The Fault in Our Stars

I just finished The Fault in Our Stars. It was not as good as I thought it would be. I think this is the trouble with popular books. There is so much hype, excitement and buzz that we think, "This must be the best book ever written, a masterpiece." We are fooled into the belief that if many people like something, then we will like it too. We forget that everyone is different and we all have different tastes. I think that the tomato is the number one delicacy of the garden. My husband wants to puke at the thought if eating a raw tomato. Such is life. We are different people.With all that being said, however, The Fault in Our Stars is a good book...it simply isn't the work of artistic genius that I expected. 

The book is unique in many ways. The most obvious way is that it is a book about cancer, love, and dying, yet I shed no tears. Some may be of the opinion that I am emotionless but that's not the case. I felt that the sob-inducing portion of the book was well planned, and as a reader, I was prepared for what was happening. It wasn't a shock. Yes, it was sad, tragic even, but it wasn't sensationalized; it was written in a very realistic manner. I have seen people die of cancer and I feel that John Green described this affliction in a way that does the victims justice. It was written beautifully while at the same time ugly which is the reality of this disease.

 Another way that this book was unique was the character portrayal. The characters are my favorite part of this story. They are teenagers yet they are clever, intelligent, and flat out funny. So often we read books about teens and young adults and they are portrayed as love-sick, intellectually stunted, immature individuals. I'm so glad that these characters have broken that mold. Young people can be smart too! I enjoyed reading the dialogue more than any other part of the book. 

I also like that even though this is a book written about teenagers, you get a taste of what the parents of cancer patients go through and how they feel. The Fault in Our Stars was a good book with a good story line and GREAT characters. I recommend this book to people in the 9th grade and up. The vocabulary and jokes are way too advanced for anyone younger than 9th grade. And if we are being honest, it's probably too advanced for most high school students, but they could figure it out. Also, the content is just too mature for junior high or upper elementary students. If you are young and this book appeals to you, I encourage you to add it to your reading wish list, wait it out, and enjoy it fully when you are older.