Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

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Average customer rating 4.9 (8 comments)

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I listened to the audio version of this book which was read by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Not the kind of book I would typically pick up, I was totally sucked in by the characters and their friendship. Loved this book and would highly recommend it.

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I read this and was caught by the real beauty of all the relationships. A lovely, and maybe a little wistful, story of friendship and the power of it. I especially loved the parents in this book. On the last page, I had to say “wow” out loud.

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Lyrical indeed! I was blown away with this book from start to finish. It's a refreshing look at puberty and growing up and the things young people in the world face. To have a main character that's so charming, so thoughtful, who cares so deeply about the world to carry this story made it wonderful. Aristotle and Dante capture the easiness and angst of teenagers and how such different people can be meaningful to each other. I felt for the characters and the world they lived in. Everything about this book is so unique and rich from the characters to the writing and the way it makes you think and tells this story so effortlessly.

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This book succeeded my expectations. Everyone had told me how great it was and I was scared that it would not live up to my expectations. Luckily it surpassed my expectation. The emotions in this book are so sincere and real. The characters were realistic and funny. I loved the writing and the cover. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is now one of my favorite books.

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Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is hands down the best, the most captivating, and most memorable book I have read in a long long time. It is supposedly a YA coming of age novel, but most adults will be more entertained and moved by it than teen readers. Adults will appreciate the powerful poetic writing and protagonist, Ari's, feelings of loneliness and insignificance. Teens will be surprised and saddened by some of the events. Adults will see them coming. Adults know that keeping secrets never leads to happiness. Luckily for Ari, he has a new best friend, and parents, who are determined help him discover how amazing he is. I almost did not read Aristotle and Dante. The first page opened with the cheery sentences: "I was fifteen. I was bored. I was miserable." I thought, Ugh. Another whiney teen story. But the next sentence was so beautiful, it almost brought me to tears: "The sun could have melted the blue right off the sky. Then the sky could be as miserable as I was." That was just the first of many unforgettably beautiful sentences.

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I can't say how many times I've recommended this book over the past couple of years. Not only is it an excellent YA book, it's an excellent book.

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this book is amazing and perfect and you should read it.

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In this adorable story we meet Aristotle and Dante, two teens who meet by chance and then become best of friends. Aristotle (Ari) lives with his mother whom he loves and his father who he desperately wants to understand. His father is a veteran of war, scarred and often unnaturally quiet toward his son and this affects Aristotle on many levels. Add to the mix a brother in prison that the family doesn’t even speak of and you get your average angsty teenage boy with extra emphasis on the angst. Then comes Dante. Dante is clever, sarcastic, funny and to Aristotle’s surprise, he wants to be friends. This is a seemingly simple, straight-forward book about friendship but it really is so much more than that. Written at a time when the two main characters are just beginning to figure out what they want from life and what they want from themselves it turns out to be a beautiful, moving work of art. There are no overarching themes of romancing or breathtaking plot twists. There is no real declaration of love or grand standing. Aristotle and Dante simply are. And, together, they are learning how to exist in the world. I listened to this story on audiobook and it was adorable. I must confess that Ari and Dante are probably my new fictional OTP. I think what I loved most about this was the dialogue. It felt real, awkward, and sometimes left gaping holes in what the characters really wanted to say. It felt very real and raw. Beautiful, beautiful book. I recommend this for pretty much everyone! Just read it, okay? Okay. More reviews over at Bookishly Speaking!