An Abundance Of Katherines (2006) - Plot & Excerpts
(Before you read this review you should read Kim’s excellent review of the same book. No, seriously, you should. Here’s a link:http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/... )Dear Kim,tThank you for recommending An Abundance of Katherines. I read the novel late last week and over the weekend, finishing off with a one hundred page marathon Sunday afternoon while I let my kids play video games and watch television unsupervised so I could reach the end. You know that magic “holy FUCK, I just read a great book…this is what it’s all about!” feeling? When time seems to stop and the air in the room breathes golden and you’re in a better mood for the rest of the day? I felt that as I closed An Abundance of Katherines. I owe you, big time.tOk, I should warn you we have an audience. I am posting this letter on a public website in which readers post book reviews. A little higher on the page I asked these readers to read your review before they read further. I even linked you review for them, but I bet some skipped right over the link because they already have too many windows for “work”, e.g. porn and facebook. Let’s agree we’re no longer responsible for their comprehension. tAnyway, I thought this quote was the most important in the entire book:I don’t really know how, he said, How do you just stop being terrified of getting left behind and ending up by yourself forever and not meaning anything to the world?tWe’re about the same age, right, Kim? So we’re at a point where our post high school road trips are pretty far back but we’ve retained (and hopefully will forever) the best parts of ourselves from our minefield adolescences. And I know you say this book left you running from the loss inherent in outgrowing the “I am free. I am young and I can do anything” sense of possibility. And I hear you. I’m not going to lie. We can’t do anything. We’re not going to become fashion icons and the chances of us becoming rock stars are pretty small. And we’re responsible enough not to haul our kids around the country in pursuit of a potentially harmful dream. So fuck that “follow your dreams” horseshit. But, to quote (including spelling) Prince, “I'm here 2 tell u--there's something else.” We don’t have to be terrified of getting left behind or ending up alone forever and not meaning anything to the world. Why? Well, first off, because of kick ass psychiatric medication. Second, because we have friends and we’ve learned to appreciate the quiet sometimes, the sense, late at night or early in the morning in the dark, that we fiercely and freely stood true to ourselves, even the bad, socially inept parts, and, much to our surprise, we still have friends and people who love us. Back when we graduated from high school (I know I’m taking liberties by grouping us together, but I don’t care, I think you’ll understand) we felt the desperate need for authenticity. We couldn’t be inauthentic, at least most of the time, because we staked our sense of self on being ourselves, as fucked up as ourselves might have been, and we couldn’t fool ourselves. And that was scary because who we were then didn’t fit well with, you know, jobs and college and survival. But here we are, decades later, and we could be doing a hell of a lot worse, don’t you think? We could have given up. We know people who have given up and never quite got past who they were at 21. That would have been inauthentic for us, too, and we weren’t going to let that happen.I can’t imagine how you’ve felt over the last couple of years and how hard you’ve worked for your kids’ well-being. I’ve known you virtually for a couple years, now, and at times you’ve been both Colin to my Hassan (although I’d like to skip the man-boobs) and Hassan to my Colin. And I think of the second important quote in An Abundance of Katherines:I don’t think your missing pieces ever fit inside of you again after they go missing.tWe can own our pasts for all they are. But hell, we’re around forty, and with medical science and all that we could live pretty well for at least a couple more decades. Right? And instead of worrying about pursuing our own geniuses or Katherines we can watch our kids grow up and matter in ways that go forward instead of backward. I like being 41 and knowing who I am more than being 20 and insecure. I was so scared of the world at 21, even if I was free. Now I’m not afraid of much and feel freer than ever. Bring it on. And we’re free, Kim, because we don’t have to worry about mattering in the old ways anymore. And some days will suck, of course, I don’t mean to say otherwise, but we have found our personal Gutshots, for now, and can get in Satan’s hearse and ride to the next one when necessary. I don’t want to put the missing pieces back inside of me. I want the joy and excitement of creating new pieces. I don’t mean that I’m going to have a midlife crisis and start dating twenty year olds or something sad and pathetic like that. And I’m sure as hell not talking about peppy “When I am old I am going to wear purple” bullshit. I’m saying I can let all that go and be sane and quiet and happy with who I am for probably the first time in my life. Colin/Hassan, fuck TOC, tampon strings, and feral pigs. We can choose, a little at a time, to be happy, once we embrace who we are without guilt or regret. We can matter. Eureka. An Abundance of Katherines reminded me of the power of friendship, the life-giving nature of storytelling, and that, even when I’m alone, there are people across the country who know what I mean.In your review you say “This book really does give hope if not understanding the need for hope.”Don’t forget that applies to you, too. Enough of all this serious talk. Let’s go to Hardee’s. Shotgun.I am honored to be your friend.Sincerely,RAP.S. If Michael Cera or Jessie Eisenburg play Colin in the movie version, I swear I’m going to fucking kill.
Picture this: You used to be a childhood prodigy. Member of an academic game team. You excelled in school. You were special. You met a girl named Katherine and the two of you started dating.Then she dumps you.Then eighteen more girls named Katherine dump you.Suddenly, you're a teenager with no claim to fame except for your former status as a prodigy. No new ideas. No girl. No plans for the summer excepting wasting away in your room and moping.This is not your life. But it is Colin Singleton's life immediately after his graduation from high school.Given Colin's history with girls, you might not be surprised that John Green chose to name his second novel An Abundance of Katherines. After sulking for several days after being dumped (again), Colin is dragged out of his room by Hasan, his best friend. Hassan is confident that the only cure for Colin's depression is a road trip. So Colin and his Judge-Judy-loving, overweight, Muslim pal head off for the great beyond that is the United States between the coasts. Their road trip stops in Gutshot, Tennessee. But the adventures don't. Hired by a local bigwig to compile an oral history of Gutshot, Colin and Hassan find themselves staying with Hollis and her daughter, Lindsey. It is in Gutshot that Colin finally has what he has always wanted, a truly original idea. Thus, Colin begins to create a theorem of love in his attempt to understand his own rocky love life.Most of my friends who have read this book and Green's first novel Looking for Alaska agree that his second novel is not as compelling a read. Having only read "Katherines," I cannot make a judgment one way or the other. What I can say is that I loved the style of this book. There has been a growing trend to use footnotes in novels--notable examples include The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Johnathan Stroud, Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next novels, and Ibid A Life by Mark Dunn which is a novel written entirely of endnotes. Green continues that tradition here to good effect.The tone throughout is quirky, nerdy, and generally fun. I don't know that reading this novel will change any lives, but it will certainly get a lot of laughs. The best parts are, undoubtedly, the dialogues between Hassan and Colin. The guys are just so likable! In addition, Green's writing is snappy--all the better to keep the laughs coming. Like Nothing but the Truth by Justina Chen Headley, this book includes a bit of math. The "real" math behind Colin's theorem appears in the back of the book in an appendix and Green even has a website where you can use the theorem for your own relationships (if it doesn't crash your computer). Despite all of that, Green is a self-proclaimed lost cause when it comes to math. (The theorem was drafted by friend (and "resident mathematician" for Brotherhood 2.0), Daniel Biss.) I wanted to share this for a couple of reasons. First, because I think it's great that Green is writing outside of what some might call his "comfort zone" and, second, because it should illustrate that you don't have to like math to enjoy a book that features a lot of math.Anyway, if you need a cheerful book with some fun, lovable characters I don't think you can do better than this book which was recently nominated for the LA Times Book Award in addition to being selected as a Printz Award honor book (Looking for Alaska won the actual Printz Award, just to put that into perspective).
What do You think about An Abundance Of Katherines (2006)?
Check out this audiobook!I received a hard-disc copy of this audiobook for free in exchange for my honest opinion. Full review to come. 3 of 5 stars (Please read my rating system further below. I think listening to this book as an audiobook really enhanced my experience while indulging in the story. Because of that, I would really like to thank Brilliance Audio for sending me a copy of the audiobook, it made me enjoy the book so much more than I would've if I had physically the book. My favorite part about this book would have to be the characters. Colin is such a smart ass who had so much more to experience in life while Hassan was just a guy who wanted to shit for the hell of it. The drastic difference between their personalities really made their quest so much more fun. I loved Colin's obsession with the fact that he needed a "Eureka" moment, it was fantastic and one of the things that I'd expect a child prodigy not to be expected because his life is literally supposed to be filled with "Eureka" moments (come on, he's a genius!!). Overall, I really liked the "finding yourself" moral/theme that the book took (I think by now that it's time that I realize that the "finding yourself" story is John Green's specialty). It's not my favorite John Green book, but it was worth the listen/read! My rating system: (I do use half stars.)5 - I do not use the 5 star. Not because a book might not be worthy, but because a book is never perfect.4 - I loved it! There weren't too many flaws, and I had no trouble getting through it. (A 4 star rating is the highest rating I've ever given a book.)3 - I enjoyed the book, but there we're flaws that made me enjoy it less.2 - I finished the book, but there were too many flaws for me to enjoy it.1 - I could not finish the book, and I probably did not finish it....
—Grace (LovingDemBooks)
____________________________________________ “Books are the ultimate Dumpees: put them down and they’ll wait for you forever; pay attention to them and they always love you back.” ____________________________________________ 2 DISAPPOINTING STARS!You can find the full review and more about this book on my blog!You don't know what expectations I had about this book.I have read other John Green's book like Looking for Alaska and The Fault in our Stars and really liked them especially the first one,also the hype about this book is insane so I thought why not.Guess I thought wrong.This book sure contains the marvel of John Green's smart writing,and it is so realatable,especially if you are a nerdy teen with tumblr,and that's smart and unique in a way,and I gave this book 2 stars just because of that.In the other hand it is boring,like ultimately boring.First I thought the idea with dating only girls named Katherine would be interesting or fun,but it turned out to be so dull and I really thought of not finishing this book.The only part of the book I did like was the ending and the famous John Green tumblr-ish positive message and to be honest was good.I really wanted to like this book.____________________________________________ “What is the point of being alive if you don't at least try to do something remarkable?” ____________________________________________The characters were also the famous author's characters.If you are have read at least 2 books by this author,you can guess.A nerdy smart boy who happens to meet a popular unhappy girl,from who he learns about the beauty of living free and young,and also falls in love with.I did not like his sidekick,Hassan.He was annyoing and similar to some persons I do happen to know in real life,who I dislike a lot.The story follows a boy named Colin,who is a prodigy(a really smart kid) and has this weird habit on dating only girl named Katherine.He has dated 19 Katherines and was dumbed by every single on of them.Devestated by his last break up he decides to go on a trip with his only friend,Hassan.They happen to go to this small town where they meet Lindsey,and her mother Hollis,who offers a job and a home.They decide to stay and there Colin stars his theorem about the relationships and everything start to happen in Colin's life.Things he never ecperienced before.____________________________________________ “I figured something out. The future is unpredictable.” ____________________________________________ I recommend this book if you are into smart books.It was so slow for me,but the ending is good and it is a positive book.If you are super into John Green's books then you should read this!
—Etnik
This was definitely my least favourite book by John Green. For starters, Colin was absolutely unbearable. I disliked him so much and I hated listening to his inner monologue. He was so pretentious, arrogant, self-centred and he was just plain horrible. I didn't like the constant anagrams, maths, graphs or his theorem rants. This book didn't really have much of a plot apart from focusing on Colin and so I just didn't like it. His constant ramblings about Katherine drove me up the wall. He compared EVERYTHING to Katherine and it was so annoying. Nothing happened in the book and it felt like Paper Towns all over again. I did like Hassan. Why someone like Hassan would be friends with someone like Colin is beyond me. My feelings about Lindsey are sort of confusing. On one hand I sort of liked her and on the other I sort of hated her. At the end of the day though she is basically Alaska / Margo. Alaska and Margo were also popular and pretty yet empty inside and completely miserable. Colin also felt very similar to John Green's other male protagonists. I think characters are John Greens downfall. He kind of just recycles all of his characters and I just want more from him! There was no character development or proper plot. The best thing about it was the writing. John Green does have a way with words, I just don't think he properly utilised that talent with this book. Another thing I didn't like was the way some of the characters were described. I don't know whether that was down to John Green's writing or Colin's perception of them but I found it distasteful (particularly the way Hassan and a waitress were described). I wouldn't recommend this to anyone but I love John Green so I'm going to keep reading his books.
—Sarah
