Publish date: January 2012
Source: Library
"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 tumours 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."
I'm a big fan of John Green, but until now, I'd only read Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska. I adored Paper Towns, but I'm wondering if that was because it was my first John Green. Regardless, he is a talented author and The Fault in Our Stars is certainly no exception to that.
One of the things I like best about John Green as an author is how he infuses humor into most situations, and intelligent humor at that. I've read his books as an adult and I love that he does not "talk down" to his readers. He treats them as the smart people that they are. He certainly has a way with words--I loved the vocabulary in this book. Sometimes I thought the dialogue might have been a bit much for teenagers, but overall it was fantastic.
In every review I read of TFIOS, the reader said that he/she cried. Well, folks, here's where I reveal my heart of stone: I do not cry at books. And I did not cry at this one. There were obviously some heavy, emotional moments in this book (full of poignant humor, of course), but I didn't cry. Be prepared to, though. I certainly felt sad...but no tears.
All in all, a great book by a great author. I don't feel that I loved it as much as others, but definitely liked it and finished it in two days. Hazel and Augustus were great characters that I felt I could relate to and I think teens will as well. This is not your typical "cancer book" at all.
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."
I'm a big fan of John Green, but until now, I'd only read Paper Towns and Looking for Alaska. I adored Paper Towns, but I'm wondering if that was because it was my first John Green. Regardless, he is a talented author and The Fault in Our Stars is certainly no exception to that.
One of the things I like best about John Green as an author is how he infuses humor into most situations, and intelligent humor at that. I've read his books as an adult and I love that he does not "talk down" to his readers. He treats them as the smart people that they are. He certainly has a way with words--I loved the vocabulary in this book. Sometimes I thought the dialogue might have been a bit much for teenagers, but overall it was fantastic.
In every review I read of TFIOS, the reader said that he/she cried. Well, folks, here's where I reveal my heart of stone: I do not cry at books. And I did not cry at this one. There were obviously some heavy, emotional moments in this book (full of poignant humor, of course), but I didn't cry. Be prepared to, though. I certainly felt sad...but no tears.
All in all, a great book by a great author. I don't feel that I loved it as much as others, but definitely liked it and finished it in two days. Hazel and Augustus were great characters that I felt I could relate to and I think teens will as well. This is not your typical "cancer book" at all.
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