Reviews with content warning for Death - Χάρτινες πόλεις

Reviews tagging 'Death'

Χάρτινες πόλεις by John Green

36 reviews

natttbuggg's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring reflective fast-paced

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

4.5

I think this is a really good deconstruction of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl (MPDG). The whole book we follow Q who learns that people cannot be treated as anything but a person and that the imaginings of who a person is says more about the person imagining them than the person themselves. In the first part of the book where Q and Margo go about doing the last 11 things she needs to complete he rarely gets to see her without any obstruction. This perfectly shows how Margo is a concept to Q rather than a person. How Q cannot clearly see who she is rather what he wants her to be. Margo is not leaving clues or trying to be a mystery, Margo is trying to be Margo. I did like how each character has “their own Margo” that they are trying to find and, in their minds, ultimately save. In looking for Margo Q finds a new found appreciation for people, not as windows, mirrors or doors but as people and that there is still beauty in that.

I can see the similarities between this and Looking for Alaska but I think this one did it better. I am going to rewatch the movie but from what I remember of both adaptations Looking for Alaska’s adaptation was better (partly because it was a show not a movie) and I believe that PT is better than LFA.

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stuck_in_a_good_book's review against another edition

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adventurous funny mysterious medium-paced

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

4.75

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kelreadsbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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meganlovesreading's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.25

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chowie's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

I enjoyed the characters and the adventure. It was a book I wanted to keep reading and finish, but the end left me feeling underwhelmed. I understand that the main character, through the story, had much personal growth and gained some beautiful friendships. However, the end made it seem that all his hard work and adventure was for nothing. The ending left questions unanswered, actions of the characters unexplained and my heart unsatified.

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grboph's review against another edition

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adventurous dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0

I read this book in middle school and decided to re-read it after finding a copy in a junk store for a quarter. My perception of it was definitely different this time around. I think the characters were well-developed, the story was compelling and entertaining, and the general message (that we never really know what is going on with other people and that people and things never exist in the ways you imagine them to) was nice, and that it was conveyed in a unique, creative way. I do think it tries a bit too hard to be profound at times (like the extensive and at times exhausting use of Walt Whitman quotes) and that it could have gotten its message across just as effectively without being so emo about it. While I loved Radar, Ben, and Lacey as characters (as well as Q's parents), I found the characters of Q and Margo to be sort of insufferable. Unfortunately, they are the two main characters, and the story is all about Margo and told from Q's point of view. In short, I thought Q was incredibly self-centered and for someone whose parents are both therapists, he had a remarkable lack of awareness that girls also, in fact, have thoughts and feelings and lives just like everybody else. Margo clearly had some mental health issues and shitty parents, but I still found her to be a bit "not-like-other-girls"-y and in my opinion, she does not treat those around her with the greatest degree of respect or kindness. In conclusion, I enjoyed reading this book due to John Green's writing and the interesting story, but the fake-deepness and annoying narrator definitely made me reconsider why I enjoyed this book so much when I was thirteen. (Of course, maybe that says something about the book's target audience, but I digress.) I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good road-trip story or is into books that are pretty meta and reference lots of other books to move their plots along.

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