The story is written in a breathtaking way which makes us become a part of the characters and feel the same emotions. Hazel and Augustus appeal to readers through their sense of humour and their courage ... John Green, through Hazel and Augustus, brings both: tears and laughter ... The Fault in Our Stars is a beautiful novel and I would recommend it to anyone who believes in love and has the courage to fight for it.
The Fault in Our Stars feels like the stakes have been raised, a swing for the fences that tackles big themes (life, love, and death) and succeeds. Mr. Green takes a potentially mawkish premise and delivers an honest, immediate, and deeply resonant story, one deserving of its status as a future classic ... In case you worry that this will be a four-hankie, Nicholas Sparks-style sapfest, Hazel’s self-awareness will quickly dispel that notion (though you should still keep the hankies) ...
Augustus and Hazel’s relationship forms the heart of the book, and their scene following their first encounter with Van Houten is maybe the best of its kind that I’ve read in many years in a book aimed at teenagers.
Mr. Green’s empathetic portrayals have been a hallmark of all his fiction, but Hazel and Augustus are his two best creations. Deeply thoughtful and hyper-literate[.]
Remarkably, Stars might be Green’s best novel yet ... There’s more wisdom about life and death here than in a dozen similarly themed, more 'literary' novels, and Green’s protagonist is a wonderful creation. Green’s success stems from his ability to render his characters’ voices extremely well ... Green could have gone wrong with this setup in many ways. Cancer-stricken teenagers is such an inherently sentimental idea that it all but begs him to ladle on the tear-jerking moments. And though the book garners its share of tears, it earns them by being brutally honest about its characters and their condition. It’s predictable, but it works nearly perfectly, because it’s always filtered through caustic Hazel, who tells jokes, doubts the afterlife, and constantly points out the conventions of her genre ... he’s found a narrator who’s very nearly the equal of Holden Caulfield.
Throughout the story there is a beauty and humor, a 'candle in the wind' for each of those whose lives have been touched by such an uncaring disease ... Be prepared for a story of romance and anger, excitement and humor, and friendship and bravery ... Written so beautifully your heart and emotions melt, you come to be a part of this group as well as their families, their triumphs, and their losses. The friendships as well as the depths the families go through preparing for the worst while holding out hope is like a beacon of light. The courage and humor, the energy and despair all keep you on a roller coaster of emotion. Green takes you on a journey both terrible and beautiful.
At its heart The Fault In Our Stars is a love story but there is no saccharine sweetness to be had in the harsh realities of cancer treatment. John Green brilliantly captures the voices of a young generation while instilling it with the wisdom of a life that has lived too much yet will never live enough. Rather than depressing, the book is filled with dark humour and is written with a beautiful simplicity that draws the reader in so deeply that it’s not just the twists and turns but the gentle bends and curves that you feel tugging at your emotions. It is impossible not to root for Hazel and Augustus and laugh with them as they search out the reclusive author, while the inevitability of death gets ever closer. No doubt in the end you will cry but you will also feel that you have discovered a little something about living.
This is a book...that it is well worth the hype ... it's heartbreakingly sad at times and it does deal with cancer, but it's so much more than that ... it’s a beautiful piece of fiction that will stay with you long after you read the words on the final page. John Green's style flows with such simplicity and honesty that you will find it very hard to put The Fault In Our Stars down. He doesn’t play on clichés but rather creates precious moments in a refreshing way which will make you laugh and cry...like a baby.
Writing about kids with cancer is an invitation to sentimentality and pathos—or worse, in unskilled hands, bathos. Happily, Green is able to transcend such pitfalls in his best and most ambitious novel to date. Beautifully conceived and executed, this story artfully examines the largest possible considerations—life, love, and death—with sensitivity, intelligence, honesty, and integrity. In the process, Green shows his readers what it is like to live with cancer, sometimes no more than a breath or a heartbeat away from death. But it is life that Green spiritedly celebrates here, even while acknowledging its pain. In its every aspect, this novel is a triumph.
Once again Green offers a well-developed cast of characters capable of both reflective thought and hilarious dialogue. With his trademark humor, lovable parents, and exploration of big-time challenges, The Fault in Our Stars is an achingly beautiful story about life and loss.
His fourth novel...is his best work yet. But this iteration is smart, witty, profoundly sad, and full of questions worth asking, even those like 'Why me?' that have no answer.
Green’s signature style shines: His carefully structured dialogue and razor-sharp characters brim with genuine intellect, humor and desire. He takes on Big Questions that might feel heavy-handed in the words of any other author ... Green seamlessly bridges the gap between the present and the existential, and readers will need more than one box of tissues to make it through Hazel and Gus’ poignant journey.
