Books2Movies Club discussion

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw, The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love.

Nothing better than a quote from the back cover of the book :)

This month we are going back to our roots, with only two threads for the book of the month, the first for the book (that is, this one) and the second for the movie and its comparisons with the book.

Your favourite quotes, thoughts and remarks about the book are most welcome here. If you would like to talk about the movie and how well it is done, please go to the thread about the movie, so as not to spoil the enjoyment for those who haven't seen the movie yet.

I just started this book, and already I like the descriptions. It opens sad, esp. For someone who cared for a parent with terminal cancer, but I like it so far. So glad the group is reading this... the movie previews look great.

I finished this book a month or so ago and I think it was my first 5-star rating of 2014! The descriptions in this book really are spot on. I especially like how John Green tapped into the thought processes of Hazel. And his portrayal of the way teens think and talk is SO good! I felt like I could really see the characters, and that's saying something because I refused to watch the movie trailer until after I finished the book.

This story is very sweet, romantic and sad.

Augustus says that everyone wants to lead an extraordinary life. Hazel disagrees --- what do you think?

Not really my kind of book, but I'm glad the characters weren't being snarky and wannabe cool for the sake of being pretentious. There's nothing wrong with ordinary, but to seek the extraordinary requires some kind of genuineness and bravery that everyone has but most do not realise.

Hmm. I think that most people, at some point in their lives, want to be extraordinary. But some people settle before extraordinary is reached. And others fluctuate throughout their lives - from wanting to be special and wanting to be ordinary.
I agree with Woolfie! Basically people have the potential to be extraordinary but not everyone reaches that potential.

I found this discussion question from LitLovers:
"John Green derives his book's title from a famous line in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar: "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings." (I,ii,139-140). What does the line mean—and why would Green have used it for his title? Even more important, why would he have altered it to read, "The fault in our stars" rather than ourselves? How does Green's meaning differ from Shakespeare's?"

I really like the title of the book, and Green's play on this verse. To me the author is saying that there is nothing wrong with the human condition --- we did not give cancer to others, but it is given to us. In this book Green shows people as they are, the good, bad, and beautiful. The cancer is just a condition --- not the whole person.

And the fact of the matter is, whether you do or do not achieve that something extraordinary it does not change who you are. Settling where you are content does not make you less of a success than if you risked it all and followed your dreams. Happiness, as we know is subjective, and nobody but ourselves can truly decide when and if happiness has been achieve. I believe It is everyone's duty to themselves to be happy. Sometimes it takes struggle, sacrifice and sometimes it is easy, circumstance is always different with each individual, and nobody can tell you how to be you, they can only give their opinions and you have to do with them what you consider to be best.

Kimberly wrote: "To me the author is saying that there is nothing wrong with the human condition --- we did not give cancer to others, but it is given to us."
Right, the fault is not within us but within our stars. It implies a role of fate or destiny. I also think the title hints at the star-crossed lovers theme. Overall I think the title suggests that there is something bigger at work in our lives in which we have little to no control over.

Woolfie wrote: "And the fact of the matter is, whether you do or do not achieve that something extraordinary it does not change who you are."
I totally agree! This is a VERY good point!

What do you think the author is saying about organized religion? The group sessions take place in the 'literal heart of Jesus' --- but the tone ( teenagers) is so sarcastic...

In an interview the author mentions that he was on the road to becoming a minister, but decided the path wasn't for him. I am trying to link the title with the notes on faith/formal religion throughout the book.... HELP

In my opinion, I think the author is indicating that organized religion has not been particularly helpful for Hazel and Gus, but they still have a need to have faith in something - something greater than themselves. They want their lives to have a greater meaning. But overall organized religion has failed them in a sense. Perhaps the author thinks that organized religion doesn't accurately account for all the things that happen in peoples' lives and that's why the Fault in Our Stars captures something bigger at work. What do you think?