A most interesting read indeed. One would think that this novel is about Will Grayson but Will Grayson and Will Grayson (yes, there are two of them) are only the narrators of this story. The real hero is Tiny Cooper, a huge man who is gay and who believes in people, love and helping others. At times I was confused as one Will Grayson or the other narrates their part of the story but it all comes together when Tiny stages his musical which is his story. The authors capture the teenage angst that plagues high schoolers when everything that happens to them seems personal and often, the end of their world, rather than part of growing up. Read this one carefully - the messages are compelling and full of hope.
I am a big John Green fan; I loved Paper Towns and An Abundance of Katherines and I have Looking for Alaska sitting on my shelf waiting to be read. So when I saw a new book by John Green I couldn't wait to read it. This was a wonderful book with wonderful characters.
The book switches between two different viewpoints; each viewpoint is from a different Will Grayson. The first Will Grayson is best friends with a huge gay teen named Tiny. Will kind of lives in Tiny's shadow. Tiny is preparing a glorious musical for high school that he wants Will's help with; Will is struggling with his relationship with Tiny as well as with how he feels about a cute girl named Jane. Tiny is trying to force Jane and Will into dating. Then there is the Other Will Grayson, who we will call OWG, who is having an online relationship with a teenage guy; they finally decided to meet in person. OWG is also dealing with his best friend who is a girl but wants to be more than that and with ongoing clinical depression. Things culminate into craziness when Will Grayson enters a porn shop out of boredom and bumps into OWG, who is looking for his online boyfriend. The reader is left on the edge of the seat wondering what will happen with Will Grayson; will him and Tiny stay friends, will he hook up with Jane, will the musical go on? What will happen to OWG when he tries to hook up with his online crush?
Okay I am not sure if the above clarifies things, but remember this is a John Green book...so despite (or maybe because of) all the weird relationship stuff going on this is a really great book. You have a lot of wonderfully realistic characters dealing with a lot of issues. Green and Levithan do an excellent job capturing the intricacies of all of the teenage angst that these characters are going through. The characters are wonderfully quirky and easy to sympathize with and love.
I have never read anything by Levithan before, and I am assuming he wrote what I am calling the OWG parts of the book (since that Will Grayson was introduced second). He does a great job capturing the troubled moments of that character as well and after reading this book I really want to read more from Levithan.
I was also really impressed with how the Will Graysons' parents were portrayed; the parents are understanding people who are trying to do the best that they can as their sons struggle through high school and adolescence. I think most parents really do try to do the best that they can for their kids, (despite what a lot of YA literature portrays) so it was nice to see this...it leaves you feeling good.
The character of Tiny bears mentioning because he is central to so much of the book. Tiny is large and gay and proud of it; he portrays a sense of positivity that is prevalent throughout the whole book...and in a way it is really him that drives the story. You have to love Tiny; his confidence in himself, the way he tries to exude happiness, his melodrama, and his utter belief in love.
The writing of this book was high quality and super easy to read. It was incredibly engaging and I found myself reading the whole book in a day, unable to put it down for longer than a few hours at a time. There is something magical about the story and the way it is written; even if there isn't actually and fantasy here.
I know this book has created some controversy as to whether or not it is age appropriate. I agree that it is probably best suited for mid to older teens. There is a ton of swearing, lots of talk about sex, and loads of gay sexual references. All of this was fairly pertinent to the story, so I don't think it was frivolous. At heart this is more a book about friendship, about love, and about accepting yourself and others for who they are.
Overall a wonderful read. It leaves the reader feeling positive and upbeat. The book addresses issues about self-confidence, belonging, GLBT rights, accepting people for who they are, love, and happiness. This book just cements John Green more firmly in my mind as a must read author. It adds David Levithan to my list of authors I want to read more from. I have had Levithan's Boy Meets Boy on my "to read" list for a while now and this book makes me bump that up further on the list.
The book switches between two different viewpoints; each viewpoint is from a different Will Grayson. The first Will Grayson is best friends with a huge gay teen named Tiny. Will kind of lives in Tiny's shadow. Tiny is preparing a glorious musical for high school that he wants Will's help with; Will is struggling with his relationship with Tiny as well as with how he feels about a cute girl named Jane. Tiny is trying to force Jane and Will into dating. Then there is the Other Will Grayson, who we will call OWG, who is having an online relationship with a teenage guy; they finally decided to meet in person. OWG is also dealing with his best friend who is a girl but wants to be more than that and with ongoing clinical depression. Things culminate into craziness when Will Grayson enters a porn shop out of boredom and bumps into OWG, who is looking for his online boyfriend. The reader is left on the edge of the seat wondering what will happen with Will Grayson; will him and Tiny stay friends, will he hook up with Jane, will the musical go on? What will happen to OWG when he tries to hook up with his online crush?
Okay I am not sure if the above clarifies things, but remember this is a John Green book...so despite (or maybe because of) all the weird relationship stuff going on this is a really great book. You have a lot of wonderfully realistic characters dealing with a lot of issues. Green and Levithan do an excellent job capturing the intricacies of all of the teenage angst that these characters are going through. The characters are wonderfully quirky and easy to sympathize with and love.
I have never read anything by Levithan before, and I am assuming he wrote what I am calling the OWG parts of the book (since that Will Grayson was introduced second). He does a great job capturing the troubled moments of that character as well and after reading this book I really want to read more from Levithan.
I was also really impressed with how the Will Graysons' parents were portrayed; the parents are understanding people who are trying to do the best that they can as their sons struggle through high school and adolescence. I think most parents really do try to do the best that they can for their kids, (despite what a lot of YA literature portrays) so it was nice to see this...it leaves you feeling good.
The character of Tiny bears mentioning because he is central to so much of the book. Tiny is large and gay and proud of it; he portrays a sense of positivity that is prevalent throughout the whole book...and in a way it is really him that drives the story. You have to love Tiny; his confidence in himself, the way he tries to exude happiness, his melodrama, and his utter belief in love.
The writing of this book was high quality and super easy to read. It was incredibly engaging and I found myself reading the whole book in a day, unable to put it down for longer than a few hours at a time. There is something magical about the story and the way it is written; even if there isn't actually and fantasy here.
I know this book has created some controversy as to whether or not it is age appropriate. I agree that it is probably best suited for mid to older teens. There is a ton of swearing, lots of talk about sex, and loads of gay sexual references. All of this was fairly pertinent to the story, so I don't think it was frivolous. At heart this is more a book about friendship, about love, and about accepting yourself and others for who they are.
Overall a wonderful read. It leaves the reader feeling positive and upbeat. The book addresses issues about self-confidence, belonging, GLBT rights, accepting people for who they are, love, and happiness. This book just cements John Green more firmly in my mind as a must read author. It adds David Levithan to my list of authors I want to read more from. I have had Levithan's Boy Meets Boy on my "to read" list for a while now and this book makes me bump that up further on the list.
I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, but I really enjoyed it.
Both Will Grayson and will grayson had such distinct voices that I quickly got sucked into the world and the characters. Although there was a few times in the very beginning that I was a little confused, that quickly went away.
I actually liked some of the supporting characters the best, like Tiny and Jane. They were really just awesome.
Overall I was invested in the story and the people and really was rooting for everyone throughout the book.
Both Will Grayson and will grayson had such distinct voices that I quickly got sucked into the world and the characters. Although there was a few times in the very beginning that I was a little confused, that quickly went away.
I actually liked some of the supporting characters the best, like Tiny and Jane. They were really just awesome.
Overall I was invested in the story and the people and really was rooting for everyone throughout the book.
Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a clever story, which is sometimes difficult to follow. It was sometimes confusing to this reader as the two Will Graysons were juxtaposed often and it was difficult to keep track of which was active at any given point. Characterizations were excellent and the plot line linear and interesting.
I have mixed feelings on this book. Part of me couldn't put it down and the other part of me didn't care. The humor in the book is what kept me going.
Contemporary teen fiction by John Green and David Levithan. Two teenage boys both named Will Grayson meet by accident or fate, in the most unlikely of places. Their chance meeting changes the outlook of both boys. Will Grayson #1 has the motto: don't care about anything, and don't speak about anything. The problem is that he has a larger than life bff, "Tiny" Cooper, who is gay, and very large. Will feels burdened by having a best friend who is open, happy and very alive.
will grayson, #2 isolates himself, and has secrets, regarding his sexuality and emotional state.
The common denominator is Tiny Cooper, who impacts everything and everyone he meets.
The book is pretty good. However, the ending had me scratching my head. It didn't feel like it was about Will Grayson and Will Grayson anymore.
will grayson, #2 isolates himself, and has secrets, regarding his sexuality and emotional state.
The common denominator is Tiny Cooper, who impacts everything and everyone he meets.
The book is pretty good. However, the ending had me scratching my head. It didn't feel like it was about Will Grayson and Will Grayson anymore.
