In English - John Green - Paper Towns

After reading more and more articles about John Green in this blog I like, I decided to finally read another of his novels, Paper Towns, soon on screen.

Title: Paper Towns

Author: John Green

Genre: YA novel

Year: 2008

Country: USA

Summary

   Quentin Jacobsen, a teenager, used to be a very close friend of his neighbour Margo Roth Spiegelman. He is still in love with her and admires her amazing and special personnality. But they barely talk to each other anymore. One night though, Margo comes into Quentin's room through the window and takes him with her on a punitive expedition to take revenge on some of her friends who betrayed her. Quentin feels proud and happy to be the one she chosed. But the next day, Margo disappears, only leaving some clues for him to discover her retreat. With the help of his best friends Ben and Radar, and Margo's former best friend Lacey, Quentin will go on a search for Margo.

My opinion

   First of all, Paper Towns is a page-turner. I couldn't help going on reading it. Quentin's attempts to solve the puzzle Margo left him made the book fascinating; I felt like I was reading a crime novel and really liked that. I also liked the passages in the abandonned shop, because I am currently fascinated by Urbex (urban exploration); I think I am sensitive to the mysterious charm of abandonned places, and I found this charm was felt in the novel.

   But I have to confess one thing: I couldn't become attached to the characters. It was the same as in The Fault in our stars. I guess I felt this way because I find John Green's eccentric teenagers quite artificial. I could have loved this book, but I thought it had something unfinished, in a way.

   Last but not least, the novel made me laugh a lot. Quite a guilty laugh, though, the humour being rather vulgar. The writing has, to my mind, nothing extraordinary.

   I have to mention the very end of the novel, that I loved and found remarquable. 

   So my opinion on this book is mitigated... I liked it better than  The Fault in our stars though.

To conclude

4/5, artificial but quite fascinating

   I will probably go and watch the movie as soon as it will be released in France and may write my thoughts about it on my blog or on the Facebook page.