I read Paper Towns on my way to (and from) Prague in a quiet German bus. I was only interrupted when the initial announcement came on that you get wifi on the bus and that they hope we enjoy the trip. The weekend in Prague was a success, but I found reading the book hard. Why?
I found that I just didn’t like the characters. Quentin, also known as Q, is the main character we follow through this journey. I guess the main point here is that he isn’t very friendly towards his friends in his single-minded goal. Q’s character felt dry to me. I don’t know why but he was stale.
We come next to the character Margo. She’s an adventurous spirit who leaves her hometown without a trace. Maybe it’s America, maybe it’s me, but I find it unrealistic for a child (although she is legally an adult) to just disappear. Obviously, not everyone will agree with me, and that’s fine.
Lastly, I will join the next two characters Marcus (Radar) and Ben into a paragraph. I thought these two characters were far more interesting than Q. At least Ben is the funny guy, and Radar is the guy whose parents collect black Santas.
To sum it up, I’m glad I read the book, but I think it’s a weaker story than John Green’s other books.