Title: The Fault
in Our Stars
Author: John
Green
Publisher: Dutton
Books
Publication Date: January
10, 2012
Genres: YA,
Contemporary
Reviewed by: Angie
Edwards
My rating: 5/5
SUMMARY
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle
that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal,
her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist
named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's
story is about to be completely rewritten.
REVIEW
Well,
first things first.
One:
this book didn’t make me cry. I don’t know if there’s anything wrong with me
for not ugly-crying or wailing at a decibel that would make puppies howl, but I
didn’t cry. Everyone else said they cried while reading this book. I didn’t. I
was sad, I was heartbroken, I felt despondent, and I kept wishing against all
odds that the inevitable conclusion could somehow be avoided. But I didn’t cry.
Is that a bad thing?
Two: I
didn’t connect with either Augustus or Hazel. Both are great characters with
depth and they’re flawed as heck, but I just couldn’t connect with them on any
level. In stark contrast, I absolutely loved, loved, LOVED Hazel’s parents, and
Isaac. My heart bled for Hazel and Augustus, but I just couldn’t form a bond
with them. I have no idea why, but it is what it is.
The
aforementioned points aren’t complaints. They’re only observations. The Fault in Our Stars was every
wonderful thing I didn’t expect. I’ve wanted to read TFIOS so many times. In
fact, every time I read a glowing review about it, I desperately wanted to pick
up this book and start reading it. Alas, I was too chicken. For some reason I
didn’t want to get drawn into the suffering of a terminal patient for whom
there is no hope. During the very first chapter, though, I came to realize that
this is not such a novel at all.
No
matter that I only connected with two characters (and not even the MCs), TFIOS
is a phenomenal story. Whether it makes you cry or not is not what’s important.
What you take from it after you’ve closed the book, is what is important.
Though both Hazel and Augustus share a deeper insight and understanding about
the disease that is progressively ending their lives, they are two very different
people. Yet they don’t let their differences stand in their way of falling in
love...and what a beautiful, evocative, romance they have! But keep in mind that this is not just a love
story. It is much, much more than that.
The Fault in Our Stars is unprecedented in
its uniqueness. Every theme explored in this novel gave me something to think
about. It was written with compassion, an appropriate lightheartedness, and a
profound understanding of the fragility of life. John Green is a marvelous
author, and though I’m sure I might not enjoy all his novels equally, I’m so
glad I was finally convinced to give this book a chance. You’d be too.
PURCHASE LINKS
ABOUT the AUTHOR
John Green is the New York Times bestselling
author of Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and The Fault in Our Stars. He is also the co-author, with David
Levithan, of Will Grayson, Will Grayson.
He was 2006 recipient of the Michael L. Printz Award, a 2009 Edgar Award
winner, and has twice been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize.
Green’s books have been published in more than a dozen languages.
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2 comments:
Although I was one of the people that bawled like a baby reading this, I do agree with you when you say that this book is much more than it seems. It's one of those reads that you carry on thinking about well after you've finished reading it which I thought was the best thing about it.
This book is still waiting for me to pick it up and I'm nervous to do so. I know I will love it, even if I don't cry with it. But I'm afraid of the heartbreak :(
I'm already a fan of this author, he is praised all the time for his books and I have no doubt he is an amazing, capable writer. I'm so glad you think so too. :)
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