Reviews tagging 'Suicide'

Looking for Alaska by John Green

291 reviews

rhiannon814r's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

"One night... I heard a psychologist say that Americans would organize their memories around [9/11]: before and after. It occured to me that we almost always measure time in relation to what matters most to us... The story I wanted to tell was about young people whose lives are so transformed by an experience that they can only respond by reimagining time itself." -John Green on Looking for Alaska

As a (still somehow) young person with her own ever-growing list of Afters... yes. We're all stuck in the labyrinth. "The labyrinth sucks but I choose it." The best any of us can do is keep trying to seek the Great Perhaps.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Child death, Death, and Alcohol

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Cursing, and Suicide

Minor: Body horror, Death of parent, Sexual content, and Vomit

joseph1984's review against another edition

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Drug use, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Abandonment, Death, Death of parent, Vomit, and Alcohol

shelbynik's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Death, Alcohol, Suicide, Cursing, Car accident, and Mental illness

autopsy's review against another edition

dark emotional funny sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

A truly heartfelt and melancholy book that deals with loss, grief and friendship. John green has the incredible ability to describe settings in immense detail and completely immerse the reader. This book will always be a favourite of mine, having gone through something similar. Much love to John Green and his fantastic novel writing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Sexual content, Drug use, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Suicide

Moderate: Car accident

tita_loves_literature's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Suicide, and Car accident

aumi7055's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Car accident, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Alcoholism, Bullying, Addiction, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Death of parent, Sexism, and Sexual content

unravledwords's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

Pudge has Anakin Skywalker syndrome. Whine and bitch and change nothing. Selfish. Annoying teenage boy. So pretty accurate. 

Alaska doesn’t exist outside of being a sexy girl with a tragic backstory. Would like to know more about Alaska’s dad and their relationship. 

I want to know more about The Colonel, honestly. A boy from little means who is not ashamed of his home or mother, whose mother isn’t a tragic drug addict or “welfare queen” who got into a ritzy private school on his own accomplishments and is probably the smartest mf there but is humble. He was right to shout Pudge down after

Spoiler

Alaska died. Was it suicide? I don’t think it was planned but in the moment and given the opportunity, she took it. Passively suicidal until the door opened.

Laura and Takumi are uninteresting. Takumi was only there to wrap up the “loose ends” of confirming that P+C’s theory was right,

Spoiler

about forgetting her mother’s death anniversary.

Laura was just “another girl” to add a little conflict.

Will Wheaton read the audio book but I didn’t know that until the end and it explained why I was annoyed with the narrator the entire time. 

5/10 for some thought provoking moments, and exactly 1 interesting character we didn’t get to learn about other than “wow poor kids can be smart too.” I do like Alaska and it’s not her book but she deserved more story. 

Pretty solid though if you come at it from the perspective of the intended audience. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent, Suicide, Alcohol, and Death

jessroberts13's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Minor: Child death, Suicide, and Alcohol

kkuecker218's review against another edition

hopeful mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Suicide, Alcohol, Death, Death of parent, and Sexual content

gemstonejasper's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I put off reading this book for so long and I wish I hadn't. For some reason, I thought it was about something completely different. It was a really good read and I finished it in just a few days (which is fast for me). I really enjoyed and related to Alaska and the other characters. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Grief, Child death, Suicide, and Mental illness

Moderate: Bullying, Death of parent, Cursing, and Car accident

Minor: Sexual harassment