Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

La storia infinita

by Michael Ende, Amina Pandolfi (Translator), Antonio Basoli (Illustrator)

4.14 of 5 stars 4.14 · rating details · 56,985 ratings · 1,878 reviews

Prima edizione del 1981. È in assoluto la prima italiana, a distanza di tre anni da quella originale tedesca.
Capilettera di Antonio Basoli.
Traduzione di Amina Pandolfi.
Copertina rigida ricoperta di seta rossa con impressione del titolo e dell'Auryn.
Il testo è bicolore, rosso per il mondo degli uomini e verde per il mondo di Fantàsia. I capilettera sono colorati alternati.

Hardcover, 446 pages

Published 1981 by Longanesi (first published 1979)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 3,000)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Dec 19, 2012 Aerin rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone, but especially 11-year-olds

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, childrens, well-that-was-awesome, what-if-it-all-means-something

“Are you and I and all Fantastica,” she asked, “are we all recorded in this book?”

He wrote, and at the same time she heard his answer: “No, you’ve got it wrong. This book is all Fantastica - and you and I.”

“But where is this book?”

And he wrote the answer: “In the book.”

Ah, metafiction for children. Books within books within books, and all the same book. The Neverending Story. The two snakes, red and green, biting each other’s tails and forming an oval: the amulet AURYN. Mirrored in the red and g...more

64 likes · like · see review

Apr 05, 2013 Gundula rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone who loves fantasy

Shelves: childrens-literature, fairy-tales-fantasy, michael-ende, german-lit, classics, books-on-books, book-reviews

I have actually never written a review for Michael Ende's utterly amazing The Neverending Story (I have also never read it in English). I first read it in German in the early 80s, I believe, and I have reread it regularly over the years. Die unendliche Geschichte is one of my all-time favourite German children's literature books; I simply adore it.

I love everything about this book, including the ingenious way the chapters are arranged, as well as the different colour fonts (red for reality, blue...more I have actually never written a review for Michael Ende's utterly amazing The Neverending Story (I have also never read it in English). I first read it in German in the early 80s, I believe, and I have reread it regularly over the years. Die unendliche Geschichte is one of my all-time favourite German children's literature books; I simply adore it.

I love everything about this book, including the ingenious way the chapters are arranged, as well as the different colour fonts (red for reality, blue for Fantastica, or Phantásien in German). For me, the different fonts are not only an ingenious plot and narrative device, they also represent the separation of fantasy and reality. However, the fantastical first letters of each of the 26 chapters, representing the 26 letters of the alphabet, are all (at least in my own copy of the book) presented in the same reddish font as the parts of the story that take place in the real world (even for those chapters based wholly and entirely in Fantastica); this shows on a visual level that while fantasy and reality might be separate and different from one another, they are nevertheless forever linked.

I remember when we were reading Neverending Story in the Children's Literature Group, one of my GR friends (Kirei) asked if the story actually did end. I have to admit that when I first read the novel as a teenager, I kept looking for other novels by the Michael Ende about Fantastica, as he was always hinting at precisely that eventuality (but that is another story ...), until I finally realised that this was also a plot device. At first, this bothered me a bit (I actually felt a bit cheated). But then, I realised how ingenious this particular plot device was (and is). It solidifies Michael Ende's belief that every book is a neverending story, and that books engender other stories and so on and so on. Furthermore, for a reader who might become somewhat nervous and apprehensive when reading exciting or frightening tales, the fact that the author claims that there will be more (future) tales of Fantastica, gives a reassurance that Fantastica will survive, that the nothing (the emptiness) will not succeed in destroying fantasy and the realms of fantasy.

In the first part of the novel, the main emphasis seems to be on the importance of fantasy and how the lack thereof is detrimental to not only the realms of Fantastica, but to the real world (to reality) as well. While the story is not openly didactic, it does possess an obvious message against pure materialism and the disallowance and discrediting of fantasy. The childlike empress will succumb to her illness and with her all of Fantastica, unless a human being can enter Fantastica and give the empress a new name (humans used to regularly find their way to the realm of fantasy, but they are seemingly losing this ability, or are perhaps unwilling to make use of it). And while Bastian does, in fact, possess fantasy and imagination, he is at first too unsure of himself to give the empress the name he has created for her (moon child). Indeed, the empress must resort to tricks and subterfuge in order to persuade Bastian to finally utter her name, to stop the nothing and to become part of the world of Fantastica.

In the second part of the story, Bastian is then given the opportunity to use the power of his own imagination (his own wishes and desires) to reconstruct Fantastica. At first, it seems that there are no limits imposed; in fact, the empress actually tells Bastian that he should do what he wishes, what he wants. There are internal limits though, namely that Bastian's main responsibility, his main goal is to find the nature of his one true (his dearest) desire (which is something that Bastian only learns slowly, bit by bit). It quickly becomes obvious that Bastian's desires to be strong and courageous, of wanting to change his outward appearance are not only not his actual, true wishes, they portray that Bastian, at this time, only uses imagination and fantasy as an escape from a world that he does not like very much, a world where he can neither love nor be and feel loved. Bastian thus does not merely reconstruct Fantastica by creating new realms of fantasy, he uses these to escape from both reality and his own personality. In fact, Bastian becomes quite dictatorial, even attempting to usurp power from the childlike empress. Luckily for him, this proves unsuccessful, and faced with the loss of his memories, Bastian finally realises that his dearest wish is to love himself, to be able to love, that without love, there is nothing.

The Neverending Story demonstrates (and demonstrates quite clearly) how the interaction and interplay of fantasy and reality, of Fantastica and humanity only succeeds if one strives to use fantasy and imagination to improve reality, and that because Bastian is unable to love either the world or himself, he uses fantasy not to improve reality, but to escape from it. This causes him to almost become permanently stranded in Fantastica, which might at first not seem such a bad result, except that, becoming stranded in Fantastica also means losing one's memories, losing one's soul and sanity. In the end, it is almost too late for Bastian, and basically, even though he has realised what his greatest desire is (love), it is only Atreju's friendship which allows Bastian to regain all of his memories and be allowed to return to the real world. Atreju takes over the responsibility of finishing all of the stories that had been started by Bastian, and it is this which liberates Bastian, allowing his return.

And with Bastian's return, we also notice that Bastian has not only learned how to love, and allowed his father to love again, he has also learned to take responsibility for his actions. He, himself, goes to Mr. Coreander to tell him about taking the book, he does not rely on his father to do this (although his father does offer). The main point of The Neverending Story, at least for me, is that imagination and fantasy are essential for life and happiness, but that they must also not be used to simply escape from reality, from the world (that they must be utilised in a responsible manner). They are to be used as a tool, an enjoyable tool, but simply a tool nevertheless, as a method of allowing fantasy and reality to exist together in harmony. (less)

25 likes · like · see review

May 14, 2010 Ben rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2010, like-magic, transformative-experience

I loved most of what I read, yet I’m stopping on page 352; I just can’t continue. And you know, I’m not entirely sure why I can’t continue -– I just know that I can’t.

But I have a theory.

Having loved the movie version of this in my youth, the whole story is etched into the part of my psyche that deals with childhood; that time when so much is new; where much in the world is observed through an inner-wonder of the mind and a stirring of the soul: a magical state, by adult standards. Freud may ha...more I loved most of what I read, yet I’m stopping on page 352; I just can’t continue. And you know, I’m not entirely sure why I can’t continue -– I just know that I can’t.

But I have a theory.

Having loved the movie version of this in my youth, the whole story is etched into the part of my psyche that deals with childhood; that time when so much is new; where much in the world is observed through an inner-wonder of the mind and a stirring of the soul: a magical state, by adult standards. Freud may have been a kook with some of his beliefs, but psychologists today with all their studies and time-tested proofs, and technology measuring brainwaves, chemicals, etc, now heavily emphasize the impact our childhood has on our adult self. And “self” is everything.

Much of what I read captured me, putting me in a state in which I was accessing stirred-up feelings through a strange inner memory that I’m incapable of generating even partly on my own, without help, as an adult. The inability to directly replicate the magical feelings that used to be a normal part of our existence as children, yet somehow being aware of them in some odd way now is, in part, I think, why our childhood has the power to affect us so greatly. Even though past thought-processes can’t be fully realized, our greater psyche has a keen memory of them -- it knows exactly what once existed. And sometimes we can reinvigorate hints of what we felt during parts of youth through songs, pictures, books, and movies; and if it’s something that was specifically wonderful to us as children, all the more magical and powerful our hint of feeling now will be, if triggered properly.

I hadn’t seen the movie in many years; not since youth, in fact. So reading this swept me into that childlike place of consciousness where everything is awash in wonder. Each piece of familiarity was somewhat cognizant, yes; I knew I had experienced these scenes before through the movie; but the feelings they evoked were wonderfully vague and surreal; awakening, reminding some part of my inner-self how the world seemed when newness and innocence ruled the day; an encompassing sense of past magic.

The movie version is completed at the book’s halfway point, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise that that was when my captivation vanished. The book is very well written, and fantasy fans are sure to completely dig it; it’s a smart, engaging book with important themes. But its strong pull left me, and I was unable to continue in the same state of enthrallment and wonderment. Just like now, as an adult, I can never truly feel like a complete child again. I can only hope to get dashes of that former self, and can only do so in rare circumstances.

But when I am gifted such magic, I will gladly take it and realize it for the priceless treasure that it surely is.
(less)

46 likes · like · see review

May 19, 2008 Greg rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: fantasy

One of my favorite books of all time, this one is definitely closest to my heart. I've certainly read it more than any other (Ender's Game being a close second). Which is interesting because it's almost nothing like any of my other favorites (besides maybe Watership Down). Maybe it's because it's the first main character I was able to identify so well with. Or because Bastian does what I had always dreamed of, to enter inside a book. To turn your imagination into reality. And this book really is...more

35 likes · like · see review

Mar 06, 2010 Lisa Vegan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, fiction, speculative-fiction, young-adult, gr-groups-buddies, orphaned-and-quasi-orphaned-kids, reviewed, books-about-books, novel, altta

This is a rather brilliant book and I could see it being a life changing book for some readers.

It’s about reality & fantasy, escape, power, free will, friendship, individuality, isolation, grief, choices, wishes, courage, growth, altruism, friendship, change, self acceptance, meaning, memory, identity, love, introspection, and imagination & stories.

From the beginning, it reminded me of The Lord of the Rings and The Phantom Tollbooth, and other books too.

Even though I knew this formula, I...more This is a rather brilliant book and I could see it being a life changing book for some readers.

It’s about reality & fantasy, escape, power, free will, friendship, individuality, isolation, grief, choices, wishes, courage, growth, altruism, friendship, change, self acceptance, meaning, memory, identity, love, introspection, and imagination & stories.

From the beginning, it reminded me of The Lord of the Rings and The Phantom Tollbooth, and other books too.

Even though I knew this formula, I found it suspenseful.

It was clever, as was its format: there are two colors of text: purple for real world reality and green for fantasy/the story in the book within the book, and each chapter’s first word starts with A-Z and that letter is very fancy and includes an illustration, and the X worked just fine here. I really liked it, especially the two colors of text.

I have to say that I do identify with Bastian and if only this had been published & translated to English by the time I was eleven or twelve, it would have been a very meaningful story for me. I wish there had been a bit more about the main character in the real world because there I also found him fascinating, and I did like the much shorter reality part of the book as much as the long fantasy portion.

I probably wouldn’t have felt this way earlier in my life, but as of my reading this week, the book seemed to go on a tad too long for me. The incessant multiple naming of everything and everyone just thrown out there, the story that will be told at another time (which I suspect was meant to be humorous but I took every aspect of this story oh so seriously) and just the very, very, very long journey made me at times long for the book to be over, but I did enjoy it, and I considered giving it 5 stars because it has a lovely premise.

I will say that I do want a luckdragon; I particularly loved the character Falkor.

I’ve never seen the movie and I didn’t know what this book was about when I began reading. I read it for the International Book Club at the Children's Books group, and I’m really glad that I finally read it.(less)

13 likes · like · see review

Mar 22, 2011 Elisa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Bastiano Baldassarre Bucci è un bambino grassoccio e con la faccia color formaggio, orfano di madre, tremendamente insicuro di sé e per questo vittima dei suoi coetanei bulli. Se a questo aggiungiamo che suo padre, segnato dalla morte della moglie in modo profondo, non lo degna quasi più di uno sguardo, abbiamo davanti l'immagine perfetta di un personaggio dall'esistenza grama. L'infelicità circonda Bastiano e lo isola dal mondo, e lui non fa niente per levarsela di dosso: si crogiola nella soli...more Bastiano Baldassarre Bucci è un bambino grassoccio e con la faccia color formaggio, orfano di madre, tremendamente insicuro di sé e per questo vittima dei suoi coetanei bulli. Se a questo aggiungiamo che suo padre, segnato dalla morte della moglie in modo profondo, non lo degna quasi più di uno sguardo, abbiamo davanti l'immagine perfetta di un personaggio dall'esistenza grama. L'infelicità circonda Bastiano e lo isola dal mondo, e lui non fa niente per levarsela di dosso: si crogiola nella solitudine rifugiandosi nei suoi racconti inventati. Tutto questo accade nella realtà, ma accade anche nel regno di Fantàsia, non appena Bastiano vi mette piede.

Dopo aver rubato a un antiquario uno strano libro in seta color rubino intitolato "La storia infinita", Bastiano si rifugia nella soffitta della scuola e vi si chiude a chiave. Vuole leggere il libro e sfuggire alle molte responsabilità che la vita gli pone davanti: l'assenza dalla lezione, il furto del libro, le spiegazioni al padre. In fondo fa solo ciò che ha sempre fatto, chiudendo il mondo fuori, lontano da sé. Inizia la lettura de "La storia infinita" e subito si appassiona al dramma dell'Infanta Imperatrice, sovrana di Fantàsia afflitta da una misteriosa malattia che divora contemporaneamente lei e il suo regno. L'Infanta Imperatrice incarica il giovane cacciatore Atreiu di partire alla Grande Ricerca per trovare la causa del suo male. Fantàsia è il regno della fantasia, che da qualche tempo scompare tra le fauci di un accecante nulla. Sono gli uomini a determinare la buona salute del regno, entrandovi e donando all'Infanta Imperatrice nomi sempre diversi. Ora, però, sembra che i figli d'Adamo abbiano perso la volontà e la capacità di immaginare, tanto che dal regno di Fantàsia ricavano solo angosce e bugie. Durante la lettura Bastiano si accorge che il mondo creato nel libro non è fatto di puro inchiostro: le reazioni del lettore hanno un'eco nel mondo fantàsico e l'Infanta Imperatrice sembra riferirsi proprio a lui quando parla dell'uomo che la salverà donandole un nuovo nome. Dopo innumerevoli incertezze, Bastiano entra nel libro donando alla sovrana il nome "Fiordiluna".

Il momento in cui Bastiano entra a Fantàsia chiamando Fiordiluna è uno dei più belli del libro. Bastiano da lettore diventa creatore: da un misero e sterile granello di polvere ricava una foresta rigogliosa e variopinta che continua a crescere incessantemente nel buio della notte. La notte non può essere eterna, e così Bastiano crea anche il giorno, nell'estremo calore di un variopinto deserto. E' un dio in tutto e per tutto, sembra quasi di trovarsi davanti a una Genesi fantastica. Fiordiluna gli ha donato il gioiello simbolo del suo potere, AURYN, che lo protegge dai pericoli e lo guida nel suo cammino. Guardando Fiordiluna negli occhi riesce persino a cambiare aspetto: dice addio al grassoccio bambino giallastro per tramutarsi in uno splendido principe dal mantello argentato. Da qui inizierà una seconda storia, quella di Bastiano nel regno di Fantàsia. Il bambino ha un potere enorme tra le mani e lo usa dando sfogo al suo desiderio di rivalsa: la bellezza, la forza, il coraggio, la supremazia sono i tesori che raccoglie nel suo cammino e che lo portano a far tabula rasa dei suoi ricordi da terrestre. Spariscono le storie inventate per la bambina Lucia, spariscono le prese in giro dei compagni, spariscono la mamma e il papà. La realtà fantasica è apparentemente migliore per Bastiano, non ha più bisogno di ricordarsi del tempo in cui era un personaggio tutt'altro che invidiabile. Se dal suo punto di vista si arricchisce, in realtà diventa sempre più povero. Solo alla fine riuscirà a capire il senso del suo viaggio in Fantàsia e troverà la porta per tornare nel suo mondo.

Michael Ende ha una capacità evocativa strabiliante. Paesaggi e personaggi si materializzano letteralmente nella mente del lettore, tempestati di dettagli affascinanti e magici. Niente nel racconto è fuori posto: persino la descrizione del cielo, a volte limpido e altre sconvolto da violente tempeste, ha sempre qualcosa da dire.

La storia infinita somiglia a una matrioska: dentro una storia ne vive un'altra, abitata da innumerevoli altre, all'infinito. Le cornici sono tantissime, tanto che per seguire i protagonisti della vicenda il narratore è costretto a lasciare diversi fili dell'intreccio per aria con la formula: "Ma questa è un'altra storia e si dovrà raccontare un'altra volta". La bellezza del raccontare troneggia al centro della storia: Fantàsia è un regno meraviglioso proprio perché non ha confini ed è in continua trasformazione. La sua sovrana, d'altronde, trae forza e splendore proprio dagli innumerevoli nomi che gli umani le donano.

Bastiano risulta un personaggio antipatico per gran parte dell'intreccio. In realtà è solo profondamente umano, un cocktail esplosivo di debolezze. Chi di noi non ha mai provato vergogna, vedendosi piccolo e rozzo di fronte all'apparente perfezione altrui? Chi di noi vedendo un personaggio affascinante come Atreiu non proverebbe il desiderio di diventare come lui, oltre a diventare suo amico? Chi di noi non ha mai visto la perfezione in un altro individuo, svalutando per un istante tutte le proprie qualità? Bastiano nel suo affannarsi per cercare l'appoggio di Atreiu e Fùcur compie azioni negative, ma la sua debolezza è solo il trampolino per una crescita interiore. Dopo aver affermato se stesso in modo pomposo per tutta la seconda parte della narrazione, compierà l'estremo sacrificio di rinunciare anche al proprio nome. Dall'esaltazione all'annullamento, per ritornare nel suo mondo in cui l'amore del padre l'aspetta tra le mura della casa fredda, pronto per esser rinsavito dall'Acqua della Vita.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Mar 30, 2008 Corinne rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Perhaps the reason I just did not love this book is that I was absolutely in love with the movie when I was young. I love the idea of a reader being taken to the land of the book he's reading. For me, the first 1/3 of this book was wonderful, just what I fondly remembered from my beloved movie version - and actually, a bit more fleshed out. The movie makes a bit more sense having read the book. However, I couldn't believe when I got to the end of what I knew of the story that I still had about 2...more

14 likes · like · see review

Dec 12, 2012 Kathryn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: buddy-reads, i-recommend, own, scifi-fantasy, ya-read

I grew up watching the movie of The Neverending Story. I can't tell you how many times I've watched it, and still watch it today. It's my comfort movie. I didn't know it was a book until a few months ago, and since it is one of my favorite movies, I had to read the book as soon as possible.

So much more happens in the book than in the movie, of course. We're taken on an epic, fantastic journey of Bastian and the land of Fantastica. I was surprised at the pure, real imagination in the book, and h...more

9 likes · like · see review

Jul 27, 2012 Belle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: such-a-classic, for-the-kids, book-vs-movie

The Neverending Story was one of my favourite movies growing up, but embarrassingly, I didn't actually realise it was a book until recently. I ordered it from Book Depository as soon as I found out, and finally got around to reading it on my honeymoon.

This has been a hard review for me to write because I'm so torn about this book. Or, rather, The Neverending Story feels torn to me - because it was like reading two books, the first part of which I absolutely loved, while the second part gave me m...more The Neverending Story was one of my favourite movies growing up, but embarrassingly, I didn't actually realise it was a book until recently. I ordered it from Book Depository as soon as I found out, and finally got around to reading it on my honeymoon.

This has been a hard review for me to write because I'm so torn about this book. Or, rather, The Neverending Story feels torn to me - because it was like reading two books, the first part of which I absolutely loved, while the second part gave me mixed feelings. Interestingly, it's the first half of the book that the movie is based on - while the sequel, The Neverending Story II, is based on the latter half of the book. Perhaps my experiences with the movies shaped my reading, but there was a cut-off point midway through the book that felt like a good place to end it. Unfortunately, it just kept going, taking on a far different tone that really did make it feel like a different book. At that stage, the title The Neverending Story felt quite fitting - and not in a good way.

But let's go back to the beginning - which, as I said, I adored. It tells the story that every '80s or '90s kid will be familiar with - Bastian Balthazar Bux is a bullied boy (alliteration FTW!) who takes refuge in an attic with a magical book that follows the young warrior Atreyu as he battles monsters and rescues dragons on his quest to save Fantastica (not Fantasia, as it is in the movies) from the Nothing. It's a wonderful story in itself and also in the way it's written as a homage to stories. The asides that showcase Bastian's thoughts and actions as he reads will be recognisable to any reader. It's a book about the enjoyment of books and the importance of stories, which is just lovely.

But that story reaches its resolution halfway through the book. We're then taken on an entirely different journey, as Bastian enters Fantastica himself and is revered as a saviour. The magic he's given there, and the actions he takes, cause him to literally lose himself, as he forgets everything but his first name and must somehow still find a way back to "what he truly wants" (to love). I think Ende was trying to balance out the first half of the book here and send the message that it's important to use stories not just to escape, but also to enrich reality, so you don't lose yourself or what really matters along the way.

That's all well and good, but the problem for me was that I just didn't enjoy the story all that much. Bastian goes from being someone the reader can sympathise with to, well, a complete turd. As soon as he enters Fantastica things don't feel right; after spending hundreds of pages anxiously following Atreyu and Falcor's journey, they're nowhere in sight and he doesn't give them a second thought for quite some time. He's no longer a reader, too wrapped up in his own adventures to worry about their fate. Unfortunately, I was still a reader, and I wanted to know what had happened to them, dammit.

It's downhill from there for Bastian, and for me as a reader. There were some lovely moments and many new fantastic, whimsical characters and settings along the way, but with such a horrid main character I found my interest in his adventures waning and I was impatient for the whole thing to be wrapped up.

Overall, I liked the book, but I didn't adore it the way I thought I would. If I was to rate it as two separate books, as it felt, I'd give the first half 5/5 and the second 3/5. So I'll meet in the middle and make it a total of 4/5.

This review originally appeared on my blog.

Update: Click here for my analysis of the movie adaptation.(less)

9 likes · like · see review

Mar 14, 2008 Tracy rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I grew up watching the movie The Neverending Story. I have fond memories of this unusual fantasy story where a normal boy gets lost in the world of Fantastica, and eventually becomes the hero of the story. The end.

Not so with the book. The movie follows only about the first half of the book--though it follows it almost to the word--but then there is so much more to Fantastica, and to Bastian's journey, than I ever realized. Whether or not the story continues is a good thing, I'm not so sure.

I re...more I grew up watching the movie The Neverending Story. I have fond memories of this unusual fantasy story where a normal boy gets lost in the world of Fantastica, and eventually becomes the hero of the story. The end.

Not so with the book. The movie follows only about the first half of the book--though it follows it almost to the word--but then there is so much more to Fantastica, and to Bastian's journey, than I ever realized. Whether or not the story continues is a good thing, I'm not so sure.

I received the book as a gift from my husband, and I have to give him kudos for such a thoughtful gift. Upon opening it, I noticed one striking, unique feature about it--the typeset is in two different colors, red and green, corresponding to the two different worlds in The Neverending Story: Earth (Bastian's world) and Fantastica (Atreyu's world). The book is also divided into 26 chapters, one for each letter of the alphabet (I'm not exactly sure how they translated that from the original German text...). With the colorful lettering and the elaborate chapter introductions, the book itself looks fantastical, and I was eagerly anticipating reading it.

As I mentioned before, the first half followed the movie almost exactly. The more I read books after watching the movie, the more I realize what an unfortunate thing that is, because reading then becomes remembering rather than experiencing. So the first half of The Neverending Story was a review of Bastian's plight as he steals a book of the same title from Mr. Coreander's library, and then hides away in the attic of his school to get lost in the story. Bastian ends up in Fantastica himself to save their world from "the Nothing." It's a decent story, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it up to that point.

Once I started reading the latter half of the book, I was anxious to see where Bastian's journey took him next. I have to admit, I was sorely disappointed. His journey seemed to wander and wander and wander, leading him to all sorts of extraordinary, elaborate places where he met strange and unique beings, yet didn't really seem to go anywhere. Bastian went wherever his wishes took him yet, as when he and his comrades kept going in circles in search of Bastian's world, I felt as though I kept reading but not getting any further into the story. Sure, Bastian learned a lot about himself, and maybe even a little about the consequences of his choices, whether good or bad, but his journey felt aimless for the majority of the story. Perhaps that's why, in our own reality, God created us to follow after Him, so we aren't lead astray by our own (often selfish) wishes. By the end of The Neverending Story, however, Bastian does finally learn to be selfless, forgetting himself in order to love others. He returns to his own world forever changed, a better person for all of his experiences in Fantastica.

Overall, The Neverending Story did not hold my attention (that's why it took me so long to read it). But it is a children's book, afterall, and teaches some important lessons, including learning to love yourself just the way you are, and learning to love others. The question is, if I had children, would I be able to read The Neverending Story to them, through to the final chapter where Bastian finally learns those lessons? Perhaps, but there are other books I'd read first.(less)

6 likes · like · see review

Mar 23, 2011 Mariel rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: tinkerbell

Recommended to Mariel by: santa claus

The Neverending Story is one of my childhood reads (not a favorite one, however) that I went back to later in my teen years. I've never really had that "I wanna be an adult" childish phase of shunning childish things. I've never stopped loving toys, cartoons and make-believe (it goes hand and hand with the ability to bullshit, something I love way too much to ever give up). If I can't still enjoy a story I once loved, it is because there aren't enough new layers for my mind that looks for more....more The Neverending Story is one of my childhood reads (not a favorite one, however) that I went back to later in my teen years. I've never really had that "I wanna be an adult" childish phase of shunning childish things. I've never stopped loving toys, cartoons and make-believe (it goes hand and hand with the ability to bullshit, something I love way too much to ever give up). If I can't still enjoy a story I once loved, it is because there aren't enough new layers for my mind that looks for more. I'd never, ever Velveteen Rabbit or Winnie the Pooh abandon something I've truly loved. (Did anyone else read 'Rabbit' and then passionately assure their stuffed rabbits they'd never leave them? Guilty. Wish it could've been true... [My dog ate my beloved Eeyore I'd saved for eons. Sorry, Eeyore. There's more than your tail to worry about now...])

My relationship with The Neverending Story is rooted in what other people I've known felt about it. I never had my own special thing for this story. In theory, sure, it sounds great. I'd try to see what the big deal was and just couldn't. (My mom made fun of me when I checked it out from the library as a teen. I guess it goes both ways for 'Neverending' hoopla.)
Like most everyone, I saw the movie first when very young, like five or six. I'm not someone who has to SEE something. My imagination works perfectly well. It was my big sister's reactions that made the movie experience bigger, rather than getting to watch the flying dragon presented for me in all its cute glory (Falkor is cute as hell). Back then my twin and I worshiped our sister and we'd be especially interested in what she liked (now I'll blame her for everything bad we ever liked back then). We'd get scared because she'd start screaming over the nothing. I think of her love for the film and smile, not my own.
The movie is better because it has an ending (unless you count those crappy sequels. Those they made us watch in school. Forced digestion did nothing to enchance the flavor). The earnestness of "do the right thing" works better because there's a gravity missing in the books. Atreyu's love for his horse is good old fashioned western fun. Clapping for Tinkerbell to come back to life is not urgent on its own. You gotta belieeeeeve. Why? I know why I need stories. Why does everyone else, and not some "it's for the kids" spiel. Spirit of Christmas movies for the unchristian ("But everybody needs Christmas!"). It would SUCK beyond all that has ever sucked before to lose stories, but this one? Don't they think they were patting themselves on the back a little prematurely? (And I don't even like watching "Magic of Star Wars" documentaries when I DO believe in that magic.) Atreyu and his horse got to me, though.

There are two types of kids for me: the kids that you can relate to, and the kids who embarrass you. Bastian embarrassed me. He sits on his dad's lap! I'd have never, ever done that. This is what I'm thinking about when I say that 'Neverending' the book was the wrong kind of earnest. I cannot relate to that. I'm the dorky kid that would have to hide from the bullies (or bite, when need be). Bastian is the protected dork, hiding aside. I doubt he really learned about the darker underbelly of life. He ran into daddy's arms and everything is gonna be better some day (that's a lie!). I badly wanted to read a story about a kid that makes it up for himself. Reenact the stories (I did). It was fanfic interactive if it was interactive (it is definitely supposed to be). My twin made fun of Bastian so bad for that lap stuff. She worked me up too. No, I didn't hide in his attic with him and read the book over a packed lunch sack. We were repulsed by his sissiness. (As a side note, I had this same aversion to Harriet the Spy. She gets coddled by a nanny, and has this rich lifestyle that was hyper drive lightspeeds away from my life. Spying on people and making observations, however, I could get. Bastian grossed me out like those nasty mayonnaise sandwiches with tomatoe that Harriet loves to eat.)

There was a boy in my school that was not allowed to read fantasy books at home (some religious reasons of his parents). He'd hide in our school library and listen to the books on tapes (yeah, I know, why couldn't he just read? He was a painfully slow reader. I imagine there was a sense of urgency when you've only got the allotted forty minutes of class time to read). I loved that the other kids and I would cover for him to listen to his tapes when we were supposed to be studying science or something. (That's the message that The Neverending Story didn't get to me that that experience did.) One of his favorites was The Neverending Story. My affection for 'Neverending' is because of that boy, and my sister's love of the movie. I also share my twin's disgust of Bastian. I wish the book was worth getting worked up over on its own. It's not because it was really freaking boring.(less)

4 likes · like · see review

Jan 23, 2008 Wicked Incognito Now rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: most people

Shelves: childrens-book

Well, this is an "out-there" book, so I can see how it wouldn't be for everyone, but.....

I can't figure out how I got to 33yo and never read this book! I just read it with my daughters and we absolutely loved it. It's a fantastic romp filled with lessons that every child can benefit from: the nature of individuality and wish-fullment, how wishing is impossible without personal change, how personal glorification is empty, the nature of fantasy vs. reality. How fantasy can be turned into lies by t...more

14 likes · like · see review

Nov 22, 2007 Needleroozer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of The Princess Bride

Shelves: kids-chapter-books

Somehow I missed reading this book when I was a kid. I missed seeing the movie based on the book too. I don't know how I missed the movie. My family was really into seeing movies (especially when we lived near dollar cinemas), and I saw many other films in this genre: Legend (Tom Cruise in a loincloth), Willow, The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth. In any case, I did not see the movie version until just this past Halloween (October 2007) when Tony got it from Netflix.

It's one of Cassidy's all time movies...more

2 likes · like · see review

Apr 16, 2007 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone haunted by the death of Artax in the movie

Shelves: ya

Most folks of a certain age have seen the movie they made of this book in the '80s. What's intriguing is that it's only about the first third of the book. Much, much more happens to Bastian in the Neverending Story than we ever got to see. Granted, most of it is a slightly preachy allegory about personal responsibility, but it's still a pretty kickass young adult fantasy novel if you don't think about it too hard. Also, the chapters are alphabetized with illuminated text, which is fun.

4 likes · like · see review

Feb 11, 2008 Eleanor rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: quirky-original

This is the book on which the movies were based (loosely). While I still love the first movie, having grown up on it, this book blows it right out of the water. Michael Ende's creativity and originality (not quite the same things) are brilliantly showcased in this novel. Don't miss it!

3 likes · like · see review

Jan 13, 2013 Katri marked it as to-read · review of another edition

One of my favourite books from childhood; I would read and reread it countless times and it moved me incredibly. Now I'm reading it for the first time in the original German, and it still grabs me and moves me as much as ever!

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 25, 2008 A.C rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone who like inteligent fantasy for the youth

Recommended to A.C by: Saw the movie first

Shelves: classic, youth-fantasy

This is one of the books that is definitely better than the movie. It says something because the movie was fantasticly done! But the story has much more levels and goes much further than the on the screen. It is so vividly written that you in your mind you see the characters and the landscapes.
The story is about 2 boys. Bastian who lives in our world and Atreyu who lives in Fantasia. Bastian steals a book and when he starts to read we read with him about a dying world. We follow the adventures...more

1 like · like · see review

Apr 29, 2013 Artemas rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, fantasy-classics

I believe I would have enjoyed this book far more if I had not grown up with the movie version and seen it 100 times. The first half of this book was amazing and followed the movie very closely. However, at the midway point of the book everything from the movie has all ready taken place and a long series of new events begins. There was nothing wrong with the second half of the book, but it just felt really weird compared to what I was expecting. This book was still a great fairy tale and I would...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 23, 2009 Ahmad rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy

آدمهائی وجود دارند که هرگز نمی توانند به سرزمین رویاها بروند

2 likes · like · see review

ladolcevita هنگامی که باستیان داستانش را به پایان رسانید، مدیر کتاب فروشی، آقای کوراندر، مدتی به او نگاه کرد و سپس گفت: «... کسی چه می‌داند، شاید درست در همین لحظ...more
Jun 10, 2011 04:42am

Ahmad سلام، سپاسگزارم که دربهای ششگانهء جملهای را که از آن داستان فانتزی یادم مانده باز کردید، پنجرههایی را که گشودید، همه برگ باغ رویایی بود. آن روزها و...more
Jun 10, 2011 10:59pm

Jul 25, 2012 Maria rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Desde muito nova que ouvia falar desta história. Via os desenhos animados ou algo do género (não era o filme) num dos canais de tv de desenhos animados, provavelmente no Canal Panda, e não fazia ideia que era baseado num livro.
Mais tarde conheci a música e vi que havia um filme, mas ainda não sabia que todos se baseavam no livro.

Até que descobri.

E decidi, um dia, lê-lo. E assim foi.
Há alguns meses comprei-o, mas só a semana passada lhe peguei.
Não é um livro que se leia depressa, como tantos...more Desde muito nova que ouvia falar desta história. Via os desenhos animados ou algo do género (não era o filme) num dos canais de tv de desenhos animados, provavelmente no Canal Panda, e não fazia ideia que era baseado num livro.
Mais tarde conheci a música e vi que havia um filme, mas ainda não sabia que todos se baseavam no livro.

Até que descobri.

E decidi, um dia, lê-lo. E assim foi.
Há alguns meses comprei-o, mas só a semana passada lhe peguei.
Não é um livro que se leia depressa, como tantos outros. Não é um livro que tenha achado fácil de ler. No inicio não estava a compreender este meu sentimento em relação ao livro.
Mas com a continuação da leitura compreendi.
A história é muito bonita para se ler depressa; a história tem vários significados implícitos; a história é um hino ao Amor e à Amizade e à acreditar em nós mesmos, em gostarmos daquilo que somos.
Esta história tem uma mensagem demasiado bonita para ser entranhada de um momento para o outro. É preciso tempo para "degustar", é preciso tempo para compreender toda a mensagem.

Gostei muito do livro.

Este livro conta a história de uma História. Conta a história de Fantasia, um "reino sem fronteiras", onde o Homem pode ir e voltar (se conseguir). Fantasia é uma História, uma História Interminável. Uma História onde reina a imaginação. A figura superior de Fantasia é a Imperatriz Criança, uma rapariga, aparentemente criança, mas com uma idade imensa, e uma sabedoria muito grande. Ela não faz distinção entre o "Bem" e o "Mal" e ninguém, de Fantasia, se atreve a fazer-lhe mal. É amada por todos, respeitada.
Mas Fantasia começa a "desaparecer", do nada, no Nada. E a Imperatriz Criança adoece com uma doença mortal relacionada com o Nada. Então decide (depois de outros acontecimentos) mandar um "mensageiro", um "herói" para descobrir a cura para a sua doença. Escolhe um jovem rapaz chamado Atreiú para esse papel e manda que lhe entreguem o seu "Signo", AURIN, a "Jóia" (uma jóia que confere a quem a usa os poderes da Imperatriz Criança).
Este é o inicio da história que Bastian, o rapazinho que encontra e rouba o livro "A História Interminável" de uma loja de livros, começa a ler no livro que roubou. Mas nem tudo é o que parece e, mais cedo ou mais tarde, Bastian apercebe-se de que aquele livro não é o que parece. Não é um mero livro. É um livro mágico.

Com personagens majestosas, paisagens magistrais, culturas incrivelmente diferentes e um enredo completamente alucinante e diferente (de outros que tenha lido), este livro é uma obra de arte.
Recomendo a todos!!!

No Blog:
http://oimaginariodoslivros.blogspot....(less)

3 likes · like · see review

Jul 23, 2012 Robyn rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: old-faves, reviewed, page-turner, surreal, talking-animals, religion-and-spirituality

If you saw the movie as a child, and you're considering reading this book, do yourself a big favor. Take your memories of the movie, put them on some shelf in the back of your mind, and lock them away for the time being.

It's not that the book and movie are incompatible, but they are certainly different. Judging by the other reviews, lots of people seem to have a hard time judging the book on it's own merits, because the film made such an impression. This is such a shame; I think it's a crime to...more If you saw the movie as a child, and you're considering reading this book, do yourself a big favor. Take your memories of the movie, put them on some shelf in the back of your mind, and lock them away for the time being.

It's not that the book and movie are incompatible, but they are certainly different. Judging by the other reviews, lots of people seem to have a hard time judging the book on it's own merits, because the film made such an impression. This is such a shame; I think it's a crime to declare undying allegiance to one or the other. You aren't going to hurt the movie's feelings if you happen to read the book and like it as much, more, or just in a different way than you enjoyed the film.

The fact is, the focus in the book is different than that of the movie; the movie was about adventure and fun and those great old Jim Henson puppets. It was an epic quest with an engaging hero, and somewhere in there was also a story about a little boy growing up.

The book, however, is primarily a coming of age story, wrapped in layers of strange and haunting symbolism and surreal dream logic. It's enigmatic and mysterious, inviting the reader to read between the lines and look at the way Fantastica itself mirrors Bastian's own psyche.

Yes, the movie is much funner, and more immediately engaging, but the book has a depth that the movie lacks. This doesn't mean one is better than the other, any more than chocolate ice cream is definitively better than strawberry. They're different flavors, and I love them each for what they are.

The book has a very specific blend of fantasy, sort of a mix of Frank Baum and the Brothers Grimm, and while Tolkien's influence is present, it's in a much lesser extent than that of most fantasy you see from the time period. No, the big influence here, more than anything else, seems to be folk tales and dreams. The blending of these influences is unique and very enjoyable.

But the place where the book really shines is in the occasionally haunting and very odd sequences where Bastian begins to question why he has come to Fantastica, and if there's any reason at all that he shouldn't just stay forever. This leads to a surprisingly poignant quest of self-discovery. Yes, Bastian learns about becoming more independent, about responsibility and all the other usual "growing up" morals, but there' are many other layers beneath that. Bastion is doing more than just coming of age in this novel; within the dense symbolic plot, he's learning to forgive a depressive, absentee father who has, unwittingly inflicted some deep psychological scars. Not only to forgive him, but to take upon himself the adult role of helping his father to heal, to become a father again.

Please, try to judge this book on it's own merits, the movie is wonderful, I love it, but don't let it get in the way of a really good reading experience.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 02, 2010 Janeen-san rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Yesterday I finished The NeverEnding Story, by Michael Ende.

When you pick up this book, be prepared to read a story... THAT...NEVER...ENDS. Literally.
This story begins where young Bastain Bathlazar Bux stumbles into a old book store on a rainy, wet day. No one is there...or so it seems. Rounding a corner, Bastain sees the owner of the store reading a book that will change his life forever---in more ways than one. When Bastain (out of pure ciriosity) asks what the book is about, the old man repli...more

1 like · like · see review

Sep 17, 2008 Amber rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-adult

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. My new favourite book of all time?

The film was my favourite movie of all time when I was four or five. Perhaps it still is. My mom used to joke that my brother and I would beg her to let us watch it every day.

I read in Wikipedia that Michael Ende sued the production company that made the film for not staying true enough to the text. While that may be a little unfair, I think I get Ende's point. The film is beautiful, marvelous, and special. And most of it is, save for a few scenes and details, p...more My new favourite book of all time?

The film was my favourite movie of all time when I was four or five. Perhaps it still is. My mom used to joke that my brother and I would beg her to let us watch it every day.

I read in Wikipedia that Michael Ende sued the production company that made the film for not staying true enough to the text. While that may be a little unfair, I think I get Ende's point. The film is beautiful, marvelous, and special. And most of it is, save for a few scenes and details, pretty close to Ende's original. The problem for Ende might have been that by ending the film halfway through the book, the producers gave it a completely different message. "Do what you dream!" in the movie is, in the book: "Learn that what you dream is not always what you really want or need", and as a moral tale I think it has more strength. Not because it tells us all to keep our feet on the ground, but because it creates a relationship of equilibrium between reality and fantasy. Neither is more important than the other, and each needs the other to be real and have meaning.

This book is a shining braid of surrealist painting, Borgesian metaphor, and looking-glass fairy tale. I'd like to imagine that Ende, as the son of surrealist painter Edgar Ende, painted the images and scenery in his mind as he wrote it, the story is so sweepingly visual. But it is more than scenery, because it is also a novel about human maturity, about human longing and how it shapes us, and why fantasy is a part of who we are.

Mirrors, labyrinths, gardens, temples... all of the setpieces of Fantastica are not supposed to be exciting because they are exotic, but because, says Bastien, they remind us that there is mystery and wonder in the real world. And the last chapters of the book are devoted to the idea that we can't dream if we've forgotten who we are or what's real, because without memory we have no desire, and without desire we are empty and hollow like Xayide's metal monsters. After each wish that Bastien makes in Fantastica, he forgets his reason, in the real world, for why he made it. The fat little boy forgets he was ever fat, the unloved little boy forgets he ever had parents. It is only when he drinks the Water of Life (of experience, of real living) that he remembers who he is and values himself not for the strength and courage and handsome exterior he has wished for earlier in the book with AURYN (or at the end of the film on Falkor's back!), but for being human and for being Bastien. He acts selfish, arrogant, and thoughtless throughout his journey, but you forgive him because you're watching him grow up.(less)

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 13, 2009 Jmccluer rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of the movie and fantasy dorks

Recommended to Jmccluer by: mi hermano who liked it a lot

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

1 like · like · see review

Mar 25, 2008 Natalie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Like other reviewers, I had seen this movie and I loved it, so I decided to read the book with high hopes. However, I had unmet expectations.

The beginning and up until about the middle of this book are written very well and held my attention. The book is filled with suspense as we follow Atreyu and Falkor on their quest. I enjoyed the mystery of Bastain trying to find out how the characters in the book, he is reading, can sometimes see and hear him.

All of these factors attribute to a great foun...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 05, 2007 Blake Gafford rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: alltimefaves

****All Time Favorite Book****

As another reviewer so rightly pointed out: This is a book lover's dream, a book that never ends.

Like I always say, a picture is worth 1000 words, but a mental picture is worth 1000 times more. Words cannot ever capture what's in a picture, there's always something more, and yet pictures themselves never quite capture something as well as the imagination. People always say that movie version of the book is never as good as the book was, and the reason is that the i...more

11 likes · like · see review

Oct 30, 2008 Sarah Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone, fantasy fans

This is one of my favorite books of all time. Every time I read it I pick up on something new.

I was lucky enough to get a newish edition that had the multicolored inks and the full-page chapter starters. It took me until last year to realize that the 26 chapters of the book each start with a letter of the alphabet.

I love the story within the story, and how Mr. Ende portrayed fantasy as being both savior and devil. In the first section of the book, Bastion's imagination is what saves Fantastica...more

2 likes · like · see review

Sep 29, 2011 Sally rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: foreign-language, i-own-this, own-uplands, seen-the-film, adventure, childrens, epic, fantasy, fantasy-land, in-german

Today in my gf's bookstore I stumbled across the most amazing thing ever: a beautiful hardcover edition of Die unendliche Geschichte - aka the original German edition of The Neverending Story. So of course I had to buy it even though I already have two English copies - one is a falling-apart paperback with the movie tie-in cover, the other is a hardcover sadly missing its dust jacket but it has the gorgeous red and green text. This one also has the red and green instead of just plain/italic whic...more

1 like · like · see review

Dec 01, 2008 Sheena rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, kids-y-a, keepers

The Neverending Story is written from the perspective of a boy, Bastian, who is reading a book that he eventually enters. By reading the book, Bastian becomes a part of the story.
Ende manages to write from two perspectives -- that of Bastian while reading, and the book itself -- without confusing the reader. He also includes, without being heavy-handed or didactic, the concept "be careful what you wish for".
The world of Fantastica is written with amazing description and detail, and the multi-fa...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 11, 2008 Psychophant rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, not-owned, spanish-version, reviewed

The first half is gripping, or was, to my fourteen years old self. The second half was a bit of a letdown, mainly because the main character becomes something that he is not.

I still spent four straight hours reading, unable to do anything else. So although I give it three stars (or rather, 4 and a half and 2), my teenaged self would have given it 4 (or 5 before I read The Lord of the Rings). Incredibly well suited for young teens that love books.

1 like · like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 99 100 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Why do you love books?	4	25	May 06, 2013 04:54pm
Fantasy Aficionados: Need Help Finding Specific Version of Neverending Story	23	26	May 04, 2013 04:24am
A book within a book	19	178	Apr 30, 2013 11:46am
Book Junkies: March Themed (Coming of Age): The Neverending Story by Michael Ende	9	34	Apr 04, 2013 05:36pm
Xayide's intentions	3	34	Dec 21, 2012 07:57pm
PTS Readers: Did you wish it would never end?	1	1	Oct 18, 2012 06:09am

combine
Other Editions (134)

More editions...

Genres

Young Adult

427 users

Childrens

302 users

Adventure

120 users

Classics

114 users

European Literature > German Literature

111 users

Science Fiction Fantasy

94 users

Fantasy

54 users

Writing > Books About Books

43 users

Novels

43 users

Fantasy > Magic

41 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

About Michael Ende

Michael Andreas Helmuth Ende was a German writer of fantasy and children's literature. He was the son of the surrealist painter Edgar Ende. He died in Stuttgart (Germany) of stomach cancer.

Ende was one of the most popular and famous German authors of the 20th century, mostly due to the enormous success of his children's books. However, Ende was not strictly a children’s author, as he also wrote bo...more

More about Michael Ende...

Books by Michael Ende

Jim Knopf und die Wilde 13 (Jim Knopf, #2)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Neverending S...

31 trivia questions
1 quiz

More quizzes & trivia...

Quotes from La storia infinita

“If you have never wept bitter tears because a wonderful story has come to an end and you must take your leave of the characters with whom you have shared so many adventures, whom you have loved and admired, for whom you have hoped and feared, and without whose company life seems empty and meaningless.

If such things have not been part of your own experience, you probably won't understand what Bastian did next.” — 268 people liked it

“Every real story is a never ending story.” — 151 people liked it

More quotes…

title link	preview: La storia infinita
avg rating	preview: La storia infinita Goodreads rating: 4.14 (56985 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10109392-la-storia-infinita?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1301750868l/10109392.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10109392-la-storia-infinita?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]La storia infinita by Michael Ende[/url]

La storia infinita

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website