Stardust
by Neil Gaiman
Published: October 1st 1998
Genres: Fantasy
Format: Paperback (248 pages)
Source: Library
Life moves at a leisurely pace in the tiny town of Wall—named after the imposing stone barrier which separates the town from a grassy meadow. Here, young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the beautiful Victoria Forester and for the coveted prize of her hand, Tristran vows to retrieve a fallen star and deliver it to his beloved. It is an oath that sends him over the ancient wall and into a world that is dangerous and strange beyond imagining...
Stardust starts with 3 seemingly random tales that combine as time goes on in such interesting and unexpected ways. My favorite was when the witch’s curse comes back to bite her. How ironic that a curse did some good. I also loved the familiar fairy tales told in new ways like the lion and the unicorn. I first heard that story in Alice in Wonderland and it’s one of my favorites.
The world that Stardust takes place in is such a fascinating mix of the literal and the figurative. For example, the witch can’t literally steal her heart because it is figuratively not her own anymore because she fell in love. Just like Harry Potter, love protects you in such a way that it’s magical. After Neil Gaiman is done mixing up literal and figurative things to the point that you no longer know which is which, he will then present you with nonsense that makes sense when it’s explained. I was tickled when this piece of nonsense actually came true:
I was bound to you to be your slave until the day that the moon lost her daughter, if it occurred in a week when two Mondays came together.
-Neil Gaiman, Stardust pg 229
Neil Gaiman’s writing is always delightful. The words on the page said “all was warm and comfortable” yet I’m convinced that the exact opposite is true. I don’t know how he does that. I think he’s magic. The writing is very dry, though. A lot of details are skipped over (like how they fell in love) and we’re told a lot of things that happen over a long period of time instead of living them with the characters.
I actually saw the movie first and I prefer it in some ways. The movie does show more details of how they fell in love and other things. They also changed some things for the movie that I liked better. For example, I thought it was more interesting for the main character to accidentally find out that the star would become a lump of rock in his world instead of being told that in passing like they were in the book.
Speaking of the main character. Why is he not more curious about his dad saying to the two guards, “I supposed you both know about where he came from?” (pg 52). He seems hopelessly stupid. I loved when he started talking to a tree (I loved it a little less that he’s not alarmed by it. Very little reaction from this guy). The tree he talks to has one of my favorite quotes from the book:
The tree rustled. “Why don’t you tell me your story so far, and let me be the best judge of whether or not I can be of help.”
-Neil Gaiman, Stardust pg 141
I might like this quote so much because of how condescending the tree is to this guy. My favorite characters had to be the brothers whose names were based on numbers, who were hilarious in the movie.
Have you read the book and seen the movie? Which do you like better?
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About Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman was born in Hampshire, UK, and now lives in the United States near Minneapolis. As a child he discovered his love of books, reading, and stories, devouring the works of C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, James Branch Cabell, Edgar Allan Poe, Michael Moorcock, Ursula K. LeGuin, Gene Wolfe, and G.K. Chesterton. A self-described “feral child who was raised in libraries,” Gaiman credits librarians with fostering a life-long love of reading: “I wouldn't be who I am without libraries. I was the sort of kid who devoured books, and my happiest times as a boy were when I persuaded my parents to drop me off in the local library on their way to work, and I spent the day there. I discovered that librarians actually want to help you: they taught me about interlibrary loans.”
My name is Jessica. I love to read Young Adult and classic literature. I’ve been a book blogger for six years and I haven’t gotten tired of it yet. I’m a very curious reader. Writing about all the questions and thoughts I had while reading a book is the best hobby ever.
I really liked the book STARDUST, but I didn’t care for the movie at all. Weird how that works sometimes!
I think I saw the movie first as well. I love your edition, it’s so pretty. I thought Michelle Pfeiffer was perfect in her role. I appreciate all the humour in this book. But my favourite of his is still Ocean at the End of the Lane. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Lovely review.