Skip to main content

The Fault In Our Stars



I'm not going to get all Oprah on you here, but every once in a while you read a book that needs a good old-fashioned shout-out.  I recently went through my Amazon Kindle wish list looking for items that had dropped in price.  If it made my wish list then it had an initial appeal and a lowered price makse it a must read.  So I purchased this neat little book by John Green, The Fault In Our Stars.  It's been around a while and made Time's #1 seller list I think.  But I am not a prolific reader, just a damned dogged one.  I take forever to read a book, enjoying daily pages rather than chapters.  I get my money's worth.  And I sure got my money';s worth out of this one.  

 Meet Hazel.  She's a kid who is sick.  Dying, really.  Since her diagnosis her world shrinks to a kids support group.  She spends too much time with her parents who seem to always be pushing her to go out and live, or some semblance of that given her condition, or premature mourning.  And then, at one group session, in walks Augustus Waters.  Thus our tale begins.  And what a fun tale it is, too.  

 Now before you start rushing to Amazon to read the reviews (which are all reassuringly good) I have to tell you this is a YA book.  For those who don't know the jargon, and who may be turned off by it, YA stands for 'young adult'.  I'm not sure why they have a designation like that in literature, it seems to me young adults "get it".  And yeah, there is sex.  And death.  And courage.  And all the other things adults experience be they young or otherwise.   

 If you are still interested, given the somewhat downer context, and the YA label, I invite you to find a copy or download on Amazon ($3.99) and nestle in for a great read.  Hazel and Augustus, I swear, will remain in your noggin.  Fast, funny, touching, sad, with characters you care about, I wouldn't be surprised if it's the best fiction you will have read in a long while.  And maybe a long while to come.  

 Two more notes of interest.  First, go ahead now and start reading some of the reviews on Amazon.  And secondly, Hollywood is turning it into a movie, so you'll want to read it before they dumb it down, or make it too sweet, or too funny, or whatever vision they have for it.   

 Better yet, download it or get your copy and put it on a shelf for awhile.  Not too long, mind you, but awhile.  Savor it like you would a lottery ticket that you haven't checked on yet.  Or an expensive wine that you are dying to taste. Roger Ebert famously said, "You can only watch a movie for the first time once."   And like that movie, when you finish you will want more of these guys.  But unlike your untouched lottery ticket,  The Fault In Our Stars is a winner. 


John Green

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flashback Friday

Class, Or Lack Thereof The Dwight Vice gravestone in Oquawka, Illinois. I bring this old chestnut out every so often just to remind me that class is classless.  Dwight Vice was killed in his home near Oquawka in 2001.  It was one of those things that can generate crime:  two guys thought Dwight had a lot of money stashed at home because of his pot-selling sideline to supplement his fishing job.   Not really one of those big drug deals gone-bad things.  Marijuana was, according to the trial, about the only stuff Dwight sold.   But these two guys barge into the house and killed Dwight and attempted to kill his 11 year old kid, Darryl, before they took off with what money they could find.   His son, now 23, was stabbed in the back and left for dead.  He survived and is wheelchair bound and has undergone several surgeries to repair his wounds.  He will be paralyzed for life.   None of this is pleasant.  Reading the facts of the murder and attempted murder are most unpleasant
Post a Comment
Read more

Summer Swim

It's Monday and the start of another work week.  Except for me.  I have the week off because the parents of my daycare charges are taking the week off, too. This is one of those wordless posts I love on Mondays so I can put my laziness in full view of loyal readers.  These pics need no words.  Why muddy the waters?   They were taken at the pool at Sinkhole Estates aka Death Valley.  The nice thing about this pool is it is heated in winter.  If one must find positives in one's situation, I suppose that is one.  But, please, no more.   
Post a Comment
Read more

Florida Air Museum - Part 3

Welcome back to a pretty neat tour of the Florida Air Museum in Lakeland Florida.  There's a lot to see and a couple of the old Geezer Gold Wing guys are already sitting down instead of walking around looking at the exhibits. That's John who is wore out and making a call to his wife.  In all honesty, John was pretty well bushed before the ride.  He told me his daughter's family was down from one of the Carolina's with the grand kids and he must have played with them too much.   He's about to take off on his own and head for home, but he's going to miss a couple of neat things out on Hangar A.   But, before we walk over there, we have lots yet to see here.  If you saw The Aviator with Leonardo DiCaprio playing Howard Hughes, you'll remember that he went up in a plane during the filming of one of his movies to prove a point about flying.  He crashed trying to execute a roll and this is a picture of the plane he crashed.  Note the propeller
1 comment
Read more