Turtles All The Way Down- Review

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Kishor Rao
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Turtles All The Way Down- Review

Post by Kishor Rao »

TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN – REVIEW
-KISHOR RAO
Even though there are no situations where you have to eulogize your dearest one, or suffering from a deadly disease, desperation to get out of the labyrinth, or crave to get a nod of acceptance from the society, TURTLES ALL THE WAY DOWN is darker and heart breaking in its own ways. After five long years since his last release, ‘The Fault In Our Stars’, John Green returns without losing his talent of narrating a fantastic story in his very own style with this book.
Aza Holmes, ‘Holmes’ probably because she is somewhat forced to become a detective, is a teenager living in Indianapolis, Indiana with her mother has severe anxiety problems. She goes to school with her best friend Daisy who is a diehard Star wars fan and a popular author of Star wars fanfic. The duo stumble upon the news that the billionaire Russell Pickett is missing and there’s a hundred thousand dollar reward to those who reveal his whereabouts. Daisy is eager to investigate. Aza went to a summer camp with the billionaire’s son Davis and Daisy convinces her to pursue the case of ‘The Fugitive Billionaire’ as Aza calls it to get the reward.
Aza suffering from anxiety problems and with her obsessive compulsiveness is almost always stuck in her ‘Thought Spirals’. She constantly thinks about micro biome, reading articles about it on internet, worrying that she might get ‘C.diff’ a microbial disease from which she might die. Whether she manages to get out of her ever tightening spiral of thoughts and will she be able to solve the mystery of ‘The Fugitive Billionaire’ is the story of Turtles All The Way Down.
Aza doesn’t have to put much effort to make you love her. She’s lovable, quirky, intelligent and pessimistic. She’s so pessimistic that she almost always uses double negation in her dialogues. Once you start noticing it, it’s highly impossible to not observe it. You get so engrossed in her that whenever she tries to do something stupid which is terribly dangerous for her life but she has to do it anyways to calm herself down from her thoughts, you desperately want to make her stop. You literally start searching other options to make her calm down. Her struggles to become a good daughter, a good friend, a good girlfriend (she can’t even kiss a boy because she fears that his microbes will transfer into her body) is heart rendering.
You will be glad to have her friend Daisy. She lights up every scene in which she’s there with fun and laughter. There’s also a very subtle romance between Aza and the billionaire’s son Davis. Because of the kind of book it is, the therapy scenes must have been great but the clichéd Indian psychiatrist doesn’t have as much good advice to give Aza as much we expect her to.
I wouldn’t say the book is unputdownable but it sure is an amazing read. John Green, as always touches the broader aspects of life. Life goes on whether you like it or not. Either things will get better with time or you will at least find a way to live with your flaws and sorrows. The beautiful never ending references to the metaphorical spirals of thoughts give both bright and dark implications. It’s up to you whether you follow it inwards where it tightens infinitely or outwards where it widens infinitely. Either ways you have no option to get rid of your thoughts and neither do you have a say in what thought would ‘you’ like to reflect upon.
I rate this book 4 out of 4 because of its excellent narrative style and characters. Readers both young and old would find it an amusing read. There are some mind blowing quotes which you won’t forget for a long time.
Happy Reading.
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Vscholz
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Post by Vscholz »

I didn't realize this book had already been out for so long! I love John Green novels and this one seems more like An Abundance of Katherines than Looking for Alaska. Every one of his books has been a quick read for me and this one is no different.
As for you & your heart & the things you said & didn't say, she will remember them all when men are fairy tales in books written by rabbits. (Schmendrick the Magician)
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HollandBlue
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Post by HollandBlue »

What an interesting title for a book! It sounds like an entertaining mystery story with good character development. Thanks for your review!
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Eaduddell
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Post by Eaduddell »

This book was so tragically beautiful. This was the first of any of John Green's books that I have read, I definitely need to read more.
I also enjoyed how Aza you almost felt like Aza was there, like she was real, right in front of you. I too wanted to be able to grab her and say don't drink it or let your finger scab, it'll be okay. I also really wanted to hug her. I love how Green goes so deep into the writing to help the reader really see what it's like living in the head of someone with mental illness. It was so incredibly heartbreaking but at the same time it wasn't completely tragic because she was okay, and she knew she would be okay.
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Fatima_Palacios
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Post by Fatima_Palacios »

All John Green's books always leave me with a feeling of sadness and contentment and i can tell this would not be the exception. I've been putting this book off for a while because i dont want to be disappointed but your review helped me realize that this is John Green i have nothing to be worried about.
"and if I die trying, then at least I tried."
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MagicInBooks
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Post by MagicInBooks »

Turtles All The Way down is one of those books that you understand the title a little bit more through out the book. I found it so fascinating how John Green had managed to grasp the struggles of OCD and the overwhelming amounts of anxiety into it while incorporating mystery and romance above it all. Truly one of my favourite John Green books out there, maybe thats why I couldn't put it down!
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Duvina Grace
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Post by Duvina Grace »

The book is honestly eye-opening and life changing. I don't know how John Green describes and grasps the concept of OCD so accurately. The book may not have a plot twist, BUT his writing fills up for it. Every incident is described so beautifully and thoughts are portrayed in a way that only John Green can.
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Post by meghankelly009 »

Thank you for this amazing review of the Turtles All the Way Down. I loved Green's "The Fault in Our Stars" and I was really looking forward to this piece. I was not disappointed. I couldn't agree more with your review. I feel he took everything one step further with this book. It was darker and at times difficult to get through because of the writing was so emotionally heavy.
It's a great example of how YA can spur discussion and educate while also entertaining the reader.
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Post by A_simple_Hamster »

The second John Green's book that I've read, and absolutely loved (even more than The Faults in Our Stars,really). I found the friendship between Aza and Daisy very realistic, not just one of the many idealised sugar-coated relationship that one may find in book of this genre :animals-gerbil: :animals-gerbil:
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Trouvaille11812
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Post by Trouvaille11812 »

Always love reading books by John Green. They take you to another zone altogether and gives you a totally different take on life. The Fault in Our Stars is one of my favourite books. But if you compare it with Turtles All The Way Down, this book takes the lead when it comes to the quotes. The lead character Aza Holmes is captivating and you can relate to her at all times. An absolutely amazing book that you must read.
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Barbie_sidhu
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Post by Barbie_sidhu »

John Green is my ultimate favorite author and Turtles All The Way Down has been my best read from all his books so far. I read it between the lines and enjoyed every second of it. Thanks for the review.
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yapashley
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Post by yapashley »

John Green is one of my favourite authors! I recently bought Turtles All The Way Down but have only read the first few pages. Even from the start, John Green has always been so eloquent with his writings. To be able to capture such unique thoughts and create a unique character like Aza. The story is fascinating and I can't wait to understand Davis Pickett.
Carolyn1854
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Post by Carolyn1854 »

John Green has this particular way of storytelling and I really enjoy his books. But this one didn't give me the feelings that his other books does. I would rate it a 2 out of 4. Beacuse I think this is an average read
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VISHWA129
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Post by VISHWA129 »

I really need to get to this book. I love John Green's books and I was so excited when this one first came out. I got it almost immediately but was too busy to start reading. I tried starting it a few months ago but I only got through about 50 pages when I felt the need to put it down and start something else. I'm sure I'm going to like this book and I should give it a second shot, but I don't know when I will get to it because I remember being a little confused the first time around. I've also heard mixed reviews about it, which is only making me hesitate more.
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mmandy38
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Post by mmandy38 »

I love John Green and this book was no exception. I agree that I love how he can touch on aspects of life that may be hard but necessary to deal with. I immediately wanted a part 2 to this book once I finished it though.
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