Reviews

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

lijadora's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring reflective slow-paced

• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

I've been reading this to practice reading German, and even after reading Momo, by the same writer, was positively surprised. This too is a lovely book, and just like Momo: not only for children.

TL;DR Bastian is drawn into a fantasy world via a book. The world is partly of his own making, but does have its own ground rules as well. He goes through not really accepting himself, through wanting to be someone else to accepting himself warts and all.

leitora_foraz's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

hexatrance's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book is a treasure. Full of storytelling nonsense and lessons on hubris. At no point could I predict where the story was going to go because, like a story being told on the spot, it changed its rules as it went. I think I enjoyed the first half a bit more than the second where Bastian was influencing the story from outside it instead of within it, and it did feel a bit drawn out. There's a chapter for every letter of the alphabet and its a testament to the translator that even in translation every chapter started with a word that began with that letter. For a story full of whimsey, it's a fair chonk of a book in order to get all 26 chapters for 26 letters in. 

alexinho10's review against another edition

adventurous emotional inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

dnandrews797's review against another edition

4.0

I waffled back and forth whether to give this 3 or 4 stars, but ultimately went with four because of the sheer whimsy and hopefulness this book inspires.
Fantástica is an amazing country filled with all sorts of fairy tales and creates that take an excellent imagination to conjure up. To be perfectly honest, I enjoyed the first half of the book focused on Atreyu more than I did the second half. The meta aspects hindered my enjoyment of the book a bit, but the themes of love and curiosity overcoming all were well planted enough that I enjoyed it immensely.

dreaming_ace's review against another edition

4.0

A fun read which reminds us all about the power of stories and the need to ind ourselves. And who has not dreamed about becoming apart of the books they read. I have travled into many books and always find wonders and joy. Go imagination.

lauray's review against another edition

1.0

I hated this book so intensely that it brought my love of reading to a grinding halt for several months. Only now do I feel compelled to once again smell the delightful pages of a never before read book.

acrousey's review against another edition

adventurous emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

elisegmusic's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted slow-paced

3.5

I’ve discovered that nearly everyone I know in my generation has seen this movie, but I have not and decided to read the book first. For a children’s book, there were definitely some moments that packed a punch. It teaches really good lessons about being true to yourself, learning to love and trust your friends, and being careful what you wish for. There were a few slow parts, and you are introduced to so many characters I can’t remember half of their names after just putting down the book. But overall, I enjoyed the book and the themes. 

ash_acoustic's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

As a child, The Neverending Story was one of my favourite movies. Reading the book as an adult, I realised that the movie only covers the first half of the book and really misses the point of Bastian’s journey. 

The message behind the story is quite nice, but at times, it seemed the author was trying to squeeze in too many imaginative characters and settings just for the sake of it. I often found little cohesion between chapters. 

Overall, an easy read and a bit of a nostalgic journey for 90s kids.