Hey everyone! Today I'm here to ramble about one of my favorite books ever, An Abundance of Katherines.
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washedup child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun–but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.
So the first time I read this was a few years ago, when I was about eleven or twelve and I had no idea what a nerdfighter was and I was all "who's John Green?" It somehow made its way into my hands, so I read it. I liked it, too. But I don't know, I think I was too young or too not-yet-a-nerdy-girl-obsessed-with-books to really enjoy it.
I read it again a few weeks ago, and wow you guys. It's just so amazing. When I first read it, I was in that awkward middle school phase where I was convinced that liking books was uncool and nerdy people were losers. Which is not really the audience for this book. (Don't worry. I have totally gotten over that phase. *does nerdfighter sign* NERDS ARE AWESOME.)
I mean, the main character is a freaking prodigy. And he spends the entire book trying to come up with a formula that will predict future relationships. Like, a real math formula that can be solved. Now, even years later when I have fully established that I am a complete and total nerd, I still hate math. Okay, I don't really HATE it. I just don't understand it that well. So there were a few moments in the book where my eyes just glazed over and I was like HOW CAN ANYONE IN THE WORLD BE THIS SMART?
But I still LOVED the book. So don't worry, people who haven't read it yet. Sure, there's math and a really smart main character who knows everything and it's definitely very nerdy. But you don't need to, like, understand anything he is saying to enjoy the book.
An Abundance of Katherines is about a former child prodigy who has been dumped by nineteen girls. Oh, and they all happen to be named Katherine. This is a hilarious concept guaranteed to spark laughter, and John Green did not disappoint. Colin is book smart and nerdy and clingy and whiny and too trustworthy. He spends too much time feeling sorry about himself after being dumped by yet another Katherine. Yet, despite all of that, I love him. Colin is a really interesting character who just feels very real to me.
Also, Colin has a best friend named Hassan. More on him later, but basically: I LOVE HIM. Their friendship is the best thing ever. Seriously. I just... That was the best part of the book for me. Colin and Hassan just talking or driving or whatever. I am so in love with their friendship you guys it's kind of scary.
Overall, I just love this book so much. The characters are real and funny and I wish I knew them. The story is just so interesting and entertaining and hilarious and thoughtful all at the same time. And of course, the writing is amazing. Every thing about this book is just... awesome. Not that that's surprising, of course. We all know John Green is awesome :D
So... *clears throat* Here are some of my favorite things about this book, in a nice organized format:
Favorite Character: Hassan. Definitely Hassan. He is just hysterical. I love his friendship with Colin. It feels very realistic and adds a whole new layer to the book. Hassan's funny one-liners make me laugh out loud every time I read them. His character is the reason why this book is so comical. Also: DINGLEBERRIES.
Favorite Scene: It starts around page 166. When Colin and Hassan are in the woods, and there's a pig. And a gun. And a bunch of hornets. This scene made me cry because I was laughing so hard. Easily the best part of the entire book.
Favorite Quote(s): The thing with this book is there aren't all that many quotes that stick out to me. Mostly, the entirety of scenes or conversations stick out, and it's not like I can type whole paragraphs out here. But here's a funny quote between Colin and Hassan that I really like:
"'I figured something out,' he said aloud. 'The future is unpredictable.'
Hassan said, 'Sometimes the kafir likes to say massively obvious things in a really profound voice.'" -pg 213
Random Tidbit: I LOVE Colin's obsession with anagramming. It was a really interesting character thing that was just so entertaining to read. I kind of wish I could anagram like him. Every time I play Words With Friends, I fail to spell anything more complex than "net" or "top".
So yes. I apologize for the especially rambley and incoherent post. But it's really hard to put my feelings about THE BEST AUTHOR EVER into words. Look out for my ramble about Looking for Alaska tomorrow! It will probably be even more of me babbling and no one else understanding what I am trying to say. But oh well.
Have you read An Abundance of Katherines? Comment so we can ramble about it together :)
DFTBA.
-Rachel
P.S. This came in the mail today:
No comments:
Post a Comment