Book: Stardust
Author: Neil Gaiman
Publisher: АСТ Москва
Year: 2009
Rating: ★★★ / 5
It was a light easy read, a true fairytale. For some reason its simple storyline, naive characters, subtle romance, magic world and creatures made me very happy.
I wish I would have a physical copy of this book (I read it as an e-book) so I’d be able to bookmark every page that made me smile or just feel bubbly and childish so every time I have a bad day I’d go back and reread those quotes or pages to become a kid for just a little bit, believing in a good versus evil battle where the difference between black and white is crystal clear.
The book tells us a story of Tristran Thorn, a naive (as he seemed to me) young boy, his journey to prove his unending love for a beautiful girl, going through different adventures as he wandered in a mystical world, meeting magical creatures, some good some bad, some friends some foes.
I recommend this book to anyone who feels nostalgic about their childhood, although I have to warn you that it has some scenes that are not meant for children! But just like any good fairytale, its simplicity teaches us valuable lessons, makes us believe and hope for something better.
We all can find our Star.
***
After reading this book I really wanted to watch the movie as well, to see if screen adaptation was any better than the book or how how much of the fairytale remained in the movie. And… (suspense here) frankly I was disappointed.
If I would have to rate it, I’d give it ★★ / 5 stars. Almost the same that I gave to the book, right? But! When it comes to books my expectations are usually so much higher because of how many amazing stories I’ve read in the past. When it comes to movies I am not the biggest critic. I like action movies, I like romance movies, I like any sort of movies as long as it is done well. So for me, giving 3 stars to a movie is quite bad.
All I thought as I was watching it was: “Interesting… but nothing special so far” and I wrote this phrase more than once (yes, I do take notes while watching a movie if I know I will have to write about it later). Some scenes were cut out, some things were changed, it was.. OK.
The ending surprised me as it was completely different from the book, and in my opinion it made more sense for a movie to have some sort of action-packed climatic ending.
Overall, not a bad movie and not a bad book. Definitely enjoyed the book way more than the movie, the amazing quotes made up for any flaws there were.
If I would recommend either of them to anyone? Probably not.
Thought that doesn’t mean I am giving up on Neil Gaiman books. I want to try more and see if I actually enjoy what he writes. If you have any suggestions on which Neil Gaiman book(s) I should pick up, please let me know! I love hearing other people’s thought, especially about books that weren’t completely my favorites.
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