The Fault in Our Stars in Reading with Style

Jun 07, 2014 Jensen Wahlquist rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

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Hazel Grace Lancaster feels like she is merely biding her time. She has cancer, and although she has been taking drugs that have miraculously extended her life, she knows that eventually this disease is going to take her life. So when she meets the charming and overtly flirtatious Augustus Waters, her life is turned upside down. She tries to push him away, knowing her inevitable fate. She does not want to hurt him. But the harder she tries to push him away, the harder she falls. And then tragedy Hazel Grace Lancaster feels like she is merely biding her time. She has cancer, and although she has been taking drugs that have miraculously extended her life, she knows that eventually this disease is going to take her life. So when she meets the charming and overtly flirtatious Augustus Waters, her life is turned upside down. She tries to push him away, knowing her inevitable fate. She does not want to hurt him. But the harder she tries to push him away, the harder she falls. And then tragedy strikes that will test the strength of this new-found love. John Green does an excellent job at exploring the touchy subject of cancer, how it affects those who have it and their loved ones, and pondering what forever really means.
I absolutely loved this book. In fact, love is too weak a word for how I felt about it. I lurfed it, I loafed it, I luffed it (extra brownie points if you can guess the movie reference here.) It might seem blasphemous to compare it to "To Kill a Mockingbird", but I am going to do it anyway. Because, like "To Kill a Mockingbird", this is a book that everyone should read because it helps readers to understand a very complicated concept. In this case, that concept is Cancer. This is a disease that will affect every single person in the course of their lifetime, either directly or indirectly. This book gave me a better understanding of this disease and it caused me to learn sympathy for those who have it as well as their loved ones.

Content:
Sexuality/nudity: Some kissing and some intense making out (including awkward boob grabbing.) One implied sex scene. Some sexual innuendo.

Violence/gore: The main characters are terminally ill, and so sometimes there are disturbing images described that are associated with that. It is described that one character has had both of his eyes removed due to retinal cancer. One character lost a leg to cancer. Descriptions of characters playing violent video games.

Language: There is some graphic language in this book, including a couple instances where characters use the "F" word.

Alcohol/drugs: Augustus is often described as putting a cigarette in his mouth, though he never lights it, instead allowing it to stand as a metaphor. The two main characters drink champagne and describe how delicious they find it. One important character is revealed to be a drunk.

Frightening/intense scenes: One character wakes up in the middle of the night, struggling to breathe as fluid floods her lungs. A character describes how she was near death and what she heard her parents say as they thought they were watching her die. This scene can be especially emotionally upsetting. One character receives a call from another character in the middle of the night, who is found covered in throw up, and they end up having to call an ambulance for help.

Overall, this book is very emotional and intense, but it does bring up some very important philosophies. It will make you cry and appreciate life at the same time.
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Mar 13, 2013 Tommy Key rated it really liked it

Most books about death wind up being about life. This is certainly the case with this sad and funny book. I think it works more as a love story than it does about a story of cancer. It is less great writing than it is great storytelling. Its ending is wonderful and it has a few lines that are quotable. Hope they do not ruin the film.

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