sbunker6's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
sagebeers's review against another edition
4.0
Beautifully written. Loved how realistic the main character is (he needs glasses!), but I wish the ending was more fulfilling.
stacers1973's review against another edition
5.0
The Starless Sea
Achingly beautiful.
"We are all stardust and stories"
I read this slowly over a week, thinking of all the beautiful passages and imagery. Another magical story that will be repeatedly read. Thank you again for your words Erin Morgenstern.
Achingly beautiful.
"We are all stardust and stories"
I read this slowly over a week, thinking of all the beautiful passages and imagery. Another magical story that will be repeatedly read. Thank you again for your words Erin Morgenstern.
ththalassocracy's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
motherbooker's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Reviewing a book can sometimes be a tricky thing. It's fine if you love or hate a book. You know what you want to do. It's the books that fall in the middle that cause problems. What do you do if you think a writer is good but that the story they've written just isn't for you? That's the issue that I have with The Starless Sea. It's not that I think she's a bad writer. A lot of her prose is beautiful and she creates some striking imagery. For a large part of this book, I was totally on board with where the story was going. I quite liked the characters and I didn't even mind the structure. It was a fascinating world and I was keen to find out more. Then I just lost it. I lost my enjoyment and I lost my way. Finishing it started to feel like a chore instead of an enjoyable reading experience.
There was a point when the lyrical language became a distraction for the lack of direction. The story didn't really seem to be going anywhere. I'm normally the kind of reader who is fine with books that don't focus on plot but I missed it here. There wasn't the focus on character development necessary to take its place. The Starless Sea implied that it would take us into a magical and beautiful fantasy world. I thought the characters were going to be interesting but, after a while, they simply existed. There wasn't a lot of growth or development. The LGBTQ+ elements stood out but gay shouldn't be a person's only character trait.
For me, it just felt that this book was trying too hard. It was ambitious, which is obviously something to praise. I just think it's possibly a bit too ambitious. Too ambitious for this reader at least. The language was beautiful but I can't say that it helped the story. It just seemed like an easy way to elevate a pretty basic and thin story. What started off as engaging became a way to distract from the lack of substance. Similarly, the structure, which started off as interesting, simply created confusion. The main narrative is split up by fragments of different texts. It starts off as creating intrigue and mystery but ends up just distracting from the main story. By the last few sections, I was just a bit lost. I don't think that I would have finished the book if I hadn't been listening to the audiobook.
I can see why people like this book because it's obvious that Erin Morgenstern is a good writer. It's a beautiful and slightly dreamy narrative that could sweep you away if you let it. However, this isn't the kind of book that will work for everyone. It didn't have enough to keep me engaged and it ended up being a slight muddle. It's long but the story doesn't exactly justify the length. There are too many crossed strands and the structure doesn't make it easy to immerse yourself in any of them. There are some fantastic ideas at work here but I'm just not the right reader for this book. I'm still interested in reading more from this writer but I can't say that this became a firm favourite.
stengler22's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, well I don't think this book is for everyone. It took me a bit to get into (especially the writing style) but once I was hooked it became a beautiful and mysterious journey. It's a journey with seemingly no rules and at some point, I had so many compounding questions that I had to forgo finding answers to enjoy the ride.
I still don't have a complete grasp of what happened with so many symbols and metaphors that re-reading would probably clarify things more. However, I never have the patience to re-read anything so I will have to settle for remembering it fondly, if not a bit perplexed.
I still don't have a complete grasp of what happened with so many symbols and metaphors that re-reading would probably clarify things more. However, I never have the patience to re-read anything so I will have to settle for remembering it fondly, if not a bit perplexed.
creamfluf's review against another edition
5.0
This book was like a warm hug to me. I was browsing through a bookstore looking for a book to get because I had finished all the ones I had and had been unable to read for sometime and I was just losing my mind with all things going on when I found this book. This wasn't even in my TBR but well I loved what it said it would give me. Maybe this might be a little silly but like the characters in this book I want to believe it was magic and the book found me when I needed it most
I got a world of fantasy and magic and felt myself a part of it.
' "Strange isn't it? To love a book. When the words on the pages become so precious that they feel like a part of your own history because they are" '
I have to admit, this book does not have a plot. And I think that's okay. This book is just a part of a world contained in a few pages and sometimes plots don't exist in the world. Maybe it's just me but I found it quite charming that it didn't have a plot it was just....there. A whole world.
I'm blabbering at this point. A bit emotional. Its midnight here and tomorrow it's the start of another hectic day. I'm thankful for the small respite that I got through this.
I got a world of fantasy and magic and felt myself a part of it.
' "Strange isn't it? To love a book. When the words on the pages become so precious that they feel like a part of your own history because they are" '
I have to admit, this book does not have a plot. And I think that's okay. This book is just a part of a world contained in a few pages and sometimes plots don't exist in the world. Maybe it's just me but I found it quite charming that it didn't have a plot it was just....there. A whole world.
I'm blabbering at this point. A bit emotional. Its midnight here and tomorrow it's the start of another hectic day. I'm thankful for the small respite that I got through this.
luizpaulocds's review against another edition
adventurous
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? It's complicated
3.75
soyso's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75