Stellar
The bullet has been bitten - I finally checked out this year's most popular YA novel. The power of peer pressure!
Hazel is dying, but despite that - despite the spell of depression she's under and the tank she has to carry around everywhere so she can breathe - she's doing okay. She's got an attentive mother, a sensitive father, a cancer support group that neither helps nor hinders, and her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction. But then something amazing happens: she falls for an incredible guy named Augustus Waters, and Augustus Waters falls for her right back. Augustus is a deep thinker, noble, funny, pretentious, in remission, and feels he has yet to prove himself. As he pulls Hazel out of her depression, Hazel in return grounds him with her more practical approach. Thus begins a fast-growing, all-consuming teenage love affair that sees them visiting Amsterdam in order to track down the reclusive author of Affliction. But reality cannot be ignored for long, and soon Hazel finds herself in a position she never would have imagined.
The gap between finishing a book and writing a review on it was quite a long time, comparatively speaking. I'd like to say that that isn't because of the themes of death and destruction, but I'd be lying. It's a daunting subject, and the fact that Green's story has an effortless quality to it only proves how skilled he is as a storyteller. His Hazel is an adroit, smart, cynical, but average teenage-y protagonist whose youth prevents her from succumbing to bitterness. This makes for an easier read than you might imagine. In fact, the first part of the book is all about joy and finding happiness in the face of doom, even when cancer or death is frequently a topic of discussion. Augustus is a big part of this: the sum of his parts is just as complex and interesting as the parts themselves. His nobility is both an attraction and a flaw, and Hazel is not so swept off her feet to notice this (although she does display some naivete at other times). At times he seems larger than life, gamely tackling heady subjects with the enthusiasm of an old soul. It should come as no surprise that he is very easy to fall in love with. If there is an issue to take, it would be that so much focus on Hazel and Augustus leaves little room for secondary characters. That said, I appreciated Isaac being there, a fellow cancer survivor whose character arc seems matter-of-fact until he proves himself to be a real friend - and the only person who really understands what Hazel and Augustus are going through.
Of course, then comes the second act, which I sure as hell won't spoil for you. Let me just say that the turn of events really took me by surprise, and there is an entirely appropriate and satisfying ending that gives both Hazel and the readers closure. I'll only add that I didn't know how much I enjoyed the book until I turned to a blank page, realized there would be no more, and cried sad, much-needed tears.
Don't be put-off by the great discussions about philosophy and the meaning of life; indeed, they serve partly to lift up the love story and make the reader think. In a way, they provide comfort as well.
Rating: 5 ads for used swing-sets out of 5.
The gap between finishing a book and writing a review on it was quite a long time, comparatively speaking. I'd like to say that that isn't because of the themes of death and destruction, but I'd be lying. It's a daunting subject, and the fact that Green's story has an effortless quality to it only proves how skilled he is as a storyteller. His Hazel is an adroit, smart, cynical, but average teenage-y protagonist whose youth prevents her from succumbing to bitterness. This makes for an easier read than you might imagine. In fact, the first part of the book is all about joy and finding happiness in the face of doom, even when cancer or death is frequently a topic of discussion. Augustus is a big part of this: the sum of his parts is just as complex and interesting as the parts themselves. His nobility is both an attraction and a flaw, and Hazel is not so swept off her feet to notice this (although she does display some naivete at other times). At times he seems larger than life, gamely tackling heady subjects with the enthusiasm of an old soul. It should come as no surprise that he is very easy to fall in love with. If there is an issue to take, it would be that so much focus on Hazel and Augustus leaves little room for secondary characters. That said, I appreciated Isaac being there, a fellow cancer survivor whose character arc seems matter-of-fact until he proves himself to be a real friend - and the only person who really understands what Hazel and Augustus are going through.
Of course, then comes the second act, which I sure as hell won't spoil for you. Let me just say that the turn of events really took me by surprise, and there is an entirely appropriate and satisfying ending that gives both Hazel and the readers closure. I'll only add that I didn't know how much I enjoyed the book until I turned to a blank page, realized there would be no more, and cried sad, much-needed tears.
Don't be put-off by the great discussions about philosophy and the meaning of life; indeed, they serve partly to lift up the love story and make the reader think. In a way, they provide comfort as well.
Rating: 5 ads for used swing-sets out of 5.
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