Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Book Stats:

Reading level: Young Adult
Mass Market Paperback: 333 pages
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Publisher: Harper
Release date: January 5, 2000

Series: n/a

Reviewed by: Lili

Source: Library

Purchase: Amazon | Book Depository

In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, as they watch, a star falls from the sky, and Victoria promises to marry Tristran if he'll retrieve that star and bring it back for her. It is this promise that sends Tristran through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life.In the sleepy English countryside of decades past, there is a town that has stood on a jut of granite for six hundred years. And immediately to the east stands a high stone wall, for which the village is named. Here in the town of Wall, Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the hauntingly beautiful Victoria Forester. One crisp October night, as they watch, a star falls from the sky, and Victoria promises to marry Tristran if he'll retrieve that star and bring it back for her. It is this promise that sends Tristran through the only gap in the wall, across the meadow, and into the most unforgettable adventure of his life. 

So, I'm going to be completely honest and say that I have never heard of this book before a librarian told me about it. I work the night shifts at my local public library. I'm there until 9 twice a week and, face it, after 8 o'clock things are pretty slow. It's during than that myself and the other circulation desk librarians tend to chatter about anything and everything while preparing the mail to be sent out. The circulation desk librarian and myself got into a discussion about books that are eventually turned into movies while we were packing up several copies of BEAUTIFUL CREATURES. She mentioned this book to me, saying that it was very sweet. So, before I knew it, I was sent home with a copy of both the book and the DVD. And now that I have read the book, it is time for the movie that looks cute from the movie trailer below. Take a look at it for yourself.

Essentially, this story is a somewhat modern fairytale that follows the life of Tristan Thorn from his childhood to his eventual marriage. He finds a girl name Victoria and quickly falls for her, wanting her hand in marriage above all else because she is the most beautiful girl in all of Wall. Wall is unique because it is literally a town surround by a wall. Young men in the village take turns guarding the only entrance in wall from the things outside of it because it is unsafe. So, really, nobody ever exists the wall. Anyway, Victoria agrees to his proposal, but only if he can retrieve a falling star for her. However, this leaves to the ultimate adventure because Tristan somehow finds himself in the land of Faerie.

What really set this book apart for me was the tone of the story. Though it is a modern day fairytale, Gaiman almost mocks the cliches of fairy tales while Tristan is on his adventure while somehow adding in the fantastical aspects that readers expect from a fairy tale. This makes for a very light read that highlights a unique writing style. While this novel is in prose, it had an almost British air to it. The actors in the film are British which highlights the wittiness and quirkiness that Gaiman exploited in his characters. This is the first ever book of his that I have read, but I'm looking forward to many more because of this.

There's not much else to be said about this one. While a modern day fairytale it can stand apart from the rest and prove to be a book that you can get through easily in a day. Full of romance, love, and quirkiness I think that it is good for readers of all ages. Some content makes me believe this book will be better for twelve year old's who still love fairy tales and older individuals who want something cute to take them back in time.

Watch the movie trailer!

 

Posted by Lili at 06:00

 Fantasy, Harper Collins, Review, young adult  5 People left their mark

I'm a 18 year old from a small town in New Jersey that's a newcomer to the book blogging world. Because I am an incoming senior in high school the closest thing that I have to a job is being a volunteer at the town library, so I spend most of my time reading and persuading my parents to let me buy more books!

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