The Fault in Our Stars

John Green

Average Rating 9/10 (1 Review)

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.

About the Author:
John Green is a bestselling and award-winning author of young-adult fiction titles. An Abundance of Katherines (Dutton, 2006) was a finalist in the Michael L. Printz Book Award and Paper Towns (Bloomsbury, 2010) won the Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Novel. He currently lives in Indianapolis with his wife, Sarah.

Review by Kat (310112) Rating (9/10)

Review by Kat
Rating 9/10
When looking at The Fault in Our Stars (or TFiOS as Green and fans fondly refer to it), it's important to look at the history of this book and it's author. Firstly this book was highly anticipated by Green's many fans in both the literature world and online in the Youtube community where he and his brother Hank have racked up over 630,000 viewers through video blogging. He pushed himself to sign all 150,000 copies of the first printing requiring the help of an occupational therapist and I suppose that already being a New York Times best seller and winner of the Printz Award... .Green had a lot to live up to. To rate this book, is to compare it to the masses of hype, the pre-orders that topped both the Amazon and Barnes & Noble charts in just a couple of days after being available for pre-order. And then there's the question of is it really worth all that hype?

Yes. This book exceeds the hype (and please believe there was a LOT of it). Hazel Grace Lancaster is a 16 year old stage four terminal lung cancer patient. Together her and her friend Augustus Waters embark on a journey to come to terms with the fact that inevitably "all of this will end in oblivion". Connected by their love of a single book they attempt to deal with death and its many "side effects".

Firstly, Green doesn't conform to a cookie cutter cancer-kid book. Hazel Grace and Augustus don't discover any special secret of life or start a charity or change the world. However, what Green provides us with is an honest account of teen cancer. He gives the reader intelligence, witty dialogue, an abundance of charming metaphors, an un-smoked pack of cigarettes, and a story that really hits home. If you read books for general enjoyment, this book will make you both laugh and cry. If you like to read your literature critically, well, you're going to laugh and cry harder.

The passion for life and the dialogue between Hazel Grace and Augustus is both truly heart warming and heart breaking. If there is anything of this book to criticize, it's that these two teens are almost too intelligent, too likeable and too easy to become emotionally invested in as you progress through this book.

On the back of this true masterpiece of fiction, E. Lockhart is quoted on Green saying "He is one of the best writers alive and I am seething with envy at his talent." After this book, it's hard to argue with her.
Kat (31st January 2012)