Turtles All the Way Down

Paperback, 320 pages

Published June 11, 2019 by Penguin Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-525-55537-7

(34 reviews)

SIXTEEN-YEAR-OLD AZA NEVER INTENDED to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there's a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at sake 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.

In his long-awaited return, John Green, the acclaimed, award-winning author of Looking for Alaska and The Fault in Our Stars, shares Aza's story with shattering, unflinching clarity in this brilliant novel of love, resilience, and the power of lifelong friendship.

This description comes from the publisher.

19 editions

Alex Cabe reviewed Turtles all the way down by John Green

Effective, if not a Lot of Fun to Read

3 stars

I thought this book was very effective as an anxiety simulator and did a great job illustrating the thought patterns of a person with anxiety and OCD. It had the hook of a traditional mystery, which was quickly de-emphasized in favor of a character study/coming of age. The reason I rated it three stars instead of four is that it just wasn't very fun or enjoyable to be in the protagonist Aza's head. I know that's not necessarily the book's job, but it's a reason I found it worthwhile but not something I'd like to revisit. It made me think of the movie Uncut Gems, which is a great anxiety simulator, but two hours is a different prospect than seven.

The amount that the characters used texting and the internet felt also true-to-life, but not very fun to read.

There was a lot of dorm-room philosophizing as self-conscious quirk, but …

The amount that the characters used texting and the internet felt also true-to-life, but not very fun to read.

There was a lot of dorm-room philosophizing as self-conscious quirk, but it's a John Green book, so I knew that going in.

I liked Daisy, the Aza's best friend, a lot better than Aza herself. Daisy was sometimes immature and insensitive, but I leaned more to her side whenever she was in an argument with Aza. She was an effective device both for readers without anxiety to identify with and to show the effects of anxiety on other people in the anxious person's life. Whenever Daisy wasn't on the page, all the other characters should have been asking "Where's Daisy?"

Note on the Audiobook version: Kate Rudd is great at changing her voice to give the characters individual voices. Only complaint is that she gave Davis kind of a meathead voice.

Trey Hunner reviewed Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Review of 'Turtles All the Way Down' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

I'm not going to rate this on a five star scale. That's John Green's thing.

I don't normally read romance, young adult contemporary, or fiction revolving around mental health. This was an interesting mix of topics and I'm glad I read this.

John Green's YouTube and podcast episodes are both philisophical and cheesy at times, but enjoyable both despite and because of that. This book is similar. The audiobook I listened to was narrated by Kate Rudd, but I could hear how John Green would read much of it.

There was little plot movement (I suspect this might be common for YA fiction though) and quite a bit of character development, some of it very emotional. I needed to pause and think while listening at various times.

I appreciated this book. I don't know whether you will. If you like John Green in general, you'll probably enjoy it.

Enno reviewed Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Review of 'Turtles All the Way Down' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

There isn't much happening here, was my first thought, bit I think that's a little bit the point. Most of this book os happening in the head pf Aza, a teen struggling with OCD. Good portrayal of mental illness, worthy of a John Green novel.

patchworkbunny reviewed Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Review of 'Turtles All the Way Down' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

On the surface Turtles All the Way Down sounds like a typical John Green story; missing eccentric billionaire and a teen trying to find him with the help of her best friend. I'm not the biggest fan of his but I had heard that the character Aza was based on his own experiences of OCD, so I gave it a chance. And Aza is what wins this book.

Now I know a lot of people don't like this book because it bills itself as a mystery or they are expecting a romance they can root for, and these things are really quite secondary. It takes place in Aza's mind and her mind is a busy, messy place. Her Obsessive Compulsive Disorder revolves around her fear of catching and dying from clostridium difficile (C-Diff). She has worried a wound on her finger for years, now leaving an open sore which she has to regularly check, and re-open, which just makes her fears worse. She spirals in her thoughts, there are "turtles all the way down".

The book shows her going to therapy and discussing drug treatments, how she avoids them but her therapist pushes her to keep trying to find something that works for her.

I loved her friendship with Daisy. Aza isn't into Star Wars but Daisy is a massive fan girl and writes Chewbacca romance fan fiction. She can deal with her best friend having different likes. There is a part where it shows how mental illness can put stresses on relationships but good ones will hold out. I liked that their misunderstandings weren't drawn out, they are good friends.

It feels like Davis has been put there for a romance at the start but I think he's there to show how OCD can get in the way of forming romantic relationships. He's the billionaire's son, but really quite sweet. He and his younger brother don't stand to get anything from their father's disappearance, the whole estate is being left to a tuatara, a reptile known for longevity.

I liked the ending, it was saying you will be OK, maybe not know, but things will be better, you just have to brave the storm.

Shawn Towner reviewed Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Review of 'Turtles All the Way Down' on 'Storygraph'

2 stars

Starts off strong, but then it just meanders. It felt like reading the same scene over and over, with just the characters' pretentious references to art and literature changing.