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#72 The Fault in Our Stars by John Green Review

March 5, 2013 /
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.
This is not the first John Green book I’ve read, one of my besties is probably one of his biggest fans and she introduced me to his wonderful writings when we lived together by lending me Looking for Alaska. Since then I’ve read Paper Towns and now The Fault in Our Stars. If you haven’t yet found yourself picking up one of his books I urge you too, they are all so beautifully written and ever so poignant. It made me laugh out loud and sob in to the wee hours of the night.
The first thing about The Fault in Our Stars is that if you have a thing for quotes, you will love this book. It is filled with some many heart stopping and memorable lines, ones that you know and love long after you have finished the book. I have always been a sucker for quotes, some of my favourite works of fiction are so because after one read I could quote bits of them off by heart because quotes have stuck with me. I felt this way after reading Looking for Alaska and again when reading this. John Green has the most wonderful narrative skill and exquisite way of writing. 
The two main characters despite living with cancer (something that isn’t often documented in such a way that you could bare reading about) are just ordinary characters but so realistically written you could imagine them alive. I loved Hazel, I loved the way she viewed the world despite what she is living with. I loved Augustus, I loved that I felt I knew both of these characters personally by the end of the book. I loved how it gave a unique and believable insight to what it could be like to have to live with cancer. I loved the hope. 
I have to admit after I finished this book (in a day no less) I felt emotionally drained, much like I did after seeing Les Mis. And although it wasn’t what I needed on that particular day (I’m not good with the subject of cancer, I’ve lost too many people to it) you cannot deny that this is a work of art. And although due to the subject matter I couldn’t ever put this above Looking for Alaska as a favourite book, it is one I will always recommend. It is well paced, easy to read and I found I couldn’t put it down. Although the chapter ends haven’t got cliff hangers, you do feel that you need to read on.

My favouite quote is of course the one you’ll have seen splashed all over the internet;

“My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.”
After I finished the book, I knew that this will be one line I will always remember from this book (and not just because of it’s over use on Tumblr) because it so often describes the way I think but so beautifully put. Only from the mind of John Green could that come. He is a modern day literary genius.
The ending, well get the tissues ready. It was exactly what I was expecting but I did sob for a longgg time afterwards. The book really gets you thinking about important questions such as legacy, mortality and what happens after you die. That’s the only thing I didn’t like about this book.. since having a daughter I really don’t like to think about death as I want to be around for as much of her life as possible but this book really made me think that no one knows what is going to happen tomorrow, next week or even a few years down the line. But please, don’t let that put you off!
Now reading… The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

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