Stardust

by Neil Gaiman

A FAIRY TALE FOR EVERYONE.

'Beyond all the borders that divide us, there is a place of infinite possibilities and pure magic. I think of Neil Gaiman as a writer who wears the key to that land around his neck - the key to Storyland' ELIF SHAFAK

'Gaiman describes the indescribable' SUSANNA CLARKE

'A tonic for these turbulent times' IRISH TIMES

THE ACCLAIMED, ENCHANTING FILM ADAPTATION STARS ROBERT DE NIRO, CLAIRE DANES, RUPERT EVERETT, MICHELLE PFEIFFER AND MANY MORE FAVOURITES...

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'I wanted to write a story that would feel, to the reader, like something he or she had always known' NEIL GAIMAN

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At the dawn of the Victorian era, life moves leisurely in the sleepy village of Wall.

Young Tristran Thorn has lost his heart to the beautiful Victoria Forester and, to win her love, vows to bring her a star they see fall from the night sky.

It is an oath that sends him over the town's ancient wall and into the mysterious land of Faerie - a world that is dangerous and strange beyond imagining . . .

NEIL GAIMAN.
WITH STORIES COME POSSIBILITIES.

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**Includes 'Wall, A Prologue', reading-group discussion questions and an interview with Neil Gaiman**

• ISBN10: 0755322827
• ISBN13: 9780755322824
• Publish Date: 19 September 2005 (first published 26 November 1998)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Headline Publishing Group
• Imprint: Headline Book Publishing
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 256
• Language: English

Reviews

[chymerra]

https://readwithme2018.com/2018/07/19/throwback-thursday/

[Amanda]

3.5

[nitzan_schwarz]

I don't really know what I think about this book, to be honest...
Review to come.

[ladygrey]

I don't know that I can offer a fair review of [b:Stardust|16793|Stardust|Neil Gaiman|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328433738s/16793.jpg|3166179]. Because while a lot of people see the wonder of it, I thought it was lovely but somewhat placid.

I think it suffers twice over. Once for having seen the movie first; which is exciting and beautiful and fun. And secondly for not being particularly beautiful; which is an awful thing to say about a fairy tale sort of story. [a:Neil Gaiman|1221698|Neil Gaiman|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1234150163p2/1221698.jpg] does a phenomenal job of seeing the world of fairie and how lovely and strange it is, where a glass flower can be traded for the color of your hair, but he evokes it in rather a straight forward sort of way. His writing style worked great for [b:The Graveyard Book|2213661|The Graveyard Book|Neil Gaiman|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1303859949s/2213661.jpg|2219449] but this needed something more magical. I'm not sure if it's a boon or a detriment that the movie captured that sense of magic and gave it life, but I think it's important to read the book before watching the movie.

And now I have a better understanding of how incredibly well this book was adapted to movie form. It may be the second best adaptation I've ever seen.

[empressbrooke]

I read Neil Gaiman's blog and have his books sitting on my bookshelf, so I figured it was about time I read them. I started with Stardust, since it's the shortest and I was eager to finish it before the movie came out. It's a simple story; a short fairy tale for adults about a young man who goes to fetch a falling star for the girl he's in love with. It's reminiscent of other magical journey tales, such as The Princess Bride and The Neverending Story, and it's just as classic.

I didn't realize it until I read Neverwhere afterwards, but Gaiman has a very distinctive voice, and this is what makes his books so damn enjoyable. It flows so well, and it's musical without being flowery or poetic. Stardust is less predictable than I initially thought it was going to be, although Gaiman does foreshadow very effectively.