Reviews tagging 'Kidnapping'

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

18 reviews

jadef00's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I went into this book trying to keep my expectations low, as I knew that with how much I love the 2007 film adaptation (it's one of my favourite films of all time, actually), it would be a hard bar to top. Well....I was right. Off the bat, Charles Vess' illustrations are stunningly weird (an aesthetic that oddly works for Stardust) and complement the writing style immensely. That, sadly, is where the positives end. This is a story that I know and love and, since this is the source material that the film was based on, surely it should only expand on this amazing world and characters, therefore, making me love it even more? That's what I naively thought, despite trying to keep a low expectation. The writing on this was...just not for me. For starters,
Neil Gaiman's choice to liberally and continiously describe the look and feel of the majority of the female characters breasts gave me major ick. This misogyny wasn't surprising to me as he is a middle-aged white man married to a controversial conservative figure, however, the recent sexual assault allegations really only solidified that this man is trash. Characters that felt vibrant and fleshed out in the 2007 film adaptation came across as dull and flat on paper. Plot points, location changes and new characters were thrown in willy nilly with no regard for how this would enhance the main plot of the book. In fact, it seemed that Gaiman didn't actually even care about the main plot of the book as this insidous plot featuring an ancient coven of witches hell bent on hunting down our star, Yvaine, so that they may consume her heart for the long gone youth they so desire. The bones of these characters are great, but Gaiman's treatment of them is so appalling that this formidible and malificent entity that has been tailing ever so slightly behind Yvaine and Tristran for the entirety of their time in Faerie just....gives up and compliments Yvaine on her kind heart when she finally confronts her. Another dumbfounding aspect is Gaiman's liberal use of racial slurs and racism against the non-white characters in the book. We get that it's a book set in the 1840s-60s, but even in a world where talking trees and cat eared faerie girls exist you can't suspend reality for one moment so that your BIPOC readers, who perhaps opened this book expecting escapism and magic, don't have to hear racial slurs every 10 pages?
Not worth the read, watch the film!
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tquinn47's review against another edition

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5.0

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chloe_hazel's review

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

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renardthefox's review against another edition

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lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.25

Read for A233.

Reread, and it's still not very good. Hate to say it, but the film is better.
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crimsonash606's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful lighthearted fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

A wonderful read for those seeking fantastical realms to escape to.
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sarasreading's review against another edition

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adventurous hopeful mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This was a lovely read. I bought this book ages and ages ago, before I knew who Neil Gaiman even was. I ended up seeing the movie first, also years ago, and while the plot follows pretty closely until the end, I liked the differences in the book a lot. I have yet to pick up a Gaiman book that I didn't enjoy, so the winning streak continues!
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probablytoolate's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

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mirandyli's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

A cute fantasy novel that was a fun quick read.
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hjcomic's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Do you love the film? You will probably love this and also be surprised by it, too.
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soggycedar's review against another edition

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adventurous dark sad medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? N/A
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

"I no longer have a name. I am a slave, and the name I had was taken from me. I will answer to 'hey, you!' or to 'girl!'or to 'foolish slattern!' or to many another imprecation.
Dunstan noticed how the silken fabric of her robe pressed itself against her body; he was aware of elegant curves, and of her violet eyes upon him, and he swallowed."

Very inappropriate reaction to learning that someone is enslaved.

"His hand felt her small breasts through the silk of her dress, touched the hard nubs of her nipples. She clung to him, hard, as if she were drowning, fumbling with his shirt, with his britches.
She was so small; he was scared he would hurt her and break her... had he known her name he would have called it aloud. ...He squeezed her small hand in his."

Focus is entirely on the fact that she is tiny and frail and a stranger to him.

That doesn't even include the entire premise of the book: a different man enslaving a different tiny woman, who then falls in love with him based on nothing more than his bad treatment of her, and her forced proximity to him.
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