Review : An Abundance of Katherines
An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Pages : 272
Genre : YA
My Rating : 
I read this book about three weeks ago when we were still on our vacation, sitting around the pool and sipping my drink in a coconut (I do miss that a lot!) An Abundance of Katherines was such a great surprise that I read it in one sitting. I was completely hooked to the story and the characters!
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton’s type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. He’s also a washed up child prodigy with ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a passion for anagrams, and an overweight, Judge Judy-obsessed best friend. Colin’s on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which will predict the future of all relationships, transform him from a fading prodigy into a true genius, and finally win him the girl.
Some guys like blonds; others like blue eyes; Colin likes Katherines. His type is linked to the name rather than physical appearance, and why not? It’s an original idea, one that gives you a good glimpse at the author’s sense of humor. His character, Colin, was refreshing to me; how great is it to have a male lead instead of a female one in a novel that has a lot to do with love? And Green does it well enough; the story is just a good mix of fun, realism, and extraordinary adventure.
The characters made the story exciting; they were original and detailed, in such a way that I immediately imagined this book being turned into a movie. They had strengths and weaknesses, and the friendship between the two guys was absolutely believable – maybe because in some way, it reminded me so much of the friendship some of my guy-friends had at that age. This is one book I wouldn’t be afraid to recommend not only to girls, but also to some guys! I read certain passages to the Man and he laughed, so that’s a good sign! (The man usually reads things with guns, swords, science-fiction or historical settings).
This may not be a life-changing book, but it is certainly a fun, quick read, perfect as a beach read! And Green’s writing is on point on so many occasions, I could easily feel Colin’s misery or happiness along the story. He also makes a great use of footnotes and anagrams, which makes the reading more surprising, varied.
I loved it so much that I already added Green’s other novels on my TBR list, and tonignt I ordered Looking for Alaska. Hopefully it will get home fast!
Things to note : some language and one sexe scene.
I have this on my reading list for tomorrow. I cannot wait to read it.
I’ve been hearing a lot of about John Green lately, and I think I’ll have to try him out. This sounds like a fun and quirky read, and definitely one that’s great for the beach. I’m going to keep this in mind for the honeymoon in July!
This was my first experience with John Green, and I definitely dug it! I have to say that in hindsight, I love the book even more than I did upon first reading… I was a bit underwhelmed at the time, but I’ve thought a lot about Colin’s takes on love since then.
My favorite quote:
“I don’t think you can ever fill the empty space with the thing you lost. … That’s what I realized: if I did get her back somehow, she wouldn’t fill the hole that losing her created.”
I think about that all the time 🙂
Great review! I really thinking you’ll like Looking For Alaska — it’s very moving. But be prepared… definitely haunting, too.
John Green is fantastic – his other books are even better than Katherines, in my opinion. They’re more serious (although certainly still funny in parts), though. I hope you enjoy them!
I don’t mind the seriousness, so it’s a good thing! I thing his writing is so close to what I felt as a YA, that I can absolutely imagine it written in a more serious setting.
the premise of this book cracks me up! i’m so happy i started book blogging when i consider all the books and authors i would have missed! i love your review and am off to check out this book. thanks. 🙂
Yes! Someone else loved this book! A lot of people I know found it disappointing, so it’s great to see it get some love. I agree with Fyrefly that his others are even better, though 😀
Vasilly & Steph : I really hope you’ll enjoy it too! It’s definitely a quick, fun read!
Megan : What a great quote! I was trying to decide which quote to add to my review, but there were just so many. But that one is beautiful; thank you!
Nat : I share your feelings on that; I discovered so many books since I started visiting readers’ communities and book blogs. An Abundance of Katherines is one of those many, many books I added to my TBR list. I read more now, and from more different categories than I used to!
Nymeth : I get why this book could be disappointing tosome people; I read that some thought the sense of humor might be a little “rude”, but personally I thought it was silly enough to work! Now I’m very curious about his other books. I got “Looking for Alasaka” and will probably be reading it soon, for my Summer Reading Blitz challenge.
I agree with the comments about all the great books you find out about when you become a blogger. This one wasn’t on my radar either. I’m going to have to get it. I liked your review alot too! Great job! Random thought–The girl on the cover reminds of Jessica Biehl for some reason, is it just me? 🙂