Will Grayson, Will Grayson: A Rundown
Will Grayson, Will Grayson, a book David Levithan and I wrote together, officially comes out today, April 6th. I'm about to leave for the tour (scroll down a bit for information about that), but I wanted to share some reviews and stuff:
In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews wrote, "Green and Levithan craft an intellectually existential, electrically ebullient love story that brilliantly melds the ridiculous with the realistic. In alternating chapters from Will and will, each character comes lovingly to life, especially Tiny Cooper, whose linebacker-sized, heart-on-his-sleeve personality could win over the grouchiest of grouches."
Booklist Magazine has also given WGWG a starred review, calling it "a tale populated with young people engaged in figuring out what’s important and shot through with strong feelings, smart-mouthed dialogue, and uncommon insight."
And SLJ (also starred!) said the book is "powerful, thought-provoking, funny, moving, and unique."
All of these quotes, I assume, refer to David's half, but anyway, I am flattered.
Foreign editions of Will Grayson, Will Grayson are forthcoming in Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, France, Germany, and Taiwan. (And hopefully more countries soon!)
The book should be available at bookstores around the United States; you can also order it from indiebound, amazon, bn.com, or borders.
If you've already read WGWG, let's talk about it in comments.NOTE: The comment section of this blog post will contain SPOILERS.
posted by John Green @ Tuesday, April 06, 2010
59 Comments
59 Comments:
Well, no spoilers from me, but I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of this. Congrats on the reviews!
I'm going to be reviewing/discussing it in my VEDA video today! w00p
I am SO excited for this book. So excited. :D
I loved your Will Grayson from the start, but it took me a few chapters to like David's Will Grayson, even though he was also cool. I think it might be partly because I had heard you talk about your Will Grayson and even read from his part multiple times. I wish I had a friend like Tiny Cooper. The book was truly a joy from beginning to end, enticing every emotion I am capable of feeling.
The acknowledgements were truly touching, and funny.
As soon as it makes its way into Northern Canada I will have my hands on it. :D Sounds like an amazing book. I have yet to hear anything bad.
I've had the book since Saturday. I've been reading it and its great! Plus I got a signed copy! Double win!
Looking forward to it, really hope my copy arrives soon.
And I also hope there will be a Swedish edition in the future. That goes for Paper Towns, too.
Well I got an email this morning from Amazon. It was suggesting coming of age stories by John Green: WGWG, Paper Towns, Looking for Alaska, and An Abundance of Katherines. Hmm, to bad I already have all of those. Looking forward to WGWG, UPS should be here shortly with my copy. I can't wait to read it and congrats on the wonderful reviews.
I really enjoyed it. David Levithan's part was really hard to get in to at first. but Tiny might be one of your best characters.
Congrats John and David! How exciting!
Is it available in Canada today to? I plan to buy it Thursday =]
*too
Got an ARC of the book a while ago, and I love it! I laughed and cried... at one point, I think, on the same page.
The "uncommon insight" quote from the Booklist review is exactly one of the qualities I feel all of your books (and videos) have... and while I loved both your and David's parts (they do depend on each other), I found myself underlining various lines in the odd chapters.
Among other things, the whole discussion/metaphor of Schrodinger's Cat was pretty much amazing.
Anywho, congrats on the new book, and keep writing, because you're novels offer an insight into humanity and the world around us that is far too often unexplored.
John,
I loved the book and just posted a review on my new book blog! It would be awesome if you checked it out:
http://youknowjack.wordpress.com/2010/04/05/will-grayson-will-grayson/
And that was supposed to be "your books," not "you're books."
English nerd fail.
I loved your Will Grayson, and I want to be best friends with Jane. Also, do you like NMH as much as Will does?
David's WG said some things that just make really good sense, which is common with his characters, I think.
I can't wait to see you guys tonight!
Can wait to get a copy! Im eager to read the book, but I live in Sweden so... I might have to wait for a while. But not long I hope! :D
Got in in the mail today! Love it so far, wonderful reviews.
I think I see another Printz award coming your way...
Page 57...and finally had to boot my computer to add a quote on Goodreads, having already turned off my phone to get my friends to stop trying to be distracting!
Can't wait for Friday!
...-turns off computer, continues reading-
Very, very impressive.
I got an ARC so I read it this past week (in 2 days). Both Will and will were realistic and defined characters that I cared about (a true mark of good writing). I agree with Theresa about the dead/living cat analogy. Totally jokes. I also loved will's mom and Will's dad. (Especially his apron!)
SPOILER
The end was beautiful. I really, really loved will's sort of "coming out" (probably overused for this novel), but not a coming out as gay, but a coming out of his shell. It was sweet, funny, and very moving.
Question: Is it wrong for me to tell my mom she can't read WGWG? When she read "Looking for Alaska" I remember her finding it inappropriate, even though I am in high school and it is for my age level. She wouldn't take any action; she just says it because the internet and all its populants have become such a major part of my life and she is jealous.
All in all, this is probably my favorite John Green book yet.
I haven't received my ARC yet, eliminating the "Advanced", but I hope it comes soon. I'm so excited!
I really really really really really loved the entire book. I thought it was very much honest and real and tough and emotional and brilliant. I appreciated that you looked at what its like for a person to have a best friend who is openly gay. There is more and more YA fiction coming out that deals with homosexuality (yay!), but I think that the tough issue of being an ally in a society or culture that doesnt accept homosexuality is a very relevent issue for teens. It can be a life altering experience and I think you captured it beautifully.
I finished reading it about an hour ago, and it was great! The contrast between the Will's was awesome. Tiny Cooper was the most amazing, fabulous character! He brought it all together. When I started reading the first chapter, I could 'hear' your voice reading it 'cause of the livechat! I haven't quite absorbed all of it fully, but I'm pretty sure that it was a spectacular book. You know, kind of really awesome?
My friend and I had to look up with a labret piercing was. Way to make me feel unintelligent for not being cool enough, John! :(
What bar will be hosting the post-engagement soiree tonight?
Are those bands real?
Like others in the comments, it took a bit for me to start liking David's Will Grayson (I find it difficult to relate to him),but it's better now. I love the Shroedinger's Cat-related things, and can't wait to read more of the musical (I'm not finished yet).
I'm going to have to read it again while writing down quotes.
It was gorgeous beautiful stunning and it made me cry.
Well freaking done.
It was so honest and brutal and made me want to go hug and pinch the cheeks of all my friends.
Both Wills were so endearing and so heartbreaking in their own ways. I love how they both had to realize things about themselves that were ultimately similar even though they were both so different. And Tiny! Doesn't everyone know someone like Tiny?
I love how every character is wonderful and imperfect. Loveitloveitloveit.
To Audrey: I had to look up labret piercing as well! Although, I've been taking this class on Bach with all of these people who know much more about music in general than I do (and make me feel stupid constantly) so I have to say I was SO PROUD that I knew what polyphonic meant! Yeah, education!
So. I sort of bought WGWG before it was on the shelves... like... I had to dig through a pile of books for it. I noticed it because the cover was shiny.
...And then I promptly finished it in two hours of ravenous reading.
And it. Was. Glorious.
I second the Printz comment - and I'm not even finished reading!
I just picked up my copy from my local indie store - The Morris Bookshop (Lexington, KY - I told them they should hook you all up with a signing! I buy all your books from there!) and I started last night. As usual, I love the atmosphere of the environment and the realistic (and constantly hilarious!) dialog between the groups of friends.
I will post more as I go along - why did I have to start a new job the same week of this debut. But that's ok - I'm finally in a library!
P.S. It was super fun hanging out with you again, at the McConnell Conference. In light of our conversation, I'm giving it another effort, and retooling my Twitter to stay connected. Good Luck on tour!
WGWG is in Aprils Editor's Pick list in Amazon.
This is one of the first books that has incoperated social networking in a non-annoying way. I really enjoyed the Mom saying request-friended. Instead of there being a blog that eventually the whole school reads and someone's life is ruined.
I laughed and cried during the course of this book.
When can we count on your next one?
Up to page 93 so far, your sections are great. I suspect Mr. Levithan's will get better, but right now his Will is just plain depressing.
And yes, I realize that's the point.
Okay, I just finished it. Solid book. I loved the sections with the uppercase Will, but Mr. Levithan's depressed Will didn't do much for me. His story was too disconnected from the rest of the characters, and it also wasn't all that interesting. Nonetheless, the book was funny and touching and good.
It's not "Looking for Alaska", though. But then, very few books are.
By far my favorite book by you, John. It's definitely going to be in my top 5 YA books for a long time.
I think, with this book, you say a lot of things without trying to say too much, and I absolutely love it.
Just finished the book, and loved seeing both Will Graysons from an outside perspective. Also, (just because I like to look up things while I read books) I noticed that the wikipedia page on Schrodinger's cat says, "It illustrates what he [Schrodinger] saw as the problem of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics." Is it just a coincidence that the band, Maybe Dead Cats, in your book is kind of related to the band, Copenhagen Interpretation, in Libba Bray's Going Bovine. Just thought that was interesting!
Cant wait for my signed copy to be mailed to me! I wasnt able to make it to Austin but I still had Book People mail me a copy. thanks! looking forward to reading it.
I really loved Will Grayson, Will Grayson. It's beautiful and funny and moving and everything it should be. I was rather jealous of Jane at one point because I kind of really loved your Will. David's Will was also really funny and tender and I loved the whole thing. I loved the movement at the end and I liked how Gary played Will Grayson. It's not just a coinicdence that Gary anagrams to 'gray' is it?
1. i spent my last eighteen dollars on your book. my fiance and i had to buy dinner with the quarters we were saving to do laundry. how does that make you feel?*
2. i loved david's Will! yours too.
3. i've never enjoyed a collaboration novel so much.
*hint: don't feel too bad. it was worth it.
Never have I felt so apart of a book before.
I don't know what it is, but I honestly feel like I go to school with these kids. Like- I'm the maybe-a-lesbian-Katie or I'm the mathlete friend. In both worlds I was enticed and every time the chapter ended, a little part of my died because I wanted to stay apart of that side of the world. But then it would revive itself for the other world and then die again.
The friendship between Tiny and Will was so real that I started to think about my friendships and honestly cried when Will cried after hearing Tiny 'coach' Gary (right?) about how to be the annoying Will.
I also cried when Tiny gave (davids) Will's mom the glass bowl. I'm not sure why but it was just... awesome?
Idunno.
This may be too much, but it was that amazing.
I also couldn't help but grin every time John used the word 'awesome' in his chapters.
I have two chapters left. I'm gonna be sad to read the end.
-Katie
I came back to your hypothetical band names video after reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Schrodinger and the Maybe Dead Cats? Did you already know that you were using that in your book when you made this video? Anywho, just thought that was interesting. (:
Whenever I have to stop reading every couple minutes to A. stop laughing so loudly in the library and B. explain to people around me what I'm laughing at, I know I'm reading a fantastic book. I adored your Will, and David's will was so stunningly well-written and real. Speaking from experience, I need to say how happy I was to see that someone, let alone one of my favourite authors, used exactly the right words to describe will's depression.
Just- really, really beautiful. I saw your names together and knew I'd love it, and I wasn't disappointed.
i liked it a lot, but totally agree with G1000...it was no alaska, although few books are. i also kind of (sorry sorry sorry as i type this) found tiny a little bit annoying (sorry sorry sorry some more). endearing, but yeah...annoying. i'm in love with your will and jane, though. plus there are moments in your writing where it's everything just seems to make sense. like when WG says to his dad what if he doesn't get in or want to go to the med program and his dad says then i'll stop loving you. idk it's just perfect. that's how people should be.
jane's fake id name Zora Thurston Moore...based on author Zora Neal Hurston? ah mr. jg you are a clever one.
In a matter of six days I ordered WGWG, it arrived in Malta, I read it, my sister read it, and my mother read it. That's how hard it is to put down, the book literally went from hand to hand.
I really appreciate the fact that you write about realistic people often seen as a minority, or rather, people not well understood and respected by the majority.
Thank you for your books, besides being entertaining, I often feel the urge to read - and quote - them as philosophical works.
The book was amazing. I seriously laughed out loud and the end made me cry. Will and will were both fantastic characters and Tiny was just beyond wonderful. The book really moved me, there was just something about it that went beyond your regular young adult novel. I also love that you intoduced me to Neutral Milk Hotel. They are an amazing band. Thanks John and thanks to David too! Best wishes!
I got WGWG the day it came out, I was actualy waiting outside my book store when it opened. This afternoon I finished reading it for the thrid time, it is THAT good!
Hey, so I read WGWG and managed to wrangle it into a teen magazine, as I was supposed to pick a book to review. You both came out well in it. You two are some of my favourite authors, so thank you for being friends and doing a book together. I appreciate that. I loved seeing a book that involved gay characters and even characters coming out, but it didn't feel like a book about gay people, you know what I mean? There are books where the main issue is that this character is gay and what are they going to do and how are they going to tell anybody. That's not what this was about. It was about people and love and friendship, so thank you. We need books that treat people like people who fall in love, instead of people who have obstacles, or worse, people who don't belong. Thanks for setting your book in my world. It makes it much better.
Also, I like Neutral Milk Hotel, so you won me immediately.
I've been hearing a lot of REALLY good things about this book, so much so that I added a post about it on my blog last week. Please check it out John if you haven't seen it yet. :)
I just finished reading WGWG today, and it's absolutely brilliant. Pieces of both Will Graysons resonated so much with me emotionally that I felt I'd been knocked in the chest.
Also, I kinda want to be Tiny Cooper's best friend. :)
Thanks to you and Mr. Levithan for a wonderful, thoughtful read, and congratulations on its high spot on the NY Times Bestseller list!
Hi John!
I finished WGWG via audio book a few days ago, it was awesome. I don't know if you know the guys who did the audio recording, but they were equally awesome, they even sang!
My only wishes are that the parents had larger roles in the book. The one "scene" with Will's dad was great, and I was sorry we hadn't gotten to know him better earlier. I also wish I knew Tiny's real name! I think that could have added something somewhere and been like really funny or a real "sharing" type of moment.
I think I may have liked it better than Alaska. The kids were just more real.
Thanks so much for writing books!
P.S. girls don't pee out of the same hole they get their period. His point was still valid...just misguided. hehe
I had been waiting excitedly for this book since around Christmas time and read it as soon as it came into our library. I must say, it did not disappoint. Written by my two favourite authors, I couldn't have been happier with it. I really liked how it ended, I had a lot of favourite quotes from the last few pages. I've tried picking a Will that I like more but I don't think I can. There were so many points in the book that made me laugh out loud, it was great. My favourite part is when the first Will is going off on Tiny about sex and love. I think the messages throughout the whole book are great. Fabulous job guys!
woop :D just read it and am still beaming!!! can't decide which WG i like the best- at first it was depressed will, but near the middle it changed and at the end they are both tied!! i love them both!! and TINY COOPER FTW!!! DFTBA!!
It was amazing to see one of my favorite bands in a semi-popular novel.
Also, I loved both Will Graysons pretty easily from the start. But I predicted the book to go one way, and it did not go that way at all. (That's a good thing.)
I loved David Levithan's Will Grayson's mom for being supportive and nice. You don't see very many accepting mothers in books involving people coming out of the closet.
I hate to be a traitor (cause I love ya, John, so much) but I really thought WGWG was unbelievably weak in comparison to your other books. The most profound parts for me were David's scenes (particularly when he finds out that Isaac isn't real). I thought Tiny was heinously stereotypical and your Will was kind of whiny. Although, I will say that I absolutely loved Jane.
I also thought the end was... okay. I don't know... it built up a lot and then it was just like "Alright... everyone's supporting this character that I already really don't like and sort of just want to shut up..."
I read Alaska right after (PT was the first book of yours that I read, then just recently I read Katherines and WGWG and then went straight to Alaska) and I'm happy I did because I was really disappointed in WGWG.
Maybe I'm missing something...?
Anyway, I can't wait for another book by just you to come out. I haven't lost faith in your amazing way with words and incredible, almost philosophical, insights into the teenage mind.
When I started reading this book, I could picture your voice reading it..I think I've been watching yours/Hank's youtube videos WAY too much..but it's okay and WGWG was awesome!
I loved it, especially the part where will grayson can't believe in Tiny's optimistic view of the world. My review is here: http://necromancyneverpays.blogspot.com/2010/06/will-grayson-will-grayson.html
Wow! At first I didn't like this book and then I realized it was because the book was so realistic that I didn't want to admit to being like any of the characters. Well done!
We've just finished reading WGWG in our YA Literature class. There is debate on whether or not WGWG is appropriate for middle school students. What do you think?
P.S. Any chance both authors are going to be in the Pacific Northwest area soon. Would be great to have you visit our class!
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