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Summary and Reviews of Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Turtles All the Way Down

by John Green
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (12):
  • First Published:
  • Oct 10, 2017, 304 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Jun 2019, 320 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

#1 bestselling author John Green returns with his first new novel since The Fault in Our Stars!

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. 

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.

Hear John Green read the first chapter from Turtles All The Way Down:

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Reviews

BookBrowse Review

BookBrowse

While I've always enjoyed John Green's novels for smart (but not pretentious) writing and the natural vitality of his voice, Turtles All the Way Down is the first of his books where I felt his characters rise out of the pages to become their own complex, real-life people. Anyone who has enjoyed Green before will definitely find a new favorite here and even those who are on the fence about him may find new intricacies and nuance to his storytelling in Turtles...continued

Full Review (728 words)

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(Reviewed by Erin Szczechowski).

Media Reviews

The Globe and Mail
A full-on emotional bleed-out.... John Green hasn’t created a book as much as he’s created a place—a place to have your most indefinable and grotesque thoughts articulated, to ponder the disconnected reality you experience.

The New York Times
A wrenching and revelatory novel.

USA Today
A thoughtful look at mental illness . . . Turtles explores the definition of happy endings, whether love is a tragedy or a failure, and a universal lesson for us all: ‘You work with what you have'.

Entertainment Weekly
Funny, clever, and populated with endearing characters.

People
A tender story about learning to cope when the world feels out of control.

The Wall Street Journal
There is tenderness and wisdom here, and a high quotient of big ideas.

The Guardian (UK)
A new modern classic.

Booklist
Starred Review. A richly rewarding read…the most mature of Green’s work to date and deserving of all the accolades that are sure to come its way.

Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. In an age where troubling events happen almost weekly, this deeply empathetic novel about learning to live with demons and love one’s imperfect self is timely and important.

School Library Journal
A deeply resonant and powerful novel that will inform and enlighten readers even as it breaks their hearts. A must-buy.

Kirkus Reviews
Aza would claim that opinions about this book are unfairly influenced by 'the gut-brain informational cycle,' which makes it hard to say what anyone else will think—but this is the new John Green; people will read this, or not, regardless of someone else's gut flora.

Reader Reviews

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Beyond the Book



Green Tries to Erase the Stigma Surrounding Mental Health

John Green has never shied away from weighty issues. From depression and potential suicide in his debut novel, Looking for Alaska, to terminal illness in The Fault in Our Stars, and now obsessive-compulsive disorder in his latest novel, Turtles All the Way Down, it seems that Green is at his strongest when he is exploring such meaty and delicate topics.

In Turtles All the Way Down, Aza's obsessive-compulsive disorder affects every area of her life, and is constantly on her mind. Green has not been silent about his own struggles with OCD, and recently gave an interview with Time on writing about an issue so personal to him. "I had to write with enough distance from myself to make it OK, to make it feel safe. And so Aza has somewhat ...

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Read-Alikes

Read-Alikes Full readalike results are for members only

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