John Green

Aza Holmes, a high school student with obsessive-compulsive disorder, becomes focused on searching for a fugitive billionaire.

Turtles All the Way Down

You stare up at the same sky together, and after a while he says, I have to go, and you say, Good-bye, and he says, Good-bye, Aza, and no one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.

You remember your first love because they show you, prove to you, that you can love and be loved, that nothing in this world is deserved except for love, that love is both how you become a person, and why.

Spirals grow infinitely small the farther you follow them inward, but they also grow infinitely large the farther you follow them out.

“The problem with happy endings,” I said, “is that they’re either not really happy, or not really endings, you know? In real life, some things get better and some things get worse. And then eventually you die.”

The world is billions of years old, and life is a product of nucleotide mutation and everything. But the world is also the stories we tell about it.

You’re both the fire and the water that extinguishes it. You’re the narrator, the protagonist, and the sidekick. You’re the storyteller and the story told. You are somebody’s something, but you are also your you.

“God, Mom, please stop saying that. I know you’re not trying to make me feel pressure, but it feels like I’m hurting you, like I’m committing assault or something, and it makes me feel ten thousand times worse. I’m doing my best, but I can’t stay sane for you, okay?”

Maybe we invented metaphor as a response to pain. Maybe we needed to give shape to the opaque, deep-down pain that evades both sense and senses.

The worst part of being truly alone is you think about all the times you wished that everyone would just leave you be. Then they do, and you are left being, and you turn out to be terrible company.

What I love about science is that as you learn, you don’t really get answers. You just get better questions.

“What is it then?” “There’s no reason.”

Is there a way-down-deep me who is an actual, real person, the same person if she has money or not, the same person if she has a boyfriend or not, the same if she goes to this school or that school? Or am I only a set of circumstances?

“I don’t mind worriers,” I said. “Worrying is the correct worldview. Life is worrisome.”

I liked the idea of being with someone, but the actual mechanics of it didn’t much suit my talents.

I was so good at being a kid, and so terrible at being whatever I was now.

We are about to live the American Dream, which is, of course, to benefit from someone else’s misfortune.

Anybody can look at you. It’s quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see.

The thing about a spiral is, if you follow it inward, it never actually ends. It just keeps tightening, infinitely.

my favorite genre: science and existential crisis

If half the cells inside of you are not you, doesn’t that challenge the whole notion of me as a singular pronoun, let alone as the author of my fate?

But I was beginning to learn that your life is a story told about you, not one that you tell.

Una nueva novela de John Green, el autor del bestseller internacional Bajo la misma estrella, con más de 15 millones vendidos en todo el mundo Aza nunca tuvo intención de investigar el misterio del multimillonario fugitivo Russell Pickett. Pero hay una recompensa de cien mil dólares en juego, y su mejor y más atrevida amiga, Daisy, no está dispuesta a dejarla escapar. Juntas, Aza y Daisy recorrerán la corta distancia y las enormes diferencias que les separan del hijo de Russell Pickett, Davis. Aza lo está intentando. Trata de ser una buena hija, una buena amiga, una buena estudiante y, tal vez, incluso una buena detective, mientras vive en la espiral cada vez más oscura de sus propios pensamientos, una y mil veces hasta siempre. En este esperado regreso, John Green, el aclamado y premiado autor de Bajo la misma estrella, Ciudades de papel o El teorema Katherine, nos cuenta, con una claridad desgarradora e inquebrantable, la historia de Aza en esta brillante novela sobre el amor, la resiliencia y el poder de la amistad para toda la vida. ENGLISH DESCRIPTION "Wrenching and revelatory." An instant #1 bestseller, the widely acclaimed Turtles All the Way Down is John Green's brilliant and shattering new novel. "A tender story about learning to cope when the world feels out of control." - People Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there's a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett's son, Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, shares Aza's story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship.

Mil Veces Hasta Siempre

En otras palabras él sentía que su capacidad de razonar y llevar un proceso cognitivo era lo que le hacía humano. Si es que eso tiene sentido en una oración.

O bien que si bien su realidad percibida podría ser falible y/o errónea, el hecho de que el él la experimentada y la pusiese en duda era suficiente para demostrar que tenía lugar en la realidad "objetiva". De vuelta, si eso tiene algún sentido.

(Estoy tirando cosas, no asumiendo nada sobre la filosofía teórica de Descartes.)

Mari

—(...) Estás encerrada en un yo que no te parece del todo tuyo, cómo Molly Bloom. Pero además en tu caso ese yo suele sentirse muy contaminado.

—Pero das demasiada importancia tus pensamientos, Aza. Los pensamientos solo son pensamientos. No son tú. Y aunque tus pensamientos no formen parte de ti, tú sí.

—Pero tus pensamientos son tú. Pienso luego existo, ¿no?

—No, la verdad es que no. La expresión completa de la filosofía de Descartes sería «Dubito, ergo cogito, ergo sum». «Dudo, luego pienso, luego existo.» Descartes quería saber si de verdad podía saberse si algo era real, pero creía que su capacidad de dudar de la realidad demostraba que, aunque la realidad podría no ser real, él si lo era. Eres tan real como cualquiera, y tus dudas te hacen más real, no menos.

Y entonces me preguntó si estaba tomándome el escitalopram cada día, y le contesté que cada día no. Y entonces empezó a contarme que la medicación solo funciona si la tomas, que tenía que ser constante y cuidadosa con mi problema de salud, y yo intentaba explicarle que hay algo enormemente extraño y triste en la idea de que solo puedes llegar a ser tú mismo ingiriendo una medicación que cambia tu yo.

Sentía la tensión en el aire, y sabía que él estaba buscando la manera de volver a alegrarme. Su cerebro daba vueltas al lado del mío. Yo no podía alegrarme, pero podía entristecer a la gente que me rodeaba.

Expected a mystery plotline... but the intense description of her episodes had really gotten into me. It's nice to know there are representation of mental conditions from known authors out there. :) 

I jumped into this book thinking it would be a teen crime/mystery solving plot only for it to go completely different. Don’t get me wrong the writing is beautiful and the depiction of OCD and spiraling mentally gets relatable. I didn’t really know where this book was going half the time but i think that just depicts youth and teen years perfectly. 

lily

julia

Anna 

Šestnáctiletá Aza to nemá v životě lehké. Trpí OCD a její hrůzné myšlenky jí ovládají život. Stýská se jí po otci, a i když má nejlepší kamarádku Daisy, přijde si sama. Jednoho dne se ovšem doslechne o zmizení místního miliardáře, Russella Picketta. Za jakékoliv informace o něm vás čeká odměna 100 000 dolarů. Aza shodou náhod zná Rusellova syna Davise, kamaráda z dětství, a rozhodne se ho společně s Daisy navštívit. Po čase jí ale dojde, že odměna možná není ten pravý důvod, proč s Davisem začíná trávit tolik času...
✩
Moje druhá Greenovka je úspěšně za mnou, a já jsem moc ráda, že jsem si ji přečetla! Nejvíc mě zmátla originální anotace, protože mi slibovala veliké pátrání po Pickettovi, které se nekonalo, a já z toho byla následně trochu mimo. Proto jsem vám sem sepsala svou vlastní anotaci, která se příběhu snad blíží víc. Jedna želva za druhou nebyla tak romantická a klišé jako Hvězdy nám nepřály, které se mi nelíbily a kvůli kterým jsem od Greena už nechtěla nic číst. Naopak, tahle knížka se mi líbila, protože jsem se dozvěděla něco víc o lidech s OCD, což bylo velice zajímavé, protože i já sama mám někdy takové podobné stavy, akorát že 100x menší :). OCD hraje v knize velikou roli, narozdíl od romantiky, a to je za mě velké plus. Příběh sám o sobě dost kolísal, ale utíkal rychle, což je taky plus, když už se tam nic nedělo. 
✩
Knížka si podle mě zaslouží 4*/5*, a tu jednu hvězdu ubírám za to, že anotace mluvila o nějaké úplně jiné knize a příběh svým způsobem moc neexistoval.

Megan Parrott

John Green’s books are an easy escape; yet there’s always a rewarding payoff. The plot was a little far-fetched (which seems par for the course), but I found the characters and themes to be well-rounded and universal. Some of the prose is nauseatingly cute: “Everyone always celebrates the easy attractiveness of green or blue eyes, but there was a depth to Davis's brown eyes that you just don't get from lighter colors, and the way he looked at me made me feel like there was something worthwhile in the brown of my eyes, too.”

Ryan Mateyk

I'm feeling kind of conflicted about this because John Green is an awesome writer and really a master of realistic dialogue but I felt like nothing much happened. The synopsis as well doesn't reflect this book at all. It makes it seem like a nice light-hearted teen mystery but it's really heavily focused on anxiety and mental health and they investigate the disappearance of the billionaire for like 5 minutes.

Regardless it was still an enjoyable read.

Could've been a whole lot better easily but overall an okay read. Also, very little plot mainly vibes (suffering). 

Mal 

Rizaldi

A different take on a story about high school/teenagers. One of those stories where the main character is not the "perfect" type.

Había estado buscándolo hacía un tiempo, tuve la buena fortuna de encontrarlo en descuento en la Feria del Libro.

Había estado buscándolo hacía un tiempo, tuve la buena fortuna de encontrarlo en descuento en la Feria del Libro.

Es particularmente personal.

Nabila Azahra

Reading this terrified me. I felt so connected to Aza that I can feel her fears, I can feel her anxiety and I can feel how frustated she is with her own thoughts. And I love that John Green is focused on the main aspect "mental health" instead of making it into boy-cures-everything kinda book. If you asked me, who my favorite character is, I would say Noah is my favorite. He doesn't get involved too much in this book, but everytime he confessed of how he missed his father, how he does everything just to get his father coming back is just so... heart breaking and I sympathize him a lot.

chloe rae

*4.5
I didn’t plan to read this in a day but as soon as I got past Chapter 1, I was ALL IN. 
I missed John Green. I missed his writing. There were so many stunning quotes in this book; he truly is a fantastic writer. 
I found Aza to be absolutely fascinating. I did relate to her on some occasions but mostly, we are two very different human beings. I found her struggle to be so eye-opening and real. I loved her best friend, Daisy. I loved Davis. I loved how all of the relationships in this story were dealt with such care and authenticity. I found myself loving everything. This book just feels important; I feel like it’s a book I’ll be thinking about for months.
The only reason this isn’t a 5 star is because of the plot. It couldn’t quite figure itself out. It was one way and then diverted from that to something else but then went back? I thought that could’ve been stronger or more concrete. Regardless, I really loved this. I don’t even think I can fully express details for why I did. The perfect read at the perfect time.

This is a signed edition. Limited quantities available. "A wrenching and revelatory novel." - The New York Times "Green finds the language to describe the indescribable. . . . A must-read for those struggling with mental illness, or for their friends and family." --San Francisco Chronicle #1 New York Times Bestseller * #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller * #1 International Bestseller * USA Today Bestseller It's quite rare to find someone who sees the same world you see. Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there's a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett's son, Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts. In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, shares Aza's story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship.

Ryan 

3.75 stars

it really took me a while to think what i should rate about this book. i love and hate this book simultaneously that shows how much of a hard time i had. for the first john green novel i’ve ever read, i can totally see why people really like him as a writer. although i really find these deep philosophical dialogue and writing to be mostly unrealistic (though i quite enjoy reading his writing that’s...interesting) and the way this mystery plot to just be the background of what’s really a relationship between aza and davis, i do applaud green for portraying an underlying theme that can resonate well with many people who have a hard time with their mental health. i also want to praise for bringing an evocative visual on his mental health without making aza, the main character, truly about him.

note: i’m pretty intriguing of what his other books can make me feel. let me know what’s really the best john green book that might top turtles all the way down.

can't believe i still find myself relating to a john green character even after high school ended !

Ally

I don't know what to think . . .

There were some amazing quotes but not a lot of action

Danielle 

quianna

roro

i didn’t think i’d like this book but i did end up really loving it. i thought it’d be more about the missing father but instead it took a different approach which i thought was interesting but anyways i loved it!

Mary Makarious

** spoiler alert **
           Disclaimer: I personally really love the Green brothers, as authors and as content creators.

Turtles All the Way Down follows Aza, a junior in high school incapable of experiencing high school "normally" due to tight, never-ending, all-consuming "thought spirals". Aza isn't new to these thought spirals but has been actively trying to go to therapy in an effort to feel present, attentive, and in control of her own being, without much success.

The writing here is incredible, a good mix of self-reflection, learning from others, and unfiltered honesty. What initially bothered me about the novel, but upon reflection realize it was intentional, is we know relatively very little about the surrounding characters around Aza. However, this is a topic mentioned in the novel by her best friend, and I believe Green, through his writing, was giving us Aza's world-view, and how these all-consuming thoughts left little, if any, room to absorb and process her relationships and what's around her.

These thought spirals, her way of describing the inescapable cycle of OCD and anxiety that prompts irrational thoughts are, to me, the real strength of this novel. Green tries to articulate what we all struggle with when it comes to pain and reflects on this in the novel - how language inevitably fails us when we try to articulate our pain or powerlessness to intrusive (AKA "invasive") thoughts so we turn to metaphors. Additionally, while done with the best intentions, Aza describes why the constant asking/declaring that someone is "improving" or "feeling better" is exhausting, burdensome, and causes even more stress, as you know they want reassurance you're okay when you aren't.

I did appreciate that this was a "slice of life" and Aza was honest about where she is at, and tried to explain to others that they should not "wait" until she is "better". I'm not sure how it relates to people with diagnosed OCD and/or anxiety, but as someone who's always anxious, a lot of these thought processes resonated with me. However, I give this 4 stars because both the major story outside of the character development and the massive fight between Aza and her best friend Daisy had gotten resolved/ended so abruptly.

Kyle McDonald

This book had all the potential of having some great twist, or like any interesting thing happen but it just didn’t. It started off with a huge mystery but then 50 pages in the most interesting part was just dealt with. I really don’t understand what the point of this book was.

jae sachet

Charlotte Horne

Again, John Green's writing has surpassed all expectations.

Melissa Palmer

Book #3 Read in 2018
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

This book has been getting mixed reviews online but I really liked it and read it in one day. Aza is a teenager who is dealing with OCD, mental health issues and the death of her father. As if that is not bad enough, she is also dealing with high school drama such as friendships and dating. The boy she is seeing, Davis, has his own issues as his rich father is wanted for a white collar crime and has taken off, leaving Davis in charge of his younger brother. This read was a good mix of realistic fiction, mystery, romance and humor. I recommend it.

This is the story of Aza Holmes as she struggles with debilitating OCD, love and grief. There's also the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, and a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake.

— This book is so profoundly dear to me. Never has a book touched me as intensely, as intimately before. 

Life can be hard, specially when your own brain seems to be working against you.

As someone who's been struggling with OCD all her life, never have I ever seen such a honest depiction of it. It was madding at times, as if I was reading my own thoughts on paper. 

Never have I felt so understood, with all my own spirals.

It's so good I'd advice my fellow people with OCD to proceed with caution, for it's so real it might affect you if you're going through a particularly bad time.

This book has such a rawness to it, the portrait of love and grief ever-present.

I'm actually in tears right now, as I'm writing this review. I just love this book so much, it's as if it has become part of me, in a way. I constantly think about it, and I want to re-read it constantly, despite not always being able to do so. 

I wish I had more control over my mental wellbeing, for a mere glace at the first line of this book has me undone.

As much as I adore the characters, the overall feelings this provokes overpower everything else.

After my dramatic and emotional review you might expect this book to be heavy - and yes, it is; but it's also not. It's hard hitting but it's also so hopeful, with such a real focus on love: love for your family, love for your friends, love for the almost and love for the fragility of it all. 

Nikas

This is the story of Aza Holmes as she struggles with debilitating OCD, love and grief. There's also the disappearance of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, and a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake.

— This book is so profoundly dear to me. Never has a book touched me as intensely, as intimately before. 

Life can be hard, specially when your own brain seems to be working against you.

As someone who's been struggling with OCD all her life, never have I ever seen such a honest depiction of it. It was madding at times, as if I was reading my own thoughts on paper. 

Never have I felt so understood, with all my own spirals.

It's so good I'd advice my fellow people with OCD to proceed with caution, for it's so real it might affect you if you're going through a particularly bad time.

This book has such a rawness to it, the portrait of love and grief ever-present.

I'm actually in tears right now, as I'm writing this review. I just love this book so much, it's as if it has become part of me, in a way. I constantly think about it, and I want to re-read it constantly, despite not always being able to do so. 

I wish I had more control over my mental wellbeing, for a mere glace at the first line of this book has me undone.

As much as I adore the characters, the overall feelings this provokes overpower everything else.

After my dramatic and emotional review you might expect this book to be heavy - and yes, it is; but it's also not. It's hard hitting but it's also so hopeful, with such a real focus on love: love for your family, love for your friends, love for the almost and love for the fragility of it all. 

<3

Turtles All the Way Down

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