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John Green: The Fault in Our Stars

LouJaneMcK

New Member
I have just finished 'the fault in our stars' my first by John Green (although i have noticed his amazingness through social media) this was the second time I attempted the novel, the first I was simply too put off by the whole 'cancer kid' genre to get more than a few pages into the story.

I can't say I was blown away by the story here nor was I put off especially. I found it to be a relatively unremarkable story with characters which reflect many other characters in young adult fiction these days without features that make them truly engaging, while they had all of the making of engaging characters they have still somehow fell a little flat. Which is such a disappointment.

The only thing I found enthralling about the novel are the interesting conclusions which can be drawn about Hazel the protagonist. Even in her take away her cancer and she is seemingly uninteresting it took me until the very end of the novel to realise that she is both fearless and selfless and the flatness of her character exemplifies these qualities. Although Gus is so very average (special to Hazel I understand) and as the story is told by Hazel he is given more credit for being interesting then is due. Even as he weakened and grew closer to the fold he needed his funeral to be for him hence the pre-death-funeral to hear all of the nice things people say about you when you are gone. While Hazel stated that she understood that even as a person is dying and contemplating their own demise all you really have is thinking about what others will think or feel when your are gone, as that is all that our experience on earth and within this reality can allow, but of course a funeral is really in essence for the living and not at all for the dead who have gone onto the next reality or not that is now theirs.
In the end Gus knew that what he left behind was her pain she ensured that his memory lived, as he wished, through her grief and agony in what she had left in her own limited time. He knew of course that this would occur when he persuade her to trust in him. While she wanted to protect someone she didn't really know save him the pain of her loss, not when she loved him but when she just knew him to be a person who could feel, she wanted to spare at her own cost the pain she could cause. That I think makes her someone worthy of being remembered and treasured while Gus only serves as a plot device to further illustrate her selflessness.
 
This book has been the basis for a lot of discussion on what is appropriate to write about for teens/YA.
 
I guess I cant see why it may or may not be appropriate for Young Adults to read. Although I don't think this has the same devastating qualities as other Young Adult Fiction who promote heroes and heroines who offer no insight into realistic or redeemable facets of a persons personality in conjuncture with their actions. What aspects of the novel do you think are opposed? The content? the characters?
 
Thank you for sharing your post-reading thoughts, LouJane! I LOVE John Green (we like to watch his Mental Floss vlog posts), but have yet to read any of his books. I hear people raving about them, so have had TFIOS on my TBR list for a long time.....I was thinking I should try and read it before seeing the movie, but now am thinking maybe I'll just skip it. He (John) does seem very happy with the way the movie has turned out, so I'm guessing I won't miss much of the story going that route.

I think it's good for teens to be exposed to real human experience with depth and see examples of people making good choices, choosing love, and living with loss. Will have to read that article.
 
Opinions are divided (naturally) but it generally comes down to that fact that teens tend to copy a bit too faithfully what is presented to them which is why topics such as suicide, anorexia, bulimia, self harm, death and drug use have to be very cautiously and carefully dealt with.
 
The more I think about John Green's (I love his Vlogbrothers as well he is amazing) books the more I want to read another and compare how he has built and presented his other characters, I think I would recommend 'the fault in our stars' (if you are able to get past the another story about sickness and young love stigma) and would love to hear your thoughts on it.

I don't think I agree that 'The Fault in Our Stars' would be damaging to teen readers especially as a whole group. I can't see how this novel in particular promotes negative or anti-social behaviour. Although I do acknowledge that death as a topic is indeed a serious one but within the nature of being human we are curious about death and all of its facets. Teenagers being at an age were they are searching innately for answers to the mysterious world in which they are beginning to take an interest need to be provided with thought provoking material. Do I think TFIOR is the best choice for such thought provoking material, not really no, but I do think that it's dramatic nature and subplots would be very attractive to young readers and in that attraction the concept of death at a young age must be considered, even if it is just being able to acknowledge that sometimes life and death is not fair. I think that the serious topic of this book has been dealt with in a responsible way. Not all books are as responsible as this one and other i agree others may not be positive for young readers but I don't know how TFIOS falls within that category.
 
To be honest with the way the world is at the moment shouldn't we be writing about hope and good winning over all the stuff that happens and showing teens that there is hope for the future and the world is not all doom and gloom? Rather than writing about death and cancer and the hopelessness of life?

There was a line in a movie I watched the otherday that I think is the perfect reply to what I think about this new trend of dystopian worlds and death in books, "Until the world actually stops spinning, I choose to believe that it will still be spinning tomorrow." I just wish that these writers could all see that the sun has been coming up everyday for how many years an I am sure that it shall come up tomorrow! They would be happier I think. :)
 
I have read Looking for Alaska and Paper Towns and even though I finished both novels, I really disliked them, I practically forced myself into finishing them. That being said, my sister read The Fault in Our Stars and loved it. She kept begging me to read it but I said I wouldn't; I'm just not a fan of John Green.
 
I am forced to complete that book, and I completed it in one day,I didn't get bored through out the book but at the end of the book it didn't left me with anything astonishing or any memories.it is an average ya book with wonderful protagonist.
 
I did like it, read it in one day actually :). One thing bothered me, teenagers don't have such conversations, even if they have cancer and they are facing death. They more reminded me of 20something year old people, not teenagers. Or is it just me :)?
 
Well they can't thing like teenagers with "simple" life and problems. When you're facing the death, losing friends or lovers, you're ask yourself a lot of questions and not the conventional ones of this age.
 
I was forced by a friend to read The Fault In Our Stars. I didn't really like it, I guess it's just not my cup of tea. I still can't understand why people have cried through both the book and the movie, it didn't left me with something very special.
 
I read this book written by john green
I loved it actually but i wept bitterly by the end of the story
And i won t read such books any more, for i am a person who is inclined to love happy endings .
 
I have also read it, and too some degree I agree with the original post. But I also don't like John Green as a person, so that could cloud my judgement...
 
I read this book by John Green. When I finish a good book I usually have mixed feelings. I am also sad to finish it. Nothing special with this one though. It was average.
 
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