Palo Alto by James Franco - BOOK REVIEW

Palo Alto by James Franco – BOOK REVIEW

 

I happened to buy this book due to my love of James Franco and it was one of those quick on the moment things, I skimmed the reviews on it written by customers who had already bought it and all I saw was ‘1 out of 5 stars’, ‘not worth it’, ‘don’t buy this book’. So what I did was ignore the comments and said to myself ‘might as well give it a chance, when has Mr Franco ever let me down?’ Reading the book and thinking back on that moment I discovered that the reviews were bad due to the fact they must have all been written by bitter adults who didn’t have such a radical teenage experience as the characters do in the book!

Right from the beginning of the book you get involved, the description is so vivid that for all you know it could be you as the character. To be honest all I have for the book is praise so I’ll make the review short. If you can imagine a cross between ‘rebel without a cause’ and ‘stand by me’ then you’ve got it in one. The struggles, experiences and existence of teenage life superbly written by Mr Franco, who you can’t help but thinking throughout the story if he actually experienced some of these radical things. The story is told in first person by many different characters from their viewpoints; it amazed me at how perfectly Mr Franco nailed the perspectives of both the female and male characters; like he actually got in their heads and understood them.

The way it is written is kind of like poetry, the whole thing flows and is very blunt and to the point. It is raw and maybe a bit vulgar at some points. The book is very true to the subject and balances the fact that teenagers do in fact have underlying problems and can experience such intense feelings as adults can. If you are a teenager and want to be understood you will read the book and think, ‘oh I’m not alone after all’ and I think it could be a great comfort for some of us. Anyone who likes something a bit different, that pushes the boundaries and goes deeper than the surface would also enjoy this book.

If like me you have already read the book and are a fan then I have some good news! The book is going to be made into a film called ‘Palo Alto Stories’!!!

Directed by Gia Coppola, starring James Franco, Emma Roberts and Keegan Allen to name a few ;-)!

Hope you are all excited as I am !!!!