Haroun and the Sea of Stories

This has to be one of the biggest surprises I've had lately. A family member was assigned this book for school, so I got to read it and wow what a colorful and imaginative ride! I was aware of Rushdie and thought of him as a more academic, purely literary type that college professors would promote, like Milton or James Joyce or one of those many authors who force you to slow down your reading in order to get their points. Well this is nothing like that, it is more like a roller coaster but with better emotional payoff. The story and setting are colorful and the plot twists fresh and unexpected. Characters are unlike any you've met before, and the dialogue and narrative are full of puns and playfulness. And beneath it all? Tons of subtext and allegory, woven in so expertly that you literally could just ignore it and still have a fun read. But if you take the trouble of going back for the inner meanings and symbols and whatnot (like they were doing in the school assignment) you find meaningful, thoughtful and somewhat moving messages that enrich the total experience. Why this book is not more famous, I don't know but as literature it makes the Wizard of Oz (which is supposedly allegorical, too) look dull and awkward by comparison, even taking into account the century of literary change in between. Haroun is perfectly fine for young readers but there's no reason for adults to miss out. My advice: don't be thrown off by the long, analytical reviews and don't expect that you have to think like a college student to enjoy this. Just grab a copy, open it up and begin. Don't load it down with expectations. Just read -- you will have fun!

his is one book that should be in both the children's and adults' sections in libraries and bookstores. I read some sections of it to my son last year - he loved it and we reread it again sometime back. I wrote most of this review at that time but added some more comments after reading it all over again with my son. Haroun and the Sea of Stories is a wonderful book by Salman Rushdie. Reading this book was like seeing a beautiful sunset - as the colors change, your mind is filled with awe and joy at the most simple and at the same time, the grandest beauty you can see. You see the sunset everyday and each time its magic reaches you and delights you anew. I found the same magic in this book. Rushdie's use of Hindi in the book for place names and character names and references to real life places and characters in this fantasy book are both perfect. It is a story of magic, heroes, satire, hope, laughs, sad truths all in one and everyone who reads the book is left with something wonderful when they finally (if at all) put it down. Rushdie tells the story of story-telling/a story-teller here - of the power of the written word. As Haroun journeys to Kahani to help restore his father's story-telling powers, he has wonderful adventures and meets delightful characters each of which are unforgettable even after you put down the book.

This is a book about a young kid, Haroon who has to restore his fathers power to tell stories. He goes into a magical land and finds out that the sea of stories, where all stories are made is being poisoned. It is up to Haroun and his friends to save all stories from dying away. Lets start with the good. Haroun and the sea of stories is a wonderful fantasy, that locks you into the book and does not leave you out till the very end. It has likebeale charecters, a good writing style, and a very creative plot. There are a couple things I did not like. It felt like there were two aouthors. One would write about haroons adventure in the magical land, and one would write about Haroon and his friends. They did not seem to work together. This is only a minor complaint thougth, and I am probaly being picky. My second complaint is this: The part at the end seems like an excuse for a happy ending. It was not terrible but that was what I felt. Ultimately I recomend this book

great book

For the longest time, I felt as if my fascination with fictional stories was a blemish that an up and coming young adult could not afford to have when going through responsibilities like college and job hunting. This novel speaks to those who love fiction, who would rather spend a week in a world completely made up, who would feel just as strongly about characters as they would their own children. This work is an amazing tribute to the wondrous world of fiction, and a very personal tale for all those who hold a special place for imagination in their hearts. But I had my doubtful and skeptical first impressions. As many people know, first impressions are often wrong. I know mine was. I read this novel as part of a college Fiction Workshop class. At first, the book seemed like a fanciful and insightful oddball novel that a grade school teacher would force upon students, simply because it was for a class and the themes were still newborn and undeveloped. Once the themes and imagery got rolling and the author's writing style was zeroed in, this book was very difficult to put down. Compelling questions whose answers were simply too stubborn to be revealed so easily held my attention hostage for hours, making witty and insightful remarks on my Kindle, piecing together themes and images like a detective pieces together a crime. Writers would find this book particularly interesting, since many themes center around writing habits and the importance of fiction to individuals and their lives. Comments on modern day norms and standards are scattered throughout this work, complimenting the underlying themes and plotline.

I purchased this book after Salman was stabbed to support him. This book would make an excellent PG-13 movie adaptation for the screen. It would be PG-13 if certain dialogue is retained from the book, but it could be a PG movie is such dialogue is cut. Salman wrote this book for his son, who at the time wasn't a full fledged teenager yet, but wasn't a child, either. That's what this book shows: a story for the "in-between" time in life when the reader isn't a teenager, but isn't a child, either.

Do not be intimidated by the fact that this was written by Salman Rushdie and all that may imply. He is a great author and this is an excellent book to start with. It is short and many layered. It was written as a bedtime story for his children. I did not know this when I bought the hardbound volume years ago. after reading it, I wondered if my five year old daughter might enjoy my reading it to her at night. I asked her to promise to allow me to read the first two chapters before she decided if she would let me go on. I received an enthusiastic request to read all of it. In addition to being appealing to children - it is funny at time; it is an adventure and it is picturesque - it is about the creative process (writing in particular) and enjoys twists on popular western cultural icons and names as well as labels. It carries sophisticated jokes and word play that is pleasing to children on one level and to adults on another. Almost in the manner that Rocky and Bullwinkle appeal across age ranges. I purchased the digital version and am going to create an audio book for my daughter at her request. She is now out of college...

I teach 8th grade English as a charter school with an accelerated curriculum. This book is the best-kept secret for us English teachers, as it's a wondrous story for teaching close readings for symbolism, magical realism, characterization, and allegory. And yet, because there are so few online resources for it, I don't have to worry my students are plagiarizing assignments off Shmoop, eNotes or Cliff notes. I've written my own study guides and Power Points, tying it in with lessons on the fall of the Berlin wall and the Iranian fatwa against the author so we could broaden our discussion of censorship and free speech. Both my South Asian and western students feel like this story speaks to them with its singsong English idiom, likable young hero, easily accessible symbolism, strong elements of fantasy, and numerous allusions to everything from the Beatles to the 1001 Arabian Nights. I highly recommend this to anyone -- adult or adolescent -- searching for an engaging read that crosses cultural and genre boundaries.

Loved this book - a true escape from reality!

libro nuovo veloce ad arrivare prezzo vantaggioso, ricomprerei altri libri nello stesso modo, ripeto la consegna è stata velocissima .

A great book, not just for children. The scenery of much of the novel is the imaginary moon Kahani, where stories originate in an ocean of stories. Kahani is divided between the Land of Gup and the Land of Chup. In the latter, not just the freedom of speech is restricted, but it is even not allowed to speak. Khattam-Shud, the ruthless ruler of Chup, tries to poison the ocean of stories so that all stories go wrong and come to a bad end. Asked why, he says "... all worlds ... they are all there to be ruled". Central parts of the book are about the contrast between a liberal society ("And is not the Power of Speech the greatest Power of all?") and dictatorship. Most characters in the novel are male, nonetheless it is a girl that saves many lives by impeding an attempted assault initiated by Khattam-Shud. And there is a happy end.

Boek is in goede staat en mooi om te zien.

Haroun is one of my all-time favourite books, one that I would choose if I was allowed to read just five books my whole life. It is a crazily wonderful mix of fantasy, fairytale, allegory, humour and activism. Rushdie has reached dazzling, dizzying heights of imagination that leave you breathless with the wonder of it all. How did he do it? asks your bewildered brain. How could he think up such a world? The story begins in a city that is 'so ruinously sad that it has forgotten its name'. In a city full of gloomy people, 11-year old Haroun Khalifa and his parents are the only cheery folks. Haroun's father Rashid is a master storyteller, much in demand across the country for his almost-magical talent to weave enthralling yarns . His mother Soraya is a happy soul who sings all day...till Rashid becomes too busy to pay any attention to home and family, and their sneaky oily snivelling neighbour Mr Sengupta persuades her to ditch her useless husband and elope with him. Haroun blames his father for this tragedy and asks him the fateful question- what's the use of stories that aren't even true? What a terrible question to ask a storyteller! Rashid is quite literally dumbstruck by its brutality- he loses the gift of gab. Haroun, guilty at having robbed his father of his gift, is determined to set things right. He discovers that Rashid was a longtime subscriber of the magic story water service from Kahani, Earth's secret second moon, but now his subscription has been cancelled. How does the second moon stay hidden? How does warm story water from the Sea of Stories on Kahani reach Earth? How did the subscription get cancelled? By P2C2Es, of course- Processes Too Complicated To Explain! :) Haroun flies to Kahani to restart Rashid's subscription- on the back of a mechanical hoopoe bird called Butt, with a Water Genie called Iff. But once he reaches Gup City (the capital of Kahani, inhabited by talkative chatterboxes of all sizes, shapes and species, called Guppees) he discovers that the city is about to go to war with the deadly Khatam Shud. Khatam Shud has kidnapped Princess Batcheat, the princess of Gup City, the daughter of King Chatterjee (!) Power-hungry Khatam Shud (aka The End) is the enemy of speech and stories because in every story is a world that he cannot rule. What's worse, Khatam Shud and his henchmen are creating and releasing poisonous anti-stories in the sea so that all stories in the world are destroyed. Can the Guppees defeat Khatam Shud and end his reign of silence? Can the Sea of Stories be saved from the vile poison of hateful propaganda that Khatam Shud is spewing? Can Princess Batcheat be rescued? (Though with her terrible voice and ridiculous poems, she is best left unrescued!) You have to read the book to know all this and more! Mandatory reading for everyone above the age of 11 years who loves stories. P. S.- The dedication on the first page is heart-breaking if you can decode it. Try it.