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This thread is to discuss John Green's book, The Fault in Our Stars.


***Please remember to mark spoilers.***

Participants:
Kathryn, Alison, Jodi, Laura

I just got this from the library. I will join you.

Cool Jodi! I havent started it yet. I don't think that Kathryn has yet either. I will try to mark spoilers!

I just started it last night. I didn't get very far though.

No, I haven't started yet either - I'm hoping to start next weekend.

And I thought of you, Jodi, when I thought of Alison to see if anyone was interested, but figured you'd probably still be waiting since there was such a queue at your library for it! I ended up buying it to use up a gift voucher someone gave me last year.

Looking forward to joining you ladies and hearing what you think about it!

I think I only have 4 days to finish the book. I have had it for a few weeks on my phone but wanted to finish Insurgent first. I will comment as I get further in.

Jodi wrote: "I think I only have 4 days to finish the book. I have had it for a few weeks on my phone but wanted to finish Insurgent first. I will comment as I get further in."

Hope you get to it in time, Jodi!! I believe once you start reading, it's a pretty quick read� I'm aiming to start it sometime Saturday, so you'll be done by then.

I read this book the year it was published and found it a very quick read.....I started and finished it in the same day.....But I had the time to read it for most of the day! Which I was glad of as I couldn't put it down.

It is by far my favourite John Green Novel, and i'd say it makes my top 5 best books of all time.

Ian wrote: "I read this book the year it was published and found it a very quick read.....I started and finished it in the same day.....But I had the time to read it for most of the day! Which I was glad of as..."

Ooh, that's praise indeed, Ian! Good to know!

I'm new to the group and would love to join this Buddy read if possible! I don't have the book yet but will have it by the end if the week :)

Laura wrote: "I'm new to the group and would love to join this Buddy read if possible! I don't have the book yet but will have it by the end if the week :)"

I have added you to the list Laura. Welcome both to the group and this buddy read.

Laura wrote: "I'm new to the group and would love to join this Buddy read if possible! I don't have the book yet but will have it by the end if the week :)"

Hey Laura, I'm intending to start (and possibly finish) this on Saturday. I'm looking forward to an interesting buddy read.

Thanks for adding me. I was going to either buy the book or get it from the library, but couldn't wait so I bought the Kindle version lady night and started it! :) I'm already hooked! I look forward to discussing it with you!

Hey guys, I finished the physical book I was reading so I will be starting this one today or tomorrow. Just letting u know where I'm at!

Hey everyone! I have a question...since I am brand new to the group and a first time buddy reader, I was wondering...do I read it at my own pace and discuss at then end? Or do we read x amount of chapters/pages and discuss and move on together or what??
Thanks!

Hi Laura,

We all read at our own pace. Post whenever you feel like it, just remember to post spoilers.

* I think Jodi means to mark your spoilers! :)

Alison wrote: "* I think Jodi means to mark your spoilers! :)"

Ha ha!! I'm sure she does! The funny thing is - when I read it, it didn't even sound strange - I read what I thought she intended!!!

Ha ha! No worries! No spoilers will be posted by me!

I'm currently on chapter 4 and completely loving this book! I hope everyone else is enjoying it as much as I am! :)

I too am new and would love to join along :)

Allie wrote: "I too am new and would love to join along :)"

Jump right in when you want to make a comment, Allie, just remembering to mark any spoilers.

I'm hoping to start it in a couple of days - hope I like it as much as Laura!

Haha! Thanks for correcting me. I did mean mark your spoilers. I can't even claim that it was late at night. It looks like I am going to have to buy the book after all. This is my last day with my library book and I am maybe half way through :( Although I have heard that people read this book multiple times, so it will make it worth it.

So I am about half way through, maybe a bit more. I like it but I am not loving it as much as I feel like I should when I think of all of the reviews I have read. I have heard that people read this on one setting. I feel like I have been broken up with the reading because I have been so tired at night. I have only just read a few pages here and there. I did buy the book, so I might start over.

Jodi wrote: "So I am about half way through, maybe a bit more. I like it but I am not loving it as much as I feel like I should when I think of all of the reviews I have read. I have heard that people read thi..."

Sorry to hear you aren't all that into TFIOS, Jodi. I wonder if it could partly be that *ahem* you and I aren't the target audience... I suspect you're a little younger than I (I'm on the wrong side of 30!!), but I get the impression you may be at the upper end of the YA age range... Having said that, I still got sucked into The Hunger Games series a couple of years ago!

I'm in the middle of The Shadow of the Wind and finding it slow going, so I will put it aside for a bit and start this one. I am hoping to get it finished today, or tomorrow at the very least, but it is Mothers' Day tomorrow here in Australia (out for a yummy breakfast this morning and going for coffee with mum tomorrow!), plus I've started crocheting a new baby blanket that I'm keen to get further on with, so we'll see!

Has anyone finished yet?

Kathryn wrote: "Jodi wrote: "So I am about half way through, maybe a bit more. I like it but I am not loving it as much as I feel like I should when I think of all of the reviews I have read. I have heard that pe..."

Jodi, I'm sorry you don't seem to be enjoying it :(.

I have to say that I wasn't sure I would even read this book but when I joined this group and saw this was a Buddy Read I thought...why not? It's a great way to get involved in the group and read a book I was just somewhat curious about. But I am so glad I did! I really, really enjoy the story.

I think the reason I am enjoying it is I am in that "what's going to happen" "who's going to live and who's going to die" throughout the story.
Have I read better? Sure. But this book is going down as one that I have thoroughly enjoyed.

Kathryn, I hope you enjoy it! Let us know :)

Kathryn, Shadow of the Wind is SO GOOD but it is slow going.

I'm about 5 chapters in and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I've read some of his books before and have mixed feeling about him as a writer. I am curious to see where it goes, though. Hoping to get in a nice knitting/reading session this weekend :)

Allie wrote: "Kathryn, Shadow of the Wind is SO GOOD but it is slow going.

I'm about 5 chapters in and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I've read some of his books before and have mixed feeling about him as a..."

I hope it gets better for you! I'm starting to feel bad because I strongly encouraged you to read it and join us :(

Oh no! I had planned on reading it anyway. I just started chapter 6 and now my interest is starting to get peaked. He is just slow for me.

This is my first John Green and if I enjoy it, it probably won't be the last!

I'm only 2 chapters in and enjoying it, in an easy-reading kind of way. I"m not enthralled and unable to put the book down (not yet, anyway!), but I'm enjoying the maturity shown by Hazel and Augustus. Not enjoying so much the, like, teenager-isms, but they do come with the territory, and there aren't actually too many - not up to this pointr, anyway!

Kathryn wrote: "This is my first John Green and if I enjoy it, it probably won't be the last!

I'm only 2 chapters in and enjoying it, in an easy-reading kind of way. I"m not enthralled and unable..."

Yes, there are some teenager-isms throughout but I feel their maturity outweighs them. I love Hazel's strength and her relationship with Augustus. And as a mother, I can't help but focus on her mom and dad...

Yes, they are more mature than teenagers with no health problems. I'm not sure how believable it is that they are as mature as they are, but it makes for a more enjoyable read for those of us who aren't great YA fans!

On another point, I'm up to chapter 10 and am interested in Hazel's railing against the exclusivity of eggs as a breakfast food... Hold on - what?? Is that an American thing that eggs should only be eaten at breakfast, or maybe it's only Australians who are happy to eat eggs at any meal? Or maybe it's just me? I'm happy to have scrambled eggs or omelette for dinner, or a hard-boiled egg on a sandwich or salad for lunch. In fact I probably have fewer eggs for breakfast than for other meals...

But is there a general perception among the global population that eggs are exclusively a breakfast food??!

Now I'm about halfway through now, and trying to decide whether I should keep going and finish it off today, or do something else and leave some for tomorrow... Decisions, decisions!

Kathryn wrote: "Yes, they are more mature than teenagers with no health problems. I'm not sure how believable it is that they are as mature as they are, but it makes for a more enjoyable read for those of us who a..."

I probably eat more eggs for breakfast....but I often have poached egg with fish for dinner. So maybe its an American thing? I'm in the UK

Try the Audio it sucks you in big time, I did it in one go, by the end I was a blubbering mess!
(and I'm 40 lol shhh)

I decided to finish it today. I wouldn't say I was completely swept up in it (except by the time I got to about 60 or 70 pages from the end I generally have to keep going with books at that stage if it's early enough in the evening to continue!), but I did enjoy it.

For those who have finished, can anyone tell me (view spoiler)[why did van Houten come to the funeral, but not give her the pages then? And why was he part-way reasonable at that time, but so rude when they went over there? Maybe the unreliability of the alcoholic? (hide spoiler)]

I decided to start over since I had to buy the book. I need to start going up to bed earlier, so that I have more reading time and can read more pages at a time. I definitely am older than target audience. I am officially out of my 30s but there have been many YA books that I love. I really enjoyed John Green's Looking for Alaska.

FYI, I loved eggs for any meal. If I don't have anything out of the freezer, I will often have an omelette.

Jodi wrote: "FYI, I loved eggs for any meal. If I don't have anything out of the freezer, I will often have an omelette. ."

So maybe eggs as a primarily breakfast food is just an Indiana thing - I see John Green is from Indianapolis so maybe this is how he grew up. I'm glad - like Hazel, I'd hate for eggs to be relegated to only breakfast time by everyone else - they're a brilliant food (in moderation) at any time of the day!

Hope you enjoy the re-read, Jodi! Maybe Looking for Alaska should be my next John Green read...

Kathryn wrote: "I decided to finish it today. I wouldn't say I was completely swept up in it (except by the time I got to about 60 or 70 pages from the end I generally have to keep going with books at that stage i..."

I just finished the book and it was sooooo good! I'm so glad I read it. I hope everyone is enjoying it as much as I did.

Kathryn, I am going to wait until I know everyone is finished before I dive in to your question as I would like others views on that too :)

Kathryn wrote: "I decided to finish it today. I wouldn't say I was completely swept up in it (except by the time I got to about 60 or 70 pages from the end I generally have to keep going with books at that stage i..."


When I first posted this, I did the spoiler tag wrong but I deleted it immediately. I wanted to apologize, though I don't think anyone saw it haha!

Here is what I think: (view spoiler)[ He didn't bring the pages with him because he had not yet read them. If you remember, in chapter 25, Lidewij stated that she found the letter in his pile of mail. It doesn't state that it is unopened, but the rest of it (when Peter finally reads it, he states it needs to be sent) leads me to believe that it had not yet been opened.

I feel like he was rude because 1. He did not know these kids were showing up and 2. Hazel dressed as he had imagined his daughter, Anna, dressing when she was a teen, so it was like a ghost had appeared in front of him. Being an alcoholic and from what Lidewij had said in previous statements about his anger, he was so accosted, he did not know how to react. I think he attended the funeral because he felt he needed to somewhat make amends to Hazel; I think he somehow realized that he was an ass and I feel like Augustus really knew how to talk to Peter in a way that made Peter realize what he was doing.

Once they were gone, I imagine Peter sat around a lot thinking of his daughter; maybe comparing Hazel to Anna and realizing that that was not how he would want his daughter spoken to really aided in him attempting to change what happened, though I'm not sure he really did. (hide spoiler)]

As for my feelings on the book (cutting just in case though I don't think I will post in spoilers): (view spoiler)[ I'm not sure how I feel. I cried, but not for the characters, necessarily. I never felt I made a connection to these characters. I never felt that these characters...were real. The parents and even Issac were easy to relate to but the main characters just seemed Too Much, which is a problem I have with John Green's characters. I feel like I got thrown into the middle of a story -- which we did, I suppose -- and then came to a non-ending. I was expecting the story to end mid sentence, like the story Hazel loved so much, and I guess I am thankful the ending had a period, haha. (hide spoiler)]

Excited to see what everyone else thought about it!

Allie wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "I decided to finish it today. I wouldn't say I was completely swept up in it (except by the time I got to about 60 or 70 pages from the end I generally have to keep going with books..."

Good points, Allie. And I agree about the ending - (view spoiler)[after Hazel and Augustus loved that book (An Imperial Affliction?? Or whatever it's called) so much and with it ending as it did, I hoped John Green wouldn't do that with this one, so I'm also grateful for that!

And when Hazel and Isaac spoke at Gus' pre-funeral, what Hazel said was lovely and I'm sure his parents would have been happy to hear her say that, yet she changed what she said, because "funerals were for the living". I totally agree that funerals are for the living, but I don't think you need to lie or exaggerate things when you can say something that is the truth without hurting people. Or maybe she didn't think she would be able to say that without breaking up... (hide spoiler)]

I have now passed the point where I stopped before I decided to start over. When I first started I stopped (view spoiler)[ at the part where Hazel and Gus went to Amsterdam and got to meet the author. I think I stopped part way through him being rude to Hazel. He really was a jerk. I am glad Hazel stood up to him and glad his care giver or whatever she was quit. I enjoyed the time she had in Amsterdam with Gus. I loved the date they got to go on at the fancy restaurant. I was not surprised to find out about Gus. I figured it would be him over Grace. I am just at the part where he is back home and really sick. (hide spoiler)] I should finish tomorrow.

Jodi wrote: "I have now passed the point where I stopped before I decided to start over. When I first started I stopped [spoilers removed] I should finish tomorrow."

Are you finding it a more cohesive read now, Jodi?

I also enjoyed their time together on their little break away, however I was a bit disappointed (view spoiler)[at the importance placed on Hazel and Gus consummating their relationship. I think it's a shame that everything needs to be about sex - especially in a book geared towards young people who are already becoming sexually active at younger and younger ages. I mean, obviously they are both very ill and unlikely to live to an age that will allow them to enjoy many normal life experiences, but is a life fulfilled simply through having sex? But other than that, I agree, it was a nice little time away, when they could act a little like healthy people for a short period. I thought it was funny how if they got too lovey-dovey around Hazel's mum, she would remind them that she was there!! (hide spoiler)]

Kathryn wrote: "Jodi wrote: "I have now passed the point where I stopped before I decided to start over. When I first started I stopped [spoilers removed] I should finish tomorrow."

Are you finding it a more cohe..."

(view spoiler)[I think as adults its easy to look back and realise that Sex isn't everything in life or in a relationship, but I think the plot point was relevant from the characters perspective because sex is important to many teenagers and they are just normal teenagers who happen to be ill, and their illness makes sex seem even more important to them because of the limited time they perceive themselves as having (hide spoiler)]

Ian wrote: "Kathryn wrote: "Jodi wrote: "I have now passed the point where I stopped before I decided to start over. When I first started I stopped [spoilers removed] I should finish tomorrow."

Are you findin..."

Yes, and I certainly "get" that, but (view spoiler)[I'm just concerned about the message it's sending out to other teenagers - both well and unwell. I think it could have been handled better in a more sensitive fashion for a teenage audience - perhaps if Hazel had discussed it with someone older and wiser who was able to help her put sex back into perspective... And maybe the author might have felt that was a less realistic approach (although Hazel already seemed a bit older and wiser than her years, so I can't see that that would be too much of a leap to make), but I think it would have conveyed a better message to our teens. (hide spoiler)] Anyway, it just threw a slight cloud over the book for me. And I suspect my viewpoint is probably placing me well and truly in with an older age group than this book is intended for, just in case I was in doubt!!

I didn't get to read last night because I was out late. I still find it hard to relate to the characters, not in terms of the cancer but I think emotionally, or maturity wise.

(view spoiler)[ I do find both Hazel and Gus to be young. Kathryn you mentioned that you find Hazel to be older and wiser than her years but I don't. I feel like she is so inexperienced, and I don't mean sexually, I mean she has missed out on a lot of teenage life. She hasn't been to school for 3 years and is a 16 year old college student. I guess I feel like she hasn't experienced a lot of teenage living. Her best friend is her mom, which is nice but she hasn't been to the teenage parties or school dances and other teenage angst.

Her and Gus's "flirtation" work is "okay". I am sure I was supposed to find that sweet but I find it irritating. (I just read Eleanor and Park last month and they say "okay" all the time and I find Hazel and Gus say it too much. I am sick of that word.) I too like that Hazel's mom has to remind them that she is there. That I did find cute. I kind of had that same reaction to the sex in the book. (At that point, I thought "really are they really doing that? And they did. I didn't feel it was necessary to the story. I am not really into sex in books but there are times that I feel like it fits or makes sense. Here I just felt like it was there for the sake of being there. I also like how they are showing Hazel caring for Gus as he is dying. It sounds awful but I am enjoying the book more now that Gus is sick and Hazel is being there for him. That I can relate to, as last year I watched a good friend take care of her partner who died from cancer. (hide spoiler)] I think I have 20% left to read.

Jodi wrote: "I didn't get to read last night because I was out late. I still find it hard to relate to the characters, not in terms of the cancer but I think emotionally, or maturity wise..."

I didn't really understand how a single word - in this case "okay" - can be flirting. I mean, really?? To me, "flirting" involves body language and glances, sometimes without words, but if there are words used, normally you use more than one single word repeated! But maybe that's teenage flirting...!

And certainly Hazel and Gus are experience-poor, especially regarding normal teenager experiences, but some of the things they say and concepts they discuss - I certainly wasn't thinking along those lines at their age. But that may be the give-and-take of illness - you can't do certain normal things so you end up doing other things other people your age don't have time for - perhaps like reading more advanced books which help you to consider more advanced concepts and develop more sophisticated thoughts and opinions than others your age...

So I finished the book and I thought it was fine, decent but I didn't get that same love that it seems like everyone else who has read it gets from this book. I didn't cry. I didn't have that "I can't put it down" feeling. I said in my review for it. A year ago I had a friend take care of her partner who was dying from cancer. Watching what cancer does to a person and a family, the pain that everyone feels from cancer and how a body just wastes away, I just didn't get that from this book. I felt like everything was very surface level from this book. When I read Still Alice (view spoiler)[ my sister's mother-in-law was living with Alzheimer's and I saw what her mother-in-law and her family were going through. I feel like the author of Still Alice really captures the experiences that a person with Alzheimer's and their family go through. That book I really connected with and that book made me ugly cry. (hide spoiler)] I wish I liked it as much as everyone else. I didn't dislike it. I just didn't love it.

I didn't even feel the love of Hazel and Gus. I feel like John Green didn't go deep enough into the characters. There are other YA books where I feel like the authors did a great job of making the relationship and the feelings more real, where I was feeling their feelings and really pulling for them. The Coincidence of Callie & Kayden and Beautiful Disaster were both books where I could feel the pain and love in the characters' relationships. I pulled for them all the way through. I don't know why I didn't connect to the book the way other people did. Thanks for reading and discussing the book with me.

I understand your feelings, Jodi. I didn't cry either (although it is unusual for me to cry in books). And as I said in my review (/review/show...), although I did read it in a matter of hours, it was a conscious choice to do that, rather than a book where I had no say in the matter because I just couldn't put it down.

I did think there were some great quotes in the book, and I'm glad I've read it to see what all the excitement was about!!

And it has been good to have people to discuss the book with!!

I do enjoy talking about books with people. I am glad I was able to join this buddy read. I signed up for a few in Jan/Feb and March and wasn't actually able to join them for whatever reason. I like to see other people's perspectives on the books and help me see books from another point of view.


What is everyone reading next? or now, everyone else is finished this one.

I'm reading:
- The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón and I'm finding it's D..R..A..G..G..I..N..G a little - I just can't get into it.
- One True Thing by Anna Quindlen - this is my TBR twin read for this month and it's OK (better than SOTW!!)
- The Color of Heaven by Julianne MacLean as an e-book - it's not too bad, nothing earth-shattering so far, and
- I've just started listening to The Independence of Miss Mary Bennet by Colleen McCullough - I wouldn't recommend this one if you like your Pride and Prejudice with a rosy glow...I think this will be anything but!!