Being in two parts, in which this becomes almost more of an author review via two young adult novels
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Both “Eleanor & Park” and “Fangirl” are available in hardback and ebook formats from Amazon and Barnes&Noble. The collected works of John Green, “Romeo&Juliet”, “Special Topics in Calamity Physics”, and “The Book Thief” are also available in multiple formats from these two sellers.
Rating for “Eleanor & Park”: 3.5
Rating for “Fangirl”: 4.5
Brief thoughts on John Green:
He really does have a wonderful handle on the way teenagers speak and act — an apparently rare quality in the world of “Young Adult” literature. I highly recommend “The Fault in our Stars” (4.5) and “An Abundance of Katherines” (4) for examples of some of his best work.
Brief thoughts on “Romeo & Juliet”:
It is far from my favourite Shakespearean play, but it’s a beautiful piece, especially from a linguistic and poetic viewpoint. Because it’s Shakespeare, it still rates at a 4.5.
Brief thoughts on “The Book Thief”:
This is one of my top 10 favourite books I have ever read. Period. It’s brilliantly told — with the most unique and entertaining narrator I’ve ever encountered in fiction — with the kind of tragic beauty that only a top-rate storyteller could provide. When I finished this book, I was in a kind of catatonic daze that was to the extent that ‘book hangover’ doesn’t even begin to cover it. I think every person on the planet should read this book. It’s life-changing good. Giving it a 5 out of 5 seems unfair to it — it’s beyond any rating scale.
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