The Fault in Our Stars
discussion
Am I the only one who hates this book with burning passion?
Pilcrow wrote: "So, here it is, y'all. If you have any more to add, lemme know. "Books on Cancer That Are Better Than 'The Fault in Our Stars'"
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/7......"
Thanks for the list.
Mochaspresso wrote: "Ayesha wrote: "Goodness! I left for 2 days to study for engineering graphics and this thread took a somersaut. Mochaspresso, you are the only one who has done nothing except for create more and m..."You're causing arguments because you're provoking people into arguing with you here. A lot of people have given different opinions and I'm fine with that and those who disliked the book too gave THIER OWN REASONS for hating it, so you can't say that I'm happy with people who are parroting me and Aly.
I didn't tell you to fuck off and leave. Don't you accuse me for something I haven't done. I have told only those to leave politely who cannot tolerate criticism of thier favourite book and those who have called or suggested me to be wrong, pitiful or jerk for hating the book. I don't see how you're accusing me of netbullying. I haven't said anything against the fans until unless they have provoked me.
Aly wrote: "@Ayesha: Her comment was aimed at me, because apparently I'm a "bully"."I don't see how replying to annoying comments like "you're the only one who hated the book" and defending yourself from trolls is bullying.
I'm pretty sure she's interested in provoking people to argue with her. I would suggest you to ignore her.
Ayesha wrote: "Mochaspresso wrote: "Ayesha wrote: "Goodness! I left for 2 days to study for engineering graphics and this thread took a somersaut. Mochaspresso, you are the only one who has done nothing except..."You didn't say fuck off to me but you did ask me to leave. You also support someone who does do those things to others by agreeing with them when they do it and standing by passively while they do it simply because you happen to share their pov and their rudeness wasn't directed toward you. As long as it's directed at "one of them", it seems you're okay with it. That's just as bad as being a netbully.
Ayesha wrote: "Aly wrote: "@Ayesha: Her comment was aimed at me, because apparently I'm a "bully"."I don't see how replying to annoying comments like "you're the only one who hated the book" and defending your..."
That is the question that you asked, though. I don't think you anger at the answers that you are getting is completely justified. The title of the thread is phrased poorly, imo. That is why you are getting those types of responses. It's not an open ended question. Of course people are going to respond with either "yes, you're the only one" or "no, you're not the only one". That's precisely what you asked. Those are the only two possible answers to the question that was given. It is also wrong of you to think that only people who will respond "no" are welcome and should come to the thread. It's a closed end, yes or no, question posted in an open public forum. You should be prepared to receive yes or no answers to this type of question and everyone who replies yes is not necessarily doing it to be a troll or to cause problems. They are answering your question as you asked it. Not to mention that the tone of your original post also comes across as extremely confrontational to begin with. I don't know what other problems you have experienced regarding this book elsewhere, but this thread was not started in the most positive and most non-confrontational manner.
@MochaspressoDid you ever say anything those who called the "haters" pitiful and sad? Did you say anything to those who came here and suggested we are wrong to hate a book? No, you too have stood passively while the fans were trolling this thread. I'm not the only guilty one here.
I want I can name this thread however I wish to and put whatever anger and criticism I want to in the original comment. "Yes you're the only one" is annoying. Again that's my opinion. You want you can disagree and argue further.
I won't blame Aly, it was you who provoked her.
OMG it's GOODREADS have a fight Somwhere else Ahahahahaha GOODREADS ahahaha
Cuz it's GOODREADS ahahahaha
Anna wrote: "@Heather: Ok so here is my totally not subjective statement about why Tfios is a good book: The prose in which it is written is imaginative and witty and serves beautifully to show, that there is ..."
Anna, all of that is subjective. I don't find most of what is in TFiOS witty or imaginative, and I don't have to; it's all faux-smart to me. This book is like eating a hot dog or Chinese food. While you're eating Chinese food you're like "Oh, this is good", but after you're done you're actually not sure what was in what you ate - it was likely ground-up cat - and on top of that you're still hungry. This book was so unsatisfying for what the reviews promised. When John Green says "Observation: standing in line is a form of oppression" or some similar bullshit, it sounds deep and incisive at first, but after you've actually taken it apart you realize how trite and lame it really is. And that's pretty much the whole book.
Katie wrote: "I think the "Chinese food not being very filling" is offensive to the Chinese. Just saying. We are still coming back to the fact that everyone has a different POV, so you see it as unsatisfactory w...""Chinese food" as we know it is a style of food and, from what I've heard, quite different from what you can actually get in China. You might have a point if I'd said that Chinese people weren't very satisfying to eat, but I haven't had any - though I'm sure they're more substantial than TFIOS. :)
@ Pilcrow: I know that, all of this is subjective. It was supposed to be, the first sentence was sarcasm (sry I know it's hard to tell). I wrote it as a response to one of Heathers posts, where she basically stated, that you could make totally objective statements about the quality of literature and that tfios being a bad book is a "fact". When it isn't a "fact".To undermine my point I posted a totally positive subjective review of it and asked her to tell me I am wrong, using undeniable truths and facts.
Ayesha wrote: "@MochaspressoDid you ever say anything those who called the "haters" pitiful and sad? Did you say anything to those who came here and suggested we are wrong to hate a book? No, you too have stood..."
I didn't see those posts. When I asked about them a few days ago, I was told that they were deleted. I cannot help what was done in the past and deleted before I ever came to the thread. From the time that I arrived, you and Aly have been consistently rude.
I did not provoke Aly. I merely disagreed with some things she said. I didn't provoke you either. I am just speaking my mind and apparently that is a no-no here. You guys seem to be incapable of having "peace" unless everyone around you agrees with you and/or stays quiet and does not challenge something that you say.
I am optimistic as well. As long as "get along" doesn't mean that I have to parrot "I agree" at everything and I can actually disagree with something said without being cursed at, told to leave or be quiet, accused of trolling or of trying to start an argument, all will be fine and dandy on my end.
Katie wrote: "I'm, at least, fine with people not getting agreeing with me. But I think that we can do it peacefully, without telling people to GTFO. (Sorry Mocha. That wasn't a jab at you FYI) example of peacef..."No problem. No apology is necessary toward me. I didn't take it as a jab at me because I never actually told anyone to do that here.
Katie wrote: "Didn't you tell someone to F off though? Might've not been you but I thought it was...... Doesn't really matter now though. The past is the past."No, I did not.
How can I get off this chat?
Katie wrote: "Can we all just be peaceful when we are disagreeing, and not get made at each other because we have different POVs?"Yes please. I don't want to argue further with anyone.
You my friend are not alone WHAT WAS THE POINT? When you right ya there should be a point a purpose a something to at least change yas but this books was... I don't know pointless? I didn't like hazel and Gus alot , and yes i agree it does not deserve the hype.
Anna wrote: "@Heather: Ok so here is my totally not subjective statement about why Tfios is a good book: The prose in which it is written is imaginative and witty and serves beautifully to show, that there is ..."
Yeah, I have some facts. I think we read a different book. The Fault in Our Stars's prose was completely unintelligible and the characters were cardboard cutouts that John Green used to pontificate about life. That's not subjective. It's actually true. Consider this quote "My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations." That makes zero sense. None. It's buzz words that make you think you're reading something substantive...and you aren't.
99% of people obsessed with the quotes from TFIOS don't even understand them.
Amelia wrote: "99% of people obsessed with the quotes from TFIOS don't even understand them."This is the truest true. EVER.
The way Green wrote the book was like he had no idea how to make his story more "compelling" so he added a bunch of useless quotes to make the characters sound more intelligent, when in reality, made them extremely pretentious.It's as if a ten-year-old was writing a picture book, took a few "big words" from the dictionary, and mushed them all together to make the book sound more "genuine".
No matter how much I've tried, I can't seem to find the meaning of that quote @AlyAnd also, fans of the book seem to be obsessed with the "okay? okay." thing that Augustus and Hazel came up with because they're just so "intelligent" they're too good to say "i love you". Honestly, there was nothing witty about that and I found it extremely stupid.
Amelia wrote: "The way Green wrote the book was like he had no idea how to make his story more "compelling" so he added a bunch of useless quotes to make the characters sound more intelligent, when in reality, ma..."His "observations" usually have zero substance after you've pulled them apart to figure out what they actually mean. Or they're things a billion other writers have already said before. He's good at describing things, and the book has a good sense of location - I like the way he made Indianapolis seem like a place I'd actually want to visit; I live an hour and a half away - but he suuuucks when he's trying to be "deep"
Aly wrote: "I'm going to dumb down the 'most loved' quotes:1. "My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations."
Basically: "I have a lot of small thoughts."
2. "Some infinities are bigger than o..."
I honestly think the book would be a lot better if he had said those...well, a lot funnier; not necessarily better because he'd also need to learn how to write characters that were compelling and not extremely annoying.
How can I stop getting notifications from this chat?
@ Heather: You just said the opposite of what I said. That is not a FACT, it's your OPINION.and it is as valid as any other opinion out there, positive or negative, but an OPINION notheless.
Opinions always differ
Where are notifications???
Carlin wrote: "How can I stop getting notifications from this chat?"Go to the "g" at the top of your screen, then click "view all notifications" at the bottom of the pop-up. Then click "manage notifications" at the side of the screen, scroll down to find the title of this discussion, and then click "none".
Aly wrote: "I'm going to dumb down the 'most loved' quotes:1. "My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations."
Basically: "I have a lot of small thoughts."
2. "Some infinities are bigger than o..."
My interpretation: "My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations." = "My thoughts are a mess (disorganized)."
The infinities thing is actually true. This was discovered by a mathematician named Georg Cantor in the late 1800s. Here's a minute physics on it: here's how we know that some infinities are bigger than other infinities. It's one of those things that makes your brain explode if you think about it too long.
The "okay" thing reminded me of Princess Bride, when Westley said "as you wish" it really meant "I love you." But William Goldman did it much better.
The TFIOS quote that annoys me is "Observation: standing in line is a form of oppression." In other words, lines are really annoying. It irritates me because it trivializes the word "oppression."
TFIOS is like a bad hit song. Everyone thinks it's so amazing when they first hear it, but after a few years you realize that it's really a crap song full of tired metaphors and are ashamed to admit that you ever liked it.
Thank you Amelia!!!
The "infinities" thing was one of the few things I liked about the book - getting to know someone who brings new possibilities into your future, even if you know it can never actually happen - that was pretty cool. But it's not enough to carry a story, or make me care about any of the people in it. The line about "the universe wanting to be noticed" is the worst: so empty and trite, and it's being passed off like it's a completely new and mind-blowing idea. Why is everybody gobbling up this up?
I honestly feel like a lot of YA is turning to crap now.
Aly wrote: "@Emma: I like your interpretation. :) imo though, the infinity thing really wasn't needed in the book. What did it lead to? What does it mean? Why is it in the story? I feel like Green got a li..."
I agree.
Amelia wrote: "I honestly feel like a lot of YA is turning to crap now."I'm going to sound super-old, but I like the YA I grew up with (I'm 26) better. It's hard to suck up to John Green knowing that it's been done before, and been done better.
Pilcrow wrote: "Amelia wrote: "I honestly feel like a lot of YA is turning to crap now."I'm going to sound super-old, but I like the YA I grew up with (I'm 26) better. It's hard to suck up to John Green knowing ..."
Exactly; people act like Green is god but I know at least 5 other authors who have much more talent than him who can actually write compelling stories.
I hate most YA today because they're all cliche romances with annoying characters.
Amelia wrote: "Pilcrow wrote: "Amelia wrote: "I honestly feel like a lot of YA is turning to crap now."I'm going to sound super-old, but I like the YA I grew up with (I'm 26) better. It's hard to suck up to Joh..."
What I hate the most is how everybody in newer YA hooks has to be so damn witty. There's a handful of old and new YA books that pull it off, but I feel like writers these days feel that's all they have to do to make a story compelling. It's really lazy. Gus and Hazel never really do anything that is smart or wise, or thought-provoking; they just have a lot of fake-intellectual conversations. But we're supposed to think that's enough to make them "smart", and that being smart all there is to a good book.
The thing that really annoys me about John Green is that he tries to pass his books off as great literature when really they are quite average. I have no problem with sappy, overdone YA love stories as long as they admit what they are.
Pilcrow wrote: "Amelia wrote: "I honestly feel like a lot of YA is turning to crap now."I'm going to sound super-old, but I like the YA I grew up with (I'm 26) better. It's hard to suck up to John Green knowing ..."
I agree (and I'm 26, too), but I'm not sure if they really were better, or if it's just nostalgia. I really miss the long running series, everyone seems to do trilogies now.
Aly wrote: "@Pilcrow: I'm 90% sure that authors lile Green write for money and only write books that are "in". If you read his other books, he's not that creative at all."I think he writes because he thinks he's doing the world a favor by sharing all of his mind-blowing observations, which have never been thought of before by anyone. There was a reviewer here who said he probably re-reads his own stuff just to see how awesome it is.
Charlotte wrote: "Stop it with the drama for Pete's sake. A dumb book isn't worth arguing and insulting one another about."I fully agree. This thread was intended for people to be able to talk together about how much we disliked the book, not for fans to come in and tell us how we should be acting. Just because we are the minority doesn't mean we should be forced to like one thing or another. Where does that get you?
Pilcrow wrote: "Amelia wrote: "Pilcrow wrote: "Amelia wrote: "I honestly feel like a lot of YA is turning to crap now."I'm going to sound super-old, but I like the YA I grew up with (I'm 26) better. It's hard to..."
Yes! Another thing that annoys me about YA are the cliche and overused plotlines.
Ayesha wrote: "Cassandra wrote: ""Whenever you find yourself on the side of the minority, it is time to pause and reflect.""It's by Mark Twain, but it's majority instead of minority."
Oops. Thanks.
Aly wrote: "I totally agree. He probably does. I met him once, back when I first read Looking for Alaska and I aaked him, "Do you like your fans? "
And he said,"Only those who love my work. Not those who like..."
Really? Ugh.
One thing that annoys me is that some of his fans will defend him no matter what. Not all fans, but a few of the die-hards who can't respect opinions against his books.
Not being argumentative again. Just speaking my peace on something that was said.The quote "My thoughts are stars I can't fathom into constellations" actually does make sense within the context of the book. Especially if you look at the sentence just before it.
Okay, maybe I’m not such a shitty writer. But I can’t pull my ideas together, Van Houten. My thoughts are stars I can’t fathom into constellations.
In the first line of his letter to Van Houten, Gus says that he's not a good writer. Here, Gus is saying that maybe he isn't all that bad of a writer but he has trouble putting his thoughts together.
It doesn't mean "I have small thoughts."
my 2 cents. :)
Sorry to hear that one can hate a book so strongly. I didn't hate it, but it was sad and definitely not life altering. It was actually a pretty good book.
You all had such an interesting discussion while I was burning my brain-cells behind chemistry :(((
Aly wrote: "I'm going to dumb down the 'most loved' quotes:1. "My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations."
If that quote went something like that then it would've been realistic as well as good to hear-
"My thoughts are like stars that I cannot put into constellations."
Yayyy to The Book Thief!
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The prose in which it is written is imaginative and witty and serves beautifully to show, that there is light even in the darkest places. The characters, eventhough they seem too wise and witty for their age, are fully fleged out, three dimensional and likeable, even if they are not realistic. On the surface it seems like a cutesy lovestory between two teens, but if you look deeper you see that it truly is about the futility of our existence on this planet, and why in the end we matter regardless of said futility and in that overpowering theme lies the true beauty of this book.
Now I have shed a positive light on everything you guys critize about this book, but do you actually have facts to prove me wrong? Facts that are undeniably(!) true?
@Ayesha: I actually saw that video, where he said it. It was a little rant on why people should ask out nerd girls. There was no malicious intent in it, please don't get hung up on a figure speech.