Paper Towns – John Green
Paper Towns is the first John Green novel I’ve ever read. I’ve heard lots of people talking about his books, so I thought I’d give Paper Towns a shot.
Blurb
Who is the real Margo?
Quentin Jacobson has spent a lifetime loving the magnificent, adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she opens his bedroom window late one night and summons join her on an ingenious campaign of revenge – he follows.
After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to find that Margo has not. Always an enigma, she now becomes a mystery and Q soon learns that there are clues to be followed.
My thoughts
It’s quite rare that I read a book narrated by a male, and sometimes, when I do, I find it difficult to relate with the main character. However, in Paper Towns, I really enjoyed getting to know Q. John Green creates a complete picture of all of the characters in the book, and develops each individual so brilliantly that I felt like I was part of Q’s friendship group, tagging along with them on their journey to find Margo.
I also enjoyed the relationships between Q and his parents, who are both psychologists. I have read so many books in which the main character dislikes his or her parents, so to be presented with a family with such a sweet bond was quite refreshing.
I found Margo complicated and ungrateful, and found it difficult to understand why Q was so intent on finding her, but at the same time, I absolutely believed that he would live his life with regret if he didn’t try his best to find her. I think the complexity of Margo is one of Paper Towns‘ charms. Even Q, and Margo’s best friend Lacey don’t really know what goes on inside Margo’s mind.
One of the best things about Paper Towns is that I really didn’t know what the ending would be, it’s not predictable at all. I often find myself guessing the outcome of a novel by the time I reach the middle, but Paper Towns kept me guessing until the very end.
My rating:
**** 4/5
Overall, Paper Towns is a thought-provoking and moving novel that highlights the importance of friendship, love and family, but it’s not a book that I imagine will stay in my mind forever, so for that reason, I’m giving it 4/5.
You might like Paper Towns if you enjoyed:
Stolen – Lucy Christopher
Boys Don’t Cry – Malorie Blackman
The Perks Of Being A Wallflower – Stephen Chbosky
Since finishing Paper Towns, I’ve already began reading another John Green novel – Looking For Alaska, so I’ll bring you my thoughts on that soon.
My favourite John Green book! (Along with TFiOS) I liked how complicated Margo was, and how the book showed that our perceptions of others are often flawed – like when Q says about Margo ‘she was an idea of a girl that I loved.’ It wasn’t really Margo he was so hooked on, but his idea of her. And I loved the countdown at the end – the tension. Also – some hilarious supporting characters.
Interestingly, it’s not actually a popular favourite John Green book. Lots of people love Looking for Alaska, which I also loved 🙂
Ooh, looking forward to reading this! I like the idea of a non-predictable ending.