A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to listen to The Fault in Our Stars by John Green on a play-away from the library. And I am extremely glad that I did! This was the first book by Mr. Green that I had read, and I definitely find him to be a wonderful author!
The story is about a girl named Hazel who is sixteen and has terminal cancer. Her cancer is often times a burden that leaves her angry, frustrated, out of breath, and tired. Her parents, especially her mom, are concerned about her, and sometimes, this leads to an overprotectiveness of their daughter. Hazel’s life is rough, considering she’s had the cancer for years! It’s a miracle she’s still alive, but she still experiences pain and is troubled by the unfairness of life. The creative title is based off a line from Shakespeare that Hazel claims is definitely NOT true.
Hazel usually stays home, sleeps, reads, and watches TV. She doesn’t attend regular high school anymore, and therefore, feels alienated from her peers. Her mom does make her attend a support group for kids with cancer; however, the group seems to be more depressing than anything else. Hazel goes, but doesn’t enjoy it much, until the day that Augustus Waters shows up.
From the first time they see each other, he is instantly attracted to her. By the end of the meeting, they have a date planned, and their relationship grows from there. They talk, meet up, and even read each other’s favorite novels! They face plenty of challenges and tribulations as they go along, but they conquer them together. Augustus seems to be the bright spot in her life to help her through difficult times as she battles her cancer. Hazel has never been so social as she is now with Augustus, and her parents even start to complain about never seeing her!
The climax of the book occurs out of the country on a special trip. It starts out well, but doesn’t go like they planned. In the end though, the result may have been even better than they expected.
Everything seems to be going great once more, until Hazel learns some devastating news that could possibly end their relationship forever. Will they make it, or will cancer destroy the love that they have?
In order to experience all of this excitement, tragedy, drama, and suspense of this story, you should definitely read, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green! Though the ending may not be very cheerful, it still teaches important lessons about life, love, and living with sickness.
