adult-fiction, x-deserves-the-hype, x-made-me-cry, all-time-favourites, 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

flag 122 likes · Like · see review

Oct 03, 2011 Ariel rated it really liked it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Well, I finished this book this morning, and let me just say it was excellent.
Everyone says it because it's true. This is a pure and thought-provoking book.

This review cannot be without spoilers, so if you haven't read this book or don't want to be spoiled, don't continue. Basically, just read this book.

The book follows Miles, a slightly disconnected teenager, who has just moved to a boarding school. He befriends his roommate and his roommate's friends. One of these friends is Alaska, and he qui Well, I finished this book this morning, and let me just say it was excellent.
Everyone says it because it's true. This is a pure and thought-provoking book.

This review cannot be without spoilers, so if you haven't read this book or don't want to be spoiled, don't continue. Basically, just read this book.

The book follows Miles, a slightly disconnected teenager, who has just moved to a boarding school. He befriends his roommate and his roommate's friends. One of these friends is Alaska, and he quickly falls in love with her. And then, she dies.

I can honestly say I did not see this coming. The truth is, I have not read any books that deal with death and the way that others respond to it.

The characters were wonderful. Miles was usually intelligent and very relatable. Pudge, his roommate, sounded like a friend I would want to have. He was super smart and had lots of fortitude. Takumi, in the end, was a beautiful character and I really wanted to know more about him. Lara was also great. I've known some exchange students, and she really portrayed one well. You can tell that exchange students are intelligent, but with their accents and simply worded sentences they seem adorable and lovely as well. Finally, Alaska. She was simply beautiful. In the trashiest way. She was one of the most mysterious characters I have ever read about. Near the end of the book, I realized we barely know anything about her. And yet I mourned her loss alongside with Miles.

I think that this is the most "deep" YA novel I have ever read. It was wonderfully written, and John Green's use of last words was intriguing and interesting. The way that the book was split, with "before" and "after" really showed what a big event Alaska's death was.

I'm really glad that John Green also put some comedy into this book through all of the pranks though, because otherwise it would have been extremely depressing. I'm also glad we never found out if it was suicide or an accident. It seemed right not to know.

It is actually difficult to explain the impact this book had on me. It really made me think about others and the power of death and life.

I recommend this book to everyone. ...more

flag 109 likes · Like · see review

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

flag 107 likes · Like · see review

Jun 20, 2015 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, contemporary, realistic-fiction, fiction, mystery, 21th-century, romance

Looking for Alaska, John Green
Looking for Alaska is John Green's first novel, published in March 2005 by Dutton Juvenile.
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. Because Looking for Alaska, John Green
Looking for Alaska is John Green's first novel, published in March 2005 by Dutton Juvenile.
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. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . .
After. Nothing is ever the same.

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز یازدهم ماه دسامبر سال 2018 میلادی

عنوان: در جست‌وجوی آلاسکا؛ نویسنده: جان گرین؛ مترجم: فاطمه جابیک؛ ویراسته ی سایه سار؛ تهران، میلکان؛ 1397؛ در 256 ص؛ شابک: 9786008812531؛ موضوع: داستانهای نویسندگان امریکایی برای نوجوانان - سده 21 م

داستان، بین نوجوانان، و در فضای مدرسه می‌گذرد، و از عشق‌های نوجوانانه، و نارواییهایی که در دبیرستان، و بین فرزندان خانواده‌ های طبقات مختلف برقرار است، سخن می‌گوید. «مایلز هالتر»، زندگی بی‌ماجرایی را می‌گذراند. او تصمیم می‌گیرد، به مدرسه‌ ی شبانه‌ روزی «کلور کریک»، در «فلوریدا» برود. تنها سرگرمی، و علاقه ی «مایلز»، خواندن آخرین جملات نویسنده‌ ها، و انسان‌های بزرگ است. جمله‌ ای از: «فرانسوا رابله» در کتاب زندگینامه ی او، توجه «مایلز» را، جلب کرده است: «من به جست‌وجوی شایدِ بزرگ می‌روم.» و این‌جاست که «مایلز»، تصمیم می‌گیرد در جستجوی «شایدِ بزرگ خود» باشد. در شبانه‌ روزی، او با دختری به نام:«آلاسکا یانگ»، آشنا می‌شود. دختری زیبا، جذاب، باهوش، و بامزه، که ذهن پیچیده‌ ای دارد. دختری حیرت‌ انگیز، که وجودش به‌ خودی خود، نوعی رخداد است. او «مایلز» را، به دنیای خود می‌برد، و راه رسیدن به «شایدِ بزرگ» را، برایش هموار می‌کند، و البته چیزی را (دلش را) از او می‌گیرد. شخصیت‌های «در جست‌وجوی آلاسکا»، همگی نوجوانانی هستند که می‌خواهند از زندگی لذت ببرند، و از فرصت‌ها نهایت استفاده را بکنند. ا. شربیانی ...more

flag 106 likes · Like · see review

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

flag 106 likes · Like · see review

Aug 22, 2016 emily 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

flag 99 likes · Like · see review

Jun 05, 2015 Jasmine rated it it was amazing

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

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

flag 94 likes · Like · see review

Jul 31, 2012 Christy rated it really liked it

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 ...more

flag 94 likes · Like · see review

Jan 29, 2015 Arini rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

[update for the tv mini series adaptation]

THE FINAL TRAILER IS HERE!!! click. click. click. CLICK AWAY THE LINK LOVELY BOOKNUTS, and CHECK OUT THE TRAILER!!!

october is going to be EPIC!! many of my anticipated new releases are coming out, and NOW THIS!! what a blessing!!
___

1st READ — January 2014
2nd READ — January 2019

i never thought i'd say this about john green's books, but looking for alaska is absolutely brilliant!!

i can't really articulate my reasons. but for the first time sinc ...more

flag 82 likes · Like · see review

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

flag 81 likes · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Pudge or Jake for Alaska?	25	241	May 19, 2020 12:39PM
Books about boarding schools?	1	9	May 06, 2020 07:35PM
Do you think Alaska's death was suicide or not? Why?	34	1964	Apr 08, 2020 04:07AM
the great perhaps	35	3348	Mar 21, 2020 12:50PM
how have you, the reader, gotten out of your own labyrinth of suffering?	2	27	Jan 24, 2020 09:37AM
I'm looking for a book...	1	18	Jan 04, 2020 01:22AM
Play Book Tag: Looking for Alaska by John Green -- 3.5 stars	5	14	Jan 02, 2020 02:08PM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Young Adult

12,031 users

Fiction

4,589 users

Contemporary

4,120 users

Romance

2,452 users

Realistic Fiction

1,316 users

Young Adult > Coming Of Age

831 users

Young Adult > Teen

722 users

Mystery

440 users

Young Adult > Young Adult Contemporary

404 users

Death

398 users

See top shelves…

About John Green

John Green

271,726 followers

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

Books by John Green

More…

Interview with John Green

A tour bus. Screaming fans. One hundred and fifty thousand presale autographs. It might sound like a pop album release, but this was the frenzy tha...

Trivia About Looking for Alaska

87 trivia questions
8 quizzes

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from Looking for Alaska

“The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive.” — 19361 likes

“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.” — 14118 likes

More quotes…

See a Problem?

Preview — Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About John Green

Books by John Green

Related Articles

Trivia About Looking for Alaska

Quotes from Looking for Alaska

See a Problem?

Preview — Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

Reader Q&A

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About John Green

Books by John Green

Related Articles

Trivia About Looking for Alaska

Quotes from Looking for Alaska

new topic
Discuss This Book