The Fault in Our Stars

by John Green

[clementine]

RE-READ, MAY 2013

I liked TFiOS less the second time. I read it more slowly and critically, and without the excitement and anticipation of the first time.

I really admire John Green as a person, and there are certain aspects of his writing that are very inspiring to me. But, overall, I'm pretty conflicted about his books. I think he does what he does very well, but there are always fairly sizeable issues, and I find that my opinion changes quite a bit when I re-read.

I was very underwhelmed by the first half of the book, before they get to Amsterdam. This time around I did actually find the dialogue a bit unrealistic, and I thought that Hazel and Gus were too wise, even allowing for the fact that their life experience probably gives them a certain amount of depth. I really like that John Green doesn't underestimate teenagers, and I don't think any of the individual lines are unbelievable - I just think that people being that snappy and deep all the time is kind of hard to stomach. Honestly, I felt distinctly aware that they were characters, where as in his other books the characters feel quite real, witty dialogue and all.

I also found Gus quite insufferable upon re-reading. I fully understand that he's supposed to be that way, and that it's one of the things that makes Hazel wary of him. The thing is that I didn't feel like there was a lot of development in that area. He kind of remained a pompous asshole the entire time. My sympathy for him increased, and of course his circumstances were terrible and elicited a lot of emotion, but he was a tricky character for me. I wish he'd been explored a bit more, because a not totally likeable character doesn't have to imply anything about the enjoyment of the book. Alaska Young is a very flawed person, but I still felt more of an emotional response to LFA, maybe because I felt like John Green did a better job of allowing the reader to understand where she was coming from. Of course a lot of Gus's personality can be explained as a coping mechanism, or as him just being a stupid teenager, but I felt like there was actually a shocking lack of exploration of his character overall.

This is really critical, but I by no means disliked the book. It was the right mixture of funny and touching, it wasn't overly sappy or sentimental, Hazel was a good narrator, and the plot had the whimsical, ridiculous elements I've come to expect from John Green. It really is an overall enjoyable read, but there's just something about it that I didn't find quite as immersive as his other books. I couldn't really dive in all the way. There was some measure of distance created for me.

I actually love engaging with John Green's books, because my opinions on them are really complex and I find myself changing my mind a lot. I like things that aren't straightforward. I'd give TFiOS 3.5 stars this time around, but I'm rounding up since half stars still aren't a thing on this silly website.

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ORIGINAL REVIEW, JANUARY 2012 (*****)

I enjoy everything [a:John Green|1406384|John Green|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1353452301p2/1406384.jpg] writes because I feel like he really understands teenagers in a fundamental way. However, I definitely enjoy him best when he's being serious. [b:Looking for Alaska|99561|Looking for Alaska|John Green|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1394798630s/99561.jpg|919292] was an incredibly inspiring book to me because I felt like he tackled death from a very interesting perspective, and TFiOS is no different. The subject matter is pretty heavy, but with the usual John Green touch, it is hilarious. The characters are three-dimensional, realistic, and likeable, flaws and all. Of course, a book about cancer can't be happy forever, and TFiOS definitely isn't. The book is very emotional and beautiful without becoming contrived or obviously trying to solicit some kind of emotional response from the reader.

I'll need more time to sit and think about this book to form more coherent thoughts about it (I literally JUST finished it), but, ahh... it's beautiful. I was not at all disappointed.