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The Fault in Our Stars

by John Green

4.68 · rating details · 13,630 ratings · 3,591 reviews

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 tether...more

Hardcover, First Edition, 318 pages

Published January 10th 2012 by Dutton Juvenile

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Jan 26, 2012

Tatiana rated it

Recommends it for: fans of cancer stories and everything John Green writes

Shelves: 2012, ya, rc-a-z-2012, why-the-hype, b

As seen on The Readventurer

The Fault in Our Stars currently has a rating of 4.74 on Goodreads, almost everyone I know has given it 5 stars, therefore I'm certain no one would want to read my sour musings, except me and maybe a couple of other like-minded and unimpressed.

What I'd love to know is this - what makes a writer undertake the topic of cancer? So much has already been written about it, so many Lifetime movies filmed, so many tears shed. It literally has been...more

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Jan 02, 2012

Lucy rated it

Shelves: young-adult, romance, i-cried-damn-it, better-than-i-expected, book-with-no-ending

First and foremost, the author really does not want you to spoil yourself. I, however, am the kind of person who likes to read revealing reviews before purchasing a book. There are, after all, only so many books you can read in a year and afford to buy. If I didn't own this book, I'd want to read a review like this... So, I leave it up to you, intrepid reader. I'm sure you're smart enough to know your own preferences and I'll be using spoiler tags for the stuff I believe Green doesn't want discu...more

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Jan 23, 2012

Rilly *procrastinator and proud* rated it

Shelves: the-fault-in-our-stars, ao-much-more-than-just-a-book, best-characters, best-endings, best-male-leads, book-that-better-be-in-to-movies, books-i-can-t-live-without, books-i-own, character-growth, favorite-authors, favorites, heart-warming-books, kick-ass-girls, re-readable-books, best-of-2012, i-cried-hard, beautiful, life-and-death, tragedy, signed

this is me after I finished the book (and whenever I think about it)
description

*EDIT* In a lot of peoples reviews I keep seeing "they don't talk their age!" or "They make these beautiful long speeches which is something that normal teenagers don't do" and I have to point out that Augustus and Hazel AREN'T normal teenagers. They've had to go through so much more In their lifetime than a lot of teenagers will ever have to, and quite honestly, this book wouldn't be as goo...more

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Jan 18, 2012

Meg ♥ rated it

Shelves: e-books, favs, 2012-reads, own-copy, signed

Hazel is a 16 year old girl with stage IV thyroid cancer, and has been living with an oxygen tank since she was first diagnosed at 12. She realizes she is going to die, but she is on a drug that is keeping the tumors at bay. At a support group meeting she meets hottie Augustus Waters, who is in remission. They immediately hit it off and change each others lives drastically.

The Fault in Our Stars is another beautifully written book by John Green. A few months ago John made a video ...moreHazel is a 16 year old girl with stage IV thyroid cancer, and has been living with an oxygen tank since she was first diagnosed at 12. She realizes she is going to die, but she is on a drug that is keeping the tumors at bay. At a support group meeting she meets hottie Augustus Waters, who is in remission. They immediately hit it off and change each others lives drastically.

The Fault in Our Stars is another beautifully written book by John Green. A few months ago John made a video on his youtube channel, and in this video he read the first two chapter of this book. I was hooked instantly. I wanted to know everything there was to know about Hazel and Augustus. I'm not going to say that this was the most original cancer book out there, but it felt more personal.

Let's start with the characters. John Green wrote the same exact character over and over again in his previous books. This is one complaint I've always had, but you won't find that here. Hazel is no Alaska Young, she is no Margot. She's just Hazel, and she's lovely. Same with Augustus. He's unlike all of John Greens male characters, and I adore him.

There is simply one complaint I have about this book. John needs to make his 17 year old characters sound more like 17 year old teens than 35 year old men. Most of the dialog in this book and sweet and enjoyable, but then the characters come out with these crazy words and I'm like "wow, John...are you trying to make me feel like an idiot?" haha There are other ways to show your charaacters are intelligent people without always making them spout out these weird, random words. In all honesty it's a bit annoying, but it doesn't bother me too much, because I understand that his younger readers will build a much better vocabulary if they pay attention. Also, his book is full of quotable lines as you can clearly see from everyone else's reviews.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. John is a phenomenal writer. He's great at building suspense when needed, and also at hitting you in the gut with a healthy dose of raw emotion. Almost everyone I know who has read this book cried. At least a little. He also throws in lots of humor which is usually appreciated to break up sad moments.

As far as John writing a female voice for the first time, I thought he did a good job. This book wasn't life-changing for me, but I easily could see how others could be affected by this book in an astounding way. It tackles cancer, death, loss of sight, loss of loved ones, love, thoughts of the afterlife and shows vividly from one girls perspective what it may feel like to know you are dying. This book may not suit everyone, but if you don't have issues reading about those things I would recommend this book to you. It was quite depressing at times, but I'm sure you would know that just by reading the synopsis.

4.5/5 Stars(less)

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Jan 10, 2012

Jaci rated it

Shelves: different, fast-reads, favourites, funny, love-stories, must-reads, sad

Holy holy holy I waited so long so this novel, so long. I wish so bad I could give it more than 5 stars. John Green is absolutely amazing, amazing, amazing. The Fault in Our Stars had me laughing and crying, then laughing more and crying more. I will reread this over and over again, just like the rest of his novels. Oh wow, was it ever worth the wait. Thank you, John Green, for being so damn spectacular.

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Jan 09, 2012

Julianna Helms rated it

Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Recommended to Julianna by: Moi

Shelves: best-boys, re-read-status, recent-favorites

I am one of the few who got their shipment (accidentally) early.

I finished this book at 3:48AM on 12/24/11.

It is every bit as amazing as John Green is, but... NO SPOILERS UNTIL 1/10/12 (which is when I'll post my review). :)

All I will say is this: Do not be afraid.

P.S. Augustus stops a car from hitting Hazel. Oh wait, that's TWILIGHT, never mind!

Actual, full review: FINALLY I can post this! Woot! The original is here. (Note: Due to copy-and-pas...more

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Feb 15, 2012

Jerzy rated it

Shelves: read-in-2012, young-adult

Near the beginning of John Green's over-hyped, yet (for my tastes) characteristically unexceptional YA novel, "The Fault In Our Stars," his protagonist Hazel, a girl suffering from stage IV thyroid cancer, states, "Cancer books suck." Whether this is Green's opinion or not I don't know, but as far as the YA genre is concerned, the statement is simply untrue. In the last 5 years there have been a spate of excellent YA "cancer books," including "Deadline" by...moreNear the beginning of John Green's over-hyped, yet (for my tastes) characteristically unexceptional YA novel, "The Fault In Our Stars," his protagonist Hazel, a girl suffering from stage IV thyroid cancer, states, "Cancer books suck." Whether this is Green's opinion or not I don't know, but as far as the YA genre is concerned, the statement is simply untrue. In the last 5 years there have been a spate of excellent YA "cancer books," including "Deadline" by Chris Crutcher, "The Last Summer of the Death Warriors" by Francisco Stork, and "Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie" by Jordan Sonnenblick that challenge the reader's capacity for compassion in complex ways that "Stars" does not, making them deeper, more sophisticated reads than the Green brand's latest product. Given this recent history of quality novels that illuminate the deep recesses of the cancer-stricken individual's experience (as well as his family's experience), Green's book adds little new to the conversation. In fact, it possibly detracts from it due to its lack of fully believable characters and forced plot. There are some decent laugh lines, I liked Hazel and thought her sense of being outside the "normal" experienced by healthy teenagers was realistic and well-done. I really liked Hazel's parents, too, and the glimpses of her relationship with them (especially her dad who calls her "a beautiful reader"). And I think the internal conflicts presented by falling in love when you know your present condition may be terminal could make for a deep, painful read. It's clear Green conducted good research on the topics of cancer symptoms, treatments and psychological experience (that last one doesn't translate to the page in an effective way), but, overall, this book fits the John Green character/plot template I've read in his books before: ironic, self-effacing narrator falls for tragic figure - in this case a saintly tragic figure - and they embark on a mildly interesting journey together and it ends badly. I'm sure Green's intentions in writing this were honest, (though pictures of the celebrity-style tour van with his face on it and the infantile antics in high-class hotels he broadcasts on YouTube during his book tour don't help), but I saw where this was going from the beginning, I was never challenged (in "Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie," for example, I had to struggle with understanding the selfishness of the narrator even as he watched his pre-schooler brother dying), I have met acerbic characters with critical illnesses in literature before, and I felt the tear-jerker aspect was carefully orchestrated. I have heard several teens now tell me how much they cried at the end of it, but when I gently press them on the rest of the book and their thoughts, they don't have a lot to say. To me this indicates that the reader begins from a place of compassion and is never quite challenged in any meaningful way. I would definitely steer a reader looking for a YA book that grapples with mortality and the messiness of life in surprising ways to "Deadline" or "Death Warriors" first.

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Amber J. I thought this book was beyond amazing -- it was so easy to give it 5 stars (I wish I could give it more). No book had ever brought me to tears until ...more
updated Feb 05, 2012 06:16pm

Rhi "more sophisticated reads than the Green brand's latest product."

Cutting! But also very interesting. It wasn't actually until this...more
Feb 10, 2012 08:00am

KT Insightful review. What bothers me most about John Green novels is the voice is always the same, and it always sounds like John Green does in his vide...more
updated Feb 17, 2012 03:43pm

Jan 17, 2012

Rhi rated it

Shelves: ya-you-have-my-heart, 2012, books-that-made-me-cry

I must be clear from the beginning. This is perhaps the most personal review I have written. My choice of stars was difficult for this. I am a self confessed John Green fan, I believe he is amongst the best of, not only YA, but fiction writers out there in general.
This is a beautifully written book. There is very little to complain about in terms of style, plot, character, etc. However I couldn't, in all good concious, give this any higher because it sits so badly with me. I have let this...more

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Jessica I lost my mother when I was young (it was sudden, not cancer-related), and I often find myself attracted to stories with a similar sort of plot. I don...moreI lost my mother when I was young (it was sudden, not cancer-related), and I often find myself attracted to stories with a similar sort of plot. I don't read messages in them or try to interpret them, necessarily, but I relate emotionally and that's what I like about them. If you don't relate emotionally, then all bets are off.

It occurs to me that I didn't read this book as arguing against the hopelessness of Hazel and Augustus's situation. I think there were definitely moments when the kids did feel like it was a hopeless situation - clearly, that was the tone of the letter that Augustus wrote that prompted the "fault in our stars" response and Hazel's parents did send her to the support group because they thought she was depressed. I also think that they didn't want to feel like that, that they wanted their lives to be about something else besides their disease and its inherent hopelessness - that's evident in their eulogies for each other and Augustus's anger that his name would never be famous. The "message" that I ended up taking away from this was more about accepting that there are things you can't change regardless of how good you are or how hard you try or how much you want it. Sometimes when the stars line up, they do so in a way that's hurtful and you have to find a way to make peace with that if you are going to survive that hurt. To me, there's a difference between looking for an alternative to hopelessness - as you put it - and an acceptance of it. That aspect of the story reminded me of things I've dealt with in my life that are wildly unrelated to teens with cancer and that was what I appreciated about it from an emotional standpoint. I separated that message from the cancer, but I can definitely see how that's not always an option for a reader.

On another point entirely: I don't get upset by male authors writing a female voice per se, but I do often find that there is something inauthentic about it. I often just like those characters less. Some men do it well enough, but others (ahem, John Updike) should stick to their own kind.(less)
Feb 10, 2012 10:33am

Mazie Bishop Rhi wrote: "Mazie wrote: "I read your review and I am not trying to start any arguments or anything, I respect your views but just one line ...more
Feb 14, 2012 07:37pm

Jan 31, 2012

Tanu Das rated it

This book was like a roller coater ride for me and, unlike, Augustus’s ride it doesn’t always go up. So 3.5 stars it is.

The fault in our stars is the story of Augustus and hazel. Both have fought against cancer for the most part of their life. Both know what it feels like and they just connect in their quest. This is green’s first novel from the female perspective and he does a pretty good job. Hazel is a likeable character, not something revolutionary but not the usual kind either....more

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Isabelle Pong Hi there. I am not really someone who is able to articulate my thoughts perfectly clear, to quote Augustus/JG, "My thoughts are stars I can't fat...more
Feb 08, 2012 01:06am

Kajal Nehra "This book was like a roller coater ride for me and, unlike, Augustus’s ride it doesn’t always go up. So 3.5 stars it is." Exactly my though...more
22 hours, 15 min ago

Jan 18, 2012

Stevie rated it

Shelves: a-z-book-challenge-2012, favorites, romance, teen-coming-of-age, teen-life

EDIT: I HAVE FINISHED THE BOOK
I'm going to keep this review short for now. This book was amazing and terrible and heart wrenching and hilarious.

Amazing because of the writing style, the deepness of the characters, the underlying (and overlying) themes, and the emotions that it provokes. John Green never fails to write wonderful stories that don't dumb down the harshness of reality yet still hold strong notes of hope.

Terrible because of the reality of the story. I have ...more

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Jan 18, 2012

Madeline rated it

Shelves: kids-and-young-adult

At age twenty-two, John Green worked as a student chaplain in a children's hospital.

Let's take a moment and consider all the implications of that, and why he is making a colossal understatement when he described the experience as "devastating." That was about twelve years ago, and Green has said in interviews that because of this experience, he's spent twelve years trying to write a book about kids with cancer - not poster children of strength and courage and illness-grant...more

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Jan 31, 2012

Elizabeth rated it

Shelves: realistic-young-adult, ya-novels, young-adult, youtube-books

Review here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA-6SmMFf...

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Feb 09, 2012

Eunice rated it

Shelves: death-tragedy-suicide, contemporary, favourites, i-cried-over, kick-ass-heroines, obsessed-with, realistic-fiction, tear-jerking, werewolves-shapeshifters, taught-me-lessons, ya-romance, young-adult, out-2012

4.5 stars

This book brought so many smiles in my face and warmed my heart in so many ways. A very poignant and compelling read that would reach deep down inside you. This is a story told with great humor, intelligence and honesty. I cannot fathom how much this book has struck me but I am certain this book has changed something within me after reading it.

I've seen this book in a lot of blogs as one of their most anticipated books for this year. So I read the blurb and...I ...more4.5 stars

This book brought so many smiles in my face and warmed my heart in so many ways. A very poignant and compelling read that would reach deep down inside you. This is a story told with great humor, intelligence and honesty. I cannot fathom how much this book has struck me but I am certain this book has changed something within me after reading it.

I've seen this book in a lot of blogs as one of their most anticipated books for this year. So I read the blurb and...I got scared. I mean, I saw right there that it's something that would be really emotional and I just so know the feelings it would left me after reading it. And they pretty much bother me, not because it was bad but whenever I read stories like this I tend to get so attached to the characters that even when it was just something fictional I feel the lost, like I was the one in there and I can't seem to let them go too. So yeah, most of the time I really avoid emotional books. They really crash my heart and makes my eyes a freaking waterfalls.

But thank you, to those wonderful reviews I've read that convinced me to give this a try because I wouldn't be able find out how this book is so different from most heavily dramatic emotional books I've seen. This book is just so downright beautiful and utterly honest. This book made me see a lot of things in a whole different way, made me realize how lucky I am and taught me so many great life lessons.

I'm sure I wouldn't be able to give this book justice in this review. But just let me tell you what I really loved about this book. Hazel, Augustus and their life lessons. I've read the first two chapters and I already fell in love with them. Despite the seriousness of the situation this two were absolutely adorable and funny. They were witty, intelligent and strong. And they are honest, they are both cancer victims, so they already know what choices they have, what either way they could go and what might gonna happen next. So there wasn't really those fake, hopeful speeches or dialogues that might have also deceived me. They just say what's real and what's not, what's to expect and what's not to hope for. It was harsh and terrible but it was also the truth and the reality.

I can't helped but be awed at those things they say and how they think. Especially Augustus, how good his heart was and how uniquely he saw things. I may say that the way they talk things was a little unbelievable, with all the use of metaphors, and the talk about universe, existence, oblivion, heroism and nobility - you wouldn't think a teenager could talk like this even in the brink of death but never mind that because what you need is just to see what he was pointing out, see the meaning of what he was saying and think of it, absorbed it and realize things through it. I applaud John Green for creating such outstanding characters, though quite unbelievable but still absolutely entertaining, adorable and really awe-inspiring.

I spent most of the time laughing, thinking, swooning and chocking back tears. The story was filled with great humor, harsh truths but beautiful life lessons. There were moments like I was already crying then I would suddenly smile or grin because of the witty remarks of the characters. The development between Hazel and Augustus's relationship was something I really loved too, how they grew to really loved each other was so lovely and heart lifting.

The last few chapters was very moving and beautiful. The ending was perfect. I can't explain how much I was touched by that. It made me cry not because it was sad but because it was so unbelievably heartwarming. And whenever I remember the ending I can't help but think of Augustus, of how great this guys is, how sweet and caring, how honest and intelligent. I'd never met such character as him. He's definitely one of the greatest character I'd ever read. Hazel's the main character here and I really loved her narration but Augustus was really a great highlight in here.

I really have a lot of things I wanna say but they are all jumbled in my head now and I don't know how I will but them up together orderly. But god, the only thing that keeps coming on my head really clear is that this book is downright-flat-out-absolutely beautiful and heart warming read! I really loved this book and I would love you all to read this! :))
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Jan 23, 2012

Lauren Fidler rated it

Shelves: bad-ass-protagonist-names, bildungsroman, books-i-can-read-in-under-3-hours, change-of-life-fiction, dysfunctional-family-drama, fiftyfiftyme, gives-great-diction, love-like-a-bad-mixtape, not-good-for-mothers-of-daughters, quirky, reluctant-hero, sex-and-drugs-and-rock-and-roll, teaching-kids-to-deal-with-grief, tragedy, young-adult-fiction-secret-shame, would-read-again, i-laughed-i-cried-i-cried-harder

i need to write this now, when the book is still raw, before i forget the minutiae and the emotion as i get suckered into another text. there will probably be spoilers, i fear. i've never been good at self-censoring, particularly in book reviews. read at your own risk.

first, in full disclosure: i was a little disappointed in the pre-ordering of this novel. yes, i dreamt of yetis and hanklerfishes, but moreover, i dreamt that i'd actually get to read the book on its release date. or t...more

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Oct 21, 2011

Laura Newcombe marked it as to-read

Update: 22/10/11
Okay. The cover is so not what I expected. It’s just so…different, compared to the others. I don’t know. It’s not bad, I guess. I like it, I think, but it will take some getting used to. And HOLD ON a minute, why do I see Jodi Picoult’s name on the cover? Oh, John, don’t tell me you’re going all soft on us (for those of you who will take that comment out of context; shut up. You’re in the wrong genre).

You know you're a bestselling author when the font size used ...more

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Jan 12, 2012

Audrey (holes In My brain) rated it

It's so much more than a book about cancer kids. It's about more than love and death and the Something that awaits, it's more than Amsterdam and An Imperial Affliction and the idea of sacrifice and nobility, the idea of heroism and the universe, the smallest quirk and the grandest, most metaphorical gesture. You've really outdone yourself here, John Green.

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Jan 29, 2012

H.D. Mouzon rated it

Shelves: contemp-challenge

"A poignant, moving novel crafted by a master storyteller. Told through the eyes of an cancer patient with bursts of both laughter and crying, The Fault in Our Stars is sure to become a classic."

I can sum up the Fault in Our Stars perfectly with this picture. It's right on the mark and is the very sole meaning and amazing thing about this poignant, moving novel crafted by a simply astounding, masterful storyteller by the name of John Green. I've met this man. I've shook hands...more"A poignant, moving novel crafted by a master storyteller. Told through the eyes of an cancer patient with bursts of both laughter and crying, The Fault in Our Stars is sure to become a classic."

I can sum up the Fault in Our Stars perfectly with this picture. It's right on the mark and is the very sole meaning and amazing thing about this poignant, moving novel crafted by a simply astounding, masterful storyteller by the name of John Green. I've met this man. I've shook hands with John Green. He said: "Sorry about your arm." I have a picture of me breathing the same air as him.

And I hadn't read anything by him when that happened, so I didn't realize how I was meeting the very God of writing, the very definition of "an amazing writer." Because if I had, I would've hugged him and then bowed down to him and started crying and bawling and gushing and I'd say this.

John Green, you have written a novel that is the very epitome to "moving." The Fault in Our Stars made me laugh. Really laugh, a genuine chuckle because John Green wrote flawlessly, easily slipping into the personalities and easily projecting the truly unique voices of Hazel and Augustus, our main characters of the novel.

John Green, you have made the most amazing couple ever. Hazel is smart, sarcastic, dry-humored, and so completely unique that I just wanted to reach through the pages and give her a big giant HUG. And her cancer, she is so strong. But she doesn't want pity, she doesn't want to be looked at oddly, she's different, but that's because of her utterly amazing syntax. The way she speaks is infectious, the way she is way beyond her years yet there are still hints of her youth, of that 17 year old girl still inside of her.

John Green, the last, well, 300 pages of the book killed me. Yes, only 17 of the pages didn't kill me, and that's still not completely true. Every word was another step closer to that complete heartbreak (page 261...*sobs*) Every word was perfect. Each word was superbly placed. For a reason.

The Fault in Our Stars is a heart-shattering, poignant novel told through the eyes of a cancer patients. Told in alternating tones of both humor and heartbreak, John Green's latest is sure to have the tears flowing and the laughter booming.(less)

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Feb 11, 2012

Katya rated it

Shelves: 2012, geek-love, contemporary-ya, dramarama

The first time I heard about The Fault In Our Stars was in a vlog by John Green, and my thoughts ran along the lines of: "Oh, new book. Nice. Might check it out of the library." And that's that. It wasn't until the early shipping fiasco and the subsequent blog posts that I really considered seeking the book out to see if it was worth all the hype it got .

Look, I like John Green alright, he has his own thing going on. And I admire him for creating a sense of community amongs...more

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Jan 23, 2012

Tonya rated it

Shelves: 2012, ugly-tears, ya

More like 3.5 stars. It was good, and I get the hype, but I have definite issues with it.

I think I've said this before, but I have a love/meh relationship with John Green. I think he's a fantastic person; I love the vlog brothers and the nerdfighteria and everything he does to uplift and affirm young people. For the most part, I love the characters he writes; it's impossible not to fall for their wit and humor and humanity.

Hazel Grace and Augustus and Isaac and every other ...moreMore like 3.5 stars. It was good, and I get the hype, but I have definite issues with it.

I think I've said this before, but I have a love/meh relationship with John Green. I think he's a fantastic person; I love the vlog brothers and the nerdfighteria and everything he does to uplift and affirm young people. For the most part, I love the characters he writes; it's impossible not to fall for their wit and humor and humanity.

Hazel Grace and Augustus and Isaac and every other character right on down the line in The Fault in Our Stars had those attributes, and I loved every single one of them. They were fantastically three dimensional, beautifully flawed and each one of them drew an emotional response from me. I spent the majority of the book outright laughing, swallowing back tears, or laughing through my tears.

However, for all its beauty and humor and humanity, I felt as though I were reading the same characters I always see from John Green, just placed into a different setting. I think the problem I have with his characters is that they all have the same voice: his. Girl, boy, heartsick, cancer sick--they're all the same fast talking, twenty-dollar word using, existentialist, metaphor loving caricatures of the author himself.

I loved Hazel Grace and Augustus, but all I could see was John Green pulling the strings above them, waving his hands and gripping his hair and talking a mile a minute to his brother Hank. It comes off a bit pretentious at times. Do I think some teenagers--certainly the ones I like to read about--are capable of thoughtful conversations, rife with SAT words and metaphors? Absolutely. Do I think they speak in questioning-the-meaning-of-my-existence soliloquies as often as his characters do? No, I don't.

Additionally, I felt the Van Houten plot device was an unrealistic element (another JG calling card) to a story that didn't need it. The Fault in Our Stars would have been just as meaningful and thought provoking without the trip to Amsterdam (I mean, really?!). I think John Green did himself a disservice with it; he was more than capable of posing the same questions and arriving at the answers in a realistic way that fit the story.

Despite those detractions, The Fault in Our Stars is a beautiful book, one that will stick with me. One that hit home in the places that are still tender. One that, for all I enjoyed it, I will not be reading again. I've been wearing the ending like a bruise all day, and I'll be glad when the ache dulls.
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Jan 18, 2012

Stephen M rated it

Shelves: criers, dftba, tears-of-beautiful-laughter, diet-dfw

In the immortal words of a 6 foot 3, 230 pound tattoo-covered biker who accosted Don Hertzfeldt after a screening of Hertzfeldt's recent tragic and very sad animated trilogy; "I sobbed like a bitch"

*
Some context seems necessary here. I recently went to the premier of the final chapter of the 'Bill trilogy' by the animator Don Hertzfeldt. He is most famous for Rejected, a series of short animations that are supposedly advertisement rejections for major corporate products....moreIn the immortal words of a 6 foot 3, 230 pound tattoo-covered biker who accosted Don Hertzfeldt after a screening of Hertzfeldt's recent tragic and very sad animated trilogy; "I sobbed like a bitch"

*
Some context seems necessary here. I recently went to the premier of the final chapter of the 'Bill trilogy' by the animator Don Hertzfeldt. He is most famous for Rejected, a series of short animations that are supposedly advertisement rejections for major corporate products. It garnered a great deal of popularity for Don and while the animation is hilarious and a great deal of fun, he has moved on to more serious material since then and improving vastly in writing and ground-breaking animation techniques. While still having small tokens of humor, the first of the series Everything Will Be Ok is the devastating story of a man with a fatal illness and coming to grips with his disease while losing his mind. The top comment summarizes the story quite well: "Is it the illness? or is it the constantly attentive perception of his life and the world around him, and the nagging feeling that life is a horribly strange, dehumanizing, isolating, and pointless experience that brought about psychosis in Bill.
I think Bill thought too much about his life and routine, and experienced anxiety and psychosis over the absurdity of life. Footage of a man's face bleeding played over and over on tv, a manatee watching you while you sleep. insanity in every day life."

That about gets to the heart of the series and at the screening of all three parts of this short film, there was not a dry eye in the house. We were lucky enough to have Don Hertzfeldt at the premier to answer some questions afterwards. He turned out to be a very nice guy who had very little to say about his own work because he insisted that he never thought too deeply about his animations. He seemed to only go off of intuition or to put it as simply as he did, "whatever felt right". One person asked him what he wanted the audience to get out of his films. He told this story in response, (i'm quoting for the sake of convenience, it's not exactly what he said. I don't remember).
"A few days ago, I showed this film in a theater in Texas. After the show was over, I went to the merch booth for signing tickets, taking questions and talking with the audience. Before I could get to the table, though, I saw this massive figure in my peripherals. At first I thought someone was getting ready to sock me across the face because it was coming in so fast and it looked so large. When I turned around, I cringed in anticipation. Standing before me was this massive, must have been, six foot, three inch man who was towering over me. He had tattoos all up his body, sleeves and all. He looked like some kind of biker. Before I could say or do much, he grabbed my hand and shook it vigorously. He said 'I sobbed like a bitch' and then turned and left."

To me, that perfectly sums up my reaction to The Fault in Our Stars. And now that I've written all this out, the parallels are abound. Both deal with a fatal disease, cancer and the inevitability of death. It was enough that this book was about pediatric oncology, a term that is terrible, in itself that it could even exist, but the fact that the two main characters had to have the most beautiful romance amidst it all and that John Green is such a good writer that it never felt like he was exploiting child cancer or manipulating your emotions. He adds enough Wallace Stevens, quantum mechanics, Emily Dickinson and a fake reclusive writer to keep you engaged until the heartshattering last 100 pages. This has, hands-down been my favorite book of the year and was three and half hours of crying, laughing and coming to grips with the ubiquitous fact of life: we all face oblivion all the time and one of these days, we will have to embrace it.(less)

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Jan 22, 2012

karen rated it

Shelves: why-yes-i-ya

you have a choice in this world, i believe, about how to tell sad stories, and we made the funny choice.

john green, like his characters, always makes the funny choice. and readers, like "women" are really just looking for a sense of humor. and the sense of humor goes a long way towards pardoning other sins. because come on, john green - your characters are so unlikely. ordinarily, i would squirm at such clever,verbose,insightful, literary-reference-dropping teenagers. but t...more

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Jan 20, 2012

Stacia ~ platonic rated it

Shelves: young-adult

While reading Fault in Our Stars, I was struck with a random thought. Why do we (meaning all of us who choose to do this) read books which we know ahead of time are going to turn out sad?

I'm not sure I know the answer to this. Something I do, in fact, know is that I always feel like the stories which make me feel strong emotion are usually the ones I end up remembering long after I've finished.

This book will be no exception. Fault was my second foray into the world of John Gr...more

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Jan 12, 2012

Michelle rated it

Shelves: romance, religion-philosophy, young-adult, contemporary

I thankfully had a completely spoiled-free experience of this book, so I will respect Green's wishes and include no spoilers - even of the tagged variety. (I think they are like Denis the Menace's button or Pandora's box, it is human nature to want to click it - even if we really don't want to!)

The Fault in Our Stars is absolutely Green's best work, and I want to thank him for it. It is witty and funny and sad and angry and true. In Isaac and Hazel and Augustus, an entire group of...moreI thankfully had a completely spoiled-free experience of this book, so I will respect Green's wishes and include no spoilers - even of the tagged variety. (I think they are like Denis the Menace's button or Pandora's box, it is human nature to want to click it - even if we really don't want to!)

The Fault in Our Stars is absolutely Green's best work, and I want to thank him for it. It is witty and funny and sad and angry and true. In Isaac and Hazel and Augustus, an entire group of people are given a voice that many people don't want to hear. So often, when talking about individuals (but especially kids) who are terminally ill, people talk about them being strong and brave and inspiring. It's like what Wliloughby says of Colonel Brandon in Sense and Sensibility, they are the sort of people "who has every body's good word and nobody's notice," but for different reasons. People get uncomfortable when they are around people who are dying. They want them to be an inspiration, then go away. They don't like being confronted on a day to day basis with the REALITY of kids who are dying. Dying kids get angry, they get pitiful, they have dark humor, they get frustrated, they act out. They get tired of being the ones to perpetually comfort everyone else about their own death (and funerals absolutely are for the living), and so, sometimes, they really hurt the people who love them. And. They. Are. Not. Their. Disease/Disability. I particularly loved this scene between Augustus and Hazel:

"So what's your story?" he asked, sitting down net to me at a safe distance.
"I already told you my story. I was diagnosed when --"
"No, not your cancer story. Your story. Interests, hobbies, passions, weird fetishes, etcetera."

I also love just about every interaction between Isaac and Augustus. I would read a whole additional book just about their friendship. These three face things head-on that others want to ignore. They joke about the dying elephant in the room. I have bookmarked no less than 28 pages from which I would LOVE to quote, but I really don't want to spoil the book. Suffice it to say that this book is a window into a world that people do not live in, but die in, and we are allowed to visit. The residents are, in fact, strong and inspiring, but not for the reasons we often attribute these qualities to them. (You can't decide not to have cancer any more than you can decide to not have a baby when the baby is crowning, some things just aren't optional.) They are strong and inspiring because they remain themselves, despite all the expectations we place upon them, how much we try to change them. I leave you with one (highly censored) quote that just spoke straight to my soul, and, I think, sums up the reason I love this book:

"I hate myself I hate myself I hate this I hate this I disgust myself I hate it I hate it just let me fucking die."
According to the conventions of the genre, ______ kept h- sense of humor till the end, did not for a moment waiver in h- courage, and h- spirit soared like an indomitable eagle until the world itself could not contain h- joyous soul.
But this was the truth, a pitiful [person] who desperately wanted not to be pitiful, screaming and crying, poisoned by an infected G-tube that kept h- alive, but not alive enough.

Just a note: I am usually an emotive rather than an intellectual reader - I take things personally. Therefore, I think my reaction to this novel is better understood when I make clear that I have a sibling who has vacillated between "terminal" and "miraculous" for all 26 years of life. As a result, my mother became a child's rights advocate for children with disabilities - which brought me into contact with more children who were terminally ill during my childhood than most people encounter. Likewise, I have, within the last ten years, lost no less than eight family members to cancer, and have two more still living with it.
(less)

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Jan 20, 2012

Wendy F rated it

Shelves: 2012, contemporary, favorites, gritty, tear-jerker, young_adult

There are two reviewers inside me right now. There's one who wants to pick it apart and mention the parts that I thought were maybe overkill. Then there's the other, the bigger part, that was sucked right in by that overkill and who bawled buckets with every word.

That second reviewer wins.

Many reviews tout John Green as a master word smith, and he really really is. Sure, the characters in this book sounded much older and used words that I needed to look up, but is it r...more

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Jan 28, 2012

Stephanie rated it

Shelves: ya

Cancer sucks.

A fact John Greene lays out well in The Fault in our Stars, a story about two teens one terminally ill, Hazel Grace, and another, Augustus Waters who is in remission. Hazel has thyroid cancer which has metastasized into her lungs. All looks as if she is about to die when they try an experimental (and entirely fictional) drug that has only works in about 20% of cancer patients, and she ‘s one of them. It buys her time, the length of which no one knows.

Augus...moreCancer sucks.

A fact John Greene lays out well in The Fault in our Stars, a story about two teens one terminally ill, Hazel Grace, and another, Augustus Waters who is in remission. Hazel has thyroid cancer which has metastasized into her lungs. All looks as if she is about to die when they try an experimental (and entirely fictional) drug that has only works in about 20% of cancer patients, and she ‘s one of them. It buys her time, the length of which no one knows.

Augustus is a survivor of Osteosarcoma , a cancer of the bone and is shy a leg to show for it.

Hazel Grace stays home most of the time. Her parents are her best friends and she reads the same book over and over. Concerned, Hazel’s mother forces her to go to a support group for kids with cancer, to get out and make some friends. Usually, she finds group lame, but this time Augustus Waters is there. He’s “hot”, and blatantly stares her down……..which she doesn’t mind because of the hotness and all. She’s surprised by his attention because of her chipmunk cheeks (medication side effect) and her oxygen tank.

But life often turns on a dime.

Augustus wants to dive right into a romance, but Hazel puts him off a bit. She won’t agree to see him again until he reads An Imperial Affliction , or AIA, her favorite book (my kind of gal). AIA is about a teenage girl with cancer which famously ends mid sentence. It’s widely suspected that that means the girl dies right there in the middle of life, in the middle of a sentence, like we all do I suppose. But Hazel has questions about the rest of the characters in the book. It drives her bat shit, and there was never a sequel. (You can imagine her frustration if you read The Dark Tower series by Stephen King as it was released……very…..s l o w l y). So, the two of them decide they will get some answers even if they have to go to Amsterdam to find the author and torture it out of him!

This is a beautiful book. And you will probably cry……pretty sure. John Greene’s books always suck me in, I’ve read most of them, but this one is his best in my opinion.

In an interview with the author at the end of the audio book, they asked John what he wanted people to get from this book (other than cancer sucks). He said that he wanted people to understand that very sick people are still people, that they are not other, apart from healthy people. We tend to separate from the terminally ill because we don’t believe, or want to believe, that that could ever be us. But at the very bitter end (unless we go quick) it will most definitely be us, and we will still be who we always were……just moving a bit slower.
4.5 stars
(less)

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Feb 07, 2012

Phoebe rated it

Shelves: contemporary, death

Reading John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars was not the sobbing, revelatory experience that it seems to have been for so many other readers. Much of this difference is likely biographical. I’m familiar with death, for one thing—dad died when I was 8, grandmother at 12, other grandmother at 18, grandfather at 22, and my mother has struggled off and on with thyroid cancer for the past six years. But it’s not only these death experiences that have changed me. At the age of 21, I was overtaken by a ...more

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Dec 28, 2011

Eva rated it

Shelves: poignant, young-adult, read-in-2011

You should know that this book will make you cry. A lot. It's a beautifully honest story about death but more importantly about life. Hazel and Augustus are both very clever for their age but as kids living with cancer, they have much more time to reflect than the rest of us. The discussions on mortality and the inevitability of death are very thought provoking but the strongest aspects of the book are those filled with hope. Regardless of whether or not there is a life after death, the characte...more

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Jan 16, 2012

Justine rated it

Shelves: read-in-2012, 2012-publication

ACTUAL RATING: 3.5 STARS

I adored this book. I read it in a two hour sitting, laughed a lot, teared up a little (I KNOW. ME.), and found myself completely enthralled by the romance that was Hazel and Augusten's.

But here's the the thing: After it was all said and done and I sat back and really thought on it, I have so many problems with The Fault In Our Stars, both technical and stylistic, and they only became more glaring when I went back and reread. So I'm awarding it one...more

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Jan 21, 2012

Tee Rex rated it

Shelves: e-pube, googlebooks

I was annoyed sometimes but mostly I wept. Halfway through the book, I was in denial that this book was actually affecting me but tears were clawing their way out of my tearducts and when my mother turned up to visit unannounced, I had to blame my watery eyes on the flu I am currently cursed with. I was sitting on the balcony, chest heavy with emotion, watching my kids and tearful at how perfectly wonderful they are and hoping that they never got cancer when I realised that perhaps this book was...moreI was annoyed sometimes but mostly I wept. Halfway through the book, I was in denial that this book was actually affecting me but tears were clawing their way out of my tearducts and when my mother turned up to visit unannounced, I had to blame my watery eyes on the flu I am currently cursed with. I was sitting on the balcony, chest heavy with emotion, watching my kids and tearful at how perfectly wonderful they are and hoping that they never got cancer when I realised that perhaps this book was affecting me more than I cared to admit.

I saw a quote from this book referenced on tumblr and had never heard of John Green before (gasp, gasp, I know). Having done some brief research, I see now that he has teenagers (and teenagers at heart) smitten all over the place. I actually decided to read this book because the quote I read was cute and I felt like reading a cute book and I saw that it had like, a 4.77 rating on here which blew my little mind. Now I understand why.

Though sometimes pretentious, with the characters being distractingly smart/witty for 16/17 year olds (hello, Juno) and reminding me a lot of a movie called "Restless" (not only because of the chronic illness aspect, but with a similar vibe/mood/themes involving wise-beyond-their-years teens), it still managed to keep me hooked. Usually I'd be pissed at the precocious wit; but like Juno, I both bubbled with the irrits and fawned over the intellect. All I know is that when I was sixteen, my intelligence and humour was vaguely that of Beavis and Butthead (combined) so when I come across witty little hipsters, I secretly just want to be them. With their skinny little legs and floppy fringes and knowledge of existentialism which I only got the hang of when I was 25. That's where all my angst and fury comes from I think. Sure 500 Days of Summer made me mad but I still wished it was my life, just a little bit. And I wished I was Juno (without the pregnancy). And sometimes I wish my boyfriend thought of dreamy, hipster things to do like put unsmoked cigarettes between his teeth. Or (view spoiler) But only for brief, doe-eyed moments, then I snap back to reality and realise I'd tire of it VERY fast and end up with someone exactly like my current partner, who probably thinks a mix-tape is when the tapeworms on your leg overlap, or that candles are only for when the power goes out. In real life, romantic gestures make me vomit, not swoon. So it's nice to be able to escape my callous, vile self for a little while on occasion with books like these.

I'm rating it 5 and it certainly isn't on the same level as some of my all time favourites that I've rated five, it's in a different category. The five I have for Harry Potter books that feature Sirius Black. The I-wish-I-was-14-and-reading-this five. A deserving five though; I couldn't put it down, I was thinking about the characters when I wasn't reading (mostly because I was showering or attempting sleep), it's a book I can't wait for my kids to read, it's a good, lovely, smart, funny, well written, emotional little book. And I read it on a day where my angst didn't have me by the throat, so it escaped the wrath that I usually reserve for books that are a little too precious, like this one.

I don't even know if I should be embarrassed for being suckered into this one, perhaps when the afterglow wears off, I'll hustle back here, shame-faced and give this a three star rating a curt "cute story, FOR SAPS" review.

---

okay, a few weeks on and i have calmed down a little: dropping this baby down from a 5 to a 3. JUST KNOW THAT I WAS INITIALLY ENRAPTURED. cute story, FOR SAPS.(less)

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Jan 28, 2012

Book Peek (Dana) rated it

Shelves: january-2012

Conventional stories of cancer victims focus on their inspiring hope, faith, and strength. Forget that. At the end of the day, none of us would be happy campers if we were inflicted with the big “C.” Anyone who has seen a loved one go through the pains of cancer can attest to the awful affects it has on patients.

John Green understands this and allows his characters to show the truth about humanity. His honesty in how patients feel on the day-to-day basis and the roller-coaster of em...moreConventional stories of cancer victims focus on their inspiring hope, faith, and strength. Forget that. At the end of the day, none of us would be happy campers if we were inflicted with the big “C.” Anyone who has seen a loved one go through the pains of cancer can attest to the awful affects it has on patients.

John Green understands this and allows his characters to show the truth about humanity. His honesty in how patients feel on the day-to-day basis and the roller-coaster of emotions they go through is authentic and gives the reader the very essence of what it is like to deal with the pains of cancer.

So what does John Green do for his readers in The Fault in Our Stars? If it isn’t about the inspiring tale of a small child battling cancer and coming up with the answer to life’s questions, why would any reader want to bother with his novel? Frankly, it is one of those rare books that captures the true meaning of deep love whether it be through friendship, romance, or family. The reader is instantly placed into the mindset of a teenage girl battling both the routine struggles of adolescence life with the added punch of withstanding the horrors of cancer. Green was able to perfectly portray a teenage girl fighting to be normal while also coping with the poor hand life has dealt her. Readers will surprisingly catch themselves laughing to a book they would ordinarily find to be strictly heart wrenching. But cancer isn’t all extreme moments of inspiration, hope, and strength. The regular life experiences do not fall away instantly when cancer arrives. Life remains and continues to grow.

The Fault in Our Stars is a fantastic read. Frankly, it should be found not only in the Young Adult section because both adults and teens can appreciate the experiences, both good and bad, in Green’s characters. If ever there were a book for someone to pick up, whether they were looking for truth, beauty, or the human condition, this would be the book to choose.(less)

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Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this page for more information.

John Green's first novel, Looking for Alaska, won the 2006 Michael L. Printz Award presented by the American Library Association. The film rights to Looking for Alaska were purchased by Paramount in 2005. His second novel, An Abundance of Katherines, was a 2007 Mi...more

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