Not quite as good as I'd hoped

Paper Towns
von John Green

Bewertet mit 3 Sternen

Quentin Jacobsen spent his whole childhood loving the magnificent Margo Roth Spiegelman who lives across the street. Some day, a few weeks before their graduation, Margo cracks open a window to climb into his life. She is dressed like a ninja and wants him to come with her to do an ingenious campaign of revenge and Quentin follows. A new day arrives an Q discovers that Margo has now become a mystery. But he soon learns that she left clues and they are only for him. So he tries to connect the dots and to find the true Margo Roth Spiegelman.

„The way I figure it, everyone gets a miracle. […] My miracle was this: out of all the houses in all the subdivisions in all of Florida, I ended up living next door to Margo Roth Spiegelman.“ (P. 3)

Opintion

The Writing

I really loved the writing. It was so lifelike, youngish and quirky. Although some of the plotlines are unbelievable but that doesn’t matter because it was fun to read Paper Towns.

„If I had a nervous breakdown every time something awful happened in the world, I’d be crazier than a shithouse rat.“ (P. 6)

Story and Characters

I like that John Green always writes about characters who are kinda queer and outsiders or really really weird. They are unique and have clear personalitites. I loved all of them, Ben and Q and Radar we’re really funny. Q was a little naiv but I liked the personal journey he undertakes in this book. But Margo was just so self-centered. I liked her at the beginning of the book but I really hated her at the end.

Which brings me to the story itself. I hated the end. I thought about it quite a while but I don’t like the end at all. But I can’t tell you why, because I don’t want to spoil. I think you can imagine what I mean, when you read it.

But nonetheless I loved Paper towns. Because of the writing, because of the characters and because of most of the story. Quentin loves Margo from ajar. The we’re good friends in their childhood. But their friendship cooled down soon and they live separate and independent lives. Until Margo one night stands at Qs window and persuades him to come with her on a night of revenge. During that night, they reconnect and Q hopes that everything will be different the next day at school.

He is right about that but not in the way he hoped for. Margo ran away, which she did lot of times before. But this time, she left clues for Q. And so he starts to follow those clues and to find her. Ben and Radar are more or less at his side to help him. It was a funny, curious story. It tried to be a story with a life lesson but I think that could have been better. The last part and the beginning we’re way better than the middle. This second part dragged a bit for me, it really slowed down a lot. I think there was a bit to much talk and preparation for prom, even though Q hates prom. And the clues became a bit monotonous.

„Margo always loved mysteries. An in everything that came afterward, I could never stop thinking that maybe she loved mysteries so much that she became one.“ (P. 8)

Conclusion

I loved the writing – a typical John Green. Q, Ben and Radar are authentic and funny characters which made me lough a few times. I loved the first part and the last part but the middle dragged on a bit to long. There was just not much happening and it was a bit monotonous. The las part was my favorite and the funniest. But I really hated the end and Margo. But because I became very fond of Q and his friends and I loved the writing Paper Towns still gets three out of five stars.