The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars review by Sarah Bartholomew

 1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. New York, NY: Dutton Books, 2012.

ISBN 9780525478812

2. PLOT SUMMARY

The Fault in Our Stars is a coming-of-age novel centering around two teenagers with different forms of cancer. They bond over their shared experiences while trying to navigate the ups and downs of adolescence and life as a cancer patient. A romance soon develops creating another element of normal life to add to their abnormal lives. 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

John Green did a great job of making this book read as though it were written by a teenager. The characters and their dialogue feel very authentic and genuine. The Fault in Our Stars really shakes up the sub-genre of “cancer” books. Cancer is a large part of the plot. However, there are other, typical teenage trials the characters face and overcome. Hazel and Augustus add new depth to the idea of “star-crossed lovers” as their love for one another comes very naturally and does not feel forced at all. Even though cancer is not a trial all encounter, there is enough development of the characters outside of their illnesses that the reader can still find the characters relatable. This beautifully tragic story of young love compels readers to believe in true love. There is nothing outlandish that occurs resulting in heartbreak. Rather, the heartbreak is found in what is merely the reality of life as a terminal cancer patient for two teenagers. 

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

From The New York Times: “You know, even as you begin the tale of their young romance, that the end will be 100 kinds of awful, not so much a vale as a brutal canyon of tears. . . . Green’s story of lovers who aren’t so much star-crossed as star-cursed leans on literature’s most durable assets: finely wrought language, beautifully drawn characters and a distinctive voice.”

From TIME Magazine: "Damn near genius . . . The Fault in Our Stars is a love story, one of the most genuine and moving ones in recent American fiction, but it’s also an existential tragedy of tremendous intelligence and courage and sadness.”

From People Magazine: “A story about two incandescent kids who will live a long time in the minds of the readers who come to know them.”

5. CONNECTIONS

Gather other works by John Green

Paper Towns ISBN 9780142414934

Looking for Alaska ISBN 9780142402511

Gather other works  about terminally ill teenagers/adolescents 

Lippincott, Rachael. Five Feet Apart. ISBN 9781534437333

Sparks, Nicolas. A Walk to Remember. ISBN ‎9781538764695