An Abundance of Katherines

Reader reviewed by MssJos

Colin Singleton is a washed up child prodigy who never quite achieved genuis status. Despite his impressive anagramming abilities, his sexy jew-fro, and winning $10,000 on a gameshow called KranialKidz, he is in a serious slump. He has just been dumped by K-19 (the 19th girl he has dated named Katherine), and he can't seem to find the missing peice of him she took with her.

Luckily for Colin, he has an underachieving best friend, Hassan, who is determined to prevent Colin from wallowing in self-pity. Hassan and Colin leave Chicago and embark on road trip that takes them exactly where they need to be. Green shows us that contrary to popular belief, sometimes it's not the journey that matters, but the destination. Set on proving a theorem on relationship predictability, Colin researches his past, analyzes the present, and attempts to predict his future using his mathematical abilities.

I have had this book for quite sometime but had put off reading it for several reasons. Mainly because I despise math, and between the math and the anagramming, I thought this book would be a nightmare. However, by page 11, I myself had a crush on Colin (and the anagramming is ironically entertaining). Green shows that even child prodigies can be unpretentious and lovably clueless. The randomness of Hassan and Colin's interations accurately depict young adult male friendships. Hassan provides comic relief (we're talking laugh out loud funny) and a necessary balance to Colin's serious demeanor.

Several quotable passages make this a thought-provoking read as well as an entertaining one.

"You can love someone so much, he thought. But you can never love someone as
much as you can miss them." (p.105)

"Books are the ultimate dumpees: put them down and they'll wait for you forever;
pay attention to them and they'll always love you back." (p.110)

Due to the abundance of four-letter-words and plenty of sexual references, I probably couldn't get this book into my classroom even if I begged, but I would definitely recommend it to friends. Green is a seriously talented writer with an amazing ability to capture audiences of all ages and both sexes. Colin is one of the most unique protagonists I have ever come across. Picture Adam Brody in the movie version, but quirkier and less confident. I can't wait to read Looking for Alaska!

Reader reviewed by Adriana M.

I read this John Green title because of all the good stuff I had read about "Looking for Alaska". It took me a while to get into the story, and although I'm usually a pretty fast reader, it took me about three weeks to get through it. I did end up really liking the main character, but personally I couldn't get into him and his friend leaving town and ending up in such an 'off' place. I guess this is what appeals to reluctant readers and those who want to read something truly unique. Although it wasn't an appropriate title for my own personal taste, I would definitely recommend the book to young adult readers, and I did enjoy the wit, sarcasm, acronyms, and slang terms the characters used, which was way better than using an actual cuss word. Very well written.

Reader reviewed by c-alexis

I gotta say, I loved the book before I even read it. Or more correctly, I loved the author's dream with this book, for lack of better words. I read about his book here and how he wanted to make things awesome for readers, by giving up making a profit and selling his book at 3.99. I think it's such a brave stand for all us avid readers who usually find ourselves low on money because of how much we spend on our books. So, that was totally awesome. Of course, 3.99 is still 3.99, but it was definitely money well-spent. I loved the book. The book was hilarious and amusing. You feel for the main character and you're ultimately rooting for him as a Dumpee, and hoping that he does get a girl who won't break his heart. I read that John Green is working on the screenplay for this novel, so I just wanted to say here that I would totally watch this movie if and when it ever came out.

Reprinted here with author's permission.

Reader reviewed by Hillary

Colin Singleton has dated and been dumped by 19 Katherines. So in order to make Colin, the teenage prodigy, forget K19, he and Hassan, his best friend, go on a road trip. All Colin wants to do is prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which would explain (and hopefully predict) who dumps whom. After an attack by a feral hog, a few interviews, and some anagrams, Colin may be ready to prove his throrem, along with the help of a new friend.

I knew John Green was pretty amazing after reading Looking For Alaska. But I wasn't expecting it to be this good. The book was AMAZING.

AAoK started out a little slow. At first I was thinking of ditching it for another...which I did (sorry!). But once I really got into it, it was like my face was glued to the book and I couldn't get it off until I read the last word. It was that good. (Where's the John Green book being made into a movie? Aren't all YA books being made into movies?)

The characters were once again...freakin' amazing. The story? The same. And writing...well, there aren't words to describe that. I meant that in a god way. So pretty much, if you haven't read this then 1. why? and 2. go buy it now. You won't regret it. If you have, then I'm sure you'll agree with me.

Reader reviewed by Kyle

Colin Singleton is a child prodigy. Well, he used to be. He doesn't seem as smart now that he graduated. The story starts out when Colin is mourning over being dumped by his girlfriend, Katherine. That seems normal enough, but she isn't any ordinary Katherine. She's Katherine XIX, #19!

Colin's type is girls named Katherine. All 19 girls he's ever dated are named that.

To ease his pain, he goes on a road trip with his friend Hassan. They unexpectedly end up in the tiny town of Gutshot, Tennessee. There they meet a quirky, witty girl named Lindsey, the grave of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and a crazed wild boar. Will Colin, using his Theorem for Underlying Katherine Predictability, be able to predict how long a relationship will last?

Personally, I really enjoyed the book. It was extremely interesting, funny, and had a great plot. A must read for any teen.

5 STARS!!!

Reader reviewed by Mary

Colin's had nineteen girlfriends. Which equals a grand total of nineteen times dumped. It doesn't take a genius to figure it out that's something's not quite right (although Colin is one). Hassan (a quirky and awesome character in his own right) decides to take Colin away from the town for a while. Along the way Colin and Hassan meet Lindsay, a girl who's only figuring out what she really wants. Colin spends some of the time trying to figure out a math equation for being dumped because Colin wants to leave a mark on humankind


I like this book. There are some really great quotes from this book that are stuck in my head. All in all, the author, John Green, manages to make this book touching yet funny.

Reader reviewed by Meg

This was the most enjoyable book that I've read this year. The whole thing sounds like a conversation that you would have with your best friend. And eventhough sometimes the storyline seems a little farfetched (who could date 17 girls named Katherine?), the writing is so great that it's seems very realistic. Plus I totally want to marry the character Hassan.

Reader reviewed by Analeigh

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green is beautifully written. the characters are very complex and real; you can relate to most of them and most of the situations. this book is also perfect parts emotion, humer, philosophy, very interesting random facts; etc.

its about a former child prodigy finding himself and who he wants to become while on a road trip with his hilarious best friend. it has heartbreak; action and adventure, understanding, sadness, humer, everything a great book needs and more.


its absolutely positively one of my favorite books and I recomend it to anyone and everyone.
:D

Reader reviewed by Kaitlin

I really liked this book, it was just so...good! I think the whole point of it is basically to tell you that, love is not an equasion. It shows you that you can't predict love, and through the whole course of the book, theres a lot of interesting facts. Everybody definatly needs to read this.

Reader reviewed by Leah

This book is amazing. I read Looking For Alaska by John Green too and instantly fell in love with his writing.
When Colin Singleton breaks up with his nineteenth Katherine, Colin and his best friend embark on a journey (a roadtrip) and find themselves in an isolated town with a few quirky characters. A theorem, a girl, and the grave of Archduke Franz Ferdinand may have the answers that Colin is looking for. All he wants is to matter.