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The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
There are books in life that grasp your heart and warm your soul. There are books with words that melt on your tongue and linger in your mind. There are books with such raw emotion, you can feel it seeping out of the pages. There are books with characters so alive they practically leap out of the chapter.
And then there’s “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green.
The moment I opened the cover, Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters did not leap out of the pages; they raised their hands and earnestly beckoned me forward. They invited me into their lives, so, naturally, I invited them into my heart. Under normal circumstances, I would classify these characters as “lovable.” However, puppies are lovable. Babies are lovable.
The word just does not do Hazel or Augustus justice.
They are human, which is possibly the biggest compliment I could give. For me to consider a character as human, they have to be more than words on a page. Not adjectives and verbs and dialogue, but skin and bones and hair. When I picture Hazel and Augustus in my mind, they do not appear as a combination of the twenty-six letters in the English language; they encompass my mind as incredible, powerful individuals. They make mistakes and they are by no means perfect. They are, amazingly, human.
But to concoct the perfect cake of a novel, characters are just the flour. Maybe the eggs, too.
And then comes the sugar: the story.
The phrase “Cancer Story” is almost synonymous with sadness. At best, these stories can be inspirational, but with hardships and obstacles dominating the novel. The term “cancer” does not just describe these books; it overtakes them completely.
The Fault in Our Stars is the perfect “Non-Cancer Cancer Story.” Confusing, yes? Have no fear! In fact, never have fear when you’re reading this Non-Cancer Cancer Story, because the cancer involved here is really just a detail, just a “side effect,” in an incredible work of art. John Green twists this Non-Cancer Cancer Story into a comedic romance that is impossible not to love.
Powerful. Hilarious. Strong. Heart-warming. Only a few words out of many that I would use to describe John Green’s wonderful creation.
There are books that nudge themselves into your heart and curl up there for your remainder of your days.
There are books that change your life.
“The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green is not one of those books.
It is so, so much more.
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This article has 18 comments.
I've read one other of John Green's books (Looking for Alaska, sadly being made into a movie that will perhaps be even more cringeworthy than TFIOS) and after having experienced that and seen the way he interacts with fans first hand, I don't really have an interest of seeing more of him that I absolutely have to via tumblr. I understand why his books are popular, to an extent, it caters to a very specific type of teenager (see: Why We Should Let John Green Raise Our Kids on my page here) but personally, I have no interest in seeing John Green write the same White People Who Love Each Other But Uh Oh Complications story that has been written to death with much the same oh-so-marketable dialogue.
My tumblr URL is the same as my username here, no caps no spaces, and if you're interested in continuing the conversation there or reading my john-green-hate tag, I encourage you to do so. This isn't exactly the space for constructive review, at least from my perspective.
Have a nice day.
I will say this: I, simply, disagree. I do actually agree to some of your comments (in a less hateful way, of course), but for me, and for millions of others, this book offered a refreshing escape from the horror of humanity; I am disgusted with the current selfishness of the human race, and unrealistic characters and flowery pros raised my hopes that maybe people could act more like these characters: selfless.
If you don't like John Green's writing, I encourage you to check out his Youtube videos (The Vlogbrothers, CrashCourse). I think you'll find that although his writing not be to your taste, he is a talented and diverse individual that I believe deserves the utmost respect. :)
1. John Green cannot write stories or plots that aren't choppy, predictable, and haphazard. 2. John Green in incapable of writing characters that aren't so pretentious that you gag everytime they open their mouths. 3. John Green is incapable of writing prose that isn't flowery, over the top, and ridiculous.
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