The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Review

The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green

I bought and read this book on a whim, because I'd heard many friends tell me about John Green and his talent. However, I was doubtful upon first glancing over the summary on Barnes & Noble's website:

"Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel’s story is about to be completely rewritten."

It sounded like nothing but an inevitable sob story, and I dislike sob stories because I prefer to be happy when I'm reading a book, not sobbing into a box of tissues. Still, I persevered and downloaded it to my Nook anyway.

It took me only three days to read the entire book, and it would have taken less if I didn't have other priorities in the way. This book was brilliant. John Green's tale is sad--it is about a girl with terminal cancer, after all. But there's so much more to it than a "pity her" story. The character of Augustus Waters is one that really stands out, and is genuinely unique in the world of fiction. He was heartfelt, funny, and really quite beautiful. Even Hazel was a very amazing character, because she never let cancer be her weakness (but never spent too much time consumed in her battle) and made amusing comments about the restrictions of breakfast foods.

Furthermore, John Green's talent is clearly evident--he is a master of words. The diction in this story was fantastic, and I'm very picky about the diction in fiction. Someone who writes with boring or difficult-to-follow diction will lose me as a fan. But not John Green.

The Fault in Our Stars is a beautiful love story that elicited a wide variety of emotions from me as I read: joy, heartbreak, frustration, glee--you name it. This book is absolutely a 5-star winner for me.

John Green has written four other books: Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and Will Grayson, Will Grayson. I hope to read them all in the near future.