THE BOOK:
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[simpleazon-link asin=”0061689246″ locale=”us”]Stardust[/simpleazon-link] by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Stardust is a genuine faerie tale for adults filled with extraordinary tales of unicorns, falling stars, witches, pirates, ghosts and, of course, romance. Fans of The Princess Bride will appreciate the droll sense of humor and nod to the absurd. It’s a bit bawdy in places with a hint of The Canterbury Tales, but it’s magical, adventurous, and unexpected. Great fun! Recommended for anyone who loves fairy tales.

Favorite words:

soporific
kirtle
plangent

Quotes:

“The squirrel has not yet found the acorn that will grow into the oak that will be cut to form the cradle of the babe who will grow to slay me” (p. 131).

“There is something about riding a unicorn, for those people who still can, which is unlike any other experience: exhilarating and intoxicating and fine” (p. 139).

“You are young and in love,” said Primus. “Every young man in your position is the most miserable young man who ever lived” (p. 163).

“It has occasionally been remarked upon that is as easy to overlook something large and obvious as it is to overlook something small and niggling…” (p. 229).

THE MOVIE:
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This is one of those unusual cases, where I enjoyed the movie more than the book. The movie was humorous as expected. Also, the adventure was expanded upon. I was particularly delighted by the larger adventures of the sky-pirates featuring Robert DeNiro as Captain Shakespeare. He played the role to the hilt. The romance was also more evolved which I appreciated. Some of the elements of the story were changed, but the overall integrity of the story remained intact. I watched it with my family and all of us, including my teenage son, enjoyed it. I highly recommend it (especially for fans of The Princess Bride).