Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Stardust

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

10 reviews

krystyne88's review against another edition

adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

So far nothing has even come close to Coraline. But I still did enjoy Stardust. I was thoroughly entertained. The writing was bit misogynistic at times and certain things have not aged well. Like I hate when male authors go into great lengths sexualizing female characters and then just describe eye colour of male characters.

Also the ending felt incomplete.

Like why did the witch just accept defeat in the end? She was so badass like a few chapters ago. It felt out of character for her.

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mirandyli's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

A cute fantasy novel that was a fun quick read.

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ericispublius's review

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Adventure, Love, and sex are packed into just a couple hundred pages! Who said a little cheese was bad for the meal? A fun and a little cheesy fairy tale that scratches an itch I didn't really know that I had.

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thecriticalreader's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Review:

Stardust is the second Neil Gaiman book I have read; I read Smoke and Mirrors a while ago, and I thought it was all right. I picked up Stardust after hearing it compared to The Phantom Tollbooth, which I love. After reading it, I feel the same way about Stardust as I do Smoke and Mirrors—it’s decent. Where many fantasy writers would turn the straightforward quest/fairytale narrative of Stardust and turn it into an epic high fantasy series with several books, complex character development, overly long side quests, and audacious worldbuilding, Gaiman sticks to the important facts and events. Stardust is only 250 pages long, which is a double-edged sword. Its short length combined with Gaiman’s limpid, witty, and occasionally profound prose makes it very readable and entertaining. There are several imaginative and fun moments. It reads somewhat like a children’s fairytale, and probably could be a middle-grade book if it didn’t contain some gratuitous (albeit not graphic) sex scenes and some descriptive violence. However, the characters lack depth, and the plot events occur because Gaiman wants them to, not because they make sense. In general, Stardust feels like it’s missing something important. Additionally, a lot of the narrative is pretty problematic if you stop to think about it, which you might not because the story demands very little thought.

The Run-Down:

You will probably like Stardust if . . .

· You want a quick, entertaining read to get you out of a slump

· You like traditional fairy tales

You might not like Stardust if . . .

· You want to read a story with any sort of depth

· You are sensitive to casual misogyny and racism in storytelling

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puttingwingsonwords's review against another edition

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medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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rachel1's review against another edition

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adventurous

3.75

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cassidyalainebull's review against another edition

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adventurous medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

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toffishay's review against another edition

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adventurous funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Such a fun, contained fantasy story that was just a really good time to read.

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hpterka's review against another edition

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adventurous lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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happylilfaerie's review against another edition

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2.0

I love Gaiman's writing but this was so misogynistic and for what.

It's meant to be a modern fairytale - great love the concept, but it did not subvert or add anything to any of the tropes found in fairytale, especially the problematic ones. It did nothing special and was very disappointing.

The main character is pathetic and acts like a complete incel at the beginning refusing to take no for an answer then ENSLAVES someone so he can give the slave to the woman he's lusting for (who has rejected him multiple times) so she marries him as per their deal. And we're meant to be cheering for him???

Then of course the celestial being (a literal fucking fallen star) has to become a damsel in distress so he can save her and she now literally becomes his slave through some magical bond, what the actual fuck.

And he goes through no character development but we are just supposed to accept that he is a hero all of a sudden. He only saved her in the way an owner protects their property.

Then at the end he gets everything handed to him??? and

she just decides she loves him? when the fuck did that happen? Stockholm Syndrome much?

Honestly I could go on by how dirty the women in this book are done, and how poorly presented they are but I'm tired and I wanna find something better to read to cleanse my mind.

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