Basically Books! discussion

GoodReads Description

A deeply affecting coming-of-age story, Looking for Alaska traces the journey of Miles Halter, a misfit Florida teenager who leaves the safety of home for a boarding school in Alabama and a chance to explore the "Great Perhaps." Debut novelist and NPR commentator Green perfectly captures the intensity of feeling and despair that defines adolescence in this hip, shocking, and emotionally charged work of fiction.

Miles has a quirky interest in famous people's last words, especially François Rabelais's final statement, "I go to seek a Great Perhaps." Determined not to wait for death to begin a similar quest, Miles convinces his parents to let him leave home. Once settled at Culver Creek Preparatory School, he befriends a couple of equally gifted outcasts: his roommate Chip―commonly known as the Colonel—who has a predilection for memorizing long, alphabetical lists for fun; and the beautiful and unpredictable Alaska, whom Miles comes to adore.

The kids grow closer as they make their way through a school year filled with contraband, tests, pranks, breakups, and revelations about family and life. But as the story hurtles toward its shattering climax, chapter headings like "forty-six days before" and "the last day" portend a tragic event―one that will change Miles forever and lead him to new conclusions about the value of his cherished "Great Perhaps."


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I'm going to read this with you this month :) I'ts my first John Green and I'm very excited about it!! ^^

Planning to read this in a couple of days. :)

Read it yesterday; it was a pretty good book. I'm going to wait for others to have time to read it before I make further comments though.

I read this book and I won't lie that I liked it, but was disappointed in character development. There just seemed that something was missing.

Yeah, character development could have done with a bit more work. I've seen worse though, and the characters did show signs of personality; they may not have been as well rounded as they could have been, but they weren't entirely flat either.

Agreed, just seemed to miss something. I did like it over all.

I didn't notice the character development issues... I guess I was too focused in finishing it as soon as possible because I loved it too much.
Alaska annoyed me a little bit at the beginning, though... but then tha feeling changed

Yes, it was easier to like Alaska when you learned more about her. I think that was intended though.