Paper Towns By John Green - Review
By: Jenna Purnell
Quentin Jacobson is a senior in Orlando Florida. He thinks he has the most amazing neighbor, Margo Roth Spiegelman. They were friends and played together when they were younger, but as they grew older, they grew apart. Now, they go to the same high school, but Margo is the most popular girl in the school. Although, that does not stop Quentin from being very much in love with her. He watches and admires her from afar and is pretty much obsessed.
Everything changes when in the middle of the night, Quentin wakes up to Margo knocking on his window. She invites him on an obscure adventure with her. They stay up all night, getting revenge on Margo's enemys and having the time of their life. The next day at school, Quentin thinks everything will be different between them. But how could things be different when Margo does not show up??
He discovers that she has left clues for him and wants him to find her. Quentin and his best friends follow her clues and search for her. The more they search, the more Quentin realizes how little he really knew her.
Paper Towns by John Green is an interesting story with many elements. This book is very unique in that it feels like separate stories. The first about the all-nighter adventure, and the second about the search for Margo. It is almost like a mystery, romance, and adventure in one.
This is a great book! I was always intrigued and wanting to read more. I loved the character development and how real they seemed. For example, Margo struggled with who she was and who she was perceived to be. In that way, I found this book to be relatable. Although the main plot itself is easy enough to follow, they bring in the idea about 'paper towns, people, etc' and Quentin is figuring out a poem left by Margo as his main clue. These concepts sometime are confusing and do not always feel related to the plot. Even after having finished the book, I do not fully understand what a paper town is.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes unique stories about adventure and the occasional deep thought about how the world works-and a little bit of romance haha.
After this review, I look forward to reading "Paper Towns"! This sounds like an interesting book, with lots of intermingling genres with the underlying mystery-ish story. I think that your summary of the beginning of the plot is very sufficient - it provides readers with a sense of the story without giving away too much. I also really liked how you also included some parts that you didn't like - it makes sure that readers are aware of some shortcomings of this book. Thank you for this review!
ReplyDeleteI think you did really well writing the summary. You were able to help me understand the plot of the book clearly without giving away any major spoilers. I think to improve your review, it would be helpful to elaborate on how you found the poem Margo left confusing. Overall, I think this review was done really well and you made the book sound interesting, maybe I'll check it out!
ReplyDeleteI remember reading about Paper Towns during the Banned Book Project, and after reading your post I really want to read it! Your summary is clear and interesting without giving spoilers. I like what you said about it being relatable because that's usually what makes books the most captivating for people, but I also like that you explained some of the negative aspects.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing the previews for Paper Towns the movie and seeing the book on bookshelves at the library, but not really taking a lot of interest. I think maybe all the other times I've been exposed to the summary or story, I was younger and disinterested in what seemed like a pretty complicated story. Though, after reading you review I think I would definitely like to read it!!
ReplyDeleteThis review makes me want to read this book very much. I have heard of it, but ideas never really interested in reading it until now. The summary is interesting. The mysterious element to the boom makes me want to read it even more. Great review!
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