kiracanread
Written on May 10, 2018
Two award-winning and New York Times–bestselling author join forces for a collaborative novel of awesome proportions.
One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won them both legions of faithful fans.
A New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice
An ALA Stonewall Honor Book
“Will Grayson, Will Grayson is a complete romp. [It is] so funny, rude and original that by the time flowers hit the stage, even the musical-averse will cheer.” —The New York Times Book Review
★“Will have readers simultaneously laughing, crying and singing at the top of their lungs.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“It is such a good book. [Green and Levithan] are two of the best writers writing today.” —NPR’sThe Roundtable
- ISBN10 0525421580
- ISBN13 9780525421580
- Publish Date 6 April 2010 (first published 1 April 2010)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc
- Imprint E P Dutton & Co Inc
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 320
- Language English
- URL https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780525421580
Reviews
ammaarah
Written on Apr 3, 2018
"there's hurt. there's pain and there's hurt-and-pain-at-once.
i am experiencing hurt-and-pain-at-once."
(Will Grayson)
Will Grayson, Will Grayson is about two people who have the same name, Will Grayson. Both Will Grayson's lives intertwine when they unexpectedly end up at the same place at the same time on the same night. Such an awkward and hilarious way for both Will Grayson's to meet!
I did not expect to enjoy a book where two different authors who have unique writing styles write a book about two different characters and seamlessly blend their lives and their stories, until I read Will Grayson, Will Grayson. However, I did prefer David Levithan's characters and writing style over John Green's.
The Will Grayson that John Green writes is a bland and boring character. John Green does have a tendency to write similar stories and characters. In Will Grayson, Will Grayson, we have the quirky main character who shuts up and avoids sharing his opinions and showing that he cares, the loud best friend and a kind-of unattainable love interest with maniac pixie dream girl tendencies. In true John Green fashion, Will and Jane are also pretentious. Every time I was reading from Green's Will Grayson's POV, I was bored and uninterested.
The Will Grayson that David Levithan writes is such a unique character. He is complex, gay, angsty, depressed, has an 'I hate the world and everything in it' attitude and is a tad bit mentally unstable. I can totally understand Will Grayson's character and I really click with his sense of humour. I also appreciate that Will's depression is written as a part of who he is. Will's narration is definitely one of my favourites.
Then there's Tiny who is huge, loud and larger than life. Tiny is literally the main character of Will Grayson, Will Grayson. He's the star of the show. He knows both Will Grayson's and is involved in their character development. John Green's portrayal of Tiny is stereotypical and I was happy to see a little of Tiny's dimensions and insecurities in Levithan's chapters. Tiny is also a creator of a musical about his life and while reading about it, I felt like I was watching an episode of Glee. The musical is cute, happy, gay (in the best of ways) and at times inappropriate and rude. In hindsight, the events that occur in the musical is quite unrealistic, but I really enjoyed reading about it.
Whether you enjoy this book or not, will depend on your feelings towards the characters. They can be selfish and annoying, but there are moments that make them relatable and endearing. After reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson I'm definitely interested in reading more David Levithan books.
"i will admit there's a certain degree of giving a fuck that goes into not giving a fuck. by saying you don't care if the world falls apart, in some small way you're saying you want it to stay together, on your terms." (Will Grayson)
mrs_mander_reads
Written on Jul 24, 2017
That being said, I still enjoyed reading this. O.W.G. makes some realizations about friendship/relationships that are pretty poignant, and Tiny is hilarious.
Linda
Written on Aug 16, 2015
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
COYER scavenger hunt item #24: Read a book that fits in the LGBT genre (2 points)
payton
Written on Jun 6, 2015
I have no idea why this book is called Will Grayson, Will Grayson if most of the book was about Tiny Cooper. Tiny Cooper and his incorrect definition of love, Tiny Cooper and his ridiculous play, Tiny Cooper and how terrible he is to his friends. Tiny Cooper is a terrible character. He did not make me enjoy this book one bit. How could someone like such a disgruntled and selfish role? His play had nothing to do with love and everything to do with Tiny Cooper anyways, even though he claimed it was about love.
John Green's Will is pretty much like most of his other characters that are male. He's posed as the nerdy sidekick who relies on his friends. David Levithan's Grayson is the polar opposite of the other. He's the typical depressed teenager who also has the I-feel-depressed-sometimes friend and complains more than he does anything else. Neither of these characters get character development. Will does nothing but makes new rules for himself the whole book and Grayson does nothing but mope.
Let's not forget about the star of the book, Tiny Cooper. Who wedges his way into the way of all of the characters? Tiny Cooper does. Why does Tiny Cooper do this? Becuase Tiny Cooper is a selfish and absorbed character who relies on his ego. Why was he written like this? Because John Green is great at marketing, so he made this character that seems flamboyant and amazing to get more popularity.
e_rodz_leb
Written on Dec 6, 2014
Let’s try to not confuse ourselves with the story. There are two young men by the name of Will Grayson and I shall call them WG#1 (John Green’s Will) and WG#2 (David Levithan’s Will) to keep them straight in my mind. The story is told in the first person, from their POVs, in alternating chapters. This is when I appreciated the two narrators the most.
WG#1 is a conformist. He does what he’s told, he tries to fly over the radar, and he avoids confrontation and relationships. He’s not bad, just seemingly void of depth. As you can imagine, this way of living is unsustainable and meeting Jane is the kick in the pants that he needs. Tiny Cooper has been his best (and only) friend since elementary school, even with up and downs. One day, while he’s waiting for Jane and Tiny to come out of a concert, he walks in to a porn store and meets WG#2.
“Also, I feel that crying is almost--like, aside from deaths of relatives or whatever-- totally avoidable if you follow two very simple rules: 1.Don't care too much. 2. Shut up. Everything unfortunate that has ever happened to me has stemmed from failure to follow one of the rules.”
WG#2 is meeting a guy that he’s corresponded with by IM for months. When he arrives to the designated place for the meeting, he finds himself in a porn store. I don’t want to spoil the book for you, but he has a despicable friend. WG#2 is so dark. He fights with depression and his view of the world is, well, dark. He’s the type of person that sees the glass as half empty all the time. Then he meets Tiny, which is the catalyst for him coming out of the closet, for him speaking to his mom, for him making new friends.
“Maybe there's something you're afraid to say, or someone you're afraid to love, or somewhere you're afraid to go. It's gonna hurt. It's gonna hurt because it matters.”
On to Tiny. Tiny Cooper is a gigantic teenager, with a very loud personality, with a healthy love for music (and musicals), he’s gay and he wants to find love, he wants – no, needs - to be appreciated. Tiny’s family is rich, understanding, and loving (we hear this rather than experience it). He was many friends, but he’s best friend is WG#1. To be honest, Tiny is a big part of the story and you cannot help but love him.
“When things break, it's not the actual breaking that prevents them from getting back together again. It's because a little piece gets lost - the two remaining ends couldn't fit together even if they wanted to. The whole shape has changed.”
Overall, Will Grayson, Will Grayson was a fantastic book about friendship, love, sexuality, music and much more. I can’t wait to read more about Tiny on Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story.
The audiobook was awesome! It’s my first book from narrators MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl and I feel like they did a great job. I don’t know who did which Will Grayson’s voice, but they were both really good. The pacing was adequate, the voices were distinct from each other and easy to follow.This review was originally posted on Reading With ABC
lizarodz
Written on Dec 6, 2014
Let’s try to not confuse ourselves with the story. There are two young men by the name of Will Grayson and I shall call them WG#1 (John Green’s Will) and WG#2 (David Levithan’s Will) to keep them straight in my mind. The story is told in the first person, from their POVs, in alternating chapters. This is when I appreciated the two narrators the most.
WG#1 is a conformist. He does what he’s told, he tries to fly over the radar, and he avoids confrontation and relationships. He’s not bad, just seemingly void of depth. As you can imagine, this way of living is unsustainable and meeting Jane is the kick in the pants that he needs. Tiny Cooper has been his best (and only) friend since elementary school, even with up and downs. One day, while he’s waiting for Jane and Tiny to come out of a concert, he walks in to a porn store and meets WG#2.
“Also, I feel that crying is almost--like, aside from deaths of relatives or whatever-- totally avoidable if you follow two very simple rules: 1.Don't care too much. 2. Shut up. Everything unfortunate that has ever happened to me has stemmed from failure to follow one of the rules.”
WG#2 is meeting a guy that he’s corresponded with by IM for months. When he arrives to the designated place for the meeting, he finds himself in a porn store. I don’t want to spoil the book for you, but he has a despicable friend. WG#2 is so dark. He fights with depression and his view of the world is, well, dark. He’s the type of person that sees the glass as half empty all the time. Then he meets Tiny, which is the catalyst for him coming out of the closet, for him speaking to his mom, for him making new friends.
“Maybe there's something you're afraid to say, or someone you're afraid to love, or somewhere you're afraid to go. It's gonna hurt. It's gonna hurt because it matters.”
On to Tiny. Tiny Cooper is a gigantic teenager, with a very loud personality, with a healthy love for music (and musicals), he’s gay and he wants to find love, he wants – no, needs - to be appreciated. Tiny’s family is rich, understanding, and loving (we hear this rather than experience it). He was many friends, but he’s best friend is WG#1. To be honest, Tiny is a big part of the story and you cannot help but love him.
“When things break, it's not the actual breaking that prevents them from getting back together again. It's because a little piece gets lost - the two remaining ends couldn't fit together even if they wanted to. The whole shape has changed.”
Overall, Will Grayson, Will Grayson was a fantastic book about friendship, love, sexuality, music and much more. I can’t wait to read more about Tiny on Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story.
The audiobook was awesome! It’s my first book from narrators MacLeod Andrews and Nick Podehl and I feel like they did a great job. I don’t know who did which Will Grayson’s voice, but they were both really good. The pacing was adequate, the voices were distinct from each other and easy to follow.This review was originally posted on Reading With ABC
Sam@WLABB
Written on Jun 17, 2014
"Being friends, that's just something you are"
The book is full of great characters, but everybody has to agree -- Tiny steals the show. He is the heart and soul of this book. He is the glue that brings all their worlds into focus and helps both Wills fill that hole in their heart. Also, as with any Green/Levithan book, you have great dialog. I kept getting stared out with each of my joyous chuckles, but you just can't hold such glee in. Then, there is the fact that Schrodinger gets quite a tribute. As a former science teacher, I loved the use of Schrodinger's cat to help OWG (other Will Grayson) understand the flaws with his rules (shutting up and not caring).
"Love is bound up in truth..."
In three words: honest, touching and charming.
nitzan_schwarz
Written on Sep 6, 2013
clementine
Written on Nov 21, 2012
I think I just like books with two narratives that collide. You can look through my various reviews and see that that is, most decidedly, a literary device that I enjoy. (See 1Q84, Everything Is Illuminated, Geek Love, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Pure, Where Things Come Back, Amelia Anne is Dead and Gone, and Holes.) When it's done well, it can be so surprising and effective. This wasn't even done particularly masterfully; it's obvious the two Will Graysons will meet. I enjoyed it nonetheless.
There are other surprises in the story, and I think what I like best is that both Wills grapple with very different issues in their own lives, yet there are parallels between the two of them. While both of them have aspects of romance in their stories, I think the book is overall about friendship, and Tiny Cooper - who, let's be real, is the central character - facilitates this to a large degree. Both experience the trials and tribulations of friendships in very different ways, but it is an overarching theme.
There's a certain degree of inevitability to the book, as well. It's inevitable that Will Grayson and will grayson will meet; it's inevitable that Will Grayson and Jane will get together; it's inevitable that will grayson and Tiny Cooper will break up once they're together. I don't think any of those things are surprises, nor are they supposed to be. It's the tender way in which they're approached that makes the book resonate.
The two writing styles blend together really well. John Green definitely has his sarcastic, eloquent teenage boy thing going on (although I do think Will is distinct from Q, Colin, and Pudge in various ways that I won't get into), and Levithan adds a completely different character into the mix. Their styles are different, for sure, but not so different that it feels like reading two books. They're both genuinely funny writers, I think. I liked both parts equally and I liked them together.
Seriously - this is a good book. It hits all the right notes. I think that some of the background characters are a little underdeveloped (and while I like Tiny, he is a bit too much of a very loud, very flamboyant stereotype for my liking), and the conclusion, while awesome, is completely ridiculous, but I'm not just keeping Will Grayson, Will Grayson around because I like my John Green collection to be complete.