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Title: Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie ISBN: 0-14-015737-9 Publisher: Granta Books Pub. Date: November, 1991 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.56 (81 reviews)
Rating: 1
Summary: Just the Asian Version of The Phantom Tollbooth
Comment: I'm sure you have all already read about the begining of the book, so I am just going to start: This book is horrible.
Once i picked it up, i was sort of hooked, waiting for more things to happenl; but they didn't. The whole book, Haroun is just flying around on his magical Hoopoe or something. The ending scene wasn't even too good. Nothing happened in the book. But poor me, i had to keep on reading it as a class assignment. I would've put it down right on the second page if i could. My teacher loved it, but the rest of my class hated it. We were all falling asleep while we were reading it. 14 year olds should not have to go through this kind of torture with Haroun. If you have ever read the Phantom Tollbooth, and loved it, read this...it is just the Asian version of it.
Rating: 5
Summary: Context and Censorship
Comment: The key to understanding "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" is to look at the context during which it was written. Salman Rushdie was in hiding, and on the run, after a fatwa had been placed on his head for writing the Satanic Verses. He was away from his wife and child (the latter for whom the book was written).
Essentially, "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" is a story about censorship. The protagonist participates in a war between the forces of speech and the forces of silence. There are two events which precipitate this war: 1) Princess Batcheet, of the land of storytellers (Gup), is kidnapped by the armies of the land of silence (Chup), and 2) the Ocean of the Streams of Stories, the source of all the stories in the world, is poisoned by the ruler of Chup.
The people of Gup are faced with a major decision. They only have resources to fight one battle and the question is often asked: "What is more important? The Story? Or the Storyteller?" Is the story more important than the ability to tell it and the person who is communicating it?
What is even more poignant in this tale is that Rushdie has made the Princess an unlikable character: she is ugly, has a screechy voice, and makes improper, invaluable, or disrespectful comments when she speaks. Rushdie was Princess Batcheet at the time this book was written. The price on his head was placed over improper, invaluable, or disrespectful comments (as viewed by some populations in the world) he had written in the Satanic Verses.
In the end, both the person and the stories are saved and Rushdie makes his crucial point: one could not exist without the other. Even though the princess is disliked, she is saved because all ideas must have the chance to be expressed- even ideas that have been deemed "bad" or "dangerous". Censorship kills the story and will eventually kill mankind.
Rushdie illustrates that freedom of speech is integral to the survival and evolution of our human culture. In a time when our world is becoming increasingly paranoid about expression and is enacting stricter laws to regulate the dissemination of ideas (perfect example: the fallout over Janet Jackson's Superbowl appearance), Rushdie's "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" stands out as a beacon to those who believe in freedom. This is such an inspirational book for children, and adults, to read. Rushdie is a man who risked his life to share his thoughts with the world- and he lived to tell a story about it.
Rating: 1
Summary: Starts with Potential, but the Rest is Obviously Forced
Comment: This book is written with quite beautiful laguage and wonderfully descriptive words. Rushdie's talent to form perfect pictures with words and to let you enjoy it while he does is unique. Sadly, I'm afraid his ability with words is wasted on this book (and possible all his books, but this is the only one that I've read).
This book is often said to be a fairytale for both children and adults, but I couldn't posssible agree. I am only fourteen years old, but I could not stand this book. I don't see how any adult could find any value in this book, besides the language. I can't even really grasp how anyone below the age of seven would find this book enjoyable.
Haroun, the protagonist, has absolutely no motivation throughout the entire book. Nothing he does seems believable, from yelling at his father for no reason, to simply telling the supposedly terrifying antagonist, that he reminds him of a man he knows back home. A sub-plot in the story is Haroun's inability to pay attention for more than 11 minutes, which simply goes away at the end of the book, and is supposed to be character development. ABSOLUTELY nothing happened throughout the book to cause this change, he just is suddenly able to concentrate longer.
This doesn't even scratch the surface of the problems in the book. Rushdie uses pathetic tools to give the reader information, such as the antagonist walking around his boat with Haroun, carefully telling him all his evil plans, not to mention a secret way to escape from the boat if he really needs to.
Don't buy this book. It is an incredibly lacking story that shouldn't have been published and would not be half as talked about if the author hadn't been so controversial in his other books.
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Title: The Satanic Verses : A Novel by Salman Rushdie ISBN: 0312270828 Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 01 December, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.00 |
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Title: Living in America by Roshni Rustomji-Kerns, Rashmi Sharma ISBN: 0813323789 Publisher: Westview Press Pub. Date: April, 1995 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Riot: A Love Story by Shashi Tharoor ISBN: 1559706457 Publisher: Arcade Books Pub. Date: 16 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie ISBN: 0140132708 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: April, 1995 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Shame : A Novel by Salman Rushdie ISBN: 0312270933 Publisher: Picador USA Pub. Date: 01 December, 2000 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
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