Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

Haroun and the Sea of Stories (Penguin audiobooks) (Penguin Drop Caps) (Lythway Children's Large Print Books)

by Salman Rushdie

Tim Supple's adaptations of Grimm Tales and More Grimm Tales have been universally acclaimed. With the help of David Tushingham, he has adapted Salman Rushdie's classic children's novel, Haroun and the Sea of Stories, for the stage. Set in an exotic eastern landscape peopled by magicians and fantastic talking animals, Rushdie's novel inhabits the same imaginative space as Gulliver's Travels, Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. Haroun sets out on an adventure to restore the poisoned source of the sea of stories. On the way he encounters many foes, intent on draining the sea of all its storytelling powers.

Reviewed by nannah on

4 of 5 stars

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I'm not surprised this book is a classic. I fell in love right away.

"There was once, in the country of Alifbay, a sad city, the saddest of cities, a city so ruinously sad that it had forgotten its name." Here, our young MC, Haroun, and his father, Rashid, the great storyteller live. At least, a storyteller until he runs out of stories. Blaming himself, Haroun journeys to the Sea of Stories to get his father's gift back, and finds himself amidst a conflict that seems much greater than his father's lost gift.

The fairy tale-like prose is so lovely and charming. It usually adds a dryness to most books I've read, but in this novel, it's clever storytelling. Charming and cute and lyrical. I'm not sure how to describe this lovely little book, so all I can say is just pick it up and give it a shot.

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  • Started reading
  • 20 September, 2015: Finished reading
  • 20 September, 2015: Reviewed