K.D. Rose's Reviews > The Fault in Our Stars
The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green (Goodreads Author)
by John Green (Goodreads Author)
I read "The Fault in our Stars" by John Green today. I often hesitate with ratings and reviews because the judgment of a reader towards a beloved, boring, or satisfying book is so inequitable. How does one compare "Atlas Shrugged" against "Leaves of Grass", or rate "The Upanishads" using the same classifiers as one does with "Gone Girl"? How does our own subjectivity play out within a five point system? A book is capable of touching me on many levels. Who am I to say that certain levels are better than others? And yet, as a subjective person, I find some writing more meaningful to me than another.
What I can state is whether a book touched me or not. I can assess whether a book surprised me, challenged me, left me with a sense of wonder, lifted me, seduced me, or simply passed time pleasantly. There are also books that cannot move me past the first few pages. How meaningful that should be to anyone else is uncertain. As an avid bibliophile, my proclivities in books somewhat define me. I often hold them close, not even singly, but en total, as a treasure that I would rather not discuss. The gifts within books reveal themselves to me the way a pyramid accumulates width and depth, stone by stone, yet within a larger scheme.
Within this larger scheme, I can assert that this book is popular for a reason. In my own mind, that reason is valid. I am a sucker for some of the techniques used in it. On the other hand, I knew the story before finishing the first page. The sign of this book's largess is that the knowledge did not diminish the experience of the book itself for me. I would have preferred one character to have been further redeemed. I would have preferred this or that or the other, but it was not my novel to write. Yet, all novels become ours when we read them. Therefore I can say that John Green's novel was an enhancement. "The Fault in our Stars" enriched this reader, and I place a high value on being able to make that statement.
What I can state is whether a book touched me or not. I can assess whether a book surprised me, challenged me, left me with a sense of wonder, lifted me, seduced me, or simply passed time pleasantly. There are also books that cannot move me past the first few pages. How meaningful that should be to anyone else is uncertain. As an avid bibliophile, my proclivities in books somewhat define me. I often hold them close, not even singly, but en total, as a treasure that I would rather not discuss. The gifts within books reveal themselves to me the way a pyramid accumulates width and depth, stone by stone, yet within a larger scheme.
Within this larger scheme, I can assert that this book is popular for a reason. In my own mind, that reason is valid. I am a sucker for some of the techniques used in it. On the other hand, I knew the story before finishing the first page. The sign of this book's largess is that the knowledge did not diminish the experience of the book itself for me. I would have preferred one character to have been further redeemed. I would have preferred this or that or the other, but it was not my novel to write. Yet, all novels become ours when we read them. Therefore I can say that John Green's novel was an enhancement. "The Fault in our Stars" enriched this reader, and I place a high value on being able to make that statement.
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