Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Miscellaneous => Chatterbox => The AC Book Club => Topic started by: mare on July 15, 2012, 09:10:36 PM
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Because it was an incredible read!
It was a young adult novel but written in a way that didn't make you feel like that's what it was.
His two main characters are teenagers with so much insight and smarts even you find yourself saying "huh?" at their reflections.
You could use the words "it's about two kids with terminal cancer & it's absolutely hilarious!" to describe the book lol
Really a great story, don't get me wrong it's no 50 Shades, but a great read nonetheless lol ;)
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I also just read this book at Mare's recommendation and will echo her thoughts! It was a great read! I wasn't sure if it was considered YA or not because, although the main characters are teenagers, it wasn't written in a cheesy, cliched YA cancer kid story way. In fact, it even mocks that genre in the book LOL.
I loved how honest and realistic and CURRENT it felt. You can tell it's a new book because it contains a lot of current pop culture references and modern slang (my favorites were the America's Next Top Model marathons and use of the word "douche" LOL). I was surprised to get to the About the Author page at the end and be reminded that the author was a guy because he wrote the narrator, a 16-year-old girl, SO WELL.
What I didn't love so much was the way Hazel and Augustus actually talked to each other because that didn't feel so realistic - they had a case of the Dawson's Creek/OC syndrome, in which teenagers are far wittier and more pretentious than kids in real life. But their dialogue was clever and often very funny, so I can forgive them that one flaw.
It WAS very funny. I may have shed a few tears, but I laughed a lot more than I cried. My favorite books are the ones that get me to do both, so two thumbs up to this one!
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Yeah I agree about the dialogue. If one of them were that witty it would have been different but both if them plus Issac as well was a bit hard to believe at times but I'd still take that over the "yo dude, sup'!" kind if dialogue any day! lol
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Yeah, at least it gave me more faith in the future... too bad they were only fictional teens, and too bad even if they weren't fictional teens, they wouldn't live long enough to save the future anyway. *sigh*
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I agree also!! This is one of my favorite books I've read in a very long time, and I've read it several times over quite enthusiastical ly since it came out earlier this year.... It was heartbreaking and hilarious all at the same time.
As I said on Twitter, if you like FIOS, I also strongly recommend the author's other title, Looking For Alaska, which has a modern "Catcher in the Rye" with a twist feeling. Another incredible read. ;D
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What did you think about the ending? I admit I was a little afraid it was going to end mid sentence like An Imperial Affliction lol but it did leave things hanging. The same kinds of questions AIA left which I loved as well.
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I was fine with the ending. I'm glad it didn't end mid-sentence, and I'm glad we found out what Augustus wrote on those pieces of paper that were missing. I wasn't left unsatisfied.
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Thanks for the recommendation, it looks like the kind of book I'd like, so I'll add it to my list :)
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You'd enjoy this one, Steph :)
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Honestly I was disappointed it DIDN'T end midsentence. I'm glad it wrapped up the way it did and we know what Augustus wrote, but I really wish he'd ended it EXACTLY like AIA ended. But I'm weird like that, lol.
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I was full on expecting him to end it mid sentence & normally I love that too. I wanted a resolution this time though. I am glad that he left Hazel's fate up to our imaginations.
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*SPOILER* (Really, though, if you haven't read the book, stay out of the thread until you do!)
I just loved the whole twist of Augustus being the one who died instead of Hazel. It was sadder than if it had been the other way around, but that's the way it goes sometimes.
*SPOILER*
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I agree but I really had a feeling she wasn't going to die only because of the first person narrative. If they switched off between the two of them, it would have been different for me. That's why I thought it might end in mid sentence lol a part of me thought he was going to die but I was truly sad when he actually did. Talk about doing a great job with description, that scene with him in the car & the feeding tube was just heartbreaking!
Random, but I loved the egging the car part too! lol & the literal heart of JESUS
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I dunno, I've read another book in this genre that was written in first person present tense, and the narrator did die. It can be done! But yeah, I know what you mean. It wasn't that unpredictable, but I liked it anyway. It was really sad, though. :(
The whole support group thing cracked me up! Literal heart of Jesus and Patrick's ball-less-ness LOL.
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I've read those too but this guy didn't strike me as the kind of author who would do that. I think he probably modeled Van Houten after himself lol
Patrick and his ballslessness lol and how her mom would make a better Patrick than Patrick.
All of those moments kept things really light otherwise this would have been a really depressing novel lol
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I think this would make a great movie.
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According to Wikipedia, Fox already bought the film rights! I Wikipedia everything LOL.
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Excellent! lol and yes, you do!
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I hope so much they actually DO make the movie. And that they cast just the right person as Augustus though or I'm gonna have to go all crrraaazzyyy lol.
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OK, now I'm done with my Stephen King book and will be starting this one tonight :)
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Yay! You'll love it. You'll also get through it a lot faster.
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I've started it already and loving it so far :)
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Yay! :)
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Dan Bergstein, the Blogging Twilight guy, whom I love, wrote a blog about this book and why he'll never read it: http://community.sparknotes.com/2013/02/26/everything-i-know-about-the-fault-in-our-stars-without-reading-the-book
I didn't realize The Fault in Our Stars was such a phenomenon! I did see a display of it at Barnes & Noble recently, but honestly, the only reason I had even heard of it was because of you recommending it to me, Mare. It was a great book, and I'm glad to find out so many other people like it!
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I thought I would resurrect this thread because I just finished rereading this book. I'm pleased to say it held up on the reread. Granted, I am someone who does a lot of rereading books, but not all books hold my interest the second time around. This one I enjoyed just as much as the first time, if not a bit more. I kind of like knowing how it's going to end so I don't have to spend the whole book wondering and worrying about it LOL.
Also, as Mare told me on Twitter, they've cast the movie and are going to start shooting it in August. http://insidemovies.ew.com/2013/05/10/ansel-elgort-gus-fault-in-our-stars/ Thoughts?
I nearly squeed when I saw the pic of the guy they got for Augustus because he looks just like how I pictured him in the book, but then I saw that they cast Shailene Woodley as Hazel, and I groaned. She's cute, but maybe too cute for Hazel, you know? Also she's in her twenties, so she's a little old to be playing a sixteen-year-old, but I guess that's nothing new. I hope they ugly her up for authenticity's sake. It's okay if he's hot because he was hot in the book, but I didn't really picture her as a beauty queen. They better not ruin the book. In my experience, books like this generally don't make good movies, but I'm sure I will see it anyway.
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It's funny because I actually reread this book too but I usually NEVER reread anything. I really have to be in love with a book to read it twice. I've only done it with a handful of books but my book club chose this one to discuss last month so I decided to read it again since I was co-hosting. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it the second time through. Almost more than the first. Probably because I already knew what the outcome was going to be so there was no anxiety going into it this time.
As far as the movie goes, I thought that Shailene girl was an unknown because I have never heard of her before. lol I can see why they'd want at least one familiar face to sell the movie but you're right, Julie. She is a bit on the glamorous side to pull off Hazel. Hopefully they will cancer her up a bit for this. I just hope they are both great actors because that's really what's going to keep this movie from turning into a movie of the week shmoltz fest. I can't see John Green letting them change his book like Jodi P did for Sister's Keeper. I have a feeling he is a lot like the author in the actual book. I started following him on Twitter after I read this book and got that kind of vibe from him.
I am excited to see the final product. I heard they are also making the Book Thief into a movie and that has me mega excited as well!
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I think she's a pretty good actress, at least. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for The Descendants. I've only seen her in Secret Life, which is cheesy, but I think she has more going for her than that. I think she could pull it off if they stay true to the book and, like you said, "cancer her up."
So is John Green kind of a douche? Hopefully that means he'll put his foot down and not let them mess up his book too badly. I can't see them trying to change the ending or anything, but I'm worried about them missing the mark on Hazel and Gus's personalities. I hope the whole sarcastic, witty banter thing they had going on will translate onto the screen. It needs to be funny, not just a romantic tearjerker.
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Yes, he seems like kind of a douche lol
I agree! I hope they keep it funny and upbeat most of the time.
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I teared up a few times while reading this book, but the only time I actually cried was when Hazel told us Augustus had died after his pre-funeral. I wasn't prepared for that to come so quickly, which I'm sure was part of the point of putting it so bluntly.
I had expected it to end mid-sentence like An Imperial Affliction, and I was sort of disappointed and relieved that it didn't. Also, I read it on my kindle and when it ended I was expecting another chapter... but then it was just over and I thought I'd hit the wrong button or something but no, it was done and there was no more.
Also, I thought that Hazel was going to die! (This is a spoiler alert for Julie's Curtain Call, actually) I went into this book thinking that it was going to end with Hazel's present tense death like Nick did in Curtain Call! I think that was because I'd seen Julie say something about the ending to that story being inspired by another book, so for some reason I'd assumed it was this one. (Which now I realise wouldn't have made sense with the timing, I think) But I liked the open ending that mirrored Hazel's discontent with An Imperial Affliction, and I'm glad John Green worked that into his own ending. Besides, it's quite clear that Hazel will die, and we did get a bit of closure with what would happen with her parents afterwards.
Also loved the twist of Augustus being the one who died. It was so sad and completely believable. I think sometimes twists like that come off as the author trying to throw a wrench into things, but this came off very naturally. I think I am going to have to re-read parts of this to look at how Augustus acts after he's found out he's going to die, but before he's told Hazel.
Basically, this book was an incredible read. I really enjoyed it!
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That's one thing I don't like about reading books on my Kindle, the fact that it's harder to gauge how far you really are into it and how much you have left to go. I know it shows you the percent at the bottom, but I don't always pay attention to that. I thought the end of this book came quickly too, and yet it was fitting.
I love the twist of it being Augustus who died, even though it was like a punch in the gut when he told Hazel his cancer was back and everywhere. I think I may have shed a few tears when I first read it last summer, but I just reread it not too long ago and took it even harder the second time around! I think I liked Augustus even more the second time, so it was harder to know what was coming and then have to read it again. But still good. You know me, I love that stuff LOL.
The other book I was referring to that inspired the present tense death scene in CC is a book called "Before I Die" by Jenny Downham. It's a decent book, nowhere near as good as this one though.
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So has anyone else seen the movie yet? I saw it this afternoon, and it was PERFECT! It followed the book as closely as it could without turning into a four hour movie. Minor characters and a few unimportant scenes were cut out, but everything important and memorable was there, and much of the dialogue was word for word right out of the book. I take back what I said about Shailene Woodley; she played Hazel very well, and Ansel Elgort was absolutely Augustus! As far as movie adaptations that follow the book without falling short go, this one was probably the best I've ever seen!
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I am really happy to hear that. I plan on seeing it if I can find someone to go with me.
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I'm going to see it next Saturday! Very much looking forward to crying into my popcorn, haha.
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I'm going to take Holly to see it next week, we can cry together then!
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Just watched the film, wow, what a blubbering mess I was! Get your tissues ready
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I'm going to have to suck it up and just go alone. :(
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:( but it's a great film
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I know! That's why I want to make sure I see it before it leaves the theaters. No one wants to see it. Everyone thinks its going to be too sad. Wimps!
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I saw it with Holly, we were both crying :( I'm a huge wimp lol
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LOL Was it funny as well though, like the book?
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Yes, it was funny too, a good mix of happy and sad really.
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Excellent!
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I actually didn't cry as much as I thought I would! I don't know why. Maybe it was just that I knew what was coming and had been reading the book, so I'd already gotten it out of my system? I did cry, but I wasn't a blubbering mess for the whole second half of the movie like I thought I'd be.
Interestingly enough, I mentioned in class the other day that I saw this movie and loved it, and my professor was surprised. She saw it too after reading the book and didn't like it; she thought the characters were flat. That's what I had worried about too, but I thought they both turned out pretty true to the book, especially Gus, and he was the one I was worried about most. I thought Ansel Elgort played him just as charming as he is in the book.