Coffee and Books: Paper Towns- John Green
by Unknown
"That always seemed so ridiculous to me, that people want to be around someone because they're pretty. It's like picking your breakfast cereals based on color instead of taste"
-John Green
I have to admit; I was reluctant
to like this book based on terribly preconceived notions that John Green wrote
for a singly teenaged audience. While the characters in the book are generally
of high school age, the interesting story line and the complexity of thought by
each character is actually remarkably older, while still being able to maintain
the very emotion-driven mentality of a high school student. Does that make any
sense? I think you would understand what I meant if you have read the book.
John Green does a great job at providing high school characters and making them
accessible to both teenaged and adult audiences. There. Was that better? The character of Quentin, whom
the book revolves around is a cautious well-loved but not popular boy who is in
love with the idea of the ever exalted Margo Roth Spiegelman. What I truly enjoyed about the
book was the emphasis on how an idea of a person can actually poison the mind
to who the person truly is. There is a great speech about how people are
windows, but we can often get caught up in our own lives so fully that we see
other people as mirrors. There is also a great feeling of
nostalgia in the book for those who are past high school age, for that feeling
of perfection when doing new things with friends for the first time. There is
something very 'Perks of Being a Wallflower' about the whole thing which I
really enjoyed and appreciated. John Green also infuses the book
with bouts of humour. Without giving too much away, the character Radar's
parents' collection. It is pretty hilarious. There are also quick one-liners and
clever back and forth dialogue that the main character and his two best friends
engage in, that were rather clever and amusing. All in all it was a great book.
Recommendation: Highly recommended.
Well done, John Green, well done.
