Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Title: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Published: January 10^th 2012 by Dutton Juvenile

Source: Purchased

Challenge(s): none

Grade rate: A+

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 12, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours 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 Review

Oh, my! This is the first book by John Green that I’ve read and it certainly will not be the last.  What a marvelous story!  What breathtaking characters!  (Okay, I’m done with the exclamation points now).

Our protagonist is Hazel and she is amazing.  From reading the synopsis we know that she is sick, very sick.  Still she sees the world in a pragmatic, realistic, but not pessimistic way.  She is by no means perfect, but she accepts that fact and move on.   Hazel has isolated herself from school and friends, because in her mind it is better to not have any than to eventually abandon them and hurt them when eventually her disease wins.   Augustus is an incredible character; he is positive, charismatic, incredibly handsome and full of life, even at the face of terrible circumstances.  Both Hazel and Augustus are one of a kind characters.  They are well read, they love unusual things, and they wield irony and sarcasm like a weapon, and even though their families might not understand them, they recognize the greatness in them.

Hazel and Augustus’ parents are very involved in their lives, which is nice (and more realistic) to see in YA.  I really enjoyed Hazel parents and their relationship, especially her father because he always seemed to have a brilliant comment to make. 

What can I say about the writing that you haven’t read before?  Mr. Green is a master story teller that makes not only the story, but its characters come to life.  The writing is perfect, well-paced, and flawless. The plot was at the beginning funny and ironic, and then it was surprising and painful. 

Even though I cried for a good part of the book (at least half of it!), it was worth every tear.  If you have read any books by Mr. Green before, please leave a comment and tell me which of his books should I read next?

About the cover:   The cover is not the prettiest I’ve seen, but I like the clouds and the happy blue color.