Reviews

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende

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.

olicavanna's review against another edition

adventurous hopeful lighthearted mysterious fast-paced

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

4.5

hirvimaki's review against another edition

5.0

The first time I read The Neverending Story I was 16. A friend had a hardback copy and I was fascinated by the beautiful art at the beginning of each chapter - just as described in the story - and by the alternating colours of text - again, just like in the story. Fast forward nearly 30 years and I own the book - if for no other reason than that it is beautiful - and I now have the distinct pleasure of reading it to my daughters. It is still a five star read. Wonderful, rich writing. The way Ende captures you as part of the story is quite magical and clever. I highly recommend this for anyone who enjoys fantasy and is a child at heart.

jilianh's review against another edition

adventurous medium-paced

2.0

I read this for my Read the World challenge for my German author as I wanted something unrelated to the holocaust.

I am a 27 year old with no kids and I have no nostalgic attachment to this book or movie as I had no previous exposure. The Neverending Story most certainly felt never-ending. It was a tedious read for me. I am evidently not the target audience!

There are certainly fantastical creatures and situations to which I applaud the author's creativity, but none of the stakes or conflict held any gravity, and every new problem gets resolved quickly. This means a new problem must be created, then instantly fixed, and then repeat. I didn't feel attachment towards any characters, and while it addresses some difficult themes for middle-graders (death, depression, following true wishes, etc.) They are all such short segments that it feels jarring and superficial. The book reads almost like fables do,
which is just not my personal taste.
I did like that whenever we parted with a character we got the little missing piece of their story and " but that's another story and shall be told another time". It makes the side character stories feel more important and also helped make plot threads feel wrapped up.