Film Review: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars

Released: 19th June 2014

Running time: 126 minutes

Director: Josh Boone

Cast: Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff

Plot summary (from IMDB):

Hazel and Gus are two teenagers who share an acerbic wit, a disdain for the conventional, and a love that sweeps them on a journey. Their relationship is all the more miraculous given that Hazel's other constant companion is an oxygen tank, Gus jokes about his prosthetic leg, and they met and fell in love at a cancer support group.

 

My review:

I was both excited and nervous when I found out The Fault in Our Stars was being adapted into a film. Yes, I adored the book, but film adaptations so rarely compare to their source material. And this book felt particularly precious for some reason. After seeing the film, I can honestly say that I had no need for nerves. It was pretty much perfect.

What was great about the film was that for large parts of it, I forgot about the book. I was so wrapped up in the characters on screen that I wasn't cross-checking every line and scene for how book-faithful it was. I was just so lost in what was a brilliantly entertaining, funny, sad and moving film. I think that'll be great for cinema goers who haven't read the book, because it does hold its own.

The casting was phenomenal, especially Ansel Elgort as Gus. He was just so charasmatic and funny, and got Gus' humour spot on. He was easily the best thing about the film for me. Shailene Woodley as Hazel was brilliant too, particularly during the more heart-wrenching scenes. Her performance is some of those key moments really blew me away. Even though Nat Wolff's Isaac played a smaller part than the book, he still completely stole those scenes he was in.

As for fans of the book, it's an amazing adaptation. There were so many scenes that looked like they were plucked right out of my head. I had to go away and reflect on how I thought it compared to the book because I thought about it so little during the actual film. I don't think I've seen a film that came so close. I adored the scenes in Amsterdam, especially the moments in the Anne Frank house and the scenes in the hotel. I love the cameo of the swing set, and Gus and Hazel's Dutch themed picnic, the inclusion of some all-important quotes. There was so much attention to detail.

Most importantly, the book managed to get the humour bang on. Whilst so many people talk about both the book and film being sad, my favourite thing about the book has always been the humour and how it made me laugh. And the film did the same. Before the cinema broke down into a collective sob fest (I've seriously never been in a room with so many crying people before!) there were plenty of laughs.

So basically I loved it.

Rating: 5*

Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Author: John Green Website|Twitter
Published: 3 July 2006 (HarperCollins Children's Books)
Format: Paperback
Pages: 268
Buy the paperback: Amazon|Waterstone's|BookDepository
Buy the e-book: Kindle|Kobo

Source: Bought

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
Miles Halter is fascinated by famous last words and tired of his safe life at home. He leaves for boarding school to seek what the dying poet Francois Rabelais called the "Great Perhaps." Much awaits Miles at Culver Creek, including Alaska Young. Clever, funny, screwed-up, and dead sexy, Alaska will pull Miles into her labyrinth and catapult him into the Great Perhaps.

My Review:
Looking for Alaska follows Miles who is starting at a new boarding school in a completely different part of the country. There he meets several people, including the intriguing Alaska Young who completely captures his attention.
 
The first John Green book I read was The Fault in Our Stars, which was a book I absolutely adored. Since then, I've been kind of disappointed with Green's other novels (Paper Towns/An Abundance of Katherines). I think I set the standard pretty high by reading TFiOS first, but I'd heard really good things about Looking for Alaska so I've been excited to read it. And it didn't disappoint.

I've always loved John Green's characters but sometimes I've struggled to connect with them. That definitely wasn't the case with this book. They felt completely real to me. I was immediately drawn to Miles. I loved his habit of memorising famous people's last words, reading biographies and the fact he's a bit of an outcast before moving schools. His voice throughout the story just phrased everything so accurately that I could completely relate to the world around him.

His new friends at Culver Creek, the boarding school he moves to, are a pretty awesome bunch too. I loved his roommate Chip - nicknamed "The Colonel" - who introduces him to booze, cigarettes and Alaska Young. He really made me laugh to with his habit of pulling pranks. Then there was Alaska herself who was completely captivating. I can see why Miles is so drawn to her! She's rebellious and a bit mysterious, plus a total feminist which I thought was really interesting. She'd come out with these huge statements about women and I'd be there completely agreeing with her.

I've mentioned the booze and cigarettes already and I think one of my favourite things about Looking for Alaska was the way it didn't shy away from things like that. It dealt with things like teenagers hiding booze in their rooms and sneaking out to smoke in a very matter of fact way which I really admired, because teens do those things, and I don't think it's an accurate portrayal of school life if you gloss over them. It also tackled sex in an equally brilliant, head on way. I liked how we saw Miles explore his relationships with the girls around him and how it wasn't all wishy-washy love story, but at the same time he had a real understanding of what he wanted and what things meant to him. He's a pretty caring person.

I also loved how setting it in a boarding school gave a great insight into school politics. There's the social hierarchy and how the weekly boarders face off against the full time boarders. It was interesting seeing how the kids manipulated the adults around them to get away with things. I also liked the exploration of class and the difference between the scholarship kids and the rich kids.

The book is written with the "chapters" titled "x many days before" so you know pretty early on that the whole story is leading up to something. Early on I wasn't thinking too much about what the event was, but as the number of days ticked down I was on edge, waiting for that reveal and trying to figure out just what it was. And I totally didn't see it coming, so when it all kicked off and we reached the part of the book title "after" I was just in a complete state of shock. It was so brilliantly done and left me a total wreck for the remainder of the story.

I've always admired John Green's poetic writing style and in Looking for Alaska I was able to really connect with the writing as well as the characters. In the story Miles is studying world religion where they are asked to look at life and death and what happens afterwards as well as how people live for now and focus on the present. I thought those lessons linked in so well with the events in the story and the themes running through it. It was one of those books that makes you think without being pretentious. I was just so captivated by some of the thoughts the characters had and the things they came out with.

It's rarely I say a book is perfect but for me, Looking for Alaska was pretty much the perfect book. I just want to re-read it over again because I'm sure there are some wonderful things about it that I've missed. I think books like this are so hard to review because I can't really express how I feel about it accurately enough in words! This is definitely right up there with The Fault in Our Stars, though, that's for sure.

Rating: 5*
What to read next: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Books like this: Paper Towns by John Green, Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A. S. King

News Round Up! 20th April

Here's my latest weekly recap of YA news stories that have popped up on my radar. Enjoy!

The moment all Divergent fans have been waiting for arrived this week. We have a title for the third book! The final book in the trilogy will be called Allegiant. What do you think of the title? It wasn't one I'd heard in all the speculation but it certainly has a lot of potential. Find out more from Veronica Roth in a special video announcement over on USAtoday.com.

And one of the biggest news story by far this week is the release of the Catching Fire teaser trailer! The trailer premiered at this year's MTV Move Awards, and at over 2 minutes long it's certainly a teaser and a half - much more than I was expecting! What do you think of the trailer? It's certainly intense. Watch it below:

With all the hype around The Mortal Instruments film adaptation, this week we got a glimpse of book tie-ins and merchanidse. Check out the book tie-ins here on EW.com and find out more about a Hot Topic clothing line here on Hypable.

Fans of Katie McGarry (Pushing the Limits, Dare You To) like me will be happy to hear we'll be getting more books from her! According to the announcement on her Facebook page, the new book is described as "West Side Story meets Sons of Anarchy, where a teen boy brought up in the rough and tumble world of motorcycle clubs finds love with a girl raised outside of this world when he's tasked with not only protecting her for the summer she visits her father, the leader of the group, but also with preventing her from learning the truth about her father's past and the gang he used to lead". Sounds pretty awesome right?

The YALSA's Teen Top Ten nominations have been announced as part of the Teen Read Week. The titles making up the nominations include Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry, Crewel by Gennifer Albin, Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Insurgent by Veronica Roth. You can read the full list on the YASLA website.   

The American Library Association released their list of most challenged novels for 2012 this week and three YA novels made the list: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie, Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher and John Green's IB. I haven't read any of these books but have Looking for Alaska lined up to read soon. Read more about these challenged novels here on Examiner.com.

And finally the London Book Fair took place this week with a lot of talk surfacing about young debut authors and the rise of e-books. You can find out more about the book fair itself on the website here and catch up with what's been happening via the London Book Fair Twitter feed.

Which news stories have been getting you excited this week? Let me know in the comments!


New book releases:
Imaginable by J. Meyers
Buy: Amazon
Read my review!

What Really Happened in Peru by Cassandra Clare
Buy: Amazon

Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

[Goodreads page]

Author: John Green. Website, Twitter

Published: 10 January 2012 (Puffin)
Format: Hardback

Pages: 318

Amazon: Paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: Paperback|e-book
Book Depository: Paperback|Hardback

Plot Summary: (from Goodreads)
Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

My Review:
I first read this book last year and decided to re-read it recently, something I've been wanting to do for a while! It was the first John Green novel I read and all the hype when it was released was what drew me to it. Having re-read it, I wanted to update my review and add some more to my thoughts. The Fault in Our Stars tells the story of Hazel, who has thyroid cancer. When she attends a cancer support group she meets Augustus Walters and the two of them hit it off.

I'd forgotten just how instant this book was. From the first few pages I was already in love with Hazel as a character and unable to stop reading. What hit me is how funny the book is, which is not something you expect given the subject matter, but the humour throughout this book is just so spot on. The characters themselves are so funny and come out with the most beautiful lines that just crack me up.

The book charts Hazel and Augustus' relationship from the moment they meet and I can't stress just how much I loved the two of them and their developing relationship. They both have that same sense of humour and fantastic honesty that means you're not focusing on the fact that they're kids with cancer, you're just impressed by how awesome they are as people. I loved the fact that give and take from each other and always have time to listen, for example when they share they're favourite books with each other - I just loved how much they learnt from that experience and how they were open to learn from each other.

One of the things that impressed me most was how relatable this book was, which given I've never had cancer was pretty impressive. I thought there was one really telling comment when Hazel and Augustus were talking about how people tend to define themselves by their illness - something they've experienced with other cancer kids. I absolutely loved this observation because it's something I've had experience of. I'm chronically ill and I know so many people who introduce themselves with their illness and list all the things they can't do because of it instead of the things they can. I just had to stop reading at that moment and appreciate how nailed John Green has it.

Expanding on that, I think The Fault in Our Stars sums up brilliantly how life isn't perfect, but that you have to get on and deal with it whether you like it or not. There's real honesty in Hazel and Augustus' opinions of life and at points it can be pretty brutal reading them talk the way they do, but it's so refreshing to strip away all the wishy washy stuff and get down to the nitty gritty of how life can be a bitch but that sometimes you have no choice but to get on and make the most of it.

There's so much to take from this book - from a great love story to a book filled with metaphors about life, love, death and family. You can read it on so many levels and re-reading it definitely helped me appreciate that. Both times I've read it in the space of a day and then been unable to move on to another book as I digest it. I just loved the characters so much that I didn't want to stop reading about them or stop thinking about them. I think characters that mean that much to you after closing the pages is a sign of a perfect book.

I really would urge everyone to read this book. I know there will still be people who'll be wary because of the subject matter, but it's such an un-put-down-able refreshing read that I think it will appeal to so many if you give it a chance. The writing is moving, witty and poetic. Like I said, this book made me laugh, a lot. Yes there are sad moments, ones that rip at your heartstrings but reading every page of this book felt like such a pleasure.

Rating: 5*
What to read next: Looking for Alaska by John Green.
Books like this: My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, Before I Die by Jenny Downham

Review: Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green and David Levithan

Goodreads page

Author: John Green and David Levithan. JG: Website, Twitter DL: Website, Twitter
Published: 5 April 2011 (Puffin)
Pages: 336
Amazon: paperback|Kindle
Waterstone's: paperback
Book Depository: paperback

Source: Borrowed from library.

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.
Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them both legions of faithful fans.
My Review:
I'm working my way through John Green's back catalogue so this one was next on my list! I haven't read anything by David Levithan so I was interested to see what I thought of this collaboration. The story is based around two boys with the same name: Will Grayson. When they end up meeting completely by chance, their two worlds collide and friendships and relationships are built.

This book alternates chapters between each Will Grayson, as their lives start out completely separate, miles apart and somehow end up merging together. There's a great contrast between the both the characters, and the way each chapter is written, as the two authors each write one of the Will Graysons. My niggle with this way of doing it was than I pretty quickly found myself enjoying one of the writers' chapters more. David Levithan's chapters were a lot more unique, written without capital letters and incorporating IM conversations etc. and I just found myself looking forward to those chapters whilst reading the others.

I could tell which author wrote each chapter pretty much straight away because John Green has a very distinctive style. I think after reading a few of his books I've decided that I'm never quite going to enjoy anything as much as I did The Fault in Our Stars. I just have this problem that the characters are great, funny, and interesting but they don't do enough to really engage me. I just wish there was a little more action or something to grab me. I did totally love Tiny, though, who was John Green's Will Grayson's best friend. He was absolutely genius! He provided some hilarious moments than had me sniggering throughout.

The book deals with mental health and sexuality in a brilliant sort of everyday way; highlighting the issues but not dwelling on them or exploiting them. I loved that it was a book with a gay main character, rather than a background character, too. Overall there's some great moments of friendship and an insight into the drama of teenage relationships.

I really struggled to rate this book. I just felt it was let down a little by the first Will Grayson. I didn't much care for him, and as he narrates half of the book it began to drag a little for me. If you love John Green's other books then I don't doubt you'll love this one, because it feels very John Green. It definitely makes me want to go and look up more by David Levithan as well. Because I had a few niggles I'll give it 3*s, which is probably more like a 3 1/2.

Rating: 3*
What to read next: Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan.
Books like this: Paper Towns by John Green, An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.

Review: Paper Towns by John Green

Paper Towns by John Green

Author: John Green. Website, Twitter
Published: 3 May 2010 (Bloomsbury)
Pages: 320
Buy: Amazon (paperback|Kindle), Waterstone's (paperback|e-book), Book Depository (paperback)

Source: Borrowed from library.

Plot Summary: (from Waterstone's)
Who is the real Margo? Quentin Jacobsen has spent a lifetime loving the magnificently adventurous Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar. So when she cracks open a window and climbs into his life - dressed like a ninja and summoning him for an ingenious campaign of revenge - he follows. After their all-nighter ends and a new day breaks, Q arrives at school to discover that Margo, always an enigma, has now become a mystery. She has disappeared. Q soon learns that there are clues in her disappearance . . . and they are for him. Trailing Margo's disconnected path across the USA, the closer Q gets, the less sure he is of who he is looking for. A boy, a girl, revenge and a long drive across America.

My Review:
This is the third book of John Green's that I've read. I put in a request for this book at the library so I was really excited when it became available. The story is about Quentin "Q" Jacobsen who has a fascination with his next door neighbour Margo. When she disappears he takes it upon himself to unravel the clues to where she might be.

I've said this before but I'll say it again: I love John Green's characters. They're most definitely the best part of his books for me and Paper Towns was no different. The main ensemble of characters in this book were Q and his friends, who are just some of the most realistic teenage boys I've ever read about. They're not glamorous and perfect and popular. They're a bit nerdy and play in the school band, spend hours gaming and are slightly awkward when it comes to girls. But they're brilliant and quite often hilarious. I mean characters that makes jokes about incorrect grammar?! Yes please!

I love Green's writing style, too. He has this amazing way with words and manages to make references to other literary works fun. There are so many lines I stumbled across that slightly took my breath away just because they were such a perfect way of describing something or someone.

I wasn't totally sure about the plot. I had the same problem with An Abundance of Katherines where I wasn't entirely sure why the characters were doing what they were doing and it all seemed a bit over the top and pointless. Maybe pointless isn't the right word, but I struggled to see just why the characters went to the lengths they did. I had a few problems with Margo, too. I just didn't really like the things she did which made it hard for me to sympathise with Q's fascination with her.

There were a few pacing issues for me. I spent the first two thirds of the book wondering when something was going to start happening and maybe getting a little bored. But it did pick up nearer the end and the characters started to come into their own. The road trip part of this book was definitely the highlight.

I was torn over what rating to give this book. I think it needed to grab my attention more for a higher rating so I'll give it 3*, but a very high 3*. More a 3 1/2 really. Brilliant characters and beautiful writing make it a book I would recommend.

Rating: 3*
What to read next: The Fault in our Stars by John Green.
Books like this: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, Holes by Louis Sachar.

Video: John Green at BEA

Check out this awesome John Green vlog from BEA! I watched it and loved it so much I just had to share it. Be sure to check out my review of The Fault in Our Stars here. You can pre-order Chris Colfer's upcoming children's book The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell here.

Review: An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

An Abundance of Katherines by John Green

Author: John Green. Website, Twitter.
Published: 16 October 2008 (Speak)
Pages: 227
Buy: Amazon, Audio Book, Waterstone's

Plot Summary:
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washedup child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy-loving best friend riding shotgun–but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.

My Review:
For about two thirds of this book I wasn't exactly sure what I thought of it. I didn't hate it, but I wasn't really gripped either, but I was curious enough about the story to carry on and find it interesting.

What I like about John Green is his characters. He has a way of making them quirky and unique, but in a way that his readership, who embrace the geeky, can totally relate too. His characters aren't outcasts because of their quirks as so many authors would make them.

By the last third of this book I'd gotten into it a lot more, and realised that the relaxed nature of the story was actually a good way to make it more focused on the characters, who I loved. Throughout the book there was information I wanted to know that I feared would never be revealed, but the end of the book gave me what I was looking for and made for a satisfying ending. I really love the writing style and look forward to reading more by this author.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Paper Towns by John Green.
Books like this: 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson.

Related News: John Green reveals new Nerdfighter designed cover for An Abundance of Katherines