Stardust by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I thoroughly enjoyed this story, although I probably enjoyed it in the most obscure media. I understand that this has been a graphic novel, then a text-only novel, and also a movie. I chose to enjoy it in the audio book format, simply because that’s the easiest way for me to fit “reading” into my schedule.
I think I “get” Neil, his sensibilities, and where he’s coming from, and this was validated especially with the audiobook version of this story, because at the end of the story, they included an interview with Neil, in which he discussed the process of coming up with the story, his preferred medium being radio shows, and writing with pen (when not writing a screenplay) because it “slows him down.” I’m also 100% in agreement with him on the enjoyment of “unabridged” audiobooks especially when read by the original author, or by someone who brings the right ‘character” to the story without his or her voice becoming a character unto itself. I plan to follow up on Neil’s recommendation for listening to poets reading their own works. Honestly, the audiobook is worth a listen just for the interview.
As for the story, as a natural romantic, it appealed to me in every sense. It was well-structured, filled with fun characters and devices. There weren’t a whole lot of surprises, I guess I’ve been reading enough of him lately that I could see where he was going with it very early on, but that took absolutely nothing from the story. I remained spellbound through the entire thing.