Sunday, March 24, 2019

Review: Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

35504431 Summary from Goodreads:

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts.

Review:


What I Liked:

Characters. As expected, John Green created characters that are easy to connect with. Aza was just that for me. I connected with her and her issues only after a few chapters. I liked Aza's love interest/friend Davis was a good character as well. I actually would have liked to see more with Aza and her mother, that seemed like an unexplored element in the novel. 

Anxiety/OCD rep. I struggle with anxiety/panic attacks so I connected deeply with Aza's struggle through the novel. It shows that John Green knows what he is writing about because it was so relatable. However, it was hard to read/listen to some of the novel because of what Aza has to go through. I was in tears while walking and listening to the novel. 

Writing Style. John Green's prose is so unique and inspiring. It was an interesting experience listening to his words instead of reading them, I felt that made them even more prominent for me. 

Audiobook. I listened to the majority of the novel in audiobook format. Kate Rudd, the sole narrator did a great job as Aza as the novel showed us her struggle with OCD. 

What I Disliked:

Mystery Plot. I really disliked the addition of the mystery of finding Davis's father and the whole reward money side plot. I think the novel would have been a lot stronger if it was cut out. It was unrealistic and kept taking me out of the story. 

Beginning. I struggled with the first two chapters or so to get into the story. I felt like the novel started off kind of weirdly, as they spied on Davis and Daisy got on my nerves (that part never stopped) and I almost put it down. However, once the novel started to focus on Ava, her OCD and relationships then it got so much better. 

Length. The novel was less than 300 pages. I felt like it could have been longer, focusing on more on Aza and what happened with her treatment plan. 

I recommend checking out this latest #ownvoices novel from John Green if you enjoy his writing style. It was a great read that covered important issues. 

Rating:

4 Stars Out of 5 Stars.

1 comment:

  1. I read this novel last year and reviewed it on my book blog. I also gave this ya novel a 4 out of 5 stars as well. Here's a link to my review of Turtles All The Way Down by John Green:

    https://captivatedreader.blogspot.com/2018/08/turtles-all-way-down-by-john-green.html

    I love audiobooks, so am sure I would have enjoyed listening the audio version of this novel as well.

    I thought that John Green did an excellent job of writing about OCD and giving an authentic voice to what it feels like for someone living with this condition. I learned that John Green has OCD via watching him talk about his experience with OCD on YouTube:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=16&v=jNEUz9v5RYo

    The mystery aspect of Turtles All The Way Down was fine with me. I thought it gave another dimension to the novel. I didn't like the abrupt ending to Turtles All The Way Down novel though.

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