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Summary: Gorgeous fairy tale
Review: I read this book in one sitting and I was astounded at the breadth of Rushdie's imagination: I had previously read "Midnight's Children" and I absolutely loved its scope. This book blew me away: the only book I've read beforehand that captivated me to read in one sitting was the first Harry Potter, and this one is possibly more imaginative in the fact this it is one book long. A whole world is drawn to vivid life in only 250 or so pages and it is fascinating. If you have a whimsical side and enjoy fairy tales with a serious side, you will love this short novel by the master, Salman Rushdie. When is his Nobel coming along? It's about time.
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Summary: A mix of fantasy & fairy tale that is pure delight.
Review: Rushdie soars in this wonderland tale of Gups, Chups, and other fantastical figures making up this fun and highly entertaining read. Crafted with the same artistic and gifted imagination that produced such works as Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, Haroun and the Sea of Stories is a pure delight that will take readers through a playground of whimsical creatures, fairy-tale worlds, and, of course, happy endings, though never in a way that is too "cookie-cutter"-like or hackneyed. In this work, Rushdie achieves what has been truly lacking in the modern age--a story that reclaims the pure pleasure of fantastical fiction, in a way that flows effortlessly off the page. Bravo, Rushdie.
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Summary: Adventure for Un-Grownups
Review: This is the first Rushdie I have ever read. I had no idea what I was missing. Blending fantasy, science fiction, and satire in a visually stunning landscape, he gives us a blue-bearded Water Genie named Iff, a Hoopoe named Butt, and a range of people, places, and events governed by P2C2E (Processes Too Complicated To Explain).Haroun bitterly asks his storyteller father, "What's the use of stories that aren't even true?" To compensate for this offense, he embarks on a fairytale journey where he learns how precious, rare, and powerful the human imagination is. The plot is similar to the movie The Never Ending Story, coupled with the literary traditions of Alice in Wonderland, the Phantom Tollbooth, and Willy Wonka. The book was diverting enough to read on the bus yet underlying its entertainment value is a deadly serious subject. A boy's mother has just left him; his father has fallen from grace; the world is weeping and warring; and the little boy, Haroun, must decide "to be or not to be." He can bring peace to the planet with his powers of imagination. Can you?
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Summary: Nobody seems to have reviewed the Audio Cassette of Haroun
Review: I discovered Haroun when I happened to pick up the audio tape set at a junk store for about $2.00. WHAT A BARGAIN! I am so glad I got to hear the book first, rather than read it (while driving across the desert, no less)! Rushdie reads his own work, and it's an absolute delight. He does great voices (Bolo's and Batcheat's are especially funny), and his (what I assume to be) Bombay lilt just brings this story alive. You might miss a pun or two on the audio version, which is why I ended up buying the book as well. This REALLY needs to be reissued and put on CD. I'm scared to death my cassette will snap or otherwise be ruined.
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Summary: Haroun and the sea of stories
Review: The book I read was Haroun and the Sea of Stories. It was written by Salman Rushidie. The main characters in the book were Rashid Khalif(The Shaw of Blaw), Haroun Khalif, Iff, Butt the Hoope, Khattam Shud, Mali the Gardener, Bagha and Goody the Plentimaw fish, Prince Bob, Princess Batcheat, The Chupwalas and Blabbermouth. The book was very simple and I like Rushdie's style of writing. It flowed very smoothly. What I found quite appealing was how sometimes the sentences would rhyme, for example "All this bad taste! Too much dirt! Swimming in the ocean starts to hurt! Call me Bagha, this is Goopy, excuse our rudeness we feel rather droopy. Eyes fell rheumy! Throat feels sore! When were better, we'll talk some more. (Pg. 85) The use of humor, allusions, and satire throughout the book kept my attention for instances. "In it was a young woman with long, long hair with a circlet of gold and singing, please excuse, the ugliest soundest singing I have ever heard. In addition her teeth her nose..." (Pg. 102) I assume he was implying that her singing was as ugly she was .
In my opinion the theme of the book is "Stand up for what you believe in no matter what it takes." Ever since Haroun found out that his dad had lost his story telling powers, he never gave up on finding ways to make him get his powers back. He used extreme measures to retrieve the story telling powers for his father, like fighting a war for people he had just met because the Chupwalas were the ones who were polluting the sea of stories. He also fought this war so Iff the Water Jeannie would turn back on the story telling water and Rashid could tell his stories once again. Being a person who believes in the principle of chasing after your dreams and what you believe in, applaud Haroun for his actions. I think the author did an excellent job in portraying the theme of this book. I could relate and identify with Haroun because I would have done the same thing and would have made some of the same choices. Such as the choice to split up, Haroun took the shadow Khattam Shud and Rashid took the real one.
I would undoubtedly recommend this book. This charming masterpiece has the potential to be a timeless classic. It's a book for anyone who loves a good story. From the very beginning it pulls the reader in and engages them in the story. There is never a dull spot in this story it's funny and there's a battle between good and evil. What more could a reader want. I would recommend this book to readers from ages 14 and up, it's written in such simple terms anyone would understand it.
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Summary: Pleasantly Surprised
Review: It was the last day of school, and then my teacher handed me a piece of paper: "Summer reading for Honors 10th Language Arts, "Haroun and the Sea of Stories"". Bleh. I blew it off all summer, then finally read it a week before the start of sophomore year, wow was I pleasantly surprised. I thorougly enjoyed this book, Rushdie is a mastermind, weaving a very serious message into his seemingly innocent fairy tale outer shell. The setting Rushdie creates is marvelous and beautiful, and the characters are hilarious and original. Compare this book to Fahrenheit 451, funny how two of the best books ever written convey the same message. So, kids, when your mean teacher tells you to read this book...just read it, you'll actually enjoy it.
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Summary: Whimsical but meaningful
Review: "Haroun and the Sea of Stories" is a delightful charmer of a fairy tale, and certainly not what I expected from Salman Rushdie. Full of endlessly imaginative situations, it's a joy to read. I particularly loved the names each of the characters got, and the sly twists on the standard fairy tale genre-for example, the princess who is neither beautiful nor golden-voiced, and the prince who is not valiant, just a little foolish and blustering. However, there's plenty of meaning hidden just beneath the surface, and that's what sets this book aside. Values like loyalty, friendship and believing in dreams are all extolled without actually seeming to do so. And for anyone who has ever watched a Hindi movie-long live "mustachioed gangsters in yellow check pants" !
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Summary: Great Book; Phenomenal Audio Book
Review: Loved HAROUN when it came out in book form. But then got the tape, and Rushdie's loving rendition of his own charming and fanciful story, with the many different Indian accents he creates, is nothing short of wondrous. Highly recommended for all ages.
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Summary: Fun, but a little too fanciful.
Review: I've heard about Salman Rushdie. Both good and bad. The only way to find out the truth for myself was to read one of his books. Being the naturally lazy man that I am, I grabbed the smallest book of his I could find. Little did I know that this book was a fairy tale, and not something that would rouse Islamic fundamentalists. Anyway, I already purchased it and decided to read it anyway. At first, I saw that Rushdie had a great imagination and could weave a great story. This book is about Hauron, a boy living in a glum city where his dad is a prime storyteller. He travels to a far away city, only discover that a Water Genie has stopped his dad's faucet to the sea of stories. In order to help his father, he travels to the Sea of Stories and engages in a war to save the sea, and his father, while meeting interesting characters and seeing interesting sights. The book starts off well, with Rushdie's almost poetic use of language. The book, however, slowly digresses. Not that Rushdie's work disintegrates, but as the fairy tale progresses, with even more characters, and even more anomalies, it gets pretty dull after a while. The ability to shock or dazzle the reader is weened away until it becomes a chore to finish the book. I would say that this book is good for a change of pace, and at only 200 pages, won't take too long to read, but I could only marginally recommend it.
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Summary: Bedtime Story for Grown-Ups.
Review: This book is a perfect example of Rushdie just letting all his creative juices flow out. This story is not deep or imbedded with hidden meanings of critiques of society yet is like a bedtime story for adults. He creates wonderful worlds into which our minds wander and that we visit after falling asleep reading the book. This book is fun and entertaining though it does drag at certain parts. Nonetheless the clarity with which any who read it will be able to envision this story will allow the draggy bits to be quickly passed.
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