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A review by atrinkl
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern
5.0
Before starting The Starless Sea, I was warned this book was, "all vibes, no plot." With that in mind, I embarked on a whimsical story of adventure – it was a true love letter to storytelling, to literature, to libraries, to the art of enjoying the ride, even if you're not sure where you'll end up (which is really all life is, to be honest). All you can do is open doors and try to find your way and hold onto the people you care about... and find your way back to the people who matter the most.
I didn't want this book to end. In fact, I wanted to live in the world of this book. Having not read Morgenstern's first novel, The Night Circus, this novel took me by surprise and awe, and I was swept away by Erin Mogenstern's prose and her ability to paint the most beautiful, poetic stories and environments.
We start the story, so simply, with Zachary Ezra Rawlins, the son of a fortune teller, finding a book that features him as a boy, and from there, he is drawn into his own story and then tangled up in the story of others as well. He searches for the origin of this book, Sweet Sorrows, and ends up finding so much more, including the secrets of Fate and Time and the world beneath the world. It's Alice in Wonderland, in a new world, in a secret society.
Admittedly, there were times I felt confused – how much was a metaphor? How much was this book playing with me, but by the end, it unraveled so perfectly. Again, you can't expect a big villain, an antagonist that is going to try to take down Z or one of our other characters, you just have to let yourself be carried along the waves of The Starless Sea.
It reminds me a lot of the Doctor Who quote... "We're all stories in the end, just make it a good one."
Let yourself go through the doors that Mirabel paints. It's worth it. :)
I didn't want this book to end. In fact, I wanted to live in the world of this book. Having not read Morgenstern's first novel, The Night Circus, this novel took me by surprise and awe, and I was swept away by Erin Mogenstern's prose and her ability to paint the most beautiful, poetic stories and environments.
We start the story, so simply, with Zachary Ezra Rawlins, the son of a fortune teller, finding a book that features him as a boy, and from there, he is drawn into his own story and then tangled up in the story of others as well. He searches for the origin of this book, Sweet Sorrows, and ends up finding so much more, including the secrets of Fate and Time and the world beneath the world. It's Alice in Wonderland, in a new world, in a secret society.
Admittedly, there were times I felt confused – how much was a metaphor? How much was this book playing with me, but by the end, it unraveled so perfectly. Again, you can't expect a big villain, an antagonist that is going to try to take down Z or one of our other characters, you just have to let yourself be carried along the waves of The Starless Sea.
It reminds me a lot of the Doctor Who quote... "We're all stories in the end, just make it a good one."
Let yourself go through the doors that Mirabel paints. It's worth it. :)