The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
June 2014
With the new movie and the recent craze among my course mates, I decided to give this book a shot. As I have always said, the original source is the best; it’s better to read the book before you watch the movie.
Unfortunately, tragic cancer novels never really turned me on. For me, this was typical of that genre, very much full of bravado and no bite. The hype of the-infinite-set of five star reviews brought my hopes up but didn’t meet my expectation. However, don’t let my review put you off, I know quite a lot of people who liked it.
A heart rendering love story, yes. But there wasn’t enough twist or excitement. There wasn’t anything that blew my mind or left me on the edge of my seat, eyes peeled for the next scene. It was the typical girl meets boy and they fall in love. There was no mystique, no action, just pity and self examination. If the world didn’t welcome Bella, I don’t understand why they loved Hazel Grace Lancaster.
Though there were several shortcomings, I did find some beautiful quotes. And with good comments, I shall end:
“You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world…but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices.”
“Grief does not change you, Hazel. It reveals you.”
“But it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare more wrong than when he has Cassius note, ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars / But in ourselves.”