Scan barcode
A review by lbarsk
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
4.0
So, okay, this book. John Green in general. Where to start? I put off reading this book when it first came out, even though I knew about it before it was even published because of the huge Nerdfighter presence on Tumblr. In fact, I put it off until this February when I was sick and didn't want to do any work and was already prepared to cry. I cry pretty easily, and I had heard that this book was LIFE RUINING and would CHANGE EVERYTHING I EVER KNEW FOREVER. Several of my friends really love it, probably the way that I love Sandman and To Kill a Mockingbird and Litany In Which Certain Things Are Crossed Out, and I was willing to give it a try. But I was also kind of skeptical, since I had read Looking for Alaska and Pretty Much Not Liked It. It seemed to be trying too hard for some universal truth, which I think is a criticism that a lot of people have with John Green in general. BUT I went ahead and read TFIOS.
And you know what? I actually liked it a lot, but not for the reasons that everyone else seems to. It certainly had a life ruining aspect to it, and I certainly did cry, but what made me really really upset was actually the parent-child relationships in the book. You know that the romance aspect is doomed from the start, so I was prepared for something bad to happen, but what you don't know is how RIGHT John Green gets how parents and kids interact. I think sometimes his teenagers sound too smart to be actual teenagers, but the family dynamics are SPOT FUCKING ON. So when stuff happened with the kids and their parents, I sobbed. And the book is very very well-written. Very compelling and smartly structured.
I think that the "universal truth" problem that John Green had in Looking for Alaska is still present here, but it's sort of tamed actually. I still think that I like John Green better as an educator, creator, and internet human being rather than a YA author, but he's certainly on the upswing in terms of talent and growth. If this book had come out when I was in middle school or high school, I know that it would've been my entire world, and I can really appreciate that because it means it's a mark of good work. There were just a few too many times when I had to step back and say, "Well, wait a minute," for it to be perfect. But it's certainly EXCELLENT.
I would recommend this book to most, but with a grain of salt: it's gotten so hyped now that perhaps it's best to try and divorce it from the hype, and certainly divorce it from the movie. Take it for what it is--an excellently told story of two young people fighting cancer--and you'll get the most out of it.
And you know what? I actually liked it a lot, but not for the reasons that everyone else seems to. It certainly had a life ruining aspect to it, and I certainly did cry, but what made me really really upset was actually the parent-child relationships in the book. You know that the romance aspect is doomed from the start, so I was prepared for something bad to happen, but what you don't know is how RIGHT John Green gets how parents and kids interact. I think sometimes his teenagers sound too smart to be actual teenagers, but the family dynamics are SPOT FUCKING ON. So when stuff happened with the kids and their parents, I sobbed. And the book is very very well-written. Very compelling and smartly structured.
I think that the "universal truth" problem that John Green had in Looking for Alaska is still present here, but it's sort of tamed actually. I still think that I like John Green better as an educator, creator, and internet human being rather than a YA author, but he's certainly on the upswing in terms of talent and growth. If this book had come out when I was in middle school or high school, I know that it would've been my entire world, and I can really appreciate that because it means it's a mark of good work. There were just a few too many times when I had to step back and say, "Well, wait a minute," for it to be perfect. But it's certainly EXCELLENT.
I would recommend this book to most, but with a grain of salt: it's gotten so hyped now that perhaps it's best to try and divorce it from the hype, and certainly divorce it from the movie. Take it for what it is--an excellently told story of two young people fighting cancer--and you'll get the most out of it.