REVIEW : The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

Published: January 10, 2012

I was a bit behind TFiOS bandwagon. It took the release of the movie and urging from my sister to finally jump on this one. So, I took it with me on my recent trip out to California and blasted through it on my six hour flight. 

I regret nothing.

The premise is simple enough, two young teens fall helplessly in love with one another - except for the fact that Hazel has cancer and Augustus is a cancer survivor. That in itself raises the stakes for their love affair. 

At first, I was put off by Hazel. She's a passive-aggressive misanthrope who's only real friend (besides her supportive parents) is a book about a girl with cancer. I didn't expect her to be anything less, but her narrative voice is one that takes getting used to. Once comfortably settled into her pacing, I was pretty impressed with Green's handy work. 

The events of the book and the characters reactions to them are raw and believable. It's a different voice speaking to the same old topics - cancer battles; navigating young adulthood; falling in love; dying. Hazel, Augustus, and their blind friend Isaac all present unique perspectives to the things many people hold for granted. Green has given up a piece of work representing bleak hope; a small infinity called the present moment. 

I still can't say I enjoyed the inflections used in the main narration, but they do reflect the way a young person would typically speak. The thing that did impress me most was Green's avoidance of taking the obvious route (based on other people's reactions, I'm sure you've assumed someone dies). Even this choice felt honest, not just a plot device making the book about kids with cancer even more upsetting. I felt that this pivotal event mirrored Hazel's sentiments about the weeding out of kids in the cancer support group early on in the novel, as well as speaking to the harsh realities of cancer. 

Overall, I was really please with the book. It was worth crying in an airplane next to total strangers. 

★★★★✩

Want more John Green? Check out his YouTube 

channel.

I'm Feeling A Bit Bookish - Who is the Bear?

Who am I? 

Well, my name is Brittney and I am a 20 year old living in Maine. I've been floating around on the internet since 2006, pottering on different sites doing different things. Now that I'm long past my deviantART and FFN phase,  I've had the idea that I would like to make a space all my own to rant and rave about something that has always been a constant in my life: BOOKS.

It could totally be that this is a side effect of working in a book store (Books-A-Million, to be exact) and spending most of my summer looking through all the tantalizing titles stocked on the shelves and sitting longingly on the shelves. That, or maybe something in my subconscious is like, "You're a theatre major, but what on Earth will you do with all those years of taking honors and AP English classes?!"

Oh yes, in reality, I freaking LOVE writing stuff about other people's writing. Though essays have primarily been my forte, it's my hope that these skills, so lovingly ingrained in me will allow me to play and have fun with running a Bookish blog.

So, besides knowing my name, my age, where I work, and a bit of my educational history, what else should you know about the Bookish Bear?

As far as books go, I really love fiction, particularly YA; however, as of late I have begun to branch out and really look for books that tickle my fancy outside of my comfort zone. I really like romance, historical fiction (particularly if it's ancient Japan - don't get me started), and classic lit, as well as plays of all varieties. These will all be subject to critique, criticism, and applause here, as well as the newer ventures I plan on having.

Another nibblet of information that might intrigue you is my undying love of manga. Ah, manga. As a avid Japanese animation fan since I was a wee lass, I've been around the block a few times with a bunch of different series spanning a few different genres. Lately, I tend to like the more obscure, shorter titles as well as slice of life and shoujo (tropes and all). I will post about current series I've read, plus some of my favorites I've found over the years. Because I think it counts as reading. 

So, THANK YOU for stumbling over my little project. I hope you like it and stick around for all the goodies I have in store!

see you soon!

B

The Bookish Bear