The Fault In Our Stars
I wasn't going to read The Fault In Our Stars by John Green. The premise of the book sounded like a story I did not want to read.
I changed my mind after listening to John Green reading the first two chapters aloud on his YouTube vlog, and enjoying that a lot.
I picked up and starting reading an unexpectedly available copy of the book at the library this week, during a couple of spare hours (I was 20th on the wait list for the other copies!). And then I found I couldn't put the book down, and ended up checking it out to finish the last 100 pages that evening. It's that good.
The book spoke to me on a much more personal level than I had expected. I wonder how John Green can know those particular things with such understanding when he hasn't lived them. He must be really good at drawing people out; really good at listening.
I was pretty sure from a fairly early point in the story that John Green was going to break my heart a little. And then he did. But the book was so good I couldn't be mad. I like how responsible and compassionate he was towards all his characters, not just the protagonists. Well, except for Patrick.
I think that this book probably means a lot of different things to different people, depending on where you stand. It could be really depressing. But I found it very gentle, honest, and life-affirming. It's not something I would have given to my teenaged self to read, though it's marketed to a YA audience. I don't think I would have enjoyed it very much, though the story's certainly compelling enough to pull anyone through from beginning to end. I probably wouldn't have understood much of the emotional content of the book. But as an adult at this place in my life, I'm really glad I read it.
I heart John Green.
I changed my mind after listening to John Green reading the first two chapters aloud on his YouTube vlog, and enjoying that a lot.
I picked up and starting reading an unexpectedly available copy of the book at the library this week, during a couple of spare hours (I was 20th on the wait list for the other copies!). And then I found I couldn't put the book down, and ended up checking it out to finish the last 100 pages that evening. It's that good.
The book spoke to me on a much more personal level than I had expected. I wonder how John Green can know those particular things with such understanding when he hasn't lived them. He must be really good at drawing people out; really good at listening.
I was pretty sure from a fairly early point in the story that John Green was going to break my heart a little. And then he did. But the book was so good I couldn't be mad. I like how responsible and compassionate he was towards all his characters, not just the protagonists. Well, except for Patrick.
I think that this book probably means a lot of different things to different people, depending on where you stand. It could be really depressing. But I found it very gentle, honest, and life-affirming. It's not something I would have given to my teenaged self to read, though it's marketed to a YA audience. I don't think I would have enjoyed it very much, though the story's certainly compelling enough to pull anyone through from beginning to end. I probably wouldn't have understood much of the emotional content of the book. But as an adult at this place in my life, I'm really glad I read it.
I heart John Green.