Thursday, 4 September 2014

The Fault in our Stars - John Green

Me: “If you want me to be a teenager, don’t send me to Support Group. Buy me a fake ID so I can go to clubs, drink vodka and take pot.”Mom: “You don’t take pot, for starters.”Me: “See, that’s the kind of thing I’d know if you got me a fake ID.”

Hazel (or Hazel Grace as she is so often referred to) has cancer (a side effect of dying). It wrecked her lungs and nearly killed her but now shes on a drug that keeps it from growing. Her mother thinks she is depressed (Hazel notes that depression is not a side effect of cancer, it’s another side effect of dying, like almost everything). Hazel’s doctor agrees so she gets shipped off to support group even though she doesn't think it will do her any good.

Upon arrival at support group she sees the regulars, one being a boy named Isaac who is losing his vision. Its through Isaac that she meets Augustus (also often referred to as Augustus Waters). There begins this epic tale of what turns out to be the adventures of a life time. The story follows Hazel and Augustus with their superior wit and intellect through ups and downs, adventures and sorrow.

It’s a remarkable book and I was very pleased to see they left very little out when they made the movie. Some bits made me laugh out loud while others made me cry. Beautifully written, I really enjoyed the characters and their interactions with one another. I find it hard to believe anyone could read this and not fall in love with the Augustus Waters character and his outlook on life.

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, /But in ourselves, that we are underlings.”
Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 1, Scene 2

http://johngreenbooks.com/

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