DVDS

The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars (unabr.). 6 CDs. 7:19 hrs. Brilliance Audio. 2012. ISBN 978-1-4558-6987-9. $59.97.
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RedReviewStarGr 9 Up—John Green's compelling, engaging novel (Dutton, 2012) is about life, and love, and death. Hazel was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the age of 13. Three years later, she is still alive. However, her life is turned upside down when she meets Augustus Waters at a support group for teens with cancer. They embark on a relationship that has the potential to become an emotional grenade. Gus uses his "last wish" granted to sick children by the Genie Foundation to take Hazel to Amsterdam in order to meet Peter Van Houten, the author of her favorite book about a girl who has cancer. She believes there is more to the story and wants the author to give her additional information. Van Houten's response is disappointing, but in the end Hazel allows herself to love Gus. Kate Rudd narrates in a relaxed style, perfectly voicing all of Green's well-developed characters. This novel doesn't pull any punches, and listeners' emotions will run the gamut from laughing out loud to sobbing with joy or grief. A strong choice for young adult collections.—Elizabeth L. Kenyon, Merrillville High School, IN
Hazel Grace and Augustus meet at a cancer-kids support group. Hazel’s lungs are filled with tumors; Augustus is (apparently) cancer-free after a leg amputation. Their love story takes most of the book to unfold, and as it does, author Green takes us through a painfully hopeful look at living with cancer. Green gets so much right here -- the voices, emotions, and vocabulary of smart and savvy teens -- and Rudd amplifies Green’s insights with her spot-on narration. Hazel’s aching narrative goes straight to the heart. As a reader, you can sometimes distance yourself from the pain she experiences, but as a listener, you are dragged wholesale into the drama and passion that is a teenage girl’s existence. Through expert pacing, tear-filled words, breaths of pain, and angst-ridden outbursts, Rudd becomes Hazel; the listener becomes Hazel’s confidante. This is a fine production of an excellent novel, but listener be warned: driving while crying can be dangerous. Be prepared to pull the car over. angela j. reynolds

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