megadallion's review against another edition
4.0
Okay, so I finished this in practically two days after like a month of absolutely no time for reading, so that should tell you something about how good it was (or at least how much it sucks you into the story). I had a hunch about how it would end (and I was almost completely right) but I just had to know what happened - would it end the same way as An Imperial Affliction? (I was gonna be so pissed if it did) I was also expecting to cry but sadly did not; there was just a wee bit of puddling in my eyeballs. I was admittedly slightly distracted by dogs begging for pets with sad eyes, but anyway, I digress.
The Fault in Our Stars is about this girl named Hazel who has greatly beaten her odds by surviving Stage IV thyroid cancer to the age of sixteen with the help of a new miracle drug called Phalanxifor. At a support group meeting she meets dreamboat Augustus Waters, who has survived osteosarcoma after the amputation of his leg. They are both intelligent, profound, sharp-witted teenagers with philosophical musings abounding between the pair of them. Usually in books and movies, precocious, beyond-his/her-years children annoy the hell out of me. The only other book I can think of where this didn't bother me is [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|4588|Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Jonathan Safran Foer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327879967s/4588.jpg|1940137], which I loved (although I caught a snippet of the movie version where Oskar was having a little monologue and I had to change the channel, so maybe I can only handle these children in the constructs of my own mind and not in real life or cinema). So the language thing took some getting used to, but after a while it didn't bother me anymore. These kids have been at death's doorstep for a while and I can understand how that would make them more poetic and deep. Overall, I thought it was a lovely and moving love story and I really enjoyed John Green's writing and sense of humor. I'm looking forward to reading more from him and have already requested [b:Looking for Alaska|99561|Looking for Alaska|John Green|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327869663s/99561.jpg|919292] from my library. Hopefully that'll be more good stuff.
The Fault in Our Stars is about this girl named Hazel who has greatly beaten her odds by surviving Stage IV thyroid cancer to the age of sixteen with the help of a new miracle drug called Phalanxifor. At a support group meeting she meets dreamboat Augustus Waters, who has survived osteosarcoma after the amputation of his leg. They are both intelligent, profound, sharp-witted teenagers with philosophical musings abounding between the pair of them. Usually in books and movies, precocious, beyond-his/her-years children annoy the hell out of me. The only other book I can think of where this didn't bother me is [b:Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|4588|Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Jonathan Safran Foer|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327879967s/4588.jpg|1940137], which I loved (although I caught a snippet of the movie version where Oskar was having a little monologue and I had to change the channel, so maybe I can only handle these children in the constructs of my own mind and not in real life or cinema). So the language thing took some getting used to, but after a while it didn't bother me anymore. These kids have been at death's doorstep for a while and I can understand how that would make them more poetic and deep. Overall, I thought it was a lovely and moving love story and I really enjoyed John Green's writing and sense of humor. I'm looking forward to reading more from him and have already requested [b:Looking for Alaska|99561|Looking for Alaska|John Green|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327869663s/99561.jpg|919292] from my library. Hopefully that'll be more good stuff.
elizabethcaneday's review against another edition
This book made me cry and it made me think. I loved it.
lucysmith13's review against another edition
5.0
I'm no stranger to the young adult genre, as my 'read' pile indicates, but I've not picked up anything by John Green before, which is probably odd given that he's one of the biggest names in this category. Having seen The Fault in Our Stars (and being a Shakespeare fan), I decided to give it a go.
John Green manages to create incredibly charming and realistic characters, whose actions and words fit the situation they are in. They are intelligent and witty, but are also grounded in their own realities. Books about death are another favourite of mine, but as always, they run the risk of being too dark, too depressing. The Fault in Our Stars is neither; it does in no uncertain terms remind you of the brevity of life, but ultimately it's uplifting and joyous, as two teenagers make the most of their time while they can and simply enjoy each other's company. Well written and easy to read (and get lost in), the ending is heart breaking but not unexpected (we were never going to get away with a happily ever after). Beware being temporarily unable to do much else once you start reading.
John Green manages to create incredibly charming and realistic characters, whose actions and words fit the situation they are in. They are intelligent and witty, but are also grounded in their own realities. Books about death are another favourite of mine, but as always, they run the risk of being too dark, too depressing. The Fault in Our Stars is neither; it does in no uncertain terms remind you of the brevity of life, but ultimately it's uplifting and joyous, as two teenagers make the most of their time while they can and simply enjoy each other's company. Well written and easy to read (and get lost in), the ending is heart breaking but not unexpected (we were never going to get away with a happily ever after). Beware being temporarily unable to do much else once you start reading.
linzbassett's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't want to read this book. I really didn't. I hate sappy tearjerker books. At the request of two friends in the same day, and seeing the trailer for the movie, I decided to read it. I started reading it and told myself I wasn't going to like it. I told myself that it was a Walk to Remember rip off, and it was going to suck. Yeah... about that.
This book hit me in so many ways. First off I grew up about a half hour from where the book takes place. I've been away from Indiana for five years now, so this book made me so incredibly homesick. It gave me a lot of nostalgia, because Castleton was one of the places me and my friends would sneak off to when we were old enough to drive, but told not to leave our tiny town of Anderson, Indiana. I never thought I would be homesick for Indiana, but I am right now. Thanks John Green.
While reading this book, I prepared myself for Hazel to die. I just thought it was a given that this sick was going to pass on. I had all kinds of events drummed in my head that were going to happen, she was going to die in Amsterdam after her dream came true, she was going to die mid-sentence, like the character in her favorite book. I was so completely unprepared for what actually happened.
I think one of the things I loved the most about this book is that it's funny. One of the friends who recommended it to me told me I'd enjoy the humor in it. I didn't believe her, because cancer books aren't suppose to be funny. But even though the book had it's super sad parts, it actually was really lighthearted and funny. I also think that's what I loved about Hazel. Yes she has cancer, yes she's terminal, but she goes about making jokes and acting like it's no big deal. She just does what she does and accepts it. This was kind of a slap in the face for me, because here we have this girl who, let's be honest, is in a shitty predicament, but she doesn't really complain much about it. She accepts what's going to happen to her and tries to make the best out of what time she has left. Because of that, I found myself evaluating my life. In a cliche (and morbid) sense none of us really know how much time we have left, and yet how many of us waste the day away pissing and moaning about everything that's wrong with it? I know I certainly do. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, but the book was an eye opener for me.
I'm trying to do this with out spoilers... One of the friends who recommended this to me just asked what my favorite and least favorite parts were about the book. I had to think a moment, but what I came up with is a contradiction (I love contradictions.) I love the brutal honesty of the book, in the sense that it shows you that just because someone is sick, dying, or dead doesn't mean we have to make them into heroes. Some people are just sucky people. Period. In the same sense, this is also my least favorite part. Just because something is honest, doesn't mean it won't hurt. It still hurts to watch these people be awful, honesty doesn't really make that any easier to deal with it.
This book hit me in so many ways. First off I grew up about a half hour from where the book takes place. I've been away from Indiana for five years now, so this book made me so incredibly homesick. It gave me a lot of nostalgia, because Castleton was one of the places me and my friends would sneak off to when we were old enough to drive, but told not to leave our tiny town of Anderson, Indiana. I never thought I would be homesick for Indiana, but I am right now. Thanks John Green.
While reading this book, I prepared myself for Hazel to die. I just thought it was a given that this sick was going to pass on. I had all kinds of events drummed in my head that were going to happen, she was going to die in Amsterdam after her dream came true, she was going to die mid-sentence, like the character in her favorite book. I was so completely unprepared for what actually happened.
I think one of the things I loved the most about this book is that it's funny. One of the friends who recommended it to me told me I'd enjoy the humor in it. I didn't believe her, because cancer books aren't suppose to be funny. But even though the book had it's super sad parts, it actually was really lighthearted and funny. I also think that's what I loved about Hazel. Yes she has cancer, yes she's terminal, but she goes about making jokes and acting like it's no big deal. She just does what she does and accepts it. This was kind of a slap in the face for me, because here we have this girl who, let's be honest, is in a shitty predicament, but she doesn't really complain much about it. She accepts what's going to happen to her and tries to make the best out of what time she has left. Because of that, I found myself evaluating my life. In a cliche (and morbid) sense none of us really know how much time we have left, and yet how many of us waste the day away pissing and moaning about everything that's wrong with it? I know I certainly do. I'm not really sure where I'm going with this, but the book was an eye opener for me.
I'm trying to do this with out spoilers... One of the friends who recommended this to me just asked what my favorite and least favorite parts were about the book. I had to think a moment, but what I came up with is a contradiction (I love contradictions.) I love the brutal honesty of the book, in the sense that it shows you that just because someone is sick, dying, or dead doesn't mean we have to make them into heroes. Some people are just sucky people. Period. In the same sense, this is also my least favorite part. Just because something is honest, doesn't mean it won't hurt. It still hurts to watch these people be awful, honesty doesn't really make that any easier to deal with it.
dayellew's review against another edition
4.0
I read "Looking for Alaska", another novel by author John Green", years ago, and it wasn't until recently, around the time of the release of "The Fault in Our Stars" that I discovered the video channel on Youtube ran by him and his brother Hank. Their videos convinced me to read this book, and while it is definitely heartbreaking at points, and a thrilling read that's incredibly difficult to put down, I couldn't help but read certain situations and feel disconnected. I don't think it's a fault of the skill of the author, or the story itself, it may just have been me personally. I was also disappointed with the ending of the book, as it seemed quite abrupt (although, while typing this, I can't help but wonder if this was intentionally, to fit along with a key part of the novel).
While not my favorite novel by Green (I recommend you read "Paper Towns", or the aforementioned "Looking for Alaska" and you may see what I mean), this is a quality novel nonetheless. It is young adult fiction that doesn't talk down to the reader- almost to the point of being a tad bit pretentious. (However, in my opinion a tiny bit of pretention never hurt anyone!). Regardless of technical genre- I recommend this for anyone young or old.
**(Does contain a bit of tragedy that may not be emotionally suitable for the youngest group of YA readers, but that's up to parents to decide!).
While not my favorite novel by Green (I recommend you read "Paper Towns", or the aforementioned "Looking for Alaska" and you may see what I mean), this is a quality novel nonetheless. It is young adult fiction that doesn't talk down to the reader- almost to the point of being a tad bit pretentious. (However, in my opinion a tiny bit of pretention never hurt anyone!). Regardless of technical genre- I recommend this for anyone young or old.
**(Does contain a bit of tragedy that may not be emotionally suitable for the youngest group of YA readers, but that's up to parents to decide!).
jenmccredy's review against another edition
4.0
What a beautifully written book! The premise grabbed me from the first page and never let me go. It is an emotionally charged book and a new pinnacle of YA writing for me. I loved the phrasing and some of the lines made me gasp and re-read. Bravo, now I need to read all of his other books!
katieemay1's review against another edition
5.0
John Green doesn't shy away from the truth in this book, creating real characters in real situations. The inevitable truth is there, shocking but so raw with emotion and truth, makes it utterly bearable. The portrayal of death isn't trivialized or made to be glamorous but as reality which one day we will all have to face at some time.
Read my whole review at katieemay1.blogspot.com
Read my whole review at katieemay1.blogspot.com
oriish's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Beautiful Book, was hooked from the start!! This is an amazing read and highly recommend everyone to read this. Both breaks your heart and multiplies its size. Absolutely gorgeous
angeliqueazul's review against another edition
3.0
So. The Fault in Our Stars. I always knew I would probably read this book someday - because it was so popular among reviewers and bloggers I respect, and also because to this day it is the only John Green book I could make myself interested in reading. Before the hype of John Green reached its present height, I found myself reading the beginning of a copy of Looking for Alaska in a bookstore that has by now been replaced by a shop that cells sports wear. (When I stood before this new shop looking for the bookstore, I thought to myself: 'Really? A sports wear store? Since when are Germans more eager for physical training than the simple pleasure of reading - or if not that then at least buying - books?' But this is beside the point.) Looking for Alaska, however, did not impress me at all.
I found this book incredibly difficult to rate. The Fault in Our Stars is not a bad book in terms of a shitty plot or awful language. I cannot truthfully say that I did not enjoy reading it. I did not enjoy reading all of it; so 3 indecisive stars. What I liked about John Green's book is that it deals with death and the question of what we leave behind. This was my favorite aspect of the book because I myself struggle a lot with coping with this part of life (isn't it ironic how life and death are seen as opposites and then again people want you to understand that you have to die because it is a 'part of life'? Being both an opposite and a part of life, makes death an oxymoron or maybe just 'different things to different people'?). I wouldn't go so far as to claim that The Fault in Our Stars had a hopeful message about this.
I don't know anything about 'regular cancer books' but if they are anything like 'regular sad books', then I would say The Fault in Our Stars is pretty average. If you compare this to A Walk To Remember for example (and Nicholas Sparks and his make-the-reader-cry-style did come to my mind at a certain point), then the main difference is that you are prepared for people to die from the start (even though by the second Sparks book, you are also in a sad way prepared for that). It's a book about cancer - or rather a book about dying - after all.
There is a curious thing about The Fault in Our Stars and that is it's celebration of the fictional novel An Imperial Affliction - for me the way the latter portrayed death would have been more acceptable than the way Green's book deals with it.
I liked reading about Hazel and Augustus and their conversations were enjoyable to read. This book was trying really hard to be funny but that humor never quite reached me. The only time I laughed was at a remark by the Dutch assistant that was just really odd. I found a very good review on goodreads in which someone said that humor comes from experience. When you have experienced cancer you can make jokes about it - you can laugh about it. But I didn't think any of the jokes in this book particularly funny. Maybe that goes back to my lack of experience.
I wonder if young adults struggling with cancer would actually like this book or if they would think Green got it all wrong. That is one of the problems I have with this book, I think: While on the death side, Green offers us a glimpse of interesting thoughts, on the cancer side, I am not sure he got it right. I also wonder where the John Green magic is. He has such a large fan base that claims 'he speaks to my soul' - but even if this wasn't a library copy but my own, I wouldn't have underlined a single sentence. The only quote I liked I was sure to have read somewhere else before. So. The Fault in Our Stars. Didn't win me over. But I'm thankful for anyone who wants to explain to me what is so special about this book because I just didn't see the magic.
I found this book incredibly difficult to rate. The Fault in Our Stars is not a bad book in terms of a shitty plot or awful language. I cannot truthfully say that I did not enjoy reading it. I did not enjoy reading all of it; so 3 indecisive stars. What I liked about John Green's book is that it deals with death and the question of what we leave behind. This was my favorite aspect of the book because I myself struggle a lot with coping with this part of life (isn't it ironic how life and death are seen as opposites and then again people want you to understand that you have to die because it is a 'part of life'? Being both an opposite and a part of life, makes death an oxymoron or maybe just 'different things to different people'?). I wouldn't go so far as to claim that The Fault in Our Stars had a hopeful message about this.
I don't know anything about 'regular cancer books' but if they are anything like 'regular sad books', then I would say The Fault in Our Stars is pretty average. If you compare this to A Walk To Remember for example (and Nicholas Sparks and his make-the-reader-cry-style did come to my mind at a certain point), then the main difference is that you are prepared for people to die from the start (even though by the second Sparks book, you are also in a sad way prepared for that). It's a book about cancer - or rather a book about dying - after all.
There is a curious thing about The Fault in Our Stars and that is it's celebration of the fictional novel An Imperial Affliction - for me the way the latter portrayed death would have been more acceptable than the way Green's book deals with it.
I liked reading about Hazel and Augustus and their conversations were enjoyable to read. This book was trying really hard to be funny but that humor never quite reached me. The only time I laughed was at a remark by the Dutch assistant that was just really odd. I found a very good review on goodreads in which someone said that humor comes from experience. When you have experienced cancer you can make jokes about it - you can laugh about it. But I didn't think any of the jokes in this book particularly funny. Maybe that goes back to my lack of experience.
I wonder if young adults struggling with cancer would actually like this book or if they would think Green got it all wrong. That is one of the problems I have with this book, I think: While on the death side, Green offers us a glimpse of interesting thoughts, on the cancer side, I am not sure he got it right. I also wonder where the John Green magic is. He has such a large fan base that claims 'he speaks to my soul' - but even if this wasn't a library copy but my own, I wouldn't have underlined a single sentence. The only quote I liked I was sure to have read somewhere else before. So. The Fault in Our Stars. Didn't win me over. But I'm thankful for anyone who wants to explain to me what is so special about this book because I just didn't see the magic.
sinagaraw's review against another edition
2.0
"you don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world, but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices. I hope she likes hers"
i do. i do like my choice on reading you.
i do. i do like my choice on reading you.