bashsbooks's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This is the most meh book I've read in a long time. There were things I enjoyed about it, but it was a slog to read because I found much of the plot, well, boring. Also, I don't recommend reading this in a digital format - because it has a lot of footnotes, it undoubtedly works better in print.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity and Fatphobia
Minor: Ableism and Islamophobia
marv_elous's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia
Moderate: Infidelity, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, and Dementia
rory_john14's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Alcohol, Cursing, Infidelity, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Ableism, Violence, Bullying, Fatphobia, and Gun violence
Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Death, Sexual content, Eating disorder, Blood, Body shaming, Racism, and Vomit
lindasoderlundd's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Dementia
leighvanne's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Body shaming, Grief, Islamophobia, Medical trauma, Blood, Bullying, Dementia, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Vomit, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Racism, Sexism, and Abandonment
Minor: Car accident, Gun violence, Addiction, War, Classism, Colonisation, and Excrement
merah's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity
nytephoenyx's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
medium-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? Yes
3.75
This is the part where I’m supposed to talk about how much I didn’t like An Abundance of Katherines. How I think it’s John Green’s worst book, how it’s completely unrealistic and the characters are unreliable and the romance(s) are ridiculous and the Muslim representation is a mess. I’ve been in the book community and I’ve been reading John Green long enough to know the community’s opinions on An Abundance of Katherines.
The thing is… I don’t feel that way at all. In fact, An Abundance of Katherine’s is my favorite John Green novel. It’s a highly controversial opinion and I won’t go so far as to say the book is perfect, because it’s not. There are a lot of things to address in this book, a lot of things that could have been done better, and I definitely wouldn’t go so far as to say the characters are likable, but I also think… this is a really interesting book. My favorite things about John Green’s novels are not the characters or the relationships or the surface plot. It’s the conversations within the book, the profound observations. I know that’s a bit snotty, but… I do like these things.
Let’s talk about Hassan first, because from his first introduction to the very end of the book, I found Hassan problematic. The way he speaks, the language he uses, all of it raised flags for me. He uses an Arabic word consistently that is offensive, and with such casualness it’s like saying “dude”. I also take issue with his pride over his weight, not because I think he should be self-conscious of it but because his sense of humor is so self-depreciating that it feels a bit fat phobic. Just me? … … … All this said, I have read An Abundance of Katherines multiple times assuming Green write this character without research, and in 2006, sensitivity readers were very uncommon. This time, I read the acknowledgements, and Green didn’t do this on his own. Hassan’s character was designed by collaboration with Green’s friend Hassan al-Rawas, who is Muslim himself and provided the Arabic words. I am not excusing the sketchy bits of Hassan’s character, but for years I didn’t realize Green had help with this character and I think it complicates the argument a little.
Colin Singleton, our protagonist, is incredibly self-centered but on the other hand, I feel a bit like Colin may be on the autism scale. On his website, Green says he had no intention to put Colin on the spectrum, so he’s not claiming to have written an autistic character. Colin is generally unlikable but his struggling for significance, to make a difference in the world… that is relatable and I like that part of the story. We also have Lindsey’s struggle to find who she wants to be, who she wants to be with, and how to be happy. Both Colin and Lindsey’s stories over the summer were relatable to me when I first read An Abundance of Katherines in 2008 and to some extent are still relatable because as humans we are constantly redefining ourselves.
I see why so many people are bored reading this book and don’t like Colin, Hassan, and Lindsey. Really, I do. I guess I just find Gutshot interesting, although incredibly idyllic in my experience of small towns. I want to know what happens with Hollis and the town. An Abundance of Katherines focuses on Colin’s venture to re-enchant/get over Katherine XIX but that is the least interesting part of the book. The interesting parts are what happens while Colin is distracted by his Theorem. As such, it’s a book written in layers but seems overly simple (because that’s what folks expect from Green) and it’s not going to appeal to many, many readers. In fact, I wouldn’t recommend An Abundance of Katherines to most readers – if they’re looking for a John Green book, I’ll likely recommend fan favorite Looking for Alaska.
But for me, I really enjoy An Abundance of Katherines. It’s a highly flawed book that takes a while to get into, but I am always engrossed and at the end, I’m happy I read it. For me, this is a good book. If you’re a fan of John Green’s other books, you probably will find this one disappointing. If you – like so many others – find the Green brothers pretentious and the definition of privilege, then you really won’t like this book. If you’re looking for an easy-to-read YA contemporary with flawed characters that are outside your normal types… An Abundance of Katherines is pretty good.
Original Review: 5 Stars (June 2016)
This was my first [author:John Green|1406384] book, back in... 2010, maybe? [book:An Abundance of Katherines|49750] is, for whatever reason, still my favorite. I think perhaps it is because of the random "not interesting" (totally interesting) random facts, or the fact I was Lindsey Lee Wells in high school, or maybe just because Gutshot is a fun little town... I don't know. But I love this book and the reading of this version was excellent. I'll definitely visit this audio version (and the hard-copy version!) again.
The thing is… I don’t feel that way at all. In fact, An Abundance of Katherine’s is my favorite John Green novel. It’s a highly controversial opinion and I won’t go so far as to say the book is perfect, because it’s not. There are a lot of things to address in this book, a lot of things that could have been done better, and I definitely wouldn’t go so far as to say the characters are likable, but I also think… this is a really interesting book. My favorite things about John Green’s novels are not the characters or the relationships or the surface plot. It’s the conversations within the book, the profound observations. I know that’s a bit snotty, but… I do like these things.
Let’s talk about Hassan first, because from his first introduction to the very end of the book, I found Hassan problematic. The way he speaks, the language he uses, all of it raised flags for me. He uses an Arabic word consistently that is offensive, and with such casualness it’s like saying “dude”. I also take issue with his pride over his weight, not because I think he should be self-conscious of it but because his sense of humor is so self-depreciating that it feels a bit fat phobic. Just me? … … … All this said, I have read An Abundance of Katherines multiple times assuming Green write this character without research, and in 2006, sensitivity readers were very uncommon. This time, I read the acknowledgements, and Green didn’t do this on his own. Hassan’s character was designed by collaboration with Green’s friend Hassan al-Rawas, who is Muslim himself and provided the Arabic words. I am not excusing the sketchy bits of Hassan’s character, but for years I didn’t realize Green had help with this character and I think it complicates the argument a little.
Colin Singleton, our protagonist, is incredibly self-centered but on the other hand, I feel a bit like Colin may be on the autism scale. On his website, Green says he had no intention to put Colin on the spectrum, so he’s not claiming to have written an autistic character. Colin is generally unlikable but his struggling for significance, to make a difference in the world… that is relatable and I like that part of the story. We also have Lindsey’s struggle to find who she wants to be, who she wants to be with, and how to be happy. Both Colin and Lindsey’s stories over the summer were relatable to me when I first read An Abundance of Katherines in 2008 and to some extent are still relatable because as humans we are constantly redefining ourselves.
I see why so many people are bored reading this book and don’t like Colin, Hassan, and Lindsey. Really, I do. I guess I just find Gutshot interesting, although incredibly idyllic in my experience of small towns. I want to know what happens with Hollis and the town. An Abundance of Katherines focuses on Colin’s venture to re-enchant/get over Katherine XIX but that is the least interesting part of the book. The interesting parts are what happens while Colin is distracted by his Theorem. As such, it’s a book written in layers but seems overly simple (because that’s what folks expect from Green) and it’s not going to appeal to many, many readers. In fact, I wouldn’t recommend An Abundance of Katherines to most readers – if they’re looking for a John Green book, I’ll likely recommend fan favorite Looking for Alaska.
But for me, I really enjoy An Abundance of Katherines. It’s a highly flawed book that takes a while to get into, but I am always engrossed and at the end, I’m happy I read it. For me, this is a good book. If you’re a fan of John Green’s other books, you probably will find this one disappointing. If you – like so many others – find the Green brothers pretentious and the definition of privilege, then you really won’t like this book. If you’re looking for an easy-to-read YA contemporary with flawed characters that are outside your normal types… An Abundance of Katherines is pretty good.
Original Review: 5 Stars (June 2016)
This was my first [author:John Green|1406384] book, back in... 2010, maybe? [book:An Abundance of Katherines|49750] is, for whatever reason, still my favorite. I think perhaps it is because of the random "not interesting" (totally interesting) random facts, or the fact I was Lindsey Lee Wells in high school, or maybe just because Gutshot is a fun little town... I don't know. But I love this book and the reading of this version was excellent. I'll definitely visit this audio version (and the hard-copy version!) again.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcohol, Fatphobia, Islamophobia, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content
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