Great Expectations
by Charles DickensThe engrossing epic tale of murder, mysteries and an orphan boy's promise of wealth. As a small boy
Read ReviewPaper Towns
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Quentin Jacobsen - Q to his friends- is eighteen and has always loved the edgy Margo Roth Spiegelman. As children, they′d discovered a dead body together. Now at high school, Q′s nerdy while Margo is uber-cool.
One night, Q is basking in the predictable boringness of his life when Margo, dressed as a ninja, persuades him to partake in several hours of mayhem. Then she vanishes. While her family shrugs off this latest disappearance, Q follows Margo′s string of elaborate clues - including a poem about death.
(3 votes)
Reviews
Apr 30,2013
This review is a spoiler. View anyway?
So I just read this book last night, right after reading Green's other book The Fault in Our Stars. While I really enjoyed Paper Towns (and I highly recommend it,) there's always been something about Green's writing that irks me. I'm not gonna lie, I completely adore all of his characters (absolutely fell in love with Augustus Waters...who can resist his charm? I'm as much a teenage girl as the next), and I've read the majority of his books, but there's always that aspect of his teenage novels trying almost a bit too hard and being the slightest bit too cliched.
Paper Towns follows the story of Q, a boy obsessed and in love with his next door neighbour Margo who goes missing after completing eleven tasks with the help of Q himself. He spends the last month of his senior year fixated on following the trail of clues that Margo has left for him in an effort to find her, and when he does it's all in a rush and a hurry and the final ending is a bit of a let down. I found it to be a bit of a slow story, and half-way through I kept expecting Green to wrap it up but, no, he dragged it out some more...and some more.
Paper Towns was, however, a refreshing change from his other novels. I think it might've been the fact that Margo was so seemingly indifferent to the way that Q felt about her, or it might've been the fact that I could strangely relate to Lacey and Becca and Margo in the way that some teenage girls are just awfully bitchy, but either way I came out the end of it still a bit disappointed that Green completed the novel with Q and Margo kissing and parting on good terms. Then again...if they hadn't kissed, and if they hadn't semi confessed their 'like' for each other, I probably would've thrown the book at the wall and demanded for the ending to be rewritten.
So I guess in that fact, Green hit the spot perfectly. Again. I think I'll always have a bit of a problem with his writing - it's almost too perfect and too spot on for me to really, properly enjoy it - but that won't stop me from reading his stuff. I really do reccomend Paper Towns, it's a good read, albiet sort of long and winding along the way. It's not a book I'm going to read again in a hurry, but I'm not regretting readying it - happy reading!
Jan 08,2012
Here's a warning; When you pick up this book, the odds are you will not be putting it down any time soon.
Paper Towns is Mr Green's third novel, and like both of his previous outings, will have you thinking long and hard about every inch of the main character's life, and yet seeing them parallel you the whole time.
The leading man, "Q" (or Quinten Jacobsen, if you prefer long names) isn't the powerhouse character here. Not by a long shot. The book is really about Margo Roth Speigleman; Q's neighbour since childhood, longstanding crush, and something of an enigma.
The story kicks off in the middle of an otherwise unspectacular school night when the ever-surprising Margo, in complete ninja outfit, climbs through Q's window and preps him for an adventure. The two spend the crazy night, in Margo's words "Righting some wrongs, and wronging a couple of rights" in a crazy plot that seems to only make sense in the mind of Margo herself.
While this opening is spectacular and fun to read, it's not the story. (Small spoiler alert here) The real story is in the aftermath, when Margo seems to vanish, and the only clues left to her whereabouts seem to be left for Q.
The mystery that follows makes Q wonder about a huge mass of questions, including identity, the future, and trust.
This is a truly fantastic book. The chapters aproaching the end are some of the most fun reading I've experienced in a long time. The characterisation is, as usal in Green's writing, absolutely brilliant, with the book made that much better by the fantastic side characters. The antics of Q's friends, Ben and Radar, are brilliant in a way that makes the book a very entertaining read without ever taking away from the important messages woven into the story.
A quick note to any readers, this book mirrors Green's debut novel and fan favourite, Looking For Alaska. The stories benefit hugely from one another, so if you've read Alaska, read this, and if you enjoy this, read Alaska.
Paper Towns is an exceptional novel, with beautiful characters, an intriguing story, engaging style, and pages that seem to turn by themselves. If you can read, I recommend this book.
As a side note, this book contains some pretty heavy themes. It's probably not a book for those under the age of 14 or 15, and I'd advise anyone about to read this to note there is some slightly shocking imagery, so be prepared.
Aug 07,2011
A very thought provoking and truthful read. If you liked 'Looking for Alaska' you'll love this beauty.
