Review: Looking for Alaska By John Green

The last year and a half have gone by so fast! I miss having the time to update and write full reviews of books here on my blog. Art school is a heavy course load - lot of time needed to invest which I barely have. So I guess this post is my first book commentary in a long while!

Title: Looking for Alaska

Author: John Green

Published Date: Jan 1st, 2005

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, 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, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.
(Synopsis Provided By GoodReads)

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REVIEW (May Contain Spoilers)

I recently finished reading Looking for Alaska by John Green and I know, why did I wait so long before reading this amazing book? It was to say the least, a very open ended story. It leaves room for every reader to take what they want from the story. As I was reading along with Pudge, Alaska and the Colonel, I felt a honesty amongst them. The way John Green writes is understood easily and his way of writing eases in and out of the complications that arise in the story.


During the time I was reading this story, I had a childhood friend pass away tragically in a truck accident. Reading from that point on in the story suddenly became very real and hard. I found myself reading how others dealt with losing someone. However hard it was to continue reading, I did and I am glad I did. As a book with many last words that were not as profound as we all hope last words be, you begin to question what did they mean in their last moments in life. Last words are not even finite sometimes and grasping onto that idea from the book changed quite a few things for me. It was nice to read that we are more than our lives and that our lives live far longer then we do. Whether it be through the people we leave behind or the lives that we had the pleasure of influencing.

This book is great for anyone who wants a realistic read about friends, first loves and endings. Looking for Alaska is a hard read in the sense that it is an emotional read, like other John Green novels, but very worth it!

I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

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As Always,

HAPPY READING

-Sherry