Stardust

this was my first read for the Book to Movie challenge. i finished it yesterday and i really loved it. the first chapter was a little slow getting into but once the story took off i was hooked. i haven't seen the movie yet. i usually like to read the books first. the story starts out with dunstan thorn, who lives in a little town called Wall that is actually on the boundary to Faerie. every nine years the Faerie Market comes to Wall, right outside the gap that is usually manned, preventing people from passing through. dunstan meets a woman enslaved by a witch. he becomes bewitched by her and they spend a reckless night together. the Market leaves, dunstan marries his sweetheart and all is well in the world, until nine months later a little basket with a child bearing the name tristran thorn arrives on their doorstep.

fast forward 16 years later. tristran is almost a man. he's in love with the most beautiful girl in town. they see a falling star together and he promises to retrieve it for her. so he sets off for Faerie to bring back the star. but he's not the only one who wants the star. an evil witch wants to capture the star and cut out her heart so that she will regain her youth. three brothers fighting for the throne after their father's death are looking for the star to retrieve a topaz necklace. and the poor star has fallen from her sky, never to go back. i dare not say more, but many adventures follow full of danger, peril and magic. the story is so well written i could see everything so vividly in my mind. and i really liked the end. it was poignant and bittersweet but absolutely perfect. it's rare that i ever feel that way. usually most endings disappoint in one way or another.