Review - Stardust by Neil Gaiman

Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Publisher: Harper Perennial 2006
Paperback 250 pages



Romantic, sweet and highly imaginative, Stardust is that perfect blend of high fantasy, humor and charm with characters that draw you in and make you fall in love. After months of reading history and science books this was the ideal book to break my fast from fantasy fiction.

Tristan Thorn, a boy living in a rural English village that borders the land of Faerie, has lived an ordinary life, in an ordinary village until the day he decides to cross the boundary that separates his village from the magical land beyond to find a fallen star. He sets off upon this quest driven by the desire to win the hand of a beautiful girl from home, only to find a truer love in the adventure and life he finds outside his small town.

At only 250 pages, this story can be read in one very long sitting and is gripping enough that you won't want to put it down until it's last gripping chapter where all of the many side stories... the murderous brothers searching for their crown, the witch seeking to cut the heart from a star and the boy who only wants to go home to his love, are finally brought together into a sweetly satisfying ending.

Review - Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

Publisher: Scribner 2009
Hardback 406 pages



For me, this book was hard to describe, let alone review. So for once, I decided that I would read a few book reviews to see if I could garner some tips. I have to say that I was shocked by the negative reviews that this book received. Actually, I wasn't so much shocked that they were negative, I was flabbergasted by the reasons why the reviews disliked the novel.

For example the Library Journal stated that "The plot is unrealistic but could have been much more believable". Really? And here I thought I was reading fantasy fiction, just like all of the other novels Niffenegger has written. That is the brilliance of Niffenegger and why I enjoy her novels so much. She is able to add that touch of magic and disbelief into her novels, but still make them reflect enough of our world to make draw the reader in. Of course her plots stretch the limits of our imagination, but that is the entire point. The same publication also makes an irrelevant comparison of the 20-year-old twins, Valentina and Julia to the Olsen twins. How this conclusion is reached is beyond me. Yes, they may both be blond, but the last time I checked neither of Niffenegger's twins were media moguls.

The fault that the various book reviews found with the plot aside, there are many other reasons why this book is a must read for me. Niffenegger imbues each of her characters with the frailty of the human condition that instantly endears them to you. The introverted masochist Robert, whom you pity and at the same time you grow angry with how willing he is to go along with whatever scheme is dreamed up by the women in his life. The humble and romantic character of Martin, whose wife leaves him after living with his OCD for years. Even minor characters to Niffenegger's tale are shown a particular care in how they are sketched out, leaving us with a rich tapestry woven into an already complex and magical storyline.

If you can't tell, I loved this book. I found the leaps in imagination worth struggling through some of the weaker plot points. The entire concept of twins is fascinating to me and the complex relationship between the two (yes two!) sets of twins in this story is deftly expressed by the author.

Review - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon
Publisher: Doubleday 2003
Hardback 226 pages



There are some stories out there for which, when you have finished the last page, you find yourself different from when you started. Your eyes have been opened, some new experience or idea has been irrevocably imprinted upon you and you can't help but to feel that from this point forward the world you see will be different.

Okay, maybe that is a little too much for this book to live up to, but it is a wonderful little book. The book is told from the point of view of Christopher, an autistic 15 year old living in a small town outside of London. Through Christopher's eyes we see the adult world through the confused and innocent eyes of a boy trying to solve the mystery of his neighbors slain dog. During his sleuthing he discovers family secrets so buried within the lies that we adults weave that Christopher must find the independence and bravery to find his own path.