Looking For Alaska
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| Looking For Alaska Cover Art - Buy it on Amazon here |
This story is a classic John Green novel that after reading, I think (know, actually) that it will stay with me forever. The novel follows a 17 year old Miles Halter, later nick named Pudge, and his transferal from State School in Florida to sultry Culver Creek Preparatory High School in Alabama to seek out his 'Great Perhaps'. We learn a lot about Miles throughout the Novel, but one of the first and most important facts that we know about Miles is his love of memorising people's famous last word's. When Miles first arrives at Culver Creek he is determined not to get sucked into the social stigma and be tempted by the power of cigarettes and alcohol, but immediately after meeting The Colonel (Chip Martin), he succumbs and tries his first ever cigarette. Throughout Looking For Alaska we see Miles' transformation from a boy to teenager with the help of his new friends - 'friends' being a concept that is also new to Miles. Mostly, I connected with this story so well because I found that the characters were easy to relate to - mainly Pudge, Alaska or The Colonel. Alaska is such a diverse, complex and intriguing character who always keeps us guessing; may it be her next line, or her next action and for that reason, her un-predictableness, she has to be one of my favourite fictional characters. Just when we think we get to really know Alaska in the novel, or just when the protagonist thinks he has her figured out, she inevitably does something that surprises him; and even her old time friends The Colonel and Takumi are constantly left windswept in the debris left behind Alaska in her quest to find her way 'out of the Labyrinth'. The Colonel is a character with such depth and general sass that we cant help but love him, though we are always left wondering if there's anything that he’s hiding or not telling us - similar to Alaska herself. Typically for a good ol’ JG classic, this book (really unfortunately) has a not-so-happy ending, but it doesn’t mean I love it any less, even though I (as I’m sure everyone did) wished for a Happily Ever After. Similar to TFIOS, I L.O.V.E the way John creates a different perspective of life for each of his characters, and how these different perspectives are so very powerful that they lead you to question your own beliefs, or they help change the way you see yourself as well as the world. The main themes in this book are teen antics and personal awareness, in my opinion. These issues crop up the most in the book, especially after a tragic turn of events that leave Pudge and The Colonel questioning themselves, their words, their actions and the same things about another person. I think because of that, it's a particularly important theme, as it's a lesson we could all learn from; to be more acutely aware of you and the people around you. This book is one of my favourites written by John because of the antics that the Culver Creek gang get up to, especially the pranks that the students organise, though my personal favourite has to be 'The Alaska Prank'. I adore reading about teenagers that have a different lifestyle to myself, and here in Looking For Alaska we get a different perspective on it, particularly seeing as though it is oddly written from a male perspective, which gives us a different insight than the norm. I love reading about the drinking and the drugs and the alcohol, not because it is something that would be interested in doing, but because it fills me with wonder at the diverse lifestyles everyone lives and how apart from all that I am personally. Not only is this book a twist on a modern day story of unrequited love, but it is one of friendship, and I find it truly inspiring.
Rating:
The Fault in our Stars
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| The Fault in our Stars cover art - Buy it on Amazon here Visit John's TFIOS vlogs here Follow Ansel and Shailene on Twitter TFIOS Still here |
How can I even begin to sum up this awe inspiring, complex, book shelf star of novel? The protagonist in this novel, a 16 year old Hazel Grace Lancaster, a terminal cancer patient, has to be one of my favourite fictions characters along with Alaska Young. Hazel Grace has such a flippant and sarcastic way o looking t the world and at the value of her own life. A start contrast with this is Hazel's love interest in the novel Augustus Waters, who is definitely the world's best book quote provider ever. 17 year old Augustus is a former basketball player who lost his right leg to osteosarcoma (cancer in the bone marrow if I remember correctly!), and is now in remission. He and Hazel Grace meet in a cancer support group that Hazel's Mom drags her to every week, despite her obvious distaste for the place and her desire to stay home and watch America's Next Top Model (doesn't she sound so much like us?!) though I feel she later realises attending Support Group was in fact, a pretty good idea. Together, the indestructible pair embark on an amazing journey, or on 'a roller coaster than only goes up'. Love, sadness and romance awaits the inevitable pair while they search for the author of their favourite book Imperial Afflictions by Peter Van Houten in Amsterdam, an illusive man that they have finally tracked down. At the minute, I'm seriously anticipating the release of The Fault in our Stars movie. Like seriously, I even have a countdown on my phone and everything. I was desperately worried that John was going to cast two actors to portray Hazel Grace and Augustus that I didn't like, or didn't match in my imagination what I thought they both looked like. I have never ever in my whole life been so glad to be wrong. With Ansel Elgort cast as Augustus and Shailene Woodley cast as Hazel Grace I have never been so overjoyed. It was such a happy coincidence that these two play brother and sister Beatrice and Caleb Prior in the new Divergent movie, and it was also a very happy coincidence that I am absolutely obsessed with Shai. A very happy coincidence indeed. Gahhhhh. (Anyway...) Looking For Alaska and The Fault in our Stars, in my opinion have some similar features; not in a bad way in the fact that they are repetitive, but in their ability to grip the reader and make them feel every emotion that the protagonist feels as he or she writes it. This novel is just a simply stunning piece of literature that I read again and again and again and again and I never tire of it. The magic and power of it grabs me every time I turn the first page, and Hazel Grace and Augustus are always floating about my mind; they are powerful characters with mind altering perceptions of life that are not easily forgotten. I laughed at Hazel's wit, I cried at Augustus' proclamation of love and the cogs in my brain turned as I deciphered this new language and perspective that I was faced with while reading this book. If you want to know if I would recommend that you read this book, I do. Oh, I do.
Rating:
TFIOS VS. LFA
Usually, my genre of reading is more Sci-fi/Vampire/Fighting-to-the-death-in-arenas type books, and I usually don't like to read about sad type of real life situations, because for me, reading as a kind of escapism from these traumas of life. I can honestly say that by reading these book, John Green has definitely opened my eyes (not meant to be taken literally) to a whole new genre of reading and has kept me more open minded about the books I read. I think when coming to try and compare these books, most people will claim they are similar and that one is not much different from the other, and I would have to strongly disagree. Both books use dry and witty sarcasm, have heart wrenching love scenes and amazing character development sure, but I'd be more inclined to categorise them differently. For me, LFA is more of a teen story of un-requited love - of simple antics at high school and the up's and down's of trying and testing teenage boundaries. Though I have said that the book is touching, and has a tragic ending, I'd say that most of the book is a very light and easy read, and is also soo easy to get into. I mentioned that both book's main characters have very strong out looks on life, but most of the time I feel I see this mostly because I read too much into the dialogue and thoughts of the characters, and if you're not the type of person to do that (if you are then the book will have a much different meaning to you), in Looking For Alaska, you'll definitely find a pleasant teen fiction story, with a sad and touching ending. However, in terms of TFIOS, whether you have a perceptive nature or not, you will find this book full of meaning and deep set tragedy. Though while this book has lots of deep hearted sadness, there is also much light hearted humour, though if you're looking for more of that element than a serious novel, then you should definitely check out LFA instead. Compared the LFA, I find the protagonist in TFIOS (Hazel) more interesting and complex, though by in no means better. Hazel is sufficiently more perceptive than Miles and tells a love story with such an apt and flippant look upon the world and the value of her own life that you see the world from her eyes in a more raw and real perspective. I simply could not choose a favourite between these two books; I love them both so much. But this little face off between the two novels (I hope!!) shows you which aspects of literature that one book may hold more than the other, and how different they both are from each other, contrary to common belief.
WOW! Well wasn't that the most deep and well worded piece of writing I have ever posted on the Internet - never mind on my blog! I spend soooo god damned long on this review and I sincerely hope you liked it (and even refrained from falling asleep while reading it!). I know that this blog post was pretty highly requested so I really hope did it justice and you guys enjoyed reading it! SO, now I've finished, I want to know what you guys think to these two utterly unique little tear inducing novels by my baby John Green! Do you think my 'face off' summed up the books well? Which novel is your favourite of the two, and would you rate them both 5 stars like I did? Let me know in a comment! I'll see you next month with another book review!
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