Turtles All the Way Down

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Published Oct. 10, 2017 by Random House.

ISBN:
978-1-5094-6081-6
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4 stars (39 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

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 …

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.

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 …

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