John Green

Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.

Looking for Alaska

Looking For Alaska

Emilia Vulliamy

I jogged after him, trailing in his wake. I wanted to be one of those people who have streaks to maintain, who scorch the ground with their intensity. But for now, at least I knew such people, and they needed me, just like comets need tails.

I did not hear her words so much as the cadence of her voice. She'd obviously read the book many times before, and so she read flawlessly and confidently, and I could hear her smile in the reading of it, and the sound of that smile made me think that maybe I would like novels better if Alaska Young read them to me.

I know so many last words. But I will never know hers.

Read the multi-million bestselling smash-hit behind the TV series

Tony Stark

"You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.”

Nova <3

Thomas Edison’s last words were, “It’s very beautiful over there.” I don’t know where there is, but I know it’s somewhere, and I hope it’s beautiful.

“I go to seek a Great Perhaps.” - François Rabelais

“If people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.”

“Y’all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die.”

“I may die young,” she said. “But at least I’ll die smart. Now, back to tangents.”

“Sometimes I don’t get you,” I said.

She didn’t even glance at me. She just smiled toward the television and said, “You never get me. That’s the whole point.”

“How’ve you been?” I finally asked.

“I’m really not up for answering any questions that start with how, when, where, why, or what.”

“That’s a what. I’m not doing what’s right now. All right, I should go.”

“Hold on.” He grabbed a pencil and scrawled excitedly at the paper as if he’d just made a mathematical breakthrough and then looked back up at me. “I just did some calculations, and I’ve been able to determine that you’re full of shit.”

“So why don’t you go home for vacations?” I asked her. 

“I’m just scared of ghosts, Pudge. And home is full of them.”

She said that it was sexist to leave the cooking to the women, but better to have good sexist food than crappy boy-prepared food. 

“I try not to be scared, you know. But I still ruin everything. I still fuck up.”

“Prick us, we bleed. Prick him, he pops.”

“Yeah, I know we should have stopped her, damn it. I am shit sure keenly aware that we should have stopped her. But we shouldn’t have had to. You had to watch her like a three-year-old. You do one thing wrong, and then she just dies.

I was caught in a love triangle with one dead side.

“Can’t wear it to the opera,” said the Colonel, almost smiling. “Can’t wear it to a funeral. Can’t use it to hang myself. It’s a bit useless, as ties go.” 

How will we ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?—A. Y.

And maybe it was only because Alaska couldn’t hit the brakes and I couldn’t hit the accelerator.

“Everything’s a maybe, isn’t it?”

Did I help you toward a fate you didn’t want, Alaska, or did I just assist in your willful self-destruction?

Before I got here, I thought for a long time that the way out of the labyrinth was to pretend that it did not exist, to build a small, self-sufficient world in a back corner of the endless maze and to pretend that I was not lost, but home.

John Green is a literary master. His work is always so profoundly moving whilst being digestible in such a sophisticated, yet friendly, manner.

John Green is a literary master. His work is always so profoundly moving whilst being digestible in such a sophisticated, yet friendly, manner.

I dubb thee King of YA. 

It is really good book that I think everyone should read but honestly gutted me half way through cause of the even that happend...need to definitely read more John Green books 

Mpho

Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash. An ALA Best Book for Young Adults & ALA Quick Pick. Reprint.

jana 

Katerina

This book is, indeed, compelling. The character of Alaska is utterly fascinating. This novel has made me laugh out loud and it also made me cry with all my heart. And the ending couldn't have been more beautiful. It made me think of life and death, it made me actually think of what happens to us when we're gone out of this world. There are quotes in it that I will keep rereading for sure. It also unlocked a curiosity in me to learn what people's last words were, something only a great book can do - transfer the main character's feeling to the reader even after the book is long closed. Brilliant.

 I just don't know how to rate john green's books, because I feel like I'm left out in the loop and meaning of his books, and their depth and I just wish I'd feel what everyone else felt, but I feel like as a community we've all moved on from this dystopian styled plot where everything's just so abstract. I feel like there's no meaning to any of this book, I was just reading to read and I hate when I feel like that. But, it's not like I hated the book, I just didn't get it, didn;t enjoy, but I still don't think it's "bad". Okay, just read it and decide for yourself because I haven't got a clue. 

surtified™

Anna 

Johnu Greenovi jsem opět dala další šanci, protože jsem prostě nevěděla, jestli mám jeho knihy ráda, nebo ne. Hledání Aljašky je zajímavý příběh, a teď, když už jsem viděla i seriál, na něj nahlížím trošku jinak, než v průběhu čtení knihy. Já tady ale nechci recenzovat seriál (který se mi mimochodem moc líbil), chci vám říct svůj názor na knihu. A ten není až tak pozitivní.
Nejvíc mě na knize štval Miles. Ten způsob, jakým přemýšlí o Aljašce, byl nechutný. Přišlo mi, že není zamilovaný do ní, ale do jejího těla. Některý scény byly fakt divný. V knize od něj slyšíme minimálně 7x, jakou má Aljaška sexy postavu.. To bylo prostě divný, a hodně mi to tu knihu zkazilo. Příběh sám o sobě byl zajímavý, ale taky to nebylo nic nového. No, ona ta knížka je stará nějakých 20 let, takže v té době knih o dospívání ve škole mohlo být méně.
✩
Kniha mě ani tolik neurazila, ani tolik nenadchla, a proto jí dávám 3,5*/5*

Mathieu Schwab

not bad but too 2014 tumblr for my taste (am i maturing?). Honestly felt like fake deep content...

mari

I cried so many times because 1) this was all emo as hell 2) looking for meaning is like my only hobby and this book captured it so well 3) the way the stages of grief are depicted like ahjssjdjdkdjdk 4) the characters were really complex, and I still don’t know wether I like them but somehow that didn’t matter 

Indi

Tsamarah

I rate this 5/5 Stars because of the sentimental value I have for this book.

Bria

I still don't feel bad for alaska 🤷🏽‍♀️

Chloé

i will never get this time in my life back. like ever. ever. ever.

i dnf-ed this back when i was a teen and i didn’t know why i suddenly wanted to start this again but here i am and my unsolicited review.

my thoughts while reading this: 
- aren’t they a bunch of insufferable kids? 
- they’re so tumblr 2012-2014 angsty teens core 
- omg alaska 

i honestly liked the structure of the book’s narration. the chapters are arranged seemingly like a countdown that leads to alaska death. and after that, the chapters served as a timeline which shows the following events that happened to the group after her untimely demise.

2 stars because i’m basing on how i feel now that i’ve reread this as an adult. however, angsty teen me back in 2013 would’ve probably given this higher than that. overall, this is a coming-of-age novel which explores themes of hope, loss, friendship, and the search of meaning.

Amna A.

"There are many of us who would have to live with things done and things left undone that day. Things that did not go right, thing that seemed okay at the time because we could not see the future. If only we could see the endless string of consequences that result from our smallest actions. But we can't know better until knowing better is useless."

 I very much liked this John Green novel compared to The Fault in Our Stars, surprisingly, this was much more emotional for me. I found the sad parts really sad, and the funny parts made me laugh out unexpectedly. Though what made this book extra special, was that my friend had added her own comments to the book, making me see things I would not have paid attention to if not for the notes. :)

Vicky  Nuñez 

I LOVE John Green, so this review may be biased.

John Green is awesome. This is my first complete John Green book and I must admit it was not what I was expecting. 

Looking for Alaska is a very dark story about love, death, hope, Great Perhaps & final last words. Miles is what would be seen as a nerd and he decides to go to a school about nerds, you might think what is cool about them? Well, everything! 

Everything about the characters draws you in, their experiences and words. Alaska is a mystery, a puzzle everyone wants to figure it out, especially Miles. 

Looking for Alaska struck a cord inside of me, it makes you relate to these crazy characters and love them and obsess along them.

I have no words to describe this story, only to say that everyone should read it and if you haven't: what are you waiting for?

DFTBA.

i dnf-ed this back when i was a teen and i didn’t know why i suddenly wanted to start this again but here i am and my unsolicited review.

- aren’t they a bunch of insufferable kids? 

- they’re so tumblr 2012-2014 angsty teens core 

i honestly liked the structure of the book’s narration. the chapters are arranged seemingly like a countdown that leads to alaska death. and after that, the chapters served as a timeline which shows the following events that happened to the group after her untimely demise.

2 stars because i’m basing on how i feel now that i’ve reread this as an adult. however, angsty teen me back in 2013 would’ve probably given this higher than that. overall, this is a coming-of-age novel which explores themes of hope, loss, friendship, and the search of meaning.

i dnf-ed this back when i was a teen and i didn’t know why i suddenly wanted to start this again but here i am and my unsolicited review.

my thoughts while reading this: 

- aren’t they a bunch of insufferable kids? 

- they’re so tumblr 2012-2014 angsty teens core 

- omg alaska </3 

i honestly liked the structure of the book’s narration. the chapters are arranged seemingly like a countdown that leads to alaska death. and after that, the chapters served as a timeline which shows the following events that happened to the group after her untimely demise.

2 stars because i’m basing on how i feel now that i’ve reread this as an adult. however, angsty teen me back in 2013 would’ve probably given this higher than that. overall, this is a coming-of-age novel which explores themes of hope, loss, friendship, and the search of meaning.

Ana Luiza

Perfect. I don't have words. The best book of John Green.

sash.

Okay. I've been needling between 3 and 4 stars for this book that may well be my least favourite of John Green's books. Pudge was a likeable character and all, and I'm sure I must have been Pudge in earlier years, however,Pudge, Takumi, Lara and The Colonel remind me of a tamer version of Skins. Self-destructive beahviour fed by even more self-destructive behaviour.

I hated Alaska. Alaska made me want to fist something. She was selfish, emotionally immature and all too reminiscent of people I have met and wish to no longer associate with it. People who cling to their personal tragedies and never ever let them go. People who allow those tragedies to transform them into awful people who emotionally abuse and emotionally manipulate others around them.

But, the the one thing this novel had that kept me going was the prose. John Green manages tot urn abstract thoughts into the most beautiful prose. His thoughts on religion, especially the Buddhist faith and how suffering affects us all and what happens after- wow, that was fantastic.

Absolutely beautiful. So, yeah. 4 out of 5 stars for fantastic writing. Zilch for Alaska the character and this self-destructive bunch of teenagers.

Sebelum. Miles ""Pudge"" Halter sangat suka kata-kata terakhir yang terkenal––dan bosan dengan kehidupannya yang biasa saja. Ia masuk sekolah berasrama Culver Creek untuk mencari apa yang disebut penyair Francois Rabelais sebagai ""Kemungkinan Besar"". Hidupnya jungkir balik di sekolah itu, yang kadang gila, tidak stabil, tak pernah membosankan. Sebab di sana ada Alaska Young, yang menawan, pintar, lucu, seksi, kacau, dan sangat memikat. Alaska menarik Pudge memasuki dunianya, melontarkannya ke dalam ""Kemungkinan Besar"", dan mencuri hatinya. Sesudah. Segalanya tak pernah sama lagi. Cewek-cewek akan menitikkan air mata dan cowok-cowok akan menemukan cinta, gairah, kehilangan, dan kerinduan.... -- Kirkus, starred review

Looking for Alaska - Mencari Alaska

Athiril Ard

** spoiler alert **
           Saat menulis ini, aku sedang kebelet kencing. Tapi lupakan, aku malas bangun dari ranjang.

Mungkin buku ini akan menjadi buku favoritku sepanjang tahun ini, dengan catatan aku tidak membaca buku yang lebih hebat. Mencari Alaska sungguh menyebalkan, dan karena itu aku menyukainya.

Pada awalnya, kukira yang dimaksud "Mencari" di sini adalah, Alaska kabur, pergi, atau lari dari semua orang dan semua orang itu dengan panik mencarinya--seharfiah itu, dan pada akhirnya tampaklah sebodoh apa diriku ini. Dan, ya, kurasa seorang John Green tidak akan membuat plot yang sebodoh itu, jadi dia meledakkan gagasanku berkeping-keping--Alaska mati, dan, ya, mati betulan, sesimpel itu. Aku bahkan agak sedikit linglung saat mengetahui dia mematikan Alaska. "Hah? Heh?" pikirku. Terlalu mendadak. Namun, kurasa di situlah letak keasyikannya, bukan?

Dan, menyebalkannya lagi, dia bisa membuat tokoh-tokohnya begitu hangat hanya dalam beberapa halaman saja. Aku membatin seperti, "Man! Bahkan kuatnya penokohan di satu buku yang kutulis tidak bisa menandingi penokohanmu di lima halaman pertama." Saat itu aku sadar bahwa aku memang terlalu bego dalam menulis, dan John sudah menulis selama ... aku tak tahu, dan tak berniat mencari tahu. Oh iya, itu buku pertamaku omong-omong. PERTAMA. Jadi, tidak terlalu mengesalkan jika kupikir-pikir lagi. Oh, tidak. Aku bohong. Aku sungguh kesaaaaaaaaaal.

Oke, aksi Malam Gudang dan Menumbangkan Paradigma Patriarkat sungguh memesona. John begitu brilian, dan hatiku begitu terlarut dengan perbuatan konyol mereka semua. Baru pertama kali ini, seingatku, aku bisa mencintai tiap tokoh yang ada. Mr. Hyde, si Elang, dan bahkan lelaki yang mengencingi sepatu Kolonel--aku tidak ingat namanya.

Sepertinya cukup. Dan, dadah.

Dani

I just finished this book (literally, less than a minute ago) and I must say I'm holding my tears. Not because of a sad ending. Not because things didn't turn out the way I expected- I didn't expect anything, the unpredictability of it is one of the things that astounded me the most. I am trying to hold my tears because those characters will forever have a place in my heart, just as if I had been there, as if I had talked to them ever so deeply as displayed in the book. I couldn't ask for more. All emotions are contained here, in such delightful way. It is as though I had learned a new meaning for life. And that's something that cannot be easily forgotten.

Daniel Spruill

No words. Just read it. For your sake, read it.

Julie Rubens

I’ve wanted to read this book for a long time and I’m glad I finally did! It was a very good book, definitely not my favorite and sometimes a little boring to be honest, but also definitely not bad!

maryam

I love John Green in a way an amateur writer loves those who shape words with such perfection it leaves the heart bleeding. I have already read "An Abundance of Katherines," "Paper Towns," "Will Grayson, Will Grayson," and I loved them so much. His writing is more than stringing up words together in a beautiful fashion--it's about giving those words meaning in complex and intricate forms and makes us think outside of what we know.

I had heard a lot about Looking For Alaska, and didn't know what to expect--other than "an awkward blow job," said by John himself in one of his YouTube videos. And I'll be quite frank. "Before" the incident, I didn't think the book was as great as his others, because I'm not really a fan of unnecessary sexual content and Miles Halter wasn't anything that great compared to the other characters Green has created, so I was a little disappointed. But "after" the incident, I was swept away. The story really is beautiful and unique in its own way, and I literally finished the last three-quarters of the book in the waiting room when my mom when to go see the doctor. I want to highlight and mark up the entire book. It's so wonderful with such memorable characters and dialogue and--OH. It's just spectacular. The relationships between the characters were just awesome and by the end, you end up growing extremely fond for all of them. I loved the Colonel; he was probably my favourite character. 

John Green, sir, you made quite a debut, and I'm totally looking forward for my signed copy of "The Fault in Our Stars." It can't come soon enough.

Ryan 

2.5 stars

man, what a slightly morbid and depressing book. is it me or does this book give me both dead poets society and the perks of being a wallflower vibes altogether? not sure if that was a good mix.

Looking for Alaska

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