An Abundance Of Katherines

By John Green

Reviewed by Evan Liu

Fall 2016

REVIEW: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

ISBN#: 9780142410707

THE STORY:

Colin Singleton, a child prodigy, or at least that’s what other people think of him, takes a hard hit when his girlfriend, Katherine XIX, breaks up with him.  After noticing Colin’s loss of energy, his friend Hassan convinces him to go on a road trip with him, hoping to get his mind off of Katherine.  After a while of driving, Hassan and Colin find themselves in the small town of Gutshot, Tennessee.  While stopping to visit the grave of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, Colin falls and cuts open his head.  Their tour guide, by the name of
Lindsey Lee Wells, who happened to be a paramedic in training, helps him as well as befriends the two boys.  Just as Lindsey was finishing up with wrapping Colin’s head, her mother, who she called Hollis, called for her.  It was right when Hollis saw Colin that she recognized him from KranialKidz, a game show that Colin had been a contestant on.  Shortly after, Hollis invites Colin and Hassan to stay at her house.  As Colin, Hassan, and Lindsey began to grow closer, Lindsey shares more of her personal life with them.  Colin and Hassan are introduced to her friends and her boy friend, Colin who later gets the name TOC (The Other Colin).  As time goes by, Lindsey and Colin start spending more time with each other.  That’s when Lindsey finds out about The Theorem.  The Theorem was the equation that Colin said would predict the outcome of any relationship.  Just as Lindsey began to take interest in The Theorem, the relationship between her and Colin take a sharp and unexpected turn. (269)       

MY OPINION:

When I bought the book, I thought that it would be a difficult book, because it is written by John Green.  Before this, I had read Paper Towns and The Fault In Our Stars, and they were both pretty hard books to read that were definitely written for a more mature reader.  However, the diverse collection of vocabulary in the books do not make them bad.  In fact, it made them a better experience to read.  If I had to recommend a certain age range to read this book, I would say that it should be read between the age of thirteen and up.  The reasoning for my broad range is  because this was a great book that could be very enjoyable as an adult as well.   Being thirteen myself, I can tell you that some of the content in the book was a little mature for my age, but it was definitely not overdone.  However, if I were any younger, this may have been much for my maturity.  Out of ten stars, I would give this book a nine, because it was an amazing story with an amazing plot, but the beginning was slower than I would have liked.  All in all, this was a very enjoyable book and I recommend that you read it. (216)

STUDY QUESTIONS AND VOCABULARY:

FIRST SECTION

1. Why does Colin Singleton prefer baths over showers?

1a. Colin felt that he should never do things standing up that could just as easily be done sitting down.  This was one of his general policies in life. (1)

2. Why do Colin’s parents not want him to go on the road trip with Hassan?

2a. Colin’s parents did not want him to go on the road trip with Hassan because they thought that he would be wasting his summer when he could be doing something like learning Sanskrit (12)

3. What were the two main variables in Colin’s theorem?

3a. The two main variables in Colin’s theorem are the Dumpers and the Dumpees.  He believed that these were the two kinds of people in a relationship. (15-16)

4. How old was Colin when he started dating Katherine I?

4a. Colin was in the third grade when he started dating Katherine I. (45)

5. Why do Colin and Hassan pretend to be Pierre and Salinger?

5a. Colin and Hassan pretend to be Pierre and Salinger because they wanted to trick Lindsey's friends into thinking they were different people (French tourists). (53)

Albeit (1)

Hirsute (8)

Undulations (28)

Guileful (31)

Dichotomy (60)

MIDDLE SECTION

6. Why were the people in the country not poor?

6a. The people in the country were not poor because Dr. Dinzanfar never fired more than one person from a family. (81)

7. When Colin and Hassan swear, why do they change the word?

7a. Colin and Hassan change the word because in the book The Naked and the Dead, the author changes every occurrence of the word to end with a “g”. (120)

8. Why is Colin so surprised that Hassan kissed Katrina?

8a. Colin is surprised that HAssan kissed Katrina because she is one of Lindsey’s friends that believed they were Frenchmen at the beginning. (129)

9. Why does Lindsey tell Colin that she was homecoming queen when it was really Katrina?

9a. Lindsey tells Colin that she was homecoming queen because she wanted to see his reaction. (137)

10. Why did Colin think that Lindsey looked especially pretty?

10a. Colin thought that Lindsey looked especially pretty because he preferred girls without makeup. (98)

Mysterium Tremendum et fascinans (104)

Homage (120)

Plexus (130)

Anomaly (136)

Conspiratorially (153)

                               

LAST SECTION

11. What was the gray paper cyclone that was discovered by Colin and Hassan?

11a. The gray paper cyclone was a hornet’s nest. (168)

12. Who did Hassan and Colin find Katrina cheating on Hassan with?

12a. Katrina was cheating on Hassan with TOC (The Other Colin) (173)

13. Who does Colin break his streak of Katherines with?

13a. Colin breaks his streak with Lindsey Lee Wells. (208)

14. Who helped Colin figure out The Theorem?

14a. Lindsey helps Colin understand and finish The Theorem. (215)

15. Where did Colin meet Katherine XVI?

15a. Colin met Katherine XVI on the roof deck of a hotel in Newark, New Jersey, during an Academic Decathlon tournament. (206)

Errs (162)

Obelisk (174)

Garfish (192)
Clad (205)

Anomaly (213)