A review by ameliaflint
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

adventurous hopeful lighthearted reflective 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

3.5

I enjoyed this book moderately. It was okay. I was sort of entertained the whole time. Meh. Unlike many other reviewers, I actually found the characters to be a strong set, and ultimately likable while being quite flawed. But there were a few jarring things in this book that made me side-eye John Green a little. First - Hassan is a walking representation of every fat stereotype ever. It's okay to have fat characters and yes, it's okay to have them like food or like TV or out of shape but gosh darn Hassan was just too much. It felt like his only personality traits were being fat and being Muslim. AND BOTH ARE OKAY THINGS TO INCLUDE IN A CHARACTER'S PERSONALITY BUT HE'S ACTUALLY A WHOLE PERSON WITH OTHER THINGS GOING ON. And second, there was a running trope of Lindsey having traits of 'not being like other girls'. Near the beginning they comment on how different she acts around her friends and how when she's with Colin and Hassan she's just 'one of the boys'. There's also a lot of remarking on preferring girls without makeup, and Lindsey and Katrina are constantly compared and pitted against each other. Overall, it's okay. Read it. Or don't. But be wary that you will get angry at the author. A lot.
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