Sam Reviews: "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman - January 2015 Book Choice

Sam's Notes Taken Along the Way:

I was automatically hesitant due to the theme and the setting of this book.  I've always been intrigued by Neil Gaiman's writing based on quotes, and I love his book Coraline, but I am simply not a fan of the "fantasy" genre as a general rule.  However, I did really end up loving this book!

I was quite proud of myself for catching on to the fact that the king's sons names were based on the order of their birth.  I thought that was a clever way to introduce characters without making it hard for the reader trying to understand.

I did start getting frustrated with around Chapter 3 when it seemed like every new character they introduced sounded like a victim, everyone looking for that one thing that would complete them.
-Jess made a good point, that this is realistic, that everyone is aiming to achieve something, and usually that will be opposing someone else's goal.

I really appreciated how the book read like young adult, but had very adult subplots.  There were scenes of very graphic violence and very graphic sex which was a nice respite from the (somewhat) simplistic plot.  It definitely added another layer to the book, at least for me.  Granted, I was not very fond of the graphic dismembering of animals, it made my stomach churn more than once.

I thought it was dumb how at a certain point Tristran left the Star alone with the Unicorn and expected her to be there when he got back.

I loved that the terrain of Fairie was created by a giant that laid down and died, creating Mount Head, Mount Shoulder, Mount Belly, Mount Knees, and Mount Feet.  I feel this was another way to easily explain to the reader how the setting looked without having to spend too much time explaining everything in precise detail.

I thought it was silly that the King's sons were expected to kill one another, and yet if they are murdered by someone outside of the family, they were required to avenge that murder.

I really hate riddles, and I hated how the riddle of "When two Mondays come together" was solved by two people with the last name of "Monday" getting married.  I'll admit it was clever, but I find riddles aggravating.

I thought the ending of the book was sad, but beautiful.

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Quotes Worth Mentioning:

"Too ignorant to be scared, too young to be awed."

"The voices of the dead, which sound like snow falling."
-I really loved how this was a recurring simile throughout the book.  I love that the 'sounds' change but the idea stays the same.  It was a nice way to tie the book together without being annoyingly repetitive.

When Tristran is describing Victoria to the Hairy Man:
"Usual complement of bits?  Eyes?  Nose?  Teeth?"
"Yes,"
"Well then you can skip that stuff."
-I loved how this pokes fun at people who always start off describing their significant others as "beautiful" or "handsome".  This reminds us that we are all beautiful, we are unique by our personalities and what we offer to the world and those around us.

"Go out and find another girl who'll kiss you without asking the earth."
-I think this is important to remember, especially for me since I have co-dependent tendencies.  It is not fair for our partners to ask the world of us, we all only have so much we can give.

"Any progress he had made on this quest so far he had made by accepting the help that had been offered to him."
-I think this is also an important life lesson for us all to remember.  No one gets anywhere worth going in this world without a little help from others.

"Sometimes I wonder if she transforms people into animals, or whether she finds the beast inside us and frees it."
-I really thought this was a beautiful idea, and I definitely think that Ditchwater Sal freed the beast inside those she transformed.

"I have no wish to be a lord of anywhere or anything, except perhaps my lady's heart."
-Oh my goodness, such cheese!

"Yvaine knew that silver chains come in all shapes and sizes, but she also knew that it would not be wise to begin her life with Tristran by arguing with his mother."
-I loved this quote, because "silver chains" are all around us, and we have to always be on our toes and be aware of what silver chains we are stepping into.  Not all are bad, even, but there is always going to be a sacrifice, there is always going to be a compromise made by every choice we make.

"Your boy will break it or waste it or lose it.  They all do."
"Nevertheless he has my heart.
-While I know the Witch said this in an attempt to sway the star to give her heart to the three witches, I really loved it.  I refer again to the "Every choice is a sacrifice" concept I wrote above.  We never know that the person we love will be true to us, but we give our hearts anyway.

"Have been unexpectedly detained by the world.  Expect us when you see us."
-I was literally sobbing as I read this line.  This story definitely stirred the Wanderlust inside of me.  I honestly would have been completely content with this being the last line of the story and we got to guess at the actual ending.

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Book v. Movie

I honestly loved both the book and the movie.  I was disappointed that the movie removed The Hairy Man's character was removed from the book.  I found it interesting that Captain Shakespeare's character was embellished upon in the movie, and that his character was quite changed in the movie.  I loved the movie version, but it was not what I was expecting based on the book!  I am truly torn between which ending I prefer, the movie ending was much happier, but the book ending seemed much more realistic.  Overall, I say that the book and the story are excellent on their own, but comparing the two, I would prefer the book to the movie.