Skip to content »

Fixed on Fiction

Turtles All the Way Down by John Green

Fixed on Fiction met in June to discuss Turtles All the Way Down by John Green-

Sixteen-year-old Aza never intended to pursue the mystery of fugitive billionaire Russell Pickett, but there’s a hundred-thousand-dollar reward at stake and her Best and Most Fearless Friend, Daisy, is eager to investigate. So together, they navigate the short distance and broad divides that separate them from Russell Pickett’s son, Davis. Aza is trying. She is trying to be a good daughter, a good friend, a good student, and maybe even a good detective, while also living within the ever-tightening spiral of her own thoughts

-Summary courtesy of Goodreads.

Overall Turtles received very mixed reviews in FoF. Here are some of the initial comments readers made while discussing this month’s title:

  • Thumbs up. I love John Green’s way of doing dialogue. I really felt like I was in Aza’s head. It reminded me of the film Love & Mercy. An experience I could not imagine.
  • Thumbs up. This raised my level of empathy. It’s not so easy (for Aza) to just let go of these thoughts. I also read How to Stop Time which has some similarities.
  • This wasn’t for me- I didn’t finish it. But I did keep thinking how dreadful it is just to be 16 and to be 16 and have these issues is unimaginable.
  • I liked it, but if I followed the 50 page rule I wouldn’t have proceeded. John Green’s style…it’s almost exhausting to hear him speak. But the empathy and the compassion comes through that. I thought the conversation about describing pain through metaphor was spot on.
  • Thumbs down. John Green and I just don’t get along. Every character IS John Green. They’re all super sharp and witty. I couldn’t get behind the idea of two teenagers debating philosophy under the stars. The depiction of mental illness was very on point. Very poignant. People don’t understand just how uncontrollable mental illness can be. “Just don’t think about that,” is an impossible concept for Aza.
  • Thumbs up. I felt so sorry for Davis and Noah. Read sort of like a modern day version of The Bell Jar.
  • Thumbs down. It certainly captures mental illness very well. The backstory with a billionaire and his lizard just didn’t work for me.  

What we’re reading & watching:

The Americans

Genius

Safe

The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Two Steps Forward by Graeme Simsion

I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had by Tony Danza

Add new comment

Plain text

  • No HTML tags allowed.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
  • Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether or not you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

777 Front Street Lisle, IL 60532 | Phone: 630-971-1675 | Fax: 630-971-1701 | Hours: M-F 9:30am-9:00pm, SAT 9:30am-5:00pm, SUN 1:00pm-5:00pm