Overall Rating and Opinion of "Paper Towns"

Discuss the April 2015 book of the month, "Paper Towns" by John Green.
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How do you rate Paper Towns?

1 star - poor, recommend against reading it
3
3%
2 stars - fair, okay
15
16%
3 stars - good, recommend it
48
53%
4 stars - excellent, amazing
25
27%
 
Total votes: 91

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Scott
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Overall Rating and Opinion of "Paper Towns"

Post by Scott »

What is your overall rating of the April 2015 book of the month, Paper Towns? Do you recommend the book to others? Why or why not?

Don't forget to also rate this book by adding it to your Shelves using the Bookshelves page for "Paper Towns"!
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Post by Cee-Jay Aurinko »

Paper Towns is a really good YA book. The cast may be full of teens, but it is a really funny and enjoyable read even older readers will enjoy. While the prom-at-hand felt a bit old, there are a few things that set this novel apart from similar works. I rate this novel 3 out of 4 because it explores many things that have been done over and over again. But I enjoyed this novel pretty much and I recommend it to anyone.
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Post by Katherine E Wall »

Looking forward to reading this, and hoping that my copy shows up before May. Meanwhile, I have this awesome book of short stories I can recommend if anyone else is waiting for their copy of Paper Towns.
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Post by gali »

I will start it next week, after the holidays. 8)
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Post by ALynnPowers »

I personally loved this book so much. This is the first book I have read my John Green, and I think it was a good book to start with. I've heard that other books like The Fault in Our Stars will bring tears to your eyes, which I don't care for when reading a book... Well... this book had me in tears, but it was from laughing so hard at the banter between the three guys. Ben especially. He is pretty much my new favorite character out of all of literature.

A few parts, specifically concerning the poetry and what I guess were the "deep" parts of the book were a bit "meh" to me, but the rest of the book was so good that I could live with skimming through the boring parts if I ever feel the urge to laugh maniacally while reading a book again in the future. This one gets 4 out of 4 stars for me.
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Post by bookowlie »

I just starting reading this book last night and am loving it so far. I love the author's writing style.
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Post by melbuhtoast »

I really enjoyed this book. I had read The Fault in Our Stars first, so wondered how similar/different they would be. I thought that, while the formula for the two books was pretty similar (sassy female main character, sweet male main character, funny, quirky supporting characters), the feel of the writing of this book was very different in my opinion. I loved while the book was incredibly funny and silly at times, there was an underlying seriousness that gets woven in as well. Overall there was a lot to connect with, no matter the age of the reader, despite the fact that this is a YA book. I give it 3 of 4 stars.
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Post by teacher_jane1 »

"Paper Towns" is a funny, moving book with all the compelling characters and plot punch of "The Fault in Our Stars" but a grittiness that sets it apart. Green writes about a world both wonderful and familiar. His suburban streets and sidewalks, his neighborhoods and teenage friendships, are intimately known to his readers, but Green fills them with miraculous details and a sense of the potential, both glorious and terrifying, in the suburban world. The main characters, Q and Margo, grow up next door to each other in a typical suburban neighbor, but a horrifying discovery in a park drives them both closer together and further apart. As Margo descends into a dark underworld, both in her actions and in her mind, Q struggles to keep up with the changes in how he perceives the person--and the world--he's always known. When she disappears, Q's only hope of restoring his understanding of the world is to follow the string of clues she's left behind, into a world both darker and more beautiful that he could have imagined.

The book is chock full of great details, like the illegal visit to SeaWorld that will spark every child-at-heart's imagination, and Q's childhood dream of inventing a way to surround the Earth with rings like Saturn. But it's definitely a heavy read, especially for those of us who grew up in a world like Q and Margo's; the houses, streets, and sidewalks look eerily familiar, and as Q uncovers an unknown and unnerving world beneath the surface, we might feel our own worlds shifting a bit under our feet.
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Post by GOLDSAM1 »

Paper Towns is a good story, and lives up to The Fault In Our Stars.
The mystery element was really good too - would definitely recommend.
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Post by lennon_fontaine14 »

Of all the books written by John Green, Paper Towns was the book that I enjoyed and loved the most. It seems to be the same with the plot of Looking for Alaska, or the character of Alaska and Margo, but Paper Towns has this mystery thing that will wrap you around its magic.
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Post by bluemel4 »

I enjoyed reading this novel. Paper Towns is what John Green does best, write funny coming of age stories with a deep punch to the gut. I loved the honest moments between the characters and the clarity which only the end of something meaningful can bring. The strong use and even break down of metaphor. How a person has to be careful which metephor they use because it has the power to ruin their world. As ALynnPowers said it was a funny read. The parties and the breaking down of clique boundries were true to the final days of High School at least for me. I thought it was interesting that the book took the concept of not judging a book by it's cover and walking a mile in someone's shoes to a new level. Even if that level was constantly being beaten over your head. John Green has a way of making these amazing characters that I always end up caring for a great deal in the end.
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Post by amybo82 »

I thought Paper Towns was pretty good. I love YA literature, so I've read some other books by John Green (no, I haven't read The Fault in our Stars; too sad), and I really enjoy his writing style. I didn't find this book to be blow-my-mind amazing, but it was interesting, and it held my attention. I think I would have really enjoyed this book as a teen. I was really into philosophy and deep thought and conversations. As a jaded old librarian now, I was kind of annoyed by how selfish Margo was and how impulsive and short-sighted Quentin was. That being said, I also appreciate that these are qualities of teenagers, and I think the characters are really well-written.
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Post by L_Therese »

I first read this book when I was a teenager, and I liked it a lot better then. Maybe it was the charm of reading a book for the first time, but it doesn't seem so funny or deep anymore. I usually enjoy John Green, but his books don't merit a re-read. This time, Margo and Quentin seemed too self-absorbed, and I kept getting annoyed at them.
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Post by ALynnPowers »

lennon_fontaine14 wrote:Of all the books written by John Green, Paper Towns was the book that I enjoyed and loved the most. It seems to be the same with the plot of Looking for Alaska, or the character of Alaska and Margo, but Paper Towns has this mystery thing that will wrap you around its magic.
I read a review that said this book might as well be called "Looking for Margo" because it was basically the same story.
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Post by Jesska6029 »

Paper Towns is great! John Green always has a way of making me feel extreme emotions. This book made me howl with laughter, and at times, made me almost cry, but that's just because I get way too invested in the lives of fictional characters.
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