ByMarlida

LOOKING FOR ALASKA
BY JOHN GREEN
PUBLISHED: 2005
AVERAGE RATING: 4.13
221 PAGES
★★☆☆☆

I was, like a lot of others bit by the John Green-bug and wanted to read more of his work after reading "The Fault in Our Stars". Looking for Alaska was another book I'd heard about that John Green had produced, and I wanted to check it out. Normally when I read, it doesn't take me long to finish a book, I normally read them within weeks after purchasing them, but this time it was different.

"Alaska Young, Gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, screwed up - and utterly fascinating. Miles Halter could not be more in love with her. But when tragedy strikes, Miles discovers the value and the pain of living and loving unconditionally."

The story sounds like "The Fault in Our Stars," just different. He's changed the characters, and when we meet Miles Halter we think that he's pretty much that awkward, geeky kid we see in school that's never really touched a girl other than when one bumps into him with accident. And when we meet Alaska Young we can hear Augustus Waters saying all these weird things because they're kind of special. With deep insight, or just plainly dumb kids who've read too many books and poems.

I had a hard time reading this book, and the only thing that kept me going through it was the fact that he doesn't use normal chapters, instead he starts at "One hundred and thirty-six days before" and then it slowly counts down to "One day before" and then, when I thought the book was finished. It started with "The Day After" and I have to say that I was pissed. Because I'd just tortured myself through the boring pages of the life of Miles Halter at this weird boarding school where (as I saw it) every kid smoked, drank wine and did pranks. I guess it can be fun to read for some people, but for me it felt like a bunch of crap.

So, back to the story, on the cover of the book it says "First friend, first girl, last words." His first friend, "The Colonel" which is the nickname for his roommate. They apparently have a friendship described as "an old married couple", and first of all, I didn't like the Colonel very much, because despite the fact that he was from this trailer park, living with his broke mother - and that he was probably the nicest guy ever, he was also a douche. "First girl," well, Miles falls in love with Alaska Young, but as it turns out, Alaska has a boyfriend. So, Miles tries to find someone else, and finds Lara, this Romanian girl that he just takes because he can't have Alaska. Which is pretty mean if you ask me. He and Lara, well, they do some stuff together, like kissing and, well, some more, but he always says that he can't talk to Lara as he can to Alaska.

Spoilers

Now, "Last words", that was the one thing that made me going, because I was pretty sure one of the characters were going to die. And I'm sorry to spoil this book for you, but he does exactly the same thing as he did in "The Fault In Our Stars", it's not Miles who dies, but Alaska. And we already knew that the day before it happened. Go figure. The last words could also be because Miles had this extraordinary gift of memorizing everyone's last words. Which is lame, and totally weird.

Now you can read again if you don't want spoilers anymore

I didn't like the book, not because it's bad written or anything like that, it's easily read if you like these kinds of books. As I said, we get really good details about Miles' life, and all though that's sometimes the point of books, I didn't like it. Nothing really happened, we just read the strange mind of Miles while he lived at that boarding school, and he had all this weird friends, his nickname was Pudge, and to be honest, I won't recommend it to anyone.

I'm sorry John Green, I like you, and I want to read more of your work, but this just didn't get to me as the first book I read.

Hazel is pretty much a normal kid except from the fact that her and her sidekick (her oxygen tank) go to Cancer Kid Support Group where she meets this gorgeous plot twist August Waters - a guy who once survived cancer and has like half-a-leg to prove it.

Through their really weird talking (they sound like they’re like a hundred-and-five years old), and they fall in love and have this weird relationship that some think is cute, and some just thinks is really weird. (I’m like right in the middle). It’s a story about cancer, and it’s a story about love. The two combined brings out tears, goofy sounds and inevitable crying after you’ve finished it. For me it was all about those fantastic literal sayings throughout the book that has stuck with me ever since. Like “I fell in love with you the way you fall asleep, slowly and then all at once” or “That’s the thing about pain, it demands to be felt”. Now, John Green is like the God of love, whenever you want to read a book that’s going to make you really believe in love and that one true love and soulmate, read his books. But I warn you, he’s so damn good with plot twists.

I have to say, I was positive about the book and I had no IDEA that the ending was going to be the way it was. There’s like no warnings AT ALL. I’ve also just purchased “Looking for Alaska” by John Green, and I CAN’T wait to read it. Anyways, the books is pretty good, the characters development and their love for each other is pretty much heartbreaking, and the all too good quotes in this book will be stuck with you FOREVER. I can't really say more than for you to actually read the book and not only watch the movie, because the book is not as cheesy as the movie.