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3.57 AVERAGE
3.57 AVERAGE
A little stranger than I remember from childhood. Henry enjoyed most of it but the ending had less resolution than I remembered/would have expected. Heavy on metaphor!
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love E.B. White's "Charlotte's Web", so I thought I would also enjoy this book. The characters and the story are the two enduring qualities of a good book. I could not connect or empathize with Stuart Little; therefore, I did not enjoy the story. I could not get past the fact that he is a mouse born to human parents - could not suspend my disbelief for that one. And, I think he is a spoiled, nasty little mouse, so there was nothing about Stuart that drew me into the story. Again, I understand the historical significance of E.B. White's "Stuart Little", so I was glad I read the book, but would recommend "Charlotte's Web" over this book any day.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As others have noted, the books seems to end mid-story. The open-ending itself isn't the bad part. But taking the story as a whole there just doesn't seem to be any point to it. Not to mention, even if read as magical realism, the whole human birthing a mouse bit was just jarring, almost horror-like to me. And it wasn't relevant to the story in any way, shape or form. He could have as easily been a talking pet (which is how he was treated anyway) and it wouldn't change the story one bit. Not for me, and not a book I'd recommend as bedtime story for children. There're better books out there that you can bond over with together with your kids.
As with all "classics" we try to find meaning in them, but I fail to see one in Stuart Little. This is one of those stories that might as well have been kept unpublished. Something the writer might have wanted to get out of his head, but not something that should then be put out to the rest of the world. Anyway, different times and all that, I guess. Though I don't find myself all that curious about how it was received back then.
As with all "classics" we try to find meaning in them, but I fail to see one in Stuart Little. This is one of those stories that might as well have been kept unpublished. Something the writer might have wanted to get out of his head, but not something that should then be put out to the rest of the world. Anyway, different times and all that, I guess. Though I don't find myself all that curious about how it was received back then.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse
Minor: Racism
If one views Stuart Little as a legitimate child that is also an animal, there's both animal cruelty and child abuse as part of the story.
My favorite EB White book. Such a kid friendly hero! A childhood must have.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What kind of ending is that?! This book begins charming and delightful (well, except that two human parents somehow bring forth a mouse baby. But whatever, I got over it). Towards the very end it starts to get a little odd. Then it just stops. Seriously. I think Mr. White just said “screw it” and put down his pencil. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an a book so clearly show the author unravel. Very strange. I gave it an extra star because my kids were so delighted with most of it and some of the writing is just beautiful. However, the last third of the book is an absolute train wreck.