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醿撫儛醿ａ儭醿犪儯醿氠償醿戓償醿氠儤 醿愥儧醿戓儛醿曖儤
醿♂儛醿戓儛醿曖儴醿曖儩 醿氠儤醿⑨償醿犪儛醿⑨儯醿犪儤醿� 醿欋儦醿愥儭醿樶儥醿濁儭醿樶儭, 醿涐儤醿儛醿斸儦 醿斸儨醿撫償醿� (1929-1995) 鈥炨儞醿愥儯醿♂儬醿ａ儦醿斸儜醿斸儦醿� 醿愥儧醿戓儛醿曖儤鈥� 醿涐儸醿斸儬醿氠儤醿� 醿п儠醿斸儦醿愥儢醿� 醿儨醿濁儜醿樶儦醿� 醿儤醿掅儨醿樶儛. 醿め償醿溼儮醿斸儢醿樶儭 醿熱儛醿溼儬醿樶儭 醿斸儭 醿ㄡ償醿撫償醿曖儬醿� 醿ａ儛醿涐儬醿愥儠 醿斸儨醿愥儢醿斸儛 醿溼儛醿椺儛醿犪儝醿涐儨醿�. 醿涐儛醿♂儴醿� 醿愥儲醿償醿犪儤醿氠儤 醿♂儛醿濁儶醿愥儬醿� 醿♂儛醿涐儳醿愥儬醿� 醿ａ儥醿曖償 醿愥儣醿儦醿斸儯醿氠償醿戓儤醿�, 醿戓儛醿曖儴醿曖償醿戓儭醿� 醿撫儛 醿ａ儰醿犪儩醿♂償醿戓儭 醿斸儬醿椺儨醿愥儤醿犪儛醿� 醿愥儲醿斸儦醿曖償醿戓儭.
538 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 1979
7007 people are currently reading
186633 people want to read
About the author
Michael Ende
293听books3,313听followersMichael Andreas Helmuth Ende was a German writer of fantasy and children's literature. He was the son of the surrealist painter Edgar Ende.
Ende was one of the most popular and famous German authors of the 20th century, mostly due to the enormous success of his children's books. However, Ende was not strictly a children鈥檚 author, as he also wrote books for adults. Ende claimed, "It is for this child in me, and in all of us, that I tell my stories," and that "[my books are] for any child between 80 and 8 years" (qtd. Senick 95, 97). Ende鈥檚 writing could be described as a surreal mixture of reality and fantasy. The reader is often invited to take a more interactive role in the story, and the worlds in his books often mirror our reality, using fantasy to bring light to the problems of an increasingly technological modern society.
Ende was also known as a proponent of economic reform, and claimed to have had the concept of aging money in mind when writing Momo. He was interested in and influenced by anthroposophy.
Die unendliche Geschichte (The Neverending Story) is Ende's best known work. Other books include Momo and Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivf眉hrer (Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver). Michael Ende's works have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 20 million copies, and have been adapted into motion pictures, stage plays, operas and audio books.
He died in Stuttgart of stomach cancer.
AKA:
螠委蠂伪蔚位 螆谓蟿蔚 (Greek)
Ende was one of the most popular and famous German authors of the 20th century, mostly due to the enormous success of his children's books. However, Ende was not strictly a children鈥檚 author, as he also wrote books for adults. Ende claimed, "It is for this child in me, and in all of us, that I tell my stories," and that "[my books are] for any child between 80 and 8 years" (qtd. Senick 95, 97). Ende鈥檚 writing could be described as a surreal mixture of reality and fantasy. The reader is often invited to take a more interactive role in the story, and the worlds in his books often mirror our reality, using fantasy to bring light to the problems of an increasingly technological modern society.
Ende was also known as a proponent of economic reform, and claimed to have had the concept of aging money in mind when writing Momo. He was interested in and influenced by anthroposophy.
Die unendliche Geschichte (The Neverending Story) is Ende's best known work. Other books include Momo and Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivf眉hrer (Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver). Michael Ende's works have been translated into more than 40 languages and sold more than 20 million copies, and have been adapted into motion pictures, stage plays, operas and audio books.
He died in Stuttgart of stomach cancer.
AKA:
螠委蠂伪蔚位 螆谓蟿蔚 (Greek)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 10,624 reviews
November 9, 2024
Read this to my daughter recently. A very mixed bag.
First off I should say that although the book was written in 1979 it reads as though it were written in 1939. The translator has consistently reached for the most complicated/high falutin' word available and as a result the child's book ends up unreadable/incomprehensible to many modern kids. I'm not one for dumbing down, but this goes the other way pointlessly.
An example would be: "Consequently consternation ensued."
Kids don't have to know every word - that's part of the learning process, through literary osmosis they'll absorb the meaning. But it felt as if in some places every other line was of this nature. And perhaps the translator could have used somewhat more straightforward language for the children at whom the book is primarily aimed.
I saw the film around the time it came out years ago. The book seems to reach the end of the film by about half way through. That first half is cleverly done with a good idea about binding the reader and the adventure together in a 'meta' way that works out really well. The pacing is ok, the imagination great - chaotic, but good.
For me Ende should have stopped there and wrapped it up.
The second half of the book feels... never ending. It's a slow, overdone, meander through a fairly arbitrary world and the 8 year old I was reading it to (we finished the book on her 9th birthday) was, like me, less than gripped. We soldiered on... and on... and on.
Eventually the massively drawn out moral lesson / reconstruction of our hero's personality completes and the final scenes of reunion are quite touching and uplifting.
So the first half was a 4* for me, the second half a 2*.
...
First off I should say that although the book was written in 1979 it reads as though it were written in 1939. The translator has consistently reached for the most complicated/high falutin' word available and as a result the child's book ends up unreadable/incomprehensible to many modern kids. I'm not one for dumbing down, but this goes the other way pointlessly.
An example would be: "Consequently consternation ensued."
Kids don't have to know every word - that's part of the learning process, through literary osmosis they'll absorb the meaning. But it felt as if in some places every other line was of this nature. And perhaps the translator could have used somewhat more straightforward language for the children at whom the book is primarily aimed.
I saw the film around the time it came out years ago. The book seems to reach the end of the film by about half way through. That first half is cleverly done with a good idea about binding the reader and the adventure together in a 'meta' way that works out really well. The pacing is ok, the imagination great - chaotic, but good.
For me Ende should have stopped there and wrapped it up.
The second half of the book feels... never ending. It's a slow, overdone, meander through a fairly arbitrary world and the 8 year old I was reading it to (we finished the book on her 9th birthday) was, like me, less than gripped. We soldiered on... and on... and on.
Eventually the massively drawn out moral lesson / reconstruction of our hero's personality completes and the final scenes of reunion are quite touching and uplifting.
So the first half was a 4* for me, the second half a 2*.
...
July 12, 2016
One of my favorite books of all time; this one is definitely closest to my heart. I've certainly read it more than any other (Ender's Game being a close second). Which is interesting because it's almost nothing like any of my other favorites (besides maybe Watership Down). Maybe it's because it's the first main character I was able to truly identify with. Or maybe because Bastian does what I had always dreamed of as a child, since the day I started reading: to enter inside a book, to turn my imagination into reality. And what is this book if not the most beautiful ode to imagination and story telling?
The first time I read this I was probably about 11 or 12 and it was after seeing The Neverending Story II in the theater. Till that moment I had never known The Neverending Story was a book, and just happened to notice this in the credits. Thank god I did. The fact that it led me to the book is probably the only redeeming factor of that film.
I read the book all in one day, from morning till night, with nothing but the same lunch Bastian packed for himself in the movie (I may have cheated later on at night. It's tough when you're not actually hiding in the attic of your school, but lounging on your bed). And I've probably read it at least once a year since then.
Even as an adult (am I really one of those now???), I still love being transported to this world, and I think it's a testament to the power of this book that it can still take me there. From Atreyu's quest to Bastian coming to fantastica, to their travels and adventures and Bastian's eventual journey home, I'm with them the whole way. A secret part of me still hopes that the Childlike Empress will appear before me, and that I can join Bastian and Atreyu for real in fantastica. Till then, the book and my imagination will have to do. For anyone who loves reading through and through, and who still has that sense of childhood wonder inside of them, please read this book.
The first time I read this I was probably about 11 or 12 and it was after seeing The Neverending Story II in the theater. Till that moment I had never known The Neverending Story was a book, and just happened to notice this in the credits. Thank god I did. The fact that it led me to the book is probably the only redeeming factor of that film.
I read the book all in one day, from morning till night, with nothing but the same lunch Bastian packed for himself in the movie (I may have cheated later on at night. It's tough when you're not actually hiding in the attic of your school, but lounging on your bed). And I've probably read it at least once a year since then.
Even as an adult (am I really one of those now???), I still love being transported to this world, and I think it's a testament to the power of this book that it can still take me there. From Atreyu's quest to Bastian coming to fantastica, to their travels and adventures and Bastian's eventual journey home, I'm with them the whole way. A secret part of me still hopes that the Childlike Empress will appear before me, and that I can join Bastian and Atreyu for real in fantastica. Till then, the book and my imagination will have to do. For anyone who loves reading through and through, and who still has that sense of childhood wonder inside of them, please read this book.
September 6, 2020
Este libro lo llevo en lo m谩s profundo de mi coraz贸n.
Existen todo tipo de libros: Los que nos hacen re铆r, los que nos asustan, los que nos sorprenden, los que nos hacen llorar, los que terminamos odiando y existen libros que nos tocan el alma y nos cambian la vida. La particularidad, es que cada lector tiene una lista diferente y es respetable. Es respetable, porque para quienes nos gusta leer, los libros son como nuestra familia: A pesar de que hablen mal de ellos, tengan mil defectos y en algunos casos nadie quiera su compa帽铆a, para nosotros son lo m谩s importante de nuestra vida, son nuestros amigos y un v铆nculo indestructible nos mantiene unidos por siempre. Cada lector tiene un amigo diferente y por m谩s que pasen los a帽os, nunca lo olvidar谩. En mi caso, ese amigo se llama La Historia Interminable.
Mi aventura con La Historia Interminable comenz贸 a finales del 2015, en una 茅poca muy problem谩tica y dif铆cil de mi vida donde, sin importar lo que hiciera, todo me sal铆a mal. Ese a帽o estuvo colmado de tantos problemas y cambios repentinos, que no pude evitar entrar en depresi贸n. Todo el tiempo sent铆a confusi贸n, tristeza, desesperanza, indecisi贸n, infelicidad y una falta de amor y confianza en m铆 mismo, que me dejo tan desanimado y con tanta negatividad, que me estaba destruyendo por completo. Nunca le mencion茅 esto a mi familia porque no quer铆a preocupar a mis seres queridos, pero en mi interior me sent铆a tan mal, que muchas veces mi 煤nico deseo era dormir para olvidar mis problemas: Pensar se hab铆a convertido en mi tortura. La 煤nica soluci贸n que se me ocurri贸 fue buscar en Internet alternativas para curarme, de esa forma encontr茅 sinf铆n de libros de autoayuda y consejos como hacer yoga, un diario, etc., pero que tras intentarlo no me ayudaban en nada. Entonces, repentinamente un d铆a, mi hermano lleno de emoci贸n me cont贸 que hab铆a escuchado un audiolibro maravilloso, declar贸 ser su nuevo libro favorito y me lo recomend贸 para que lo disfrutara tambi茅n. El nombre de ese libro era La Historia Interminable. Ese d铆a, aunque capt贸 mi atenci贸n, lo ignor茅. No estaba acostumbrado a leer digitalmente, no ten铆a ganas de comprar libros y mucho menos deseaba escuchar un audiolibro porque no pod铆a concentrarme con tantos problemas. En ese tiempo desconoc铆a por completo que un libro de fantas铆a tendr铆a la llave de mi paz interior.
Pasaron los meses y un d铆a cuando acompa帽aba a mi hermana a la biblioteca, con tan solo poner un pie adentro en ese lugar, sent铆 una conexi贸n poderosa y c谩lida por algo que se encontraba all铆. Impulsado por ese fuerte sentimiento, recorr铆 estantes, acarici茅 libros, le铆 muchos t铆tulos y me sorprend铆 a m铆 mismo buscando con tanto inter茅s algo que no sab铆a que era. Siempre me han gustado los libros, pero antes de ese d铆a no conoc铆a esa pasi贸n por disfrutar de una prosa exquisita, de re铆r y llorar con un pu帽ado de letras, de verme inmerso en la magia e imaginaci贸n de cada autor, de viajar y conocer miles de lugares sin moverme de mi sitio. Nada de eso lo hab铆a vivido, pero cuando mis dedos rozaron el lomo de esta obra, en mi subconsciente ya sab铆a que estaba a punto de vivirlo. Mi hermana pidi贸 este libro prestado para m铆 y al llegar a casa lo devor茅 y mi forma de ver la vida cambi贸 completamente.
Es un libro que me conect贸 con el ni帽o interior que llevo adentro, que me ayud贸 a recordar los momentos felices de mi infancia y adolescencia, y que conmovi贸 mi coraz贸n como nunca antes una historia lo hab铆a logrado. Cada p谩rrafo lo sent铆 lleno de amor, de ternura y de mensajes tan profundos que me llegaron al alma. Lo que necesitaba era encontrarme conmigo mismo y con este libro eso se volvi贸 realidad. Desde ese momento, volv铆 a sentir amor por la vida, por mi familia, por mi entorno, a disfrutar de las peque帽as cosas, a valorar la experiencia de nuestros antepasados, pero principalmente me enamor茅 de los libros. Cada d铆a anhelaba leer m谩s y m谩s, para comprender la manera de pensar de miles de personajes y autores por medio de sus historias. Con los libros, he logrado tener un estado de paz muy agradable y obtener inspiraci贸n constante, todo gracias a los cientos de reflexiones que podemos encontrar en este universo de palabras.
Con este libro, recuperaremos la capacidad de crear e imaginar que ten铆amos cuando 茅ramos ni帽os, pero que fuimos perdiendo por frases como 鈥渓a imaginaci贸n es para los ni帽os鈥�, 鈥渦sted ya est谩 muy grande para eso鈥�, 鈥渦se el tiempo para algo que valga la pena鈥�, 鈥渢odo lo nuevo ya se invent贸鈥�, etc. 驴Les suenan esas frases? Seguramente s铆. La creatividad no es un don, es algo que se puede aprender y practicar diariamente como cualquier profesi贸n. Haciendo peque帽as actividades como jugar con las palabras, cambiar las letras de las canciones, relacionar temas sin sentido, cambiar mentalmente la forma de alguna parte del cuerpo de las personas que vemos en la calle, imaginar di谩logos entre personajes que nunca se conocieron como Jesucristo y Napole贸n, etc., desarrollaremos nuestra creatividad, y aunque parezca absurdo, es tan eficaz y sencillo, que despu茅s de practicarlo nuestro estado de humor mejorar谩 y todos los d铆as desearemos hacerlo. Quiz谩s no es el aspecto m谩s destacado para muchos lectores, pero para m铆, la creatividad se convirti贸 en la mejor ense帽anza de este libro. Gracias a esta novela, encontr茅 la chispa que despert贸 mi verdadero ser y que me permite hoy en d铆a expresar mis sentimientos y pensamientos libremente, por ejemplo, haciendo rese帽as como la que est谩n leyendo en este momento.
La historia que nos cuenta Michael Ende es preciosa y est谩 destinada a lectores de todas las edades, aunque por las reflexiones, no recomiendo que sea le铆do en una edad muy temprana. Los ni帽os disfrutar谩n la historia, pero no comprender谩n los mensajes profundos que el autor quiere transmitir. Adem谩s, hay partes que quiz谩s para ellos puedan resultar confusas, por la falta de vocabulario que los seres humanos tenemos en esa etapa de nuestra vida. Nuestra generaci贸n se acostumbr贸 a leer cualquier tipo de texto desde ni帽os, pero las nuevas generaciones no tienen ese chip incluido. Es mejor dejarlos crecer y que cuando est茅n m谩s acostumbrados a leer en secundaria, si lo intenten. Sin embargo, pienso que este libro est谩 destinado especialmente para los adultos, para volver a sentirnos ni帽os, para enamorarnos de los libros y para desintoxicarnos de los malos pensamientos. Si te cansa la cotidianidad y sientes que no hay nada nuevo que descubrir, este libro te erradicar谩 esas ideas para siempre.
En este viaje, acompa帽aremos y conoceremos a Basti谩n Baltasar Bux, un ni帽o de once a帽os que ama los libros, pero que sufre de bullying por parte de sus compa帽eros. 脡l, entrar谩 en la librer铆a del se帽or Koreander para esconderse justamente de ellos y all铆, resultar谩 cometiendo el acto m谩s criminal que ha hecho en su corta vida: Robarse un libro. Desde ese momento, Basti谩n por miedo a que lo capturen y env铆en a la c谩rcel por su hurto, se esconder谩 en el desv谩n de su colegio e iniciar谩 a leer el libro que tom贸: La Historia Interminable. Basti谩n, nos recordar谩 nuestra vida como lectores. Situaciones como leer hasta dormirnos, preocuparnos por el destino de los personajes del libro, emocionarnos con frenes铆 o que seamos vistos como extra帽os por preferir leer un libro que ir a una reuni贸n o una fiesta, son solo algunos ejemplos de lo identificados que podemos sentirnos con Basti谩n, o por lo menos en la primera mitad del libro.
A pesar de ser un libro infantil, conoceremos la transformaci贸n tan dr谩stica que puede sufrir un ser inocente en uno lleno de maldad, por culpa del poder, el odio, los malos amigos y los malos pensamientos. El cambio ser谩 tan dr谩stico que por momentos sentiremos compasi贸n por Basti谩n, pero en otros desearemos su sufrimiento para que madure y deje de ser tan engre铆do.
En este 2020 realic茅 una relectura digital, para entender por qu茅 me hab铆a enamorado de este libro. Tras finalizarlo, record茅 que lo amo por su fantas铆a, por su narraci贸n y por sus mensajes profundos. Es mi libro favorito a pesar de las buenas obras literarias que he conocido en estos a帽os. Sin embargo, recomiendo leerlo f铆sicamente y no digitalmente, porque los colores de la letra son rojo escarlata y verde manzana, por lo que en una pantalla sentir esas transiciones de color cansar谩 nuestra vista sin dudarlo. Adem谩s, el dise帽o del libro es hermoso con su portada emblem谩tica y con sus cap铆tulos que van de la A a la Z, por lo que tomar este libro en las manos, produce un efecto m谩s intenso que mir谩ndolo en una pantalla.
Finalmente, y aunque no puede leerlo porque ya falleci贸 hace m谩s de veinte a帽os, quiero agradecer a Michael Ende por su dedicaci贸n a la escritura y por crear historias tan bonitas. Su prosa y su capacidad para transmitir amor hacia los libros me encanta. Es una maravilla. Es un autor que nos hace creer en la fantas铆a, en la amistad y que nos da grandes lecciones sobre la vida en general a trav茅s de un cuento de hadas. Seguramente, leer茅 todas sus novelas y cuentos con el paso del tiempo, pero 茅sa es otra historia y debe ser contada en otra ocasi贸n.
Gracias Michael Ende por este gran legado que nos has dejado. Muchas gracias.
Existen todo tipo de libros: Los que nos hacen re铆r, los que nos asustan, los que nos sorprenden, los que nos hacen llorar, los que terminamos odiando y existen libros que nos tocan el alma y nos cambian la vida. La particularidad, es que cada lector tiene una lista diferente y es respetable. Es respetable, porque para quienes nos gusta leer, los libros son como nuestra familia: A pesar de que hablen mal de ellos, tengan mil defectos y en algunos casos nadie quiera su compa帽铆a, para nosotros son lo m谩s importante de nuestra vida, son nuestros amigos y un v铆nculo indestructible nos mantiene unidos por siempre. Cada lector tiene un amigo diferente y por m谩s que pasen los a帽os, nunca lo olvidar谩. En mi caso, ese amigo se llama La Historia Interminable.
Mi aventura con La Historia Interminable comenz贸 a finales del 2015, en una 茅poca muy problem谩tica y dif铆cil de mi vida donde, sin importar lo que hiciera, todo me sal铆a mal. Ese a帽o estuvo colmado de tantos problemas y cambios repentinos, que no pude evitar entrar en depresi贸n. Todo el tiempo sent铆a confusi贸n, tristeza, desesperanza, indecisi贸n, infelicidad y una falta de amor y confianza en m铆 mismo, que me dejo tan desanimado y con tanta negatividad, que me estaba destruyendo por completo. Nunca le mencion茅 esto a mi familia porque no quer铆a preocupar a mis seres queridos, pero en mi interior me sent铆a tan mal, que muchas veces mi 煤nico deseo era dormir para olvidar mis problemas: Pensar se hab铆a convertido en mi tortura. La 煤nica soluci贸n que se me ocurri贸 fue buscar en Internet alternativas para curarme, de esa forma encontr茅 sinf铆n de libros de autoayuda y consejos como hacer yoga, un diario, etc., pero que tras intentarlo no me ayudaban en nada. Entonces, repentinamente un d铆a, mi hermano lleno de emoci贸n me cont贸 que hab铆a escuchado un audiolibro maravilloso, declar贸 ser su nuevo libro favorito y me lo recomend贸 para que lo disfrutara tambi茅n. El nombre de ese libro era La Historia Interminable. Ese d铆a, aunque capt贸 mi atenci贸n, lo ignor茅. No estaba acostumbrado a leer digitalmente, no ten铆a ganas de comprar libros y mucho menos deseaba escuchar un audiolibro porque no pod铆a concentrarme con tantos problemas. En ese tiempo desconoc铆a por completo que un libro de fantas铆a tendr铆a la llave de mi paz interior.
Pasaron los meses y un d铆a cuando acompa帽aba a mi hermana a la biblioteca, con tan solo poner un pie adentro en ese lugar, sent铆 una conexi贸n poderosa y c谩lida por algo que se encontraba all铆. Impulsado por ese fuerte sentimiento, recorr铆 estantes, acarici茅 libros, le铆 muchos t铆tulos y me sorprend铆 a m铆 mismo buscando con tanto inter茅s algo que no sab铆a que era. Siempre me han gustado los libros, pero antes de ese d铆a no conoc铆a esa pasi贸n por disfrutar de una prosa exquisita, de re铆r y llorar con un pu帽ado de letras, de verme inmerso en la magia e imaginaci贸n de cada autor, de viajar y conocer miles de lugares sin moverme de mi sitio. Nada de eso lo hab铆a vivido, pero cuando mis dedos rozaron el lomo de esta obra, en mi subconsciente ya sab铆a que estaba a punto de vivirlo. Mi hermana pidi贸 este libro prestado para m铆 y al llegar a casa lo devor茅 y mi forma de ver la vida cambi贸 completamente.
Es un libro que me conect贸 con el ni帽o interior que llevo adentro, que me ayud贸 a recordar los momentos felices de mi infancia y adolescencia, y que conmovi贸 mi coraz贸n como nunca antes una historia lo hab铆a logrado. Cada p谩rrafo lo sent铆 lleno de amor, de ternura y de mensajes tan profundos que me llegaron al alma. Lo que necesitaba era encontrarme conmigo mismo y con este libro eso se volvi贸 realidad. Desde ese momento, volv铆 a sentir amor por la vida, por mi familia, por mi entorno, a disfrutar de las peque帽as cosas, a valorar la experiencia de nuestros antepasados, pero principalmente me enamor茅 de los libros. Cada d铆a anhelaba leer m谩s y m谩s, para comprender la manera de pensar de miles de personajes y autores por medio de sus historias. Con los libros, he logrado tener un estado de paz muy agradable y obtener inspiraci贸n constante, todo gracias a los cientos de reflexiones que podemos encontrar en este universo de palabras.
Con este libro, recuperaremos la capacidad de crear e imaginar que ten铆amos cuando 茅ramos ni帽os, pero que fuimos perdiendo por frases como 鈥渓a imaginaci贸n es para los ni帽os鈥�, 鈥渦sted ya est谩 muy grande para eso鈥�, 鈥渦se el tiempo para algo que valga la pena鈥�, 鈥渢odo lo nuevo ya se invent贸鈥�, etc. 驴Les suenan esas frases? Seguramente s铆. La creatividad no es un don, es algo que se puede aprender y practicar diariamente como cualquier profesi贸n. Haciendo peque帽as actividades como jugar con las palabras, cambiar las letras de las canciones, relacionar temas sin sentido, cambiar mentalmente la forma de alguna parte del cuerpo de las personas que vemos en la calle, imaginar di谩logos entre personajes que nunca se conocieron como Jesucristo y Napole贸n, etc., desarrollaremos nuestra creatividad, y aunque parezca absurdo, es tan eficaz y sencillo, que despu茅s de practicarlo nuestro estado de humor mejorar谩 y todos los d铆as desearemos hacerlo. Quiz谩s no es el aspecto m谩s destacado para muchos lectores, pero para m铆, la creatividad se convirti贸 en la mejor ense帽anza de este libro. Gracias a esta novela, encontr茅 la chispa que despert贸 mi verdadero ser y que me permite hoy en d铆a expresar mis sentimientos y pensamientos libremente, por ejemplo, haciendo rese帽as como la que est谩n leyendo en este momento.
La historia que nos cuenta Michael Ende es preciosa y est谩 destinada a lectores de todas las edades, aunque por las reflexiones, no recomiendo que sea le铆do en una edad muy temprana. Los ni帽os disfrutar谩n la historia, pero no comprender谩n los mensajes profundos que el autor quiere transmitir. Adem谩s, hay partes que quiz谩s para ellos puedan resultar confusas, por la falta de vocabulario que los seres humanos tenemos en esa etapa de nuestra vida. Nuestra generaci贸n se acostumbr贸 a leer cualquier tipo de texto desde ni帽os, pero las nuevas generaciones no tienen ese chip incluido. Es mejor dejarlos crecer y que cuando est茅n m谩s acostumbrados a leer en secundaria, si lo intenten. Sin embargo, pienso que este libro est谩 destinado especialmente para los adultos, para volver a sentirnos ni帽os, para enamorarnos de los libros y para desintoxicarnos de los malos pensamientos. Si te cansa la cotidianidad y sientes que no hay nada nuevo que descubrir, este libro te erradicar谩 esas ideas para siempre.
En este viaje, acompa帽aremos y conoceremos a Basti谩n Baltasar Bux, un ni帽o de once a帽os que ama los libros, pero que sufre de bullying por parte de sus compa帽eros. 脡l, entrar谩 en la librer铆a del se帽or Koreander para esconderse justamente de ellos y all铆, resultar谩 cometiendo el acto m谩s criminal que ha hecho en su corta vida: Robarse un libro. Desde ese momento, Basti谩n por miedo a que lo capturen y env铆en a la c谩rcel por su hurto, se esconder谩 en el desv谩n de su colegio e iniciar谩 a leer el libro que tom贸: La Historia Interminable. Basti谩n, nos recordar谩 nuestra vida como lectores. Situaciones como leer hasta dormirnos, preocuparnos por el destino de los personajes del libro, emocionarnos con frenes铆 o que seamos vistos como extra帽os por preferir leer un libro que ir a una reuni贸n o una fiesta, son solo algunos ejemplos de lo identificados que podemos sentirnos con Basti谩n, o por lo menos en la primera mitad del libro.
A pesar de ser un libro infantil, conoceremos la transformaci贸n tan dr谩stica que puede sufrir un ser inocente en uno lleno de maldad, por culpa del poder, el odio, los malos amigos y los malos pensamientos. El cambio ser谩 tan dr谩stico que por momentos sentiremos compasi贸n por Basti谩n, pero en otros desearemos su sufrimiento para que madure y deje de ser tan engre铆do.
En este 2020 realic茅 una relectura digital, para entender por qu茅 me hab铆a enamorado de este libro. Tras finalizarlo, record茅 que lo amo por su fantas铆a, por su narraci贸n y por sus mensajes profundos. Es mi libro favorito a pesar de las buenas obras literarias que he conocido en estos a帽os. Sin embargo, recomiendo leerlo f铆sicamente y no digitalmente, porque los colores de la letra son rojo escarlata y verde manzana, por lo que en una pantalla sentir esas transiciones de color cansar谩 nuestra vista sin dudarlo. Adem谩s, el dise帽o del libro es hermoso con su portada emblem谩tica y con sus cap铆tulos que van de la A a la Z, por lo que tomar este libro en las manos, produce un efecto m谩s intenso que mir谩ndolo en una pantalla.
Finalmente, y aunque no puede leerlo porque ya falleci贸 hace m谩s de veinte a帽os, quiero agradecer a Michael Ende por su dedicaci贸n a la escritura y por crear historias tan bonitas. Su prosa y su capacidad para transmitir amor hacia los libros me encanta. Es una maravilla. Es un autor que nos hace creer en la fantas铆a, en la amistad y que nos da grandes lecciones sobre la vida en general a trav茅s de un cuento de hadas. Seguramente, leer茅 todas sus novelas y cuentos con el paso del tiempo, pero 茅sa es otra historia y debe ser contada en otra ocasi贸n.
Gracias Michael Ende por este gran legado que nos has dejado. Muchas gracias.
August 8, 2021
Die Unendliche Geschichte = The Never Ending Story, Michael Ende
The Neverending Story is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, first published in 1979. An English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was first published in 1983. The novel was later adapted into several films.
The book centers on a boy, Bastian Balthazar Bux, a overweight and strange child who is neglected by his father after the death of Bastian's mother.
While escaping from some bullies, Bastian bursts into the antiquarian book store of Carl Conrad Coreander, where he finds his interest held by a book called The Neverending Story.
Unable to resist, he steals the book and hides in his school's attic, where he begins to read. ...
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鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 17/06/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 16/05/1400賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
The Neverending Story is a fantasy novel by German writer Michael Ende, first published in 1979. An English translation, by Ralph Manheim, was first published in 1983. The novel was later adapted into several films.
The book centers on a boy, Bastian Balthazar Bux, a overweight and strange child who is neglected by his father after the death of Bastian's mother.
While escaping from some bullies, Bastian bursts into the antiquarian book store of Carl Conrad Coreander, where he finds his interest held by a book called The Neverending Story.
Unable to resist, he steals the book and hides in his school's attic, where he begins to read. ...
鬲丕乇蹖禺 賳禺爻鬲蹖賳 禺賵丕賳卮: 乇賵夭 亘蹖爻鬲 賵 爻賵賲 賲丕賴 爻倬鬲丕賲亘乇 爻丕賱 2009賲蹖賱丕丿蹖
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賴乇 亘丕乇 讴賴 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 丌乇夭賵賴丕蹖 芦亘丕爻鬲蹖丕賳禄 亘賴 乇丕爻鬲蹖 賲蹖鈥屬聚屬堎嗁嗀� 丕賵 蹖讴蹖 丕夭 蹖丕丿賲丕賴丕蹖 禺賵蹖卮 乇丕 丿乇 丿賳蹖丕蹖 乇丕爻鬲蹖賳貙 賮乇丕賲賵卮貙 賵 丕夭 蹖丕丿 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘ必� 賴賳诏丕賲蹖 讴賴 丿蹖诏乇 蹖丕丿賲丕賳蹖 亘乇丕蹖卮 賳賲丕賳丿賴貙 亘賴 賲毓賳丕蹖 乇丕爻鬲蹖賳貙 亘賴 賲兀賲賵乇蹖鬲蹖 讴賴 亘丕蹖丿 鬲賵爻胤 芦丌乇蹖賳禄 亘賴 丕賳噩丕賲 亘乇爻丕賳丿貙 倬蹖 賲蹖鈥屫ㄘ必� 芦丌鬲乇蹖賵禄 賵 芦賮賵禺賵乇禄 亘賴 蹖丕乇蹖 芦亘丕爻鬲蹖丕賳禄 賲蹖丌蹖賳丿貙 賵 爻乇丕賳噩丕賲 丕賵 倬蹖乇賵夭 賲蹖鈥屫促堌� 鬲丕 亘賴 丿賳蹖丕蹖 乇丕爻鬲蹖賳 亘丕夭诏乇丿丿貨
賴賳诏丕賲蹖 讴賴 芦亘丕爻鬲蹖丕賳禄 亘賴 丿賳蹖丕蹖 乇丕爻鬲蹖賳 亘丕夭賲蹖鈥屭必� 讴鬲丕亘 賳丕倬丿蹖丿 卮丿賴鈥� 丕爻鬲貨 芦亘丕爻鬲蹖丕賳禄 讴賵卮卮 賲蹖鈥屭┵嗀� 鬲丕 亘丕 氐丕丨亘 讴鬲丕亘 賮乇賵卮蹖 丌賯丕蹖 芦讴賵乇賽丌賳丿乇禄 诏賮鬲诏賵 讴乇丿賴貙 鬲賵囟蹖丨 丿賴丿貙 讴賴 讴鬲丕亘 趩诏賵賳賴 賳丕倬丿蹖丿 卮丿賴鈥� 丕爻鬲貙 賵 亘丕 鬲毓噩亘 丿乇賲蹖鈥屰屫жㄘ� 讴賴 氐丕丨亘 讴鬲丕亘 賮乇賵卮蹖貙 亘賴 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丕賵 毓賱丕賯賲賳丿 丕爻鬲貨 讴鬲丕亘 亘丕 丕蹖賳 噩賲賱丕鬲 倬丕蹖丕賳 賲蹖鈥屰屫жㄘ�: 芦亘丕爻鬲蹖丕賳 亘丕賱鬲丕夭丕乇 亘賵讴爻禄貙 丕诏乇 丕卮鬲亘丕賴 賳讴賳賲 鬲賵 亘賴 亘毓囟蹖鈥屬囏� 乇丕賴 賵乇賵丿 亘賴 爻乇夭賲蹖賳 乇丐蹖丕賴丕 乇丕 賳卮丕賳 禺賵丕賴蹖 丿丕丿貙 鬲丕 丕夭 丌亘 趩卮賲賴 蹖 夭賳丿诏丕賳蹖 亘乇丕蹖 賲丕 丕乇賲睾丕賳蹖 亘蹖丕賵乇賳丿貨 丌賯丕蹖 芦讴賵乇丌賳丿乇禄 丕卮鬲亘丕賴 賳賲蹖鈥屭┴必嗀� 賵賱蹖 丕蹖賳 丿丕爻鬲丕賳 丿蹖诏乇蹖 丕爻鬲 讴賴 亘毓丿賴丕 亘丕夭诏賵 禺賵丕賴蹖賲 讴乇丿
鬲丕乇蹖禺 亘賴賳诏丕賲 乇爻丕賳蹖 17/06/1399賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 16/05/1400賴噩乇蹖 禺賵乇卮蹖丿蹖貨 丕. 卮乇亘蹖丕賳蹖
March 6, 2023
Although I have read this novel more than twenty times, I have, until now, never actually written a longer and more involved review for Michael Ende's utterly amazing Die unendliche Geschichte (I have also never read it in English and do not intend to either, sorry, although I have heard that the translation, that The Neverending Story is supposed to be very good). Now I first read it in German in the early 80s, I believe, and I have reread it regularly over the years. Die unendliche Geschichte is thus truly one of my all-time favourite German children's literature books. And I love/adore everything about Die unendliche Geschichte, including the ingenious way the chapters are arranged, as well as the different colour fonts (red for reality, blue for Fantastica, or Phant谩sien in German). Because for me, the different fonts are not only an ingenious plot and narrative device, they also represent the separation of fantasy and reality. However, the fantastical first letters of each of the 26 chapters, representing the 26 letters of the alphabet, are ALL (at least in my own copy Die unendliche Geschichte) presented in the same reddish font as the parts of the story that take place in the real world (and yes, even for those chapters based wholly and entirely in Fantastica); this shows on a visual level that while fantasy and reality might be separate spheres and different from one another, they are nevertheless forever linked.
I remember when we were reading Die unendliche Geschichte in the Children's Literature Group (quite a few years ago), one of my GR friends asked if the story actually ever did end. And I have to admit that when I first read Die unendliche Geschichte as a teenager, I in fact kept searching for other novels by the Michael Ende about Fantastica, as he was always hinting at precisely that eventuality (but that is another story), until I finally realised that this was just a plot device by Michael Ende. At first, this bothered me a bit (I actually even felt a wee bit cheated). But then, I realised how ingenious this particular plot device was (and is) for Die unendliche Geschichte, since this solidifies Michael Ende's belief that every book is of course a neverending story, and that books engender other stories and so on and so on. But furthermore, for a reader who might become somewhat nervous and apprehensive when reading exciting or frightening tales, the fact that the author claims that there will be more (future) tales of Fantastica, gives a comforting (but spoiler-less) reassurance that Fantastica will survive, that the nothing (the emptiness) will not succeed in utterly destroying fantasy and the realms of the fantastical.
Now in the first part of Die unendliche Geschichte, the main emphasis seems to be mostly on the absolute importance and necessity of fantasy and imagination and how the lack thereof is detrimental to not only the realms of Fantastica, but also to the real world (to reality). And while Michael Ende's text is never openly didactic, it does possess an obvious message against pure materialism and the disallowance and discrediting of fantasy (and imagination), as the childlike empress will succumb to her illness and with her all of Fantastica, unless a human being can enter Fantastica and give the empress a new name (and humans used to regularly find their way to the realms of fantasy, but they are seemingly losing this ability, or are perhaps unwilling or afraid to make use of it). And while Bastian does, in fact, possess said fantasy and imagination, he is also at first too unsure of himself to give the empress the name he has created for her (moon child). Indeed, the empress must resort to trickery and subterfuge in order to persuade Bastian to finally utter her name, to stop the nothing and to himself become part of the world of Fantastica, to enter into the latter's realm.
And in the second part of Die unendliche Geschichte, Bastian is then given the opportunity (and the task) to use the power of his own imagination (his own wishes and desires) to reconstruct Fantastica (which indeed was almost totally annihilated by the Nothing). At first, it seems that there are no limits imposed; in fact, the empress actually tells Bastian that he should do what he wishes, what he wants. But there are some essential internal limits, namely that Bastian's main responsibility, his main goal is to find the nature of his one true (his dearest) desire (which is something that Bastian only learns slowly, bit by bit). And it rapidly becomes apparent in the second part of Die unendliche Geschichte that Bastian's desires to be strong and courageous, of wanting to change his outward appearance are not only not his actual, histrue wishes, they also demonstrate that Bastian, actually only uses imagination and fantasy as an escape from a world (from a reality) that he does not like very much, a world where he can neither love nor be and feel loved. Thus Bastian actually does not truly reconstruct Fantastica by creating new realms of fantasy, he instead uses these mostly to escape from both reality and his own personality. And in fact, Bastian actually becomes majorly dictatorial in Die unendliche Geschichte, even attempting to usurp power from the childlike empress, but luckily for him, this proves unsuccessful, and faced with the loss of his memories, Bastian finally realises that his dearest wish is to love himself, to be able to love, that without love, there truly is absolutely nothing.
And with Die unendliche Geschichte (The Neverending Story) Michael Ende demonstrates (and shows this clearly and shiningly) how the interaction and interplay of fantasy and reality, of Fantastica and humanity only succeeds if one strives to use fantasy and imagination to improve reality, and that because Bastian is unable to love either the world or himself, he uses fantasy not to improve reality, but to escape from it (to even destroy it perhaps). This fault, this main problematic issue causes Bastian to almost become permanently stranded in Fantastica, which might at first not seem such a bad result, except that, becoming stranded in Fantastica also means losing one's memories, losing one's soul and sanity. And in the end, it is almost too late for Bastian, and basically, even though he has realised what his greatest desire is (love), it is only Atreju's friendship which allows Bastian to regain all of his memories and be allowed to return (with new vigour and with enlightenment) to the real world, as Atreju takes over the responsibility of finishing all of the stories that had been started by Bastian, and it is this which liberates Bastian, allowing his return to reality and to sanity and memory and to his father.
But with Bastian's return, we also notice that Bastian has not only learned how to love, and also allowed his father to love again, he has also learned to take responsibility for his actions, for Bastian himself goes to Mr. Coreander to tell him about taking the book, he does not rely on his father to do this (although his father does indeed offer). Thus the main point of Die unendliche Geschichte, at least for me personally , is and always will be that imagination and fantasy are essential for life and happiness, but that they must also not be used as an escape mechanism, as a bandaid type of solution (they should, they must be utilised in a responsible, moderate, temperate manner). They are to be used as a tool, an enjoyable tool, but a tool nevertheless, as a method of allowing fantasy and reality to exist together in friendship and harmony. And as such, Michael Ende's Die Unendliche Geschichte also harkens back very strongly and stridently to the German Enlightenment, to the era of the Aufkl盲riung, where part of the main thematics was a striving for moderation, for the middle road, for a combination of reality and fantasy, with reality being enhanced with and by fantasy and fantasy being tempered with and by reality and realism. Michael Ende is therefore both an acolyte and a shining mirror image of one of my favourite German Enlightenment authors, Christoph Martin Wieland, whose work always strives for a combination of fantasy and reality, for moderation and a rejection of any form of extremism, including idealism; everything must be moderate and and everything must be centrist.
I remember when we were reading Die unendliche Geschichte in the Children's Literature Group (quite a few years ago), one of my GR friends asked if the story actually ever did end. And I have to admit that when I first read Die unendliche Geschichte as a teenager, I in fact kept searching for other novels by the Michael Ende about Fantastica, as he was always hinting at precisely that eventuality (but that is another story), until I finally realised that this was just a plot device by Michael Ende. At first, this bothered me a bit (I actually even felt a wee bit cheated). But then, I realised how ingenious this particular plot device was (and is) for Die unendliche Geschichte, since this solidifies Michael Ende's belief that every book is of course a neverending story, and that books engender other stories and so on and so on. But furthermore, for a reader who might become somewhat nervous and apprehensive when reading exciting or frightening tales, the fact that the author claims that there will be more (future) tales of Fantastica, gives a comforting (but spoiler-less) reassurance that Fantastica will survive, that the nothing (the emptiness) will not succeed in utterly destroying fantasy and the realms of the fantastical.
Now in the first part of Die unendliche Geschichte, the main emphasis seems to be mostly on the absolute importance and necessity of fantasy and imagination and how the lack thereof is detrimental to not only the realms of Fantastica, but also to the real world (to reality). And while Michael Ende's text is never openly didactic, it does possess an obvious message against pure materialism and the disallowance and discrediting of fantasy (and imagination), as the childlike empress will succumb to her illness and with her all of Fantastica, unless a human being can enter Fantastica and give the empress a new name (and humans used to regularly find their way to the realms of fantasy, but they are seemingly losing this ability, or are perhaps unwilling or afraid to make use of it). And while Bastian does, in fact, possess said fantasy and imagination, he is also at first too unsure of himself to give the empress the name he has created for her (moon child). Indeed, the empress must resort to trickery and subterfuge in order to persuade Bastian to finally utter her name, to stop the nothing and to himself become part of the world of Fantastica, to enter into the latter's realm.
And in the second part of Die unendliche Geschichte, Bastian is then given the opportunity (and the task) to use the power of his own imagination (his own wishes and desires) to reconstruct Fantastica (which indeed was almost totally annihilated by the Nothing). At first, it seems that there are no limits imposed; in fact, the empress actually tells Bastian that he should do what he wishes, what he wants. But there are some essential internal limits, namely that Bastian's main responsibility, his main goal is to find the nature of his one true (his dearest) desire (which is something that Bastian only learns slowly, bit by bit). And it rapidly becomes apparent in the second part of Die unendliche Geschichte that Bastian's desires to be strong and courageous, of wanting to change his outward appearance are not only not his actual, histrue wishes, they also demonstrate that Bastian, actually only uses imagination and fantasy as an escape from a world (from a reality) that he does not like very much, a world where he can neither love nor be and feel loved. Thus Bastian actually does not truly reconstruct Fantastica by creating new realms of fantasy, he instead uses these mostly to escape from both reality and his own personality. And in fact, Bastian actually becomes majorly dictatorial in Die unendliche Geschichte, even attempting to usurp power from the childlike empress, but luckily for him, this proves unsuccessful, and faced with the loss of his memories, Bastian finally realises that his dearest wish is to love himself, to be able to love, that without love, there truly is absolutely nothing.
And with Die unendliche Geschichte (The Neverending Story) Michael Ende demonstrates (and shows this clearly and shiningly) how the interaction and interplay of fantasy and reality, of Fantastica and humanity only succeeds if one strives to use fantasy and imagination to improve reality, and that because Bastian is unable to love either the world or himself, he uses fantasy not to improve reality, but to escape from it (to even destroy it perhaps). This fault, this main problematic issue causes Bastian to almost become permanently stranded in Fantastica, which might at first not seem such a bad result, except that, becoming stranded in Fantastica also means losing one's memories, losing one's soul and sanity. And in the end, it is almost too late for Bastian, and basically, even though he has realised what his greatest desire is (love), it is only Atreju's friendship which allows Bastian to regain all of his memories and be allowed to return (with new vigour and with enlightenment) to the real world, as Atreju takes over the responsibility of finishing all of the stories that had been started by Bastian, and it is this which liberates Bastian, allowing his return to reality and to sanity and memory and to his father.
But with Bastian's return, we also notice that Bastian has not only learned how to love, and also allowed his father to love again, he has also learned to take responsibility for his actions, for Bastian himself goes to Mr. Coreander to tell him about taking the book, he does not rely on his father to do this (although his father does indeed offer). Thus the main point of Die unendliche Geschichte, at least for me personally , is and always will be that imagination and fantasy are essential for life and happiness, but that they must also not be used as an escape mechanism, as a bandaid type of solution (they should, they must be utilised in a responsible, moderate, temperate manner). They are to be used as a tool, an enjoyable tool, but a tool nevertheless, as a method of allowing fantasy and reality to exist together in friendship and harmony. And as such, Michael Ende's Die Unendliche Geschichte also harkens back very strongly and stridently to the German Enlightenment, to the era of the Aufkl盲riung, where part of the main thematics was a striving for moderation, for the middle road, for a combination of reality and fantasy, with reality being enhanced with and by fantasy and fantasy being tempered with and by reality and realism. Michael Ende is therefore both an acolyte and a shining mirror image of one of my favourite German Enlightenment authors, Christoph Martin Wieland, whose work always strives for a combination of fantasy and reality, for moderation and a rejection of any form of extremism, including idealism; everything must be moderate and and everything must be centrist.
May 19, 2021
Re-Read, 5/19/20:
Read with my girl!
I had to share this gem. Or rather, GEM. :) All real stories are never-ending, after all, and now she's caught in the tale... forever. :)
Her favorite parts? Atreyu meeting Falcor for the first time. All the beautiful pictures at the head of each chapter, each one following the alphabet. And the idea that she, too, is going to be caught in AURIN. And she is. As I am.
Classics remain classics. :)
Re-Read, 4/10/20:
After yet another re-read, I've come to a simple conclusion: I decided to write fiction because I loved this story so much. I figured it out as a kid when I saw this movie for the first time.
So, why is that?
Because every work of fiction is a collaboration between the writer and the reader. In this case, it's between a reader and the written word and the actual reader of both... and the uber-reader, all of whom include each one of us, create this world anew.
We are the Neverending Story.
So what does this mean when it comes to the second half of the tale, where wishes remove memories? Is it a magic-consequence rule? Or is it just another metaphor for growing old, forgetting about our youth and creativity?
I tend to think it is the hard-rule of death. Generations pass and stories pass out of memory. Sometimes they don't, but most of the time, they do.
And this is why it's all the more important to keep the dream alive. Keep the STORIES alive.
Original Review:
Like many people of my generation, I loved the film adaptation (the first, not the second, thank you) and never realized that it had come from a book until a number of years later. In fact, I read it the first time in '07 and not only was I delighted at how imaginative it was, but I was also flabbergasted (joyfully so) that it lived up to its name.
It's quick reading by any standard, but so deliciously dense in imagery, mythology, and an engrossing plot that I swore that if I had any children, this would be a staple of their diet.
Now that I have a little girl, I'm just too anxious to start reading it to her. I really can't sit still. I keep picking up the book and going, "Is she old enough, yet? Is she? Is she?" Then I set down the book and tear out my metaphorical hair and let out a forlorn cry. Then I get a fantastic idea:
I could just read it again, for myself!
Then everything is right with the world again and I'm able to write a new review.
This is easily one of my favorite tales, ever.
An extra goodie: April had a great review that forced me to think and respond in (I hope) a comprehensible way. Check it out. April's Review
Read with my girl!
I had to share this gem. Or rather, GEM. :) All real stories are never-ending, after all, and now she's caught in the tale... forever. :)
Her favorite parts? Atreyu meeting Falcor for the first time. All the beautiful pictures at the head of each chapter, each one following the alphabet. And the idea that she, too, is going to be caught in AURIN. And she is. As I am.
Classics remain classics. :)
Re-Read, 4/10/20:
After yet another re-read, I've come to a simple conclusion: I decided to write fiction because I loved this story so much. I figured it out as a kid when I saw this movie for the first time.
So, why is that?
Because every work of fiction is a collaboration between the writer and the reader. In this case, it's between a reader and the written word and the actual reader of both... and the uber-reader, all of whom include each one of us, create this world anew.
We are the Neverending Story.
So what does this mean when it comes to the second half of the tale, where wishes remove memories? Is it a magic-consequence rule? Or is it just another metaphor for growing old, forgetting about our youth and creativity?
I tend to think it is the hard-rule of death. Generations pass and stories pass out of memory. Sometimes they don't, but most of the time, they do.
And this is why it's all the more important to keep the dream alive. Keep the STORIES alive.
Original Review:
Like many people of my generation, I loved the film adaptation (the first, not the second, thank you) and never realized that it had come from a book until a number of years later. In fact, I read it the first time in '07 and not only was I delighted at how imaginative it was, but I was also flabbergasted (joyfully so) that it lived up to its name.
It's quick reading by any standard, but so deliciously dense in imagery, mythology, and an engrossing plot that I swore that if I had any children, this would be a staple of their diet.
Now that I have a little girl, I'm just too anxious to start reading it to her. I really can't sit still. I keep picking up the book and going, "Is she old enough, yet? Is she? Is she?" Then I set down the book and tear out my metaphorical hair and let out a forlorn cry. Then I get a fantastic idea:
I could just read it again, for myself!
Then everything is right with the world again and I'm able to write a new review.
This is easily one of my favorite tales, ever.
An extra goodie: April had a great review that forced me to think and respond in (I hope) a comprehensible way. Check it out. April's Review
August 12, 2022
DNF 70%, ale pozwalam sobie oceni膰, bo nigdy w 偶yciu z 偶adn膮 ksi膮偶k膮 si臋 tak nie m臋czy艂am.
To pierwszy audiobook, kt贸ry podrzucam. Wi臋kszo艣膰 ksi膮偶ek i tak jestem w stanie dos艂ucha膰. Edyta Jungowska mo偶e i jest dobrym lektorem ksi膮偶ek dla dzieci鈥� z tym 偶e trafia tylko do dzieci, bo doros艂y nie jest w stanie tego s艂ucha膰.
Niech ta historia pozostanie nieko艅cz膮c膮 si臋 w mojej pami臋ci, bo i tak do niczego nie prowadzi艂a.
To pierwszy audiobook, kt贸ry podrzucam. Wi臋kszo艣膰 ksi膮偶ek i tak jestem w stanie dos艂ucha膰. Edyta Jungowska mo偶e i jest dobrym lektorem ksi膮偶ek dla dzieci鈥� z tym 偶e trafia tylko do dzieci, bo doros艂y nie jest w stanie tego s艂ucha膰.
Niech ta historia pozostanie nieko艅cz膮c膮 si臋 w mojej pami臋ci, bo i tak do niczego nie prowadzi艂a.
August 4, 2020
- Already back, Gabriel?
- Yes boss.
- All items complete?
- Mission accomplished boss. I have delivered Thy latest message to Thy people.
- Well done, my good and faithful servant!
- Thanks boss.
- I would of course like a full report. Any problems?
- Uh...
- I suspected as much.
- I'm sorry boss. Thou knowest how delicate these things are.
- Don't I ever. Okay, how did you plant the idea?
- Well that part went well boss. I located the subject, a Herr Michael Ende, and I put a note in the shoe-box where he jotted down his odd thoughts. He found it and thought he'd written it himself.
- Excellent start. So what happened next?
- It looked great boss. He started writing at once, I was as usual passing him the material in his dreams.
- Any satanic verses?
- A few. But I found a neat solution, I got his wife to edit them out and he accepted all her changes. He just added a line for each one saying "but that is another story and will be told another time".
- Nice technique, Gabriel.
- Thanks boss.
- And then?
- I should have been more alert, it was kinda going too well. His publisher loved it. He found this illustrator and she did an amazing job on the illuminated capitals.
- You inspired her too?
- A bit.
- Did the manuscript get lost or something?
- No, the book was published! It was a runaway bestseller. It got translated into forty languages. Thy word went out to every corner of Thy world.
- So whatever went wrong?
- Uh, I'm really sorry boss. I took my eye off the ball for a moment. Before I knew what was happening, they'd decided to film it.
- Well, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.
- I think the competition got to the studio execs before I did. By the time I reached them, they'd cut out the second half.
- They WHAT?!!
- Like I said boss, I'm really sorry. I asked Miracles if we could destroy them in a rain of fire, but they said we were in the middle of a period of mercy and forbearance.
- I knew that was a bad idea.
- I did what I could boss. I got Michael Ende to sue the studio. But he lost.
- The competition always have better lawyers, don't they?
- Yes boss.
- So what's the bottom line?
- Boss, I feel terrible about this. The movie has become the canonical version. Most people think it's a straight fantasy adventure story for children.
- A fantasy adventure story for children?!
- Yes boss.
- Haven't they ever seen a mystical vision before?! What's wrong with them?!! How is this even possible?!!!
- Thou art the omniscient one boss.
- I sometimes wish I wasn't.
- Yes boss.
- Well, these things happen. Anyway it's not Ende's fault. Look, I've got another message prepared. A parable on the metaphysics of time.
- Sounds great boss.
- I don't want to boast, but I think it's one of My better pieces. Now can I trust you to deliver it to him?
- I won't relax for a second boss. I've learned my lesson. Hey, here's an idea. I'll go back in time so that it comes out first.
- Good angel. Alright, get moving. We've got work to do.
________________________
But seriously...
- Yes boss.
- All items complete?
- Mission accomplished boss. I have delivered Thy latest message to Thy people.
- Well done, my good and faithful servant!
- Thanks boss.
- I would of course like a full report. Any problems?
- Uh...
- I suspected as much.
- I'm sorry boss. Thou knowest how delicate these things are.
- Don't I ever. Okay, how did you plant the idea?
- Well that part went well boss. I located the subject, a Herr Michael Ende, and I put a note in the shoe-box where he jotted down his odd thoughts. He found it and thought he'd written it himself.
- Excellent start. So what happened next?
- It looked great boss. He started writing at once, I was as usual passing him the material in his dreams.
- Any satanic verses?
- A few. But I found a neat solution, I got his wife to edit them out and he accepted all her changes. He just added a line for each one saying "but that is another story and will be told another time".
- Nice technique, Gabriel.
- Thanks boss.
- And then?
- I should have been more alert, it was kinda going too well. His publisher loved it. He found this illustrator and she did an amazing job on the illuminated capitals.
- You inspired her too?
- A bit.
- Did the manuscript get lost or something?
- No, the book was published! It was a runaway bestseller. It got translated into forty languages. Thy word went out to every corner of Thy world.
- So whatever went wrong?
- Uh, I'm really sorry boss. I took my eye off the ball for a moment. Before I knew what was happening, they'd decided to film it.
- Well, that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.
- I think the competition got to the studio execs before I did. By the time I reached them, they'd cut out the second half.
- They WHAT?!!
- Like I said boss, I'm really sorry. I asked Miracles if we could destroy them in a rain of fire, but they said we were in the middle of a period of mercy and forbearance.
- I knew that was a bad idea.
- I did what I could boss. I got Michael Ende to sue the studio. But he lost.
- The competition always have better lawyers, don't they?
- Yes boss.
- So what's the bottom line?
- Boss, I feel terrible about this. The movie has become the canonical version. Most people think it's a straight fantasy adventure story for children.
- A fantasy adventure story for children?!
- Yes boss.
- Haven't they ever seen a mystical vision before?! What's wrong with them?!! How is this even possible?!!!
- Thou art the omniscient one boss.
- I sometimes wish I wasn't.
- Yes boss.
- Well, these things happen. Anyway it's not Ende's fault. Look, I've got another message prepared. A parable on the metaphysics of time.
- Sounds great boss.
- I don't want to boast, but I think it's one of My better pieces. Now can I trust you to deliver it to him?
- I won't relax for a second boss. I've learned my lesson. Hey, here's an idea. I'll go back in time so that it comes out first.
- Good angel. Alright, get moving. We've got work to do.
________________________
But seriously...
May 14, 2010
I loved most of what I read, yet I鈥檓 stopping on page 352; I just 肠补苍鈥檛 continue. And you know, I鈥檓 not entirely sure why I 肠补苍鈥檛 continue -鈥� I just know that I 肠补苍鈥檛.
But I have a theory.
Having loved the movie version of this in my youth, the whole story is etched into the part of my psyche that deals with childhood; that time when so much is new; where much in the world is observed through an inner-wonder of the mind and a stirring of the soul: a magical state, by adult standards. Freud may have been a kook with some of his beliefs, but psychologists today with all their studies and time-tested proofs, and technology measuring brainwaves, chemicals, etc, now heavily emphasize the impact our childhood has on our adult self. And 鈥渟elf鈥� is everything.
Much of what I read captured me, putting me in a state in which I was accessing stirred-up feelings through a strange inner memory that I鈥檓 incapable of generating even partly on my own, without help, as an adult. The inability to directly replicate the magical feelings that used to be a normal part of our existence as children, yet somehow being aware of them in some odd way now is, in part, I think, why our childhood has the power to affect us so greatly. Even though past thought-processes 肠补苍鈥檛 be fully realized, our greater psyche has a keen memory of them -- it knows exactly what once existed. And sometimes we can reinvigorate hints of what we felt during parts of youth through songs, pictures, books, and movies; and if it鈥檚 something that was specifically wonderful to us as children, all the more magical and powerful our hint of feeling now will be, if triggered properly.
I hadn鈥檛 seen the movie in many years; not since youth, in fact. So reading this swept me into that childlike place of consciousness where everything is awash in wonder. Each piece of familiarity was somewhat cognizant, yes; I knew I had experienced these scenes before through the movie; but the feelings they evoked were wonderfully vague and surreal; awakening, reminding some part of my inner-self how the world seemed when newness and innocence ruled the day; an encompassing sense of past magic.
The movie version is completed at the book鈥檚 halfway point, so it shouldn鈥檛 have been a surprise that that was when my captivation vanished. The book is very well written, and fantasy fans are sure to completely dig it; it鈥檚 a smart, engaging book with important themes. But its strong pull left me, and I was unable to continue in the same state of enthrallment and wonderment. Just like now, as an adult, I can never truly feel like a complete child again. I can only hope to get dashes of that former self, and can only do so in rare circumstances.
But when I am gifted such magic, I will gladly take it and realize it for the priceless treasure that it surely is.
But I have a theory.
Having loved the movie version of this in my youth, the whole story is etched into the part of my psyche that deals with childhood; that time when so much is new; where much in the world is observed through an inner-wonder of the mind and a stirring of the soul: a magical state, by adult standards. Freud may have been a kook with some of his beliefs, but psychologists today with all their studies and time-tested proofs, and technology measuring brainwaves, chemicals, etc, now heavily emphasize the impact our childhood has on our adult self. And 鈥渟elf鈥� is everything.
Much of what I read captured me, putting me in a state in which I was accessing stirred-up feelings through a strange inner memory that I鈥檓 incapable of generating even partly on my own, without help, as an adult. The inability to directly replicate the magical feelings that used to be a normal part of our existence as children, yet somehow being aware of them in some odd way now is, in part, I think, why our childhood has the power to affect us so greatly. Even though past thought-processes 肠补苍鈥檛 be fully realized, our greater psyche has a keen memory of them -- it knows exactly what once existed. And sometimes we can reinvigorate hints of what we felt during parts of youth through songs, pictures, books, and movies; and if it鈥檚 something that was specifically wonderful to us as children, all the more magical and powerful our hint of feeling now will be, if triggered properly.
I hadn鈥檛 seen the movie in many years; not since youth, in fact. So reading this swept me into that childlike place of consciousness where everything is awash in wonder. Each piece of familiarity was somewhat cognizant, yes; I knew I had experienced these scenes before through the movie; but the feelings they evoked were wonderfully vague and surreal; awakening, reminding some part of my inner-self how the world seemed when newness and innocence ruled the day; an encompassing sense of past magic.
The movie version is completed at the book鈥檚 halfway point, so it shouldn鈥檛 have been a surprise that that was when my captivation vanished. The book is very well written, and fantasy fans are sure to completely dig it; it鈥檚 a smart, engaging book with important themes. But its strong pull left me, and I was unable to continue in the same state of enthrallment and wonderment. Just like now, as an adult, I can never truly feel like a complete child again. I can only hope to get dashes of that former self, and can only do so in rare circumstances.
But when I am gifted such magic, I will gladly take it and realize it for the priceless treasure that it surely is.
May 14, 2020
(写芯谢褍 懈 薪邪 斜褗谢谐邪褉褋泻懈, 薪芯 锌芯-锌褉懈斜褉邪薪芯 ;)
The first--and still most luminous--story that urged me to stop running away from my life into books and start weaving books back into my life. If this sounds too abstract, consider the : a child of The Neverending Story, a sister of Moonchild.
This book made me polish my German enough to read it in the original. (And make notes of important mistakes in the Bulgarian translation. ;)
It made me itch to create a , where no two lands of Fantastica ever stay in the same place (so good luck with making your way from point A to point B :D), and the Temple of a Thousand Doors prods you to ponder, Who am I?, and you get to help Atreyu with completing at least a few of those stories started by Bastian, and you meet others, others like you, like me, like us.
It made me look for my truest wish: the one that doesn't go away and doesn't throw the past away (unless it's truly time to let go and move on).
It made me who I am--along with and --more than any other book.
And--for the more academic types among you ;)--it epitomizes a host of .
~ ~ ~
袩褗褉胁邪褌邪 鈥� 懈 胁褋械 芯褖械 薪邪泄-褟褉泻邪褌邪 鈥� 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟, 泻芯褟褌芯 屑械 薪邪褋褗褉褔懈 写邪 褋锌褉邪 写邪 斜褟谐邪屑 芯褌 卸懈胁芯褌邪 褋懈 胁 泻薪懈谐懈褌械 懈 写邪 蟹邪锌芯褔薪邪 写邪 谐懈 胁锌谢懈褌邪屑 芯斜褉邪褌薪芯 胁 薪械谐芯.
袙 效芯胁械褕泻邪褌邪 斜懈斜谢懈芯褌械泻邪 褋褗屑 褋褗斜褉邪谢 薪邪泄-薪邪褋褗褉褔邪胁邪褖懈褌械 芯褌泻褗褋懈:
袛芯斜邪胁泻邪 芯褌 16.01.2016: 袩褉懈 褌芯蟹懈 锌芯褉械写械薪 (屑懈褋谢褟, 写械胁械褌懈) 锌褉械锌褉芯褔懈褌 褋懈 写邪写芯褏 褋屑械褌泻邪, 褔械 鈥炐熝€懈泻邪蟹泻邪 斜械蟹 泻褉邪泄鈥� 械 懈 薪邪泄-褟褉泻邪褌邪 懈谢褞褋褌褉邪褑懈褟 薪邪 .
The first--and still most luminous--story that urged me to stop running away from my life into books and start weaving books back into my life. If this sounds too abstract, consider the : a child of The Neverending Story, a sister of Moonchild.
This book made me polish my German enough to read it in the original. (And make notes of important mistakes in the Bulgarian translation. ;)
It made me itch to create a , where no two lands of Fantastica ever stay in the same place (so good luck with making your way from point A to point B :D), and the Temple of a Thousand Doors prods you to ponder, Who am I?, and you get to help Atreyu with completing at least a few of those stories started by Bastian, and you meet others, others like you, like me, like us.
It made me look for my truest wish: the one that doesn't go away and doesn't throw the past away (unless it's truly time to let go and move on).
It made me who I am--along with and --more than any other book.
And--for the more academic types among you ;)--it epitomizes a host of .
~ ~ ~
袩褗褉胁邪褌邪 鈥� 懈 胁褋械 芯褖械 薪邪泄-褟褉泻邪褌邪 鈥� 懈褋褌芯褉懈褟, 泻芯褟褌芯 屑械 薪邪褋褗褉褔懈 写邪 褋锌褉邪 写邪 斜褟谐邪屑 芯褌 卸懈胁芯褌邪 褋懈 胁 泻薪懈谐懈褌械 懈 写邪 蟹邪锌芯褔薪邪 写邪 谐懈 胁锌谢懈褌邪屑 芯斜褉邪褌薪芯 胁 薪械谐芯.
袙 效芯胁械褕泻邪褌邪 斜懈斜谢懈芯褌械泻邪 褋褗屑 褋褗斜褉邪谢 薪邪泄-薪邪褋褗褉褔邪胁邪褖懈褌械 芯褌泻褗褋懈:
袛芯斜邪胁泻邪 芯褌 16.01.2016: 袩褉懈 褌芯蟹懈 锌芯褉械写械薪 (屑懈褋谢褟, 写械胁械褌懈) 锌褉械锌褉芯褔懈褌 褋懈 写邪写芯褏 褋屑械褌泻邪, 褔械 鈥炐熝€懈泻邪蟹泻邪 斜械蟹 泻褉邪泄鈥� 械 懈 薪邪泄-褟褉泻邪褌邪 懈谢褞褋褌褉邪褑懈褟 薪邪 .
October 30, 2019
I liked the movie better than the book. I do love how all the chapters started with the alphabet!
Mel 馃枻馃惗馃惡馃惥
Mel 馃枻馃惗馃惡馃惥
February 11, 2020
This is almost like 2 books wrapped in one story. I was torn. The first half of the book is great and I want to give that 4 stars and the last half is rough and I want to give that 2 stars, so I meet in the middle.
If, like me, you have seen the movie 'the Neverending Story' as a child then this story will be different to you than someone who hasn't. The 1st half of the story is the movie. It sticks to the plot pretty faithfully. Then, the movie ends with Bastian making a wish and he's back in the real world. The movie gives us a real ending. This is the ending, it feels like the ending. Well, my fellow fantasy lovers, the book continues on. There isn't a whole lot of plot, it's just wish fulfillment. It's was everything I could do to finish this story and not just put it down. It was horrible and it bugged me to death. I did not like the end. Also, the movie was smart and changed the name of the book and the world to Fantasia which sounds so much better than Fantastica, which is horrible to read over and over. I don't like that translation.
If you read this, my advice is to stop where the movie stops and be happy with that ending. Here's what else happens.
The way this is set up, the child-like empress is, after all this we find, a wicked child meant on caging children from our real world in Fantastica. She hands the child the amulet, this brave child that stepped into the book and gave her a new name. She tells the believing child to go make all the wishes they want and make Fantastica live again. Here's what she doesn't tell these poor victims. They can only see her once, they can only make so many wishes, and, most importantly, each wish removes their memories of their world from them. What happens is, they forget who they are and start to power trip. If they take over the empresses thrown, they lose all their power. They have to make wishes to get out and if they don't figure all this out soon enough, the completely forget who they are and then they can't leave. It gets worse. Even if they do figure out how to get all this done, Bastian gets there with his last wish and doesn't remember who he is. Once he does open the gate, then he can't go through until he finishes all the stories he started in the land. I mean, it's devious stuff.
I started out loving this story and after all the crap in the last part, I don't really like this too much. The child-like empress is supposed to be all good, but this is a vicious trap that humans fall into. She is wicked. Bastian goes to a town in Fantastica that is filled with humans and children from our world that either tried taking the throne or they lost their memories after wishing too much. There are hundreds of thousands of people there. These people will never return to the real world and it's not like they are having fun either in Fantastica, no. They are basically mindless idiots. They have no clue who they are and are treated like children.
So, we have the wicked little empress luring unsuspecting children to her realm and then we have to watch Bastian go from this shy little boy, to his bully and pompous conqueror on a horrible power trip. He turns on his friends and sides with the evil people and does his best to take the throne of Fantastica. I hated this last half. It's horrible.
I adore the 1st half. It's wonderful and magical and the movie does an excellent job of adapting it. The movie knew when to stop and the author didn't. His climax is at the end and then there is a whole other half of the book that we don't need. It's terrible. There's supposed to be some lesson in this, but it doesn't work, in my opinion.
Oh, chicken wing-ding of high fructose corn syrup please save us from this horrible mess. I have to say, skip the book and watch the movie. The ending just made me so mad. I wanted to love this and the ending ruined it. You know, I have to take a star. I was going to give this 3 stars and now I'm ending up after all this giving it 2 stars because the ending just ruined the book.
I would love to hear from others who didn't watch the movie what they thought of the story. Maybe, my love of the movie is in the way of my opinion, but I don't think so. The climax was really in the middle of the story and then it kept going. I would love to know thoughts from people who only read the book why they loved it. Thanks.
If, like me, you have seen the movie 'the Neverending Story' as a child then this story will be different to you than someone who hasn't. The 1st half of the story is the movie. It sticks to the plot pretty faithfully. Then, the movie ends with Bastian making a wish and he's back in the real world. The movie gives us a real ending. This is the ending, it feels like the ending. Well, my fellow fantasy lovers, the book continues on. There isn't a whole lot of plot, it's just wish fulfillment. It's was everything I could do to finish this story and not just put it down. It was horrible and it bugged me to death. I did not like the end. Also, the movie was smart and changed the name of the book and the world to Fantasia which sounds so much better than Fantastica, which is horrible to read over and over. I don't like that translation.
If you read this, my advice is to stop where the movie stops and be happy with that ending. Here's what else happens.
The way this is set up, the child-like empress is, after all this we find, a wicked child meant on caging children from our real world in Fantastica. She hands the child the amulet, this brave child that stepped into the book and gave her a new name. She tells the believing child to go make all the wishes they want and make Fantastica live again. Here's what she doesn't tell these poor victims. They can only see her once, they can only make so many wishes, and, most importantly, each wish removes their memories of their world from them. What happens is, they forget who they are and start to power trip. If they take over the empresses thrown, they lose all their power. They have to make wishes to get out and if they don't figure all this out soon enough, the completely forget who they are and then they can't leave. It gets worse. Even if they do figure out how to get all this done, Bastian gets there with his last wish and doesn't remember who he is. Once he does open the gate, then he can't go through until he finishes all the stories he started in the land. I mean, it's devious stuff.
I started out loving this story and after all the crap in the last part, I don't really like this too much. The child-like empress is supposed to be all good, but this is a vicious trap that humans fall into. She is wicked. Bastian goes to a town in Fantastica that is filled with humans and children from our world that either tried taking the throne or they lost their memories after wishing too much. There are hundreds of thousands of people there. These people will never return to the real world and it's not like they are having fun either in Fantastica, no. They are basically mindless idiots. They have no clue who they are and are treated like children.
So, we have the wicked little empress luring unsuspecting children to her realm and then we have to watch Bastian go from this shy little boy, to his bully and pompous conqueror on a horrible power trip. He turns on his friends and sides with the evil people and does his best to take the throne of Fantastica. I hated this last half. It's horrible.
I adore the 1st half. It's wonderful and magical and the movie does an excellent job of adapting it. The movie knew when to stop and the author didn't. His climax is at the end and then there is a whole other half of the book that we don't need. It's terrible. There's supposed to be some lesson in this, but it doesn't work, in my opinion.
Oh, chicken wing-ding of high fructose corn syrup please save us from this horrible mess. I have to say, skip the book and watch the movie. The ending just made me so mad. I wanted to love this and the ending ruined it. You know, I have to take a star. I was going to give this 3 stars and now I'm ending up after all this giving it 2 stars because the ending just ruined the book.
I would love to hear from others who didn't watch the movie what they thought of the story. Maybe, my love of the movie is in the way of my opinion, but I don't think so. The climax was really in the middle of the story and then it kept going. I would love to know thoughts from people who only read the book why they loved it. Thanks.
September 2, 2019
Con este libro comenz贸 todo.
Hace varias semanas decid铆 volver a 茅l. Fui a casa de mis padres, lo busqu茅 en la estanter铆a y lo tom茅 prestado para iniciar un nuevo viaje a tinta junto a mi hijo mayor (en diciembre har谩 cinco a帽itos).
Cada noche le leo dos p谩ginas. Las suficientes para mantener su atenci贸n en todo lo alto y que tenga ganas de seguir conociendo el reino de Fantas铆a y a sus maravillosos habitantes.
Hoy volver茅 a leerle dos nuevas p谩ginas. Ya vamos por la 60. Calculo que lo terminaremos de leer dentro de medio a帽o. Jam谩s una historia fue tan interminable... Su carita mientra leo y sus preguntas me dicen que lo est谩 disfrutando mucho. Casi tanto como yo.
Hace varias semanas decid铆 volver a 茅l. Fui a casa de mis padres, lo busqu茅 en la estanter铆a y lo tom茅 prestado para iniciar un nuevo viaje a tinta junto a mi hijo mayor (en diciembre har谩 cinco a帽itos).
Cada noche le leo dos p谩ginas. Las suficientes para mantener su atenci贸n en todo lo alto y que tenga ganas de seguir conociendo el reino de Fantas铆a y a sus maravillosos habitantes.
Hoy volver茅 a leerle dos nuevas p谩ginas. Ya vamos por la 60. Calculo que lo terminaremos de leer dentro de medio a帽o. Jam谩s una historia fue tan interminable... Su carita mientra leo y sus preguntas me dicen que lo est谩 disfrutando mucho. Casi tanto como yo.
December 4, 2013
The Neverending Story
By Michael Ende
A Review by Eric Allen.
"ONLY TWO STARS," you cry, "Eric, have you no soul!?!?!" You're obviously going by the movie, which is AWESOME, and have never actually read the book it was based on, which is not so much.
When I was six or seven, the Neverending Story came out, and it was one of the most awesome movies I had ever seen in my life. It was a movie that wasn't afraid to scare the everliving shit out of children, and I loved it for that. Even today, many, many years later, it is still an old favorite that I remember fondly and hope, one day, to scare the everliving shit out of my own children with. The book, on the other hand, is something of a mess. First of all, many people were not aware that it even existed. Fewer people still realize that the extremely terrible Neverending Story II movie was actually part of the book. That's right, the same author that gave you The Neverending Story, ALSO gave you The Neverending Story II. Think on that for a minute and tell me your childhood isn't curled up in a little ball in the closet crying.
The book was originally written in German, brought to you on the screen by a German director and crew, and only after the movie was so popular did the book get translated into a few more languages.
The plot of The Neverending Story needs no summarizing for most people. It's a very basic telling of the hero's journey story archetype. What makes it so awesome and memorable, of course, is the world in which it takes place, and the fact that the villain was something more abstract than an actual, tangible foe that can be fought and defeated. The second half of the book focuses on the child Bastion, who is pulled into the book after giving the Childlike Empress her new name, which, by the way, people have been asking for years, because that kid is completely unintelligible in the movie. Her name is Moon Child. However, I believe that, for whatever reason, the name was translated literally, rather than left in the original German. Bastion must make his way back to the real world by making wishes, but for each wish he makes, he loses precious memories from his life. And it is only through the help of his friends Atreiyu and Falkor that he is able to return at all.
The Good? The first half of the book is excellent. I absolutely love it. The movie stays extremely faithful to the source material. The world is imaginative, the hero is a bit of a blank slate, but likeable all the same, and a lot of the things that he goes through on his quest serve a dual purpose, to both be entertaining, and thought provoking. The use of an abstract concept, the Nothing, as the villain is where I think this part of the book really shines. It's very hard to give a concept weight as a character, but the author did an extraordinary job of bringing it, and all of the horror surrounding it, to life.
The Bad? Where this book really falls apart is in the second half. You remember how excited you were to see Neverending Story II when it came out? I know I was. And boy was I disappointed. Well, the second half of the book is pretty much the same. They changed the story drastically to make it easier to make a movie out of it, because there really isn't much in the way of purpose or direction in it. There isn't a real goal, or reason for anything to be happening. Bastion just wanders around, makes wishes, and pretty much accidentally finds his way home again.
This boring stretch of nothing happening is compounded by two things. The first is that the first half of the book is so clever, and awesome, and enjoyable, and when you get to the second half it's like running headlong into a brick wall. All of the awesome world, the awesome supporting characters, and even the hero of the story are simply gone, and you're left with only Bastion. And that leads in to the second thing. Bastion is an extraordinarily unlikeable character. It's hard to describe all of the things that make him unlikeable, because pretty much EVERYTHING about his character is annoying or offensive in some way. And after Atreiyu, who is not exactly the most interesting character, true, but a hell of a lot more likeable than Bastion, you feel the contrast all the more.
When you actively dislike the person that a story is all about, the story itself is not enjoyable. What creates such things as tension, and drama, are emotional attachments to the characters. If you don't like the character, and don't care whether he succeeds or not, any story woven around him is, inevitably going to be terrible as well. And that is exactly what is wrong with the second half of the book. Bastion is so unlikeable as a character, that I just couldn't have cared less what he was doing, or why, and I certainly didn't care if he was going to succeed or not. You go from a relatively enjoyable protagonist in the first half, to someone who literally has not one single redeeming quality in him as the protagonist in the second half. The fact that there is no readily defined plot for him to participate in makes it even worse, because when there is no real storyline, all of the entertainment value in a story rests wholly upon the characters. The second half of this book is about a terrible, unlikeable character, doing basically nothing but wandering around the world and showing how terrible and unlikeable a character he is.
Additionally, this book is not very well written. I'm going to give the author the benefit of the doubt and say that it's probably the translator being unable to convey the original German wording properly into English, and all of the little nuances of prose that make a well written book were lost in translation. But there is probably one thing that was definitely in the original German. The author keeps bringing up what sounds like a really awesome tangent to the story, and then saying, "But that's a different story and will not be spoken of here." Ok... WHY EVEN BRING IT UP IN THE FIRST PLACE!!! Oh my GOD is this annoying. He literally does it like forty times over the course of the book. It was cute once or twice, but it just gets more and more annoying with every time it happens.
In conclusion, though The Neverending Story movie will always have a special place in my heart, the book it was based on is better left forgotten. I believe that a lot was lost in translation, when this book was adapted to English, but that can only account for so much. The first half of the book is very enjoyable, with a few odd quirks of writing that I found to be annoying, most of which probably resulted from English not being the original language that the book was written in. The second half of the book is terrible, following a thoroughly unlikeable character as he does absolutely nothing but display what an arrogant douchebag that he is for all the world to see. I do not recommend picking this book up, unfortunately. And if you do, I highly recommend that you only read the first half. The bad more than outweighs the good. Stick to the movie, and remember all the great times you had with it as a child. It's one of the few rare cases of the movie actually being better than the book. The movie, at least, knew exactly when to shut up, come to a conclusion, and wrap things up with a tidy little bow. I wish I could say the same for the book, but I can't. It gets two stars, which is probably one more than it deserves, but hey, nostalgia is a powerful thing.
By Michael Ende
A Review by Eric Allen.
"ONLY TWO STARS," you cry, "Eric, have you no soul!?!?!" You're obviously going by the movie, which is AWESOME, and have never actually read the book it was based on, which is not so much.
When I was six or seven, the Neverending Story came out, and it was one of the most awesome movies I had ever seen in my life. It was a movie that wasn't afraid to scare the everliving shit out of children, and I loved it for that. Even today, many, many years later, it is still an old favorite that I remember fondly and hope, one day, to scare the everliving shit out of my own children with. The book, on the other hand, is something of a mess. First of all, many people were not aware that it even existed. Fewer people still realize that the extremely terrible Neverending Story II movie was actually part of the book. That's right, the same author that gave you The Neverending Story, ALSO gave you The Neverending Story II. Think on that for a minute and tell me your childhood isn't curled up in a little ball in the closet crying.
The book was originally written in German, brought to you on the screen by a German director and crew, and only after the movie was so popular did the book get translated into a few more languages.
The plot of The Neverending Story needs no summarizing for most people. It's a very basic telling of the hero's journey story archetype. What makes it so awesome and memorable, of course, is the world in which it takes place, and the fact that the villain was something more abstract than an actual, tangible foe that can be fought and defeated. The second half of the book focuses on the child Bastion, who is pulled into the book after giving the Childlike Empress her new name, which, by the way, people have been asking for years, because that kid is completely unintelligible in the movie. Her name is Moon Child. However, I believe that, for whatever reason, the name was translated literally, rather than left in the original German. Bastion must make his way back to the real world by making wishes, but for each wish he makes, he loses precious memories from his life. And it is only through the help of his friends Atreiyu and Falkor that he is able to return at all.
The Good? The first half of the book is excellent. I absolutely love it. The movie stays extremely faithful to the source material. The world is imaginative, the hero is a bit of a blank slate, but likeable all the same, and a lot of the things that he goes through on his quest serve a dual purpose, to both be entertaining, and thought provoking. The use of an abstract concept, the Nothing, as the villain is where I think this part of the book really shines. It's very hard to give a concept weight as a character, but the author did an extraordinary job of bringing it, and all of the horror surrounding it, to life.
The Bad? Where this book really falls apart is in the second half. You remember how excited you were to see Neverending Story II when it came out? I know I was. And boy was I disappointed. Well, the second half of the book is pretty much the same. They changed the story drastically to make it easier to make a movie out of it, because there really isn't much in the way of purpose or direction in it. There isn't a real goal, or reason for anything to be happening. Bastion just wanders around, makes wishes, and pretty much accidentally finds his way home again.
This boring stretch of nothing happening is compounded by two things. The first is that the first half of the book is so clever, and awesome, and enjoyable, and when you get to the second half it's like running headlong into a brick wall. All of the awesome world, the awesome supporting characters, and even the hero of the story are simply gone, and you're left with only Bastion. And that leads in to the second thing. Bastion is an extraordinarily unlikeable character. It's hard to describe all of the things that make him unlikeable, because pretty much EVERYTHING about his character is annoying or offensive in some way. And after Atreiyu, who is not exactly the most interesting character, true, but a hell of a lot more likeable than Bastion, you feel the contrast all the more.
When you actively dislike the person that a story is all about, the story itself is not enjoyable. What creates such things as tension, and drama, are emotional attachments to the characters. If you don't like the character, and don't care whether he succeeds or not, any story woven around him is, inevitably going to be terrible as well. And that is exactly what is wrong with the second half of the book. Bastion is so unlikeable as a character, that I just couldn't have cared less what he was doing, or why, and I certainly didn't care if he was going to succeed or not. You go from a relatively enjoyable protagonist in the first half, to someone who literally has not one single redeeming quality in him as the protagonist in the second half. The fact that there is no readily defined plot for him to participate in makes it even worse, because when there is no real storyline, all of the entertainment value in a story rests wholly upon the characters. The second half of this book is about a terrible, unlikeable character, doing basically nothing but wandering around the world and showing how terrible and unlikeable a character he is.
Additionally, this book is not very well written. I'm going to give the author the benefit of the doubt and say that it's probably the translator being unable to convey the original German wording properly into English, and all of the little nuances of prose that make a well written book were lost in translation. But there is probably one thing that was definitely in the original German. The author keeps bringing up what sounds like a really awesome tangent to the story, and then saying, "But that's a different story and will not be spoken of here." Ok... WHY EVEN BRING IT UP IN THE FIRST PLACE!!! Oh my GOD is this annoying. He literally does it like forty times over the course of the book. It was cute once or twice, but it just gets more and more annoying with every time it happens.
In conclusion, though The Neverending Story movie will always have a special place in my heart, the book it was based on is better left forgotten. I believe that a lot was lost in translation, when this book was adapted to English, but that can only account for so much. The first half of the book is very enjoyable, with a few odd quirks of writing that I found to be annoying, most of which probably resulted from English not being the original language that the book was written in. The second half of the book is terrible, following a thoroughly unlikeable character as he does absolutely nothing but display what an arrogant douchebag that he is for all the world to see. I do not recommend picking this book up, unfortunately. And if you do, I highly recommend that you only read the first half. The bad more than outweighs the good. Stick to the movie, and remember all the great times you had with it as a child. It's one of the few rare cases of the movie actually being better than the book. The movie, at least, knew exactly when to shut up, come to a conclusion, and wrap things up with a tidy little bow. I wish I could say the same for the book, but I can't. It gets two stars, which is probably one more than it deserves, but hey, nostalgia is a powerful thing.
August 21, 2018
The Nothing is devouring Fantastica bit by bit and The Childlike Empress tasks Atreyu with stopping it. Meanwhile, holed up in his school's attic, Bastian Balthazar Bux reads a purlorned book and soon finds himself pulled into... The Neverending Story!
Not too long ago, I bought my wife tickets to see the rerelease of The Dark Crystal in the theater and we got to talking about fantasy movies from the 1980s, which lead to rewatching The Neverending Story. Days after that, I found this book in the used bookstore I always go to and decided to give it a read.
If you've ever seen the movie, the first 45% of the book is 99% of the movie, with the standard book to movie tweaks, expunged parts, etc. Fantastica was changed to Fantasia for the movie. Some of the creatures look different. Atreyu is green, Falkor looks more like a lion than a dog, and so on. Entire scenes are omitted and dialogue is shuffled around to other characters to make up the difference. I kept telling my wife "Most of the movie has happened. What the hell is going to be in the second half?"
Well, the ending of the movie provides the hint. Once Bastian saves Fantastica, it's his responsibility to help rebuild it. Shit starts sliding downhill immediately after. Without going into it too much, absolute power corrupts absolutely and Bastian does what a lot of insecure people would do with godlike powers: abuses the shit out of it and becomes a raging dickhead. We all should have seen it coming. He stole a book in the first chapter! A book! He goes from being a relateable bookworm to an A-1 shitheel. After a bloody battle at the Ivory Tower, I wondered if Bastian could ever be redeemed.
Sure enough, he could. The last 80 pages were about Bastian seeing the error of his ways and using what little wishes he had left to leave Fantastica and generally grow the fuck up. The reunion with his father was pretty sweet and his conversation with Coreander puts a bow on everything.
Now that I've had time to digest thing, the book seems to partly be about coping with loss. Bastian and his father coping with his mother's death, and later, Bastian coping with losing everything the Childlike Empress gave him. It's also about taking responsibility for your actions and not being a chickenshit all the time. Bastian Balthazar Bux at the end of the book is almost totally different from the one at the beginning.
I wound up enjoying the book quite a bit but, like Falkor's depiction, the movie and the book are totally different animals. The movie captured the adventurous bits without all the morals in the second half. Michael Ende definitely crafted something special here. I wonder how much was lost in translation, though. I had my doubts about the second half but it was all worth it in the end, if a little sappy. Four out of five stars.
Not too long ago, I bought my wife tickets to see the rerelease of The Dark Crystal in the theater and we got to talking about fantasy movies from the 1980s, which lead to rewatching The Neverending Story. Days after that, I found this book in the used bookstore I always go to and decided to give it a read.
If you've ever seen the movie, the first 45% of the book is 99% of the movie, with the standard book to movie tweaks, expunged parts, etc. Fantastica was changed to Fantasia for the movie. Some of the creatures look different. Atreyu is green, Falkor looks more like a lion than a dog, and so on. Entire scenes are omitted and dialogue is shuffled around to other characters to make up the difference. I kept telling my wife "Most of the movie has happened. What the hell is going to be in the second half?"
Well, the ending of the movie provides the hint. Once Bastian saves Fantastica, it's his responsibility to help rebuild it. Shit starts sliding downhill immediately after. Without going into it too much, absolute power corrupts absolutely and Bastian does what a lot of insecure people would do with godlike powers: abuses the shit out of it and becomes a raging dickhead. We all should have seen it coming. He stole a book in the first chapter! A book! He goes from being a relateable bookworm to an A-1 shitheel. After a bloody battle at the Ivory Tower, I wondered if Bastian could ever be redeemed.
Sure enough, he could. The last 80 pages were about Bastian seeing the error of his ways and using what little wishes he had left to leave Fantastica and generally grow the fuck up. The reunion with his father was pretty sweet and his conversation with Coreander puts a bow on everything.
Now that I've had time to digest thing, the book seems to partly be about coping with loss. Bastian and his father coping with his mother's death, and later, Bastian coping with losing everything the Childlike Empress gave him. It's also about taking responsibility for your actions and not being a chickenshit all the time. Bastian Balthazar Bux at the end of the book is almost totally different from the one at the beginning.
I wound up enjoying the book quite a bit but, like Falkor's depiction, the movie and the book are totally different animals. The movie captured the adventurous bits without all the morals in the second half. Michael Ende definitely crafted something special here. I wonder how much was lost in translation, though. I had my doubts about the second half but it was all worth it in the end, if a little sappy. Four out of five stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 21, 2018
I read this every year. This time I'm doing an audio version. I absolutely adore this novel, and shared it with every class I taught. I'll never forget the students who acted out the swamps of sadness in the middle of a walk through river mud sucking off our shoes. That's really what the gift of this book is-the breath of imagination. This will be a perfect purchase for my nieces.
2017 Reading Challenge: story within a story
Audio reread #8
6/20/18 audio read # 73
The beginning scene in the bookstore with the narrator 's list of "If you've nevers" is something that touches both the child inside me and the reader in me that will never die.
12/20/18 holiday reread I know it鈥檚 a little early for my annual reread since I just read it in June, but I really need a pick-me-up. This never fails.
Audiobook #258
2017 Reading Challenge: story within a story
Audio reread #8
6/20/18 audio read # 73
The beginning scene in the bookstore with the narrator 's list of "If you've nevers" is something that touches both the child inside me and the reader in me that will never die.
12/20/18 holiday reread I know it鈥檚 a little early for my annual reread since I just read it in June, but I really need a pick-me-up. This never fails.
Audiobook #258
October 28, 2018
My children are currently listening to a never-ending audiobook of this all time children's favourite of mine, and I find myself secretly spying on them, listening to bits and pieces of the story, always knowing exactly where they are at the moment, after so many rereadings!
I still dream of finding a bookstore like the one where Bastian Balthasar Bux found "The Neverending Story". I don't think I ever pass an antique shop without thinking of this book for at least a fraction of a second, it is so deeply engraved in my heart and mind. Who has never dreamt of being a castaway in the school attic, with some food, some light, and a book that -literally - soaks you in?
I still hear the loud cry when Bastian thinks he sees himself in the mirror that Atreju stares into. And I still hear him yell the name of the Empress: "Mondenkind", in German, probably Moonchild in English, in order to save that beautiful fantasy world from the big, dark nothing that is eating it as a result of children losing interest in storytelling.
I read the book in German as a child and saw the movie later - and I was always annoyed by the fact that it ends halfway through! Bastian's adventures and his slow path to wisdom haven't even started yet at the end of the movie. Therefore I read it aloud to my children before letting them watch the movie, and I discovered so many layers in it that had escaped me as a child, and I enjoyed it even more. Especially Bastian's interpretation of the Auryn inscription ("Tu was du willst", in German - "Do what you want to do") has been helpful to me ever since. Bastian painfully learns the hard way that it is not about spontaneously following your own whims, but about reflecting on what your true wishes are. That makes total sense to me, and I try to consult my invisible Auryn medallion whenever I have to make important decisions!
Now that my children are embarking on their second reading (hearing) of the story, they start talking about how the plot changes in their minds as they develop a more mature taste in literature. I find that incredibly valuable, and here I am myself, revisiting this childhood love again, and finding pleasure in writing about it.
Apart from Astrid Lindgren, Michael Ende must be my favourite children's book author, and I like him just as much now as when I was little and dreamt of being locked into the school attic with a book that never ends and that has a place for me and the stories I want to tell myself!
I still dream of finding a bookstore like the one where Bastian Balthasar Bux found "The Neverending Story". I don't think I ever pass an antique shop without thinking of this book for at least a fraction of a second, it is so deeply engraved in my heart and mind. Who has never dreamt of being a castaway in the school attic, with some food, some light, and a book that -literally - soaks you in?
I still hear the loud cry when Bastian thinks he sees himself in the mirror that Atreju stares into. And I still hear him yell the name of the Empress: "Mondenkind", in German, probably Moonchild in English, in order to save that beautiful fantasy world from the big, dark nothing that is eating it as a result of children losing interest in storytelling.
I read the book in German as a child and saw the movie later - and I was always annoyed by the fact that it ends halfway through! Bastian's adventures and his slow path to wisdom haven't even started yet at the end of the movie. Therefore I read it aloud to my children before letting them watch the movie, and I discovered so many layers in it that had escaped me as a child, and I enjoyed it even more. Especially Bastian's interpretation of the Auryn inscription ("Tu was du willst", in German - "Do what you want to do") has been helpful to me ever since. Bastian painfully learns the hard way that it is not about spontaneously following your own whims, but about reflecting on what your true wishes are. That makes total sense to me, and I try to consult my invisible Auryn medallion whenever I have to make important decisions!
Now that my children are embarking on their second reading (hearing) of the story, they start talking about how the plot changes in their minds as they develop a more mature taste in literature. I find that incredibly valuable, and here I am myself, revisiting this childhood love again, and finding pleasure in writing about it.
Apart from Astrid Lindgren, Michael Ende must be my favourite children's book author, and I like him just as much now as when I was little and dreamt of being locked into the school attic with a book that never ends and that has a place for me and the stories I want to tell myself!
April 21, 2018
Un libro bellissimo, stupendo, pieno di spunti di riflessione, pieno di fant脿sia, d'immaginazione, di gioia e soprattutto, pienissimo di amore, amore per i libri, amore per tutto. Senza amore cosa saremmo?
Ho visto il film centinaia di volte, 猫 stato tra i miei film preferiti da bambino/ragazzino, ancora oggi (non pi霉 giovanissimo :-P) me lo riguardo con molto piacere, ma il film non 猫 che una piccola parte del libro. Il libro 猫 magico davvero, ho trovato e soprattutto provato empatia verso tutto ci貌 che viene raccontato. Graogram脿n: "la Morte Multicolore", forse 猫 il mio "personaggio" preferito, ma sono tutti degni di nota e soprattutto originali, particolari!
"Tutto quello che si vuole. Si ha il potere su di loro. E nulla d脿 maggior potere sugli uomini che la menzogna. Perch猫 gli uomini, figliolo, vivono di idee. E quelle si possono guidare come si vuole. Questo potere 猫 l'unico che conti veramente. Per questo anch'io sono stato dalla parte del potere e l'ho servito, per avere la mia parte, anche se in modo diverso da come potete fare tu e i tuoi simili."
"Ma io non voglio aver parte del potere!" grid貌 Atreiu.
"Resta calmo, piccolo sciocco", brontol貌 il Lupo Mannaro, "non appena verr脿 il tuo turno di andare nel Nulla, diventerai anche tu un servo del potere, senza volont脿 e irriconoscibile. Chi lo sa a che cosa potrai servire. Forse servir脿 il tuo aiuto per indurre gli uomini a comperare cose di cui non hanno bisogno, o a odiare cose che non conoscono, o a credere cose che li rendono ubbidienti, o a dubitare di cose che li potrebbero salvare. Con voi, creature di Fant脿sia, nel mondo degli uomini si fanno i pi霉 grossi affari, si scatenano guerre, si fondano imperi..."
Mork osserv貌 per un momento il ragazzo a occhi socchiusi e poi aggiunse: "L脿 ci sono anche una quantit脿 di poveri sciocchi (che naturalmente si considerano molto intelligenti e credono di servire la verit脿) zelantissimi nel convincere i bambini a non credere all'esistenza di Fant脿sia. Chiss脿, forse sarai utile proprio a loro."
Ho visto il film centinaia di volte, 猫 stato tra i miei film preferiti da bambino/ragazzino, ancora oggi (non pi霉 giovanissimo :-P) me lo riguardo con molto piacere, ma il film non 猫 che una piccola parte del libro. Il libro 猫 magico davvero, ho trovato e soprattutto provato empatia verso tutto ci貌 che viene raccontato. Graogram脿n: "la Morte Multicolore", forse 猫 il mio "personaggio" preferito, ma sono tutti degni di nota e soprattutto originali, particolari!
"Tutto quello che si vuole. Si ha il potere su di loro. E nulla d脿 maggior potere sugli uomini che la menzogna. Perch猫 gli uomini, figliolo, vivono di idee. E quelle si possono guidare come si vuole. Questo potere 猫 l'unico che conti veramente. Per questo anch'io sono stato dalla parte del potere e l'ho servito, per avere la mia parte, anche se in modo diverso da come potete fare tu e i tuoi simili."
"Ma io non voglio aver parte del potere!" grid貌 Atreiu.
"Resta calmo, piccolo sciocco", brontol貌 il Lupo Mannaro, "non appena verr脿 il tuo turno di andare nel Nulla, diventerai anche tu un servo del potere, senza volont脿 e irriconoscibile. Chi lo sa a che cosa potrai servire. Forse servir脿 il tuo aiuto per indurre gli uomini a comperare cose di cui non hanno bisogno, o a odiare cose che non conoscono, o a credere cose che li rendono ubbidienti, o a dubitare di cose che li potrebbero salvare. Con voi, creature di Fant脿sia, nel mondo degli uomini si fanno i pi霉 grossi affari, si scatenano guerre, si fondano imperi..."
Mork osserv貌 per un momento il ragazzo a occhi socchiusi e poi aggiunse: "L脿 ci sono anche una quantit脿 di poveri sciocchi (che naturalmente si considerano molto intelligenti e credono di servire la verit脿) zelantissimi nel convincere i bambini a non credere all'esistenza di Fant脿sia. Chiss脿, forse sarai utile proprio a loro."
September 2, 2016
Beskrajno uzivanje!!!! Milion zvezdica!
October 17, 2018
IN ORDER FOR REALITY TO EXIST, THERE HAS TO BE FANTASY.
The Neverending Story is a splendid and brilliant story, full of adventure, magic, strength, perseverance, loyalty, self-improvement and self-fulfillment . It鈥檚 a positively COMMENDABLE book.
This is a MUST-READ for all preteens out there. It鈥檚 beautiful, with a great and marvelous world full of fantasy and dreaming. It really is MAGICAL.
I have really great memories of reading this book. I think I was 13 or so, maybe less I am not sure; but I remember I read it on a summer after summer-camp. It was my first "big fat" book and I became soooo obsessed with it that I couldn't stop reading. That summer I was on vacation with my parents in our usual campsite and I would sit outside our caravan, below a three in a deck chair for hours reading and reading, and completely ignoring all my friends who looked at me as if I were a crazy person for reading during holiday time. I was utterly absorbed by it. Looking back, this book might have been the culprit of me falling in love with books, up until that time I had always liked and enjoyed reading, but I believe it was that summer, with The Neverending Story that I truly fell in love with reading. Thus, it will always be a special book for me.
In my opinion The Neverending Story is meant to be read at a specific moment of time, it should be read at a young age so you can still get into the daydreaming and enchanting spirit the whole book is surrounded by. Otherwise you can outgrow this fantastic story and that could make it lose all its wondrous magic.
Still, I recommend this book to everyone, after all just how many times have we ever wished to enter a book just like Bastian did! I know I always want to and I always will.
鈥淚f you have never spent whole afternoons with burning ears and rumpled hair, forgetting the world around you over a book, forgetting cold and hunger鈥�
If you have never read secretly under the bedclothes with a flashlight, because your father or mother or some other well-meaning person has switched off the lamp on the plausible ground that it was time to sleep because you had to get up so early鈥�
If you have never wept bitter tears because a wonderful story has come to an end and you must take your leave of the characters with whom you have shared so many adventures, whom you have loved and admired, for whom you have hoped and feared, and without whose company life seems empty and meaningless鈥�
If such things have not been part of your own experience, you probably won't understand what Bastian did next.鈥� 鈥� ,
A MASTERPIECE.
The Neverending Story is a splendid and brilliant story, full of adventure, magic, strength, perseverance, loyalty, self-improvement and self-fulfillment . It鈥檚 a positively COMMENDABLE book.
This is a MUST-READ for all preteens out there. It鈥檚 beautiful, with a great and marvelous world full of fantasy and dreaming. It really is MAGICAL.
I have really great memories of reading this book. I think I was 13 or so, maybe less I am not sure; but I remember I read it on a summer after summer-camp. It was my first "big fat" book and I became soooo obsessed with it that I couldn't stop reading. That summer I was on vacation with my parents in our usual campsite and I would sit outside our caravan, below a three in a deck chair for hours reading and reading, and completely ignoring all my friends who looked at me as if I were a crazy person for reading during holiday time. I was utterly absorbed by it. Looking back, this book might have been the culprit of me falling in love with books, up until that time I had always liked and enjoyed reading, but I believe it was that summer, with The Neverending Story that I truly fell in love with reading. Thus, it will always be a special book for me.
In my opinion The Neverending Story is meant to be read at a specific moment of time, it should be read at a young age so you can still get into the daydreaming and enchanting spirit the whole book is surrounded by. Otherwise you can outgrow this fantastic story and that could make it lose all its wondrous magic.
Still, I recommend this book to everyone, after all just how many times have we ever wished to enter a book just like Bastian did! I know I always want to and I always will.
鈥淚f you have never spent whole afternoons with burning ears and rumpled hair, forgetting the world around you over a book, forgetting cold and hunger鈥�
If you have never read secretly under the bedclothes with a flashlight, because your father or mother or some other well-meaning person has switched off the lamp on the plausible ground that it was time to sleep because you had to get up so early鈥�
If you have never wept bitter tears because a wonderful story has come to an end and you must take your leave of the characters with whom you have shared so many adventures, whom you have loved and admired, for whom you have hoped and feared, and without whose company life seems empty and meaningless鈥�
If such things have not been part of your own experience, you probably won't understand what Bastian did next.鈥� 鈥� ,
A MASTERPIECE.
July 15, 2020
Me ha encantado el libro, deber铆a haberlo le铆do de ni帽a, pero nunca es tarde.
Le he dado 5 estrellas, aunque yo s铆 cambio las valoraciones de los libros, porque cuando los terminas de leer est谩s emocionad铆sima y cuando pasa el tiempo te das cuenta que no es para tanto. No creo que me pase con este libro pero por si acaso.
Llega un momento que Bastian se hace prepotente pero forma parte del cambio del ni帽o, de la personalidad que ten铆a al comenzar la novela, con acoso y complejos y como Fantasia le cambia hasta ser lo que so帽aba. Me ha parecido perfecto, a pesar de que no lo soportaba.
Tiene detalles impresionantes de las distintas personalidades y se ve claramente que ha servido de inspiraci贸n para muchos escritores. Una maravilla de libro. Al terminarlo sent铆 un peque帽o vac铆o. Echar茅 de menos a Bastian, Atreyu, Artrax, F煤jur y Yicha.
Le he dado 5 estrellas, aunque yo s铆 cambio las valoraciones de los libros, porque cuando los terminas de leer est谩s emocionad铆sima y cuando pasa el tiempo te das cuenta que no es para tanto. No creo que me pase con este libro pero por si acaso.
Llega un momento que Bastian se hace prepotente pero forma parte del cambio del ni帽o, de la personalidad que ten铆a al comenzar la novela, con acoso y complejos y como Fantasia le cambia hasta ser lo que so帽aba. Me ha parecido perfecto, a pesar de que no lo soportaba.
Tiene detalles impresionantes de las distintas personalidades y se ve claramente que ha servido de inspiraci贸n para muchos escritores. Una maravilla de libro. Al terminarlo sent铆 un peque帽o vac铆o. Echar茅 de menos a Bastian, Atreyu, Artrax, F煤jur y Yicha.
November 30, 2019
DNF at page 256
Alright, I鈥檓 calling it. I don鈥檛 actively dislike this book, but we just didn鈥檛 really mesh well.
There were too many characters and creatures, and each one only lasts for about 2 pages before we are moving onto the next thing.
Maybe when I was younger I would have enjoyed this more, but there鈥檚 just not enough to keep me invested.
Alright, I鈥檓 calling it. I don鈥檛 actively dislike this book, but we just didn鈥檛 really mesh well.
There were too many characters and creatures, and each one only lasts for about 2 pages before we are moving onto the next thing.
Maybe when I was younger I would have enjoyed this more, but there鈥檚 just not enough to keep me invested.
December 29, 2016
This is one of the best books I have read when I was a kid.
I have read it multiple times and I was extremely disappointed with the movie adaptation.
I truly believe that this story has inspired me and made me love Fantacy books so much later on as an adult.
(If my remember correctly my godfather gave it to me as a Christmas present together with "Comet in Moominland" by Tove Jansson. The best combination!)
Although it is more than 25 years since I last read it, I still remember scenes of the story, dialogues, lonely Bastian, Arteiyu and Fantastica.
Of course when I read it for first time, it was the Greek translation of the book.
Now I have a daughter who is six years old and she loves fairytales, dragons, princesses and magic. She also adores stories that they never end. When they eventually do end, she finds ways to postpone the ending and to expand the story. She has a vivid imagination this kid :)
So it is Christmas holidays, school holidays and this is the perfect opportunity to start a neverending story with her(in english this time). No school tomorrow. No need to sleep early.
And so far she cannot have enough!
I have read it multiple times and I was extremely disappointed with the movie adaptation.
I truly believe that this story has inspired me and made me love Fantacy books so much later on as an adult.
(If my remember correctly my godfather gave it to me as a Christmas present together with "Comet in Moominland" by Tove Jansson. The best combination!)
Although it is more than 25 years since I last read it, I still remember scenes of the story, dialogues, lonely Bastian, Arteiyu and Fantastica.
Of course when I read it for first time, it was the Greek translation of the book.
Now I have a daughter who is six years old and she loves fairytales, dragons, princesses and magic. She also adores stories that they never end. When they eventually do end, she finds ways to postpone the ending and to expand the story. She has a vivid imagination this kid :)
So it is Christmas holidays, school holidays and this is the perfect opportunity to start a neverending story with her(in english this time). No school tomorrow. No need to sleep early.
And so far she cannot have enough!
September 1, 2019
Favoriet book of all times. Keep reading it myself but also to the childeren of the neighbours. Need a new copy. This one is almost falling apart.
August 11, 2019
Con tipo pi霉 di due decenni di ritardo, ma alla fine ho rimediato a questa mia grave lacuna.
Ho amato il film, e mi aspettavo di trovare qui dentro qualcosa di simile.
Ho scoperto invece una storia molto pi霉 enorme e complessa di quanto non credessi, rimanendone affascinato.
La prima parte 猫 quella sulla quale hanno modellato il film: Bastiano che "trova" il libro e si nasconde per leggerlo, finendo sempre pi霉 immerso nelle sue pagine fino a quando il libro parla di lui e a lui.
La Fantasia in pericolo, minacciata dall'avanzata del Nulla.
L'Infanta Imperatrice che affida al giovane Atreiu la missione di trovare la cura per salvare tutte queste infinite terre fantastiche.
Il ruolo di Bastiano in tutto questo, e la sua difficolt脿 nell'adempiere a questo compito.
Gi脿 la prima parte sarebbe una gemma, che non risente dei quarant'anni di vita.
Ma poi abbiamo il resto del libro, la seconda parte.
Dove Bastiano 猫 ormai in Fantasia, e ha il compito di ricrearla, di riportarla alla vita.
Ha l'AURYN a sancirne il mandato e a proteggerlo, ha il seme di Fantasia da far germogliare e ogni suo desiderio si realizzer脿.
E a questo punto, il bambino impacciato, impaurito e grassottello che aveva atteso fino all'ultimo a dare il nuovo nome all'Infanta per la paura di mostrarsi, cosa fa?
Senza neanche realizzarlo, comincia a desiderare.
Desideri che significa fuga da s茅: si vergogna di ci貌 che 茅 e vuole essere qualcosa di diverso, qualcosa di simile ad Atreiu.
Vuole un aspetto eroico, vuole forza e coraggio, potenza e saggezza.
Fantasia si ricrea per conformarsi ai suoi desideri, e ogni cosa che desidera o anche solo racconta diviene reale e lo 猫 sempre stata.
E Bastiano si perde, di desiderio in desiderio. Fugge da s茅 e fugge dal mondo reale, ma a ogni desiderio espresso perde una parte di ci貌 che era, perde i suoi ricordi, e inevitabilmente perdere il proprio passato cambia la persona che si 猫. E senza passato, non c'猫 neanche il futuro.
Una storia splendida sul potere e l'importanza della fantasia, ma anche sull'amicizia, sulla crescita, sull'accettazione di s茅 e sul superare le difficolt脿.
Senza contare che 猫 un libro costruito in maniera meravigliosa, partendo dai capitoli che iniziano in maniera progressiva dalla lettera A alla Z, fino ai costanti richiami a tutte le storie che potrebbero derivare dalla storia appena letta e che sono lasciate alla fantasia del lettore, passando per l'accenno che questa sia solo UNA delle storie infinite, e che addirittura non debbano essere per forza dei libri a trasportarci nel reame del fantastico.
Vorrei davvero averlo potuto leggere da bambino, lo avrei adorato. Probabilmente lo avrei compreso meno, ma di sicuro lo avrei consumato e avrei costruito mondi e storie infinite partendo da l矛.
Ho amato il film, e mi aspettavo di trovare qui dentro qualcosa di simile.
Ho scoperto invece una storia molto pi霉 enorme e complessa di quanto non credessi, rimanendone affascinato.
La prima parte 猫 quella sulla quale hanno modellato il film: Bastiano che "trova" il libro e si nasconde per leggerlo, finendo sempre pi霉 immerso nelle sue pagine fino a quando il libro parla di lui e a lui.
La Fantasia in pericolo, minacciata dall'avanzata del Nulla.
L'Infanta Imperatrice che affida al giovane Atreiu la missione di trovare la cura per salvare tutte queste infinite terre fantastiche.
Il ruolo di Bastiano in tutto questo, e la sua difficolt脿 nell'adempiere a questo compito.
Gi脿 la prima parte sarebbe una gemma, che non risente dei quarant'anni di vita.
Ma poi abbiamo il resto del libro, la seconda parte.
Dove Bastiano 猫 ormai in Fantasia, e ha il compito di ricrearla, di riportarla alla vita.
Ha l'AURYN a sancirne il mandato e a proteggerlo, ha il seme di Fantasia da far germogliare e ogni suo desiderio si realizzer脿.
E a questo punto, il bambino impacciato, impaurito e grassottello che aveva atteso fino all'ultimo a dare il nuovo nome all'Infanta per la paura di mostrarsi, cosa fa?
Senza neanche realizzarlo, comincia a desiderare.
Desideri che significa fuga da s茅: si vergogna di ci貌 che 茅 e vuole essere qualcosa di diverso, qualcosa di simile ad Atreiu.
Vuole un aspetto eroico, vuole forza e coraggio, potenza e saggezza.
Fantasia si ricrea per conformarsi ai suoi desideri, e ogni cosa che desidera o anche solo racconta diviene reale e lo 猫 sempre stata.
E Bastiano si perde, di desiderio in desiderio. Fugge da s茅 e fugge dal mondo reale, ma a ogni desiderio espresso perde una parte di ci貌 che era, perde i suoi ricordi, e inevitabilmente perdere il proprio passato cambia la persona che si 猫. E senza passato, non c'猫 neanche il futuro.
Una storia splendida sul potere e l'importanza della fantasia, ma anche sull'amicizia, sulla crescita, sull'accettazione di s茅 e sul superare le difficolt脿.
Senza contare che 猫 un libro costruito in maniera meravigliosa, partendo dai capitoli che iniziano in maniera progressiva dalla lettera A alla Z, fino ai costanti richiami a tutte le storie che potrebbero derivare dalla storia appena letta e che sono lasciate alla fantasia del lettore, passando per l'accenno che questa sia solo UNA delle storie infinite, e che addirittura non debbano essere per forza dei libri a trasportarci nel reame del fantastico.
Vorrei davvero averlo potuto leggere da bambino, lo avrei adorato. Probabilmente lo avrei compreso meno, ma di sicuro lo avrei consumato e avrei costruito mondi e storie infinite partendo da l矛.
August 5, 2018
Un libro excelente. Fantas铆a al 100 %. La historia interminable, a trav茅s de su pel铆cula, me acompa帽贸 por muchos a帽os de mi infancia. Su lectura actual es una especie de reencuentro con ese mundo.
September 2, 2021
Uno de los mejores libros de la literatura fant谩stica.
video rese帽a completa en:
video rese帽a completa en:
February 27, 2020
Fantastisch! Im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes.
Die Geschichte von Bastian Balthasar Bux, der auf Die unendliche Geschichte st枚脽t, das Buch stiehlt und dann, zun盲chst im 眉bertragenen Sinne, und sp盲ter tats盲chlich von der Geschichte gefangen genommen wird, lebt vor allem von der scheinbar grenzenlosen Fantasie des Autors.
Das wundervolle Worldbuilding und die clevere Idee zun盲chst Bastian 鈥� als Leser des Buches im Buch - und dann mitunter auch den Leser von Endes Buch selbst Teil der Geschichte werden zu lassen, machen Die unendliche Geschichte zu einem besonderen Erlebnis.
Als Kind h盲tte ich das Buch sicherlich geliebt. Als solches hatte ich es aber leider nicht gelesen. Ich denke, dar眉ber werde ich mit meinen Eltern in n盲chster Zeit mal sprechen. Ich habe mich w盲hrend des Lesens an ein M盲rchenbuch aus meiner Kindheit erinnert und verzweifelt versucht dieses zu finden. Das Internet vergisst zwar nichts. Aber meine fr眉he Jugend ist dann doch schon etwas zu lange her. So bleibt eine Suche nach 鈥濵盲rchensammlung mit goldfarbenem Einband Ende der 80er鈥� dann wenig 眉berraschend erfolglos. :(
Michael Endes Buch hat ebenfalls diesen M盲rchencharakter, der mir auch im Erwachsenenalter noch gro脽e Freude bereiten kann. Das war hier der Fall. Meinen Aufenthalt in Phantasien habe ich sehr genossen. Umso mehr nachdem ich vom H枚rbuch zum E-Book gewechselt habe. Die Welt in meinem eigenen Tempo erkunden zu k枚nnen war f眉r mich hier 盲u脽erst wichtig. Daneben war mir die Erz盲hlung durch Rufus Beck mitunter auch einfach zu kindlich angelegt. Was aber, wie einige andere Kleinigkeiten auch, mit Blick auf die Zielgruppe nat眉rlich vollkommen verst盲ndlich ist.
Insgesamt ein gro脽es Vergn眉gung, f眉r kleine und gro脽e Kinder.
Februar 2020 Leserunde in der Gruppe SpecFic Buddy Reads, in der Kategorie Fantasy.
Die Geschichte von Bastian Balthasar Bux, der auf Die unendliche Geschichte st枚脽t, das Buch stiehlt und dann, zun盲chst im 眉bertragenen Sinne, und sp盲ter tats盲chlich von der Geschichte gefangen genommen wird, lebt vor allem von der scheinbar grenzenlosen Fantasie des Autors.
Das wundervolle Worldbuilding und die clevere Idee zun盲chst Bastian 鈥� als Leser des Buches im Buch - und dann mitunter auch den Leser von Endes Buch selbst Teil der Geschichte werden zu lassen, machen Die unendliche Geschichte zu einem besonderen Erlebnis.
Als Kind h盲tte ich das Buch sicherlich geliebt. Als solches hatte ich es aber leider nicht gelesen. Ich denke, dar眉ber werde ich mit meinen Eltern in n盲chster Zeit mal sprechen. Ich habe mich w盲hrend des Lesens an ein M盲rchenbuch aus meiner Kindheit erinnert und verzweifelt versucht dieses zu finden. Das Internet vergisst zwar nichts. Aber meine fr眉he Jugend ist dann doch schon etwas zu lange her. So bleibt eine Suche nach 鈥濵盲rchensammlung mit goldfarbenem Einband Ende der 80er鈥� dann wenig 眉berraschend erfolglos. :(
Michael Endes Buch hat ebenfalls diesen M盲rchencharakter, der mir auch im Erwachsenenalter noch gro脽e Freude bereiten kann. Das war hier der Fall. Meinen Aufenthalt in Phantasien habe ich sehr genossen. Umso mehr nachdem ich vom H枚rbuch zum E-Book gewechselt habe. Die Welt in meinem eigenen Tempo erkunden zu k枚nnen war f眉r mich hier 盲u脽erst wichtig. Daneben war mir die Erz盲hlung durch Rufus Beck mitunter auch einfach zu kindlich angelegt. Was aber, wie einige andere Kleinigkeiten auch, mit Blick auf die Zielgruppe nat眉rlich vollkommen verst盲ndlich ist.
Insgesamt ein gro脽es Vergn眉gung, f眉r kleine und gro脽e Kinder.
Februar 2020 Leserunde in der Gruppe SpecFic Buddy Reads, in der Kategorie Fantasy.
April 12, 2021
Esta es una historia como ninguna otra... Ya que hay una historia dentro de un historia, que a su vez est谩 inmersa adentro de otra historia y as铆 sucesivamente hasta el infinito (de all铆 su nombre). La trama es excelente con un mundo fant谩stico inmenso, diverso y extraordinario. Al leerlo me sent铆 super emocionado y con ganas de pertenecer a ese mundo tan maravilloso.
El libro contiene dos partes bien diferenciadas (que entiendo fue la manera que separaron las pel铆culas que hicieron los los 80s), ambas igual de hermosas ya que cada una tiene su propio atractivo, no las describir茅 porque arruinar铆a la magia de descubrirlas, con un buen final que deja tu mente con una agradable satisfacci贸n.
El libro contiene dos partes bien diferenciadas (que entiendo fue la manera que separaron las pel铆culas que hicieron los los 80s), ambas igual de hermosas ya que cada una tiene su propio atractivo, no las describir茅 porque arruinar铆a la magia de descubrirlas, con un buen final que deja tu mente con una agradable satisfacci贸n.
April 22, 2020
I came across Bradley's review of "The Neverending Story" a few days ago, and it brought back a lot of memories. I'm sure I'm not the only Goodreader who related to the story of an awkward child who finds comfort and reprieve from the bullying he endures at school and the cold father who waits for him at home between the pages on a book. I remember watching the movie and thinking that Coreander's bookshop was the most beautiful place I had ever seen: to this day, whenever I step into a crammed, dusty little bookshop, I get that excited flutter in my stomach that I got when I first saw those precarious-looking piles of books, each one a whole new world to explore. A whole new world that wasn't the crappy one I woke up in.
Not all books will transport you to a entirely different world, of course. But those that do are priceless treasures, and now more than ever, they can be a great source of comfort and welcome distraction from the incredibly fucked up reality we have to deal with. "The Neverending Story" is that kind of book.
Bastian Balthazar Bux is a lonely, chubby little boy. Other kids pick on him, and his recently widowed father is so lost in his grief that he doesn't see his son's misery and need for attention. While hiding from the bullies, he stumbles into Mr. Coreander's bookshop, and is entranced by the sight of a beautiful, old book titled "The Neverending Story". In a moment of panic, he steals the book and goes to hide in the school's attic to read it.
"If you have never wept bitter tears because a wonderful story has come to an end and you must take your leave of the characters with whom you have shared so many adventures, whom you have loved and admired, for whom you have hoped and feared, and without whose company life seems empty and meaningless. If such things have not been part of your own experience, you probably won't understand what Bastian did next."
Next thing he knows, he is exploring the incredible world of Fantastica. But that wondrous universe seems to be dying, as the very heart of Fantastica, the Childlike Empress, is ill, and her illness is causing parts of her land to vanish. A young, brave warrior named Atreyu is chosen to find a cure and embarks on a great quest to cure them Empress and save Fantastica.
I love how the text of "The Neverending Story" is intertwined with what Bastian is doing and thinking in the first half of the book: what a perfect way to illustrate how books work their magic on us, how they support us, make us feel understood and less alone as we ride the words into different places and states of mind. And I love that while this book definitely makes a strong case for escapism, it is also careful to remind Bastian (and the reader) that reality must nevertheless be dealt with and that you can't hide from it for ever. You can, however, go back to real life stronger and smarter because of what you took away from the books you read!
Since we've been carefully self-isolating, I've been keeping busy and reading a bunch, but last weekend, I felt a need for extra-strength comfort. Something classic, something magical - the literary equivalent of a slice of banana bread thickly slathered in Nutella. So I put "The Neverending Story" on my bedside table and made my way through it slowly, a couple of chapters every night before going to sleep. It was a gentle balm on my feels, after days of reading upsetting and frustrating current event news, of wrestling with my own anxiety, of worrying about friends and family and trying to tiptoe around the big existentialist hole in my mind.
Here are a few other books that took me so far from where I was that when I looked up from the page, I was a little shocked to find myself in my own home. Just in case you're in need a portal to another world at the moment...
"The Shadow of the Wind" /review/show...
"American Gods" /review/show...
"Perdido Street Station" /review/show...
"City of Stairs" /review/show...
"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet" /review/show...
"The Blind Assassin" /review/show...
"Angelmaker" /review/show...
"A Gentleman in Moscow" /review/show...
"The Lonely Hearts Hotel" /review/show...
"My Father's Glory" /review/show...
Not all books will transport you to a entirely different world, of course. But those that do are priceless treasures, and now more than ever, they can be a great source of comfort and welcome distraction from the incredibly fucked up reality we have to deal with. "The Neverending Story" is that kind of book.
Bastian Balthazar Bux is a lonely, chubby little boy. Other kids pick on him, and his recently widowed father is so lost in his grief that he doesn't see his son's misery and need for attention. While hiding from the bullies, he stumbles into Mr. Coreander's bookshop, and is entranced by the sight of a beautiful, old book titled "The Neverending Story". In a moment of panic, he steals the book and goes to hide in the school's attic to read it.
"If you have never wept bitter tears because a wonderful story has come to an end and you must take your leave of the characters with whom you have shared so many adventures, whom you have loved and admired, for whom you have hoped and feared, and without whose company life seems empty and meaningless. If such things have not been part of your own experience, you probably won't understand what Bastian did next."
Next thing he knows, he is exploring the incredible world of Fantastica. But that wondrous universe seems to be dying, as the very heart of Fantastica, the Childlike Empress, is ill, and her illness is causing parts of her land to vanish. A young, brave warrior named Atreyu is chosen to find a cure and embarks on a great quest to cure them Empress and save Fantastica.
I love how the text of "The Neverending Story" is intertwined with what Bastian is doing and thinking in the first half of the book: what a perfect way to illustrate how books work their magic on us, how they support us, make us feel understood and less alone as we ride the words into different places and states of mind. And I love that while this book definitely makes a strong case for escapism, it is also careful to remind Bastian (and the reader) that reality must nevertheless be dealt with and that you can't hide from it for ever. You can, however, go back to real life stronger and smarter because of what you took away from the books you read!
Since we've been carefully self-isolating, I've been keeping busy and reading a bunch, but last weekend, I felt a need for extra-strength comfort. Something classic, something magical - the literary equivalent of a slice of banana bread thickly slathered in Nutella. So I put "The Neverending Story" on my bedside table and made my way through it slowly, a couple of chapters every night before going to sleep. It was a gentle balm on my feels, after days of reading upsetting and frustrating current event news, of wrestling with my own anxiety, of worrying about friends and family and trying to tiptoe around the big existentialist hole in my mind.
Here are a few other books that took me so far from where I was that when I looked up from the page, I was a little shocked to find myself in my own home. Just in case you're in need a portal to another world at the moment...
"The Shadow of the Wind" /review/show...
"American Gods" /review/show...
"Perdido Street Station" /review/show...
"City of Stairs" /review/show...
"The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet" /review/show...
"The Blind Assassin" /review/show...
"Angelmaker" /review/show...
"A Gentleman in Moscow" /review/show...
"The Lonely Hearts Hotel" /review/show...
"My Father's Glory" /review/show...
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