Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars
So, I started and finished this book today. Let me start by saying there will be no spoilers in this brief review. Except, that, at some point, something sad happens. But I don’t think I’m giving much away by saying that, since that’s quite widespread information.
This was my first John Green book, and I went into it knowing absolutely nothing about the story, save for the information above, and that there’s a character called Augustus Waters in it, that the majority of tumblr seems to find quite dreamy.
As I read it, I encountered certain quotes that I’ve loved and seen online before, but didn’t know where they originated from. A similar thing happened to me when I read The Perks of Being a Wallflower last summer. But that’s neither here nor there.
I enjoyed the book, though it doesn’t rank as one of my favorites of all time. Certain books just speak to you on some deep level, and while I’m sure this one had that effect on many, it didn’t for me. But I did really like it. It was well written, the characters were nicely fleshed out, and it was a great mix of little hilarious moments, and sombre meaningful ones. I expected to cry while reading it, since everyone told me I would, and I tend to cry easily over fictional things. But I didn’t, though I came close a few times. That’s not to say it didn’t hurt. It did, very much, but I just never shed any actual tears.
It left me satisfied, but with a deep, painful ache in my chest that took me a while to shake off, even after I’d put the book back on my shelf. There’s a quote out there that I can’t quite remember, but to paraphrase, it talks about how while you’re reading a book, your whole perception of the world shifts a little bit, as if you’re viewing it through that book’s filter. That’s how I felt while reading this one. For a brief moment, I saw the world a little differently.
The last paragraph was really beautiful, and there were wonderful lines of profundity scattered throughout. Overall, a great read, if you’re one to like things that just hurt so good. x
