It is pretty important to know the meaning behind paper towns, since it is the title of John Green's book. I've had pretty hit or miss luck with John Green lately. I loved The Fault in our Stars can can't wait to see the movie. I thought Looking for Alaska and An Abundance of Katherines were okay. Way too many curse words in my opinion. But Paper Towns did not disappoint. I loved the character development of both Quentin "Q" and Margo Roth Spiegelman (You just have to use all three of her names when speaking about her).
John Green is excellent with his character development. Even though Margo Roth Spiegelman ran away early in the book, she was still well developed from the messages and clues she left behind for Q to find. She was the planner of events, the internalizer, the one who liked things done her way. One quote that resounded with me, not because it was particularly wise, but for the nice detail into her character was a line she spoke, "Yeah. I'm a big believer in random capitalization. The rules of capitalization are so unfair to words in the middle." This line comes into play when Q recognizes writing of hers on an online urban dictionary that demonstrates this unique pattern of capitalization.
I also like Green's writing style and description. He is able to make even the smallest, minute thing important and appear in the reader's mind because he slows down his description. Check out this description and see if you can guess what he is describing: "There is so much to recommend this house. It is carpeted throughout. It has central air-conditioning and heating. The whole place is wired for surround sound. Admittedly, it contains only fifty-five square feet of living space. But you can't beat the open floor plan." Take a guess in the comments and I'll let you know next post. (This will also be a true test if anyone is still reading my blog since it is now summer break…)
