Author(s): John Green
Edition: Hardcover, 313 pages
Publisher: Dutton Books
Publication Date: January 10, 2012
Source: Bought from Amazon
Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumors tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind
Book Title: 5/5
Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Writing: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Overall: 50/50: A+ (THE FIRST ONE EVER!)
Edition: Hardcover, 313 pages
Publisher: Dutton Books
Publication Date: January 10, 2012
Source: Bought from Amazon
Buy: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository
The Summary
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumors in her lungs... for now. Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumors tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.
Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind
My Opinion
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I need to preface this review with the fact that it is difficult for me to articulate my feelings on this book. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green has impacted me in so many ways, and is truly one of the great literary pieces of our generation. This is a book that will be read for years to come, and I’m so happy to have had it in my life.
Green does an amazing job of telling a human story. This book is about the basic human realities: life, death, love, loss, innocence, and cynicism. Hazel is one of the most intensely real characters I’ve read; so real that at points it made me extremely uncomfortable. But that is what makes Green’s writing so beautiful; he is able to craft a new reality with his words that transports the reader directly into the story.
It’s hard to talk about this book without giving away plot points, but the basic outline is this: Hazel Lancaster, the protagonist, was diagnosed with cancer at a young age. she lives through her formative years dealing with this attack on her body, but she goes into recession thanks to a miracle drug. Living to see her 17th birthday isn’t something Hazel or her parents thought possible before, but now she has the foreseeable future ahead of her. And a part of that future involves one Augustus Waters.
Augustus and Hazel are a match made for the ages. One of the things that Green so eloquently does is show that love, real love, is possible at any age. Augustus is one of those boys who is a melt-your-heart, let-him-be-mine boy. But he isn’t perfect, giving him layers that are needed in this type of book. The same with Hazel. She isn’t perfect showing vulnerability and fear in the face of her life, but also great hope. Hazel is pushed to live again by Augustus, and Augustus is shown the big picture by Hazel. Together they make each other better.
I know there is a lot of talk about this book. It has been on numerous book lists, won awards, and been all over the literary world. But that isn’t without due cause. The ability to capture the human experience and tell a story that reads so much like fact is a gift. This type of book can be used for future generations to look back on and go, “That’s how people thought then.” The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is a transformative work that should be required reading for both teens and adults.
It’s hard to talk about this book without giving away plot points, but the basic outline is this: Hazel Lancaster, the protagonist, was diagnosed with cancer at a young age. she lives through her formative years dealing with this attack on her body, but she goes into recession thanks to a miracle drug. Living to see her 17th birthday isn’t something Hazel or her parents thought possible before, but now she has the foreseeable future ahead of her. And a part of that future involves one Augustus Waters.
Augustus and Hazel are a match made for the ages. One of the things that Green so eloquently does is show that love, real love, is possible at any age. Augustus is one of those boys who is a melt-your-heart, let-him-be-mine boy. But he isn’t perfect, giving him layers that are needed in this type of book. The same with Hazel. She isn’t perfect showing vulnerability and fear in the face of her life, but also great hope. Hazel is pushed to live again by Augustus, and Augustus is shown the big picture by Hazel. Together they make each other better.
I know there is a lot of talk about this book. It has been on numerous book lists, won awards, and been all over the literary world. But that isn’t without due cause. The ability to capture the human experience and tell a story that reads so much like fact is a gift. This type of book can be used for future generations to look back on and go, “That’s how people thought then.” The Fault in Our Stars by John Green is a transformative work that should be required reading for both teens and adults.
Extras
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Book Trailer
John Green Talks About TFIOS
John Green Reads Chapter One of TFIOS
Final Rating
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Book Cover: 5/5Book Title: 5/5
Plot: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Writing: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Overall: 50/50: A+ (THE FIRST ONE EVER!)
