I personally adored this book. It's like nothing I have ever read before. There are many reasons for me as to why I felt that I personally clicked with the story, but as well as the I genuinely felt it to be relatable book despite it's plot.
The story follows the lives of two teenagers named Hazel and Augustus, who unfortunately, or fortunately -however you choose to look at it- have cancer. Hazel is "lucky" enough to be given a drug that allows her cancer to stop growing and therefore it allows her to remain in the state of progression that she is at with her cancer; indefinitely. Augustus, seems to be more "lucky" as he is in remission at the beginning of the novel.
Green definitely takes you on a journey in this book, a journey of life and the ultimate questions or worries we all end up asking ourselves or stressing about. Despite the fact that Green is a middle aged man writing as a teenage girl, the book and the characters still work. Green finds a way to make you absolutely fall in love with every single solitary thing about Hazel Grace Lancaster, Augustus Waters and their friends and family.
Within the novel we see Hazel's obsession with the novel 'An Imperial Affliction' who also features a cancer patient named Anna. The story of Hazel and the story of Anna share a lot of similarities, much like AIA, TFiOS doesn't really end completely. As well as this I found that there was a really true and meaningful metaphor in the fact that Van Houten -the author of AIA- didn't have all the answers Hazel wanted, and that he wasn't as heroic as Hazel assumed him to be. He was just a broken man, who had many faults and issues just like Hazel and Augustus' lives had.
For me the characters in the book are what make it readable, even though it hurts and their are many times you could cry, you have to read on. For Hazel, for Augustus, you need to know more. Hazel is an intelligent girl, and you can see that despite her cutting her schooling short and attending University early, life has taught her many lessons that school could not. She's pretentious, young and inspiring. Much like Augustus, however Augustus is more romantic and a little less down about life. When reading the novel, I got so frustrated, I asked myself 'why did Augustus have to die?' but I guess that's life, we all die. As well as that I guess it showed the reader and Hazel herself that life is life, and we are all faced with our own mortality, however you can't let it get you down because life is unpredictable.
That is the best part about this book in my opinion, not the love story between Hazel and Augustus (although that's pretty beautiful too), but outlook that the characters have on life. They look at it in a way that not many people think you would if you were diagnosed with cancer.
For me, cancer has affected me quite closely and this book really shed light on a lot of feelings and questions I had about life and my feelings toward it.
I love how Augustus and Hazel call different things in the novel 'Cancer Perks' -meaning that they are only receiving this particular treatment because they have cancer. I love how Augustus states that he fears oblivion and the words Hazel says to him saying "I encourage you to ignore it, God knows that's what everybody does". I love how honest she is about life and about how one day we will all be in that "oblivion" of death. It's not like some of us get out of here alive and I guess that's what really hit home for me. The novel wasn't a depression fest, it was just honesty about how shit life can be, but also about how amazing it can be.
All in all I admired this novel greatly and didn't find one hamartia. I rate it 10/10.
It will make you cry, it will make fall in love, and it will make you laugh. A lot.
The story follows the lives of two teenagers named Hazel and Augustus, who unfortunately, or fortunately -however you choose to look at it- have cancer. Hazel is "lucky" enough to be given a drug that allows her cancer to stop growing and therefore it allows her to remain in the state of progression that she is at with her cancer; indefinitely. Augustus, seems to be more "lucky" as he is in remission at the beginning of the novel.
Green definitely takes you on a journey in this book, a journey of life and the ultimate questions or worries we all end up asking ourselves or stressing about. Despite the fact that Green is a middle aged man writing as a teenage girl, the book and the characters still work. Green finds a way to make you absolutely fall in love with every single solitary thing about Hazel Grace Lancaster, Augustus Waters and their friends and family.
For me the characters in the book are what make it readable, even though it hurts and their are many times you could cry, you have to read on. For Hazel, for Augustus, you need to know more. Hazel is an intelligent girl, and you can see that despite her cutting her schooling short and attending University early, life has taught her many lessons that school could not. She's pretentious, young and inspiring. Much like Augustus, however Augustus is more romantic and a little less down about life. When reading the novel, I got so frustrated, I asked myself 'why did Augustus have to die?' but I guess that's life, we all die. As well as that I guess it showed the reader and Hazel herself that life is life, and we are all faced with our own mortality, however you can't let it get you down because life is unpredictable.
That is the best part about this book in my opinion, not the love story between Hazel and Augustus (although that's pretty beautiful too), but outlook that the characters have on life. They look at it in a way that not many people think you would if you were diagnosed with cancer.
For me, cancer has affected me quite closely and this book really shed light on a lot of feelings and questions I had about life and my feelings toward it.
I love how Augustus and Hazel call different things in the novel 'Cancer Perks' -meaning that they are only receiving this particular treatment because they have cancer. I love how Augustus states that he fears oblivion and the words Hazel says to him saying "I encourage you to ignore it, God knows that's what everybody does". I love how honest she is about life and about how one day we will all be in that "oblivion" of death. It's not like some of us get out of here alive and I guess that's what really hit home for me. The novel wasn't a depression fest, it was just honesty about how shit life can be, but also about how amazing it can be.
All in all I admired this novel greatly and didn't find one hamartia. I rate it 10/10.
It will make you cry, it will make fall in love, and it will make you laugh. A lot.
Drink tea, read The Fault in Our Stars and be happy.
Okay? Okay.
- Wednesdaykid.
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ReplyDeleteAw really? Thank you! :)
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