It’s highly imaginative, but I truly have no clue how to rate this book. It’s extremely weird and traverses a vast array of different story types as it progresses. I perused the blurbs for three distinct editions, and none of them corresponded to what was written in the book I had. Moreover, they all sounded like completely disparate stories. After reading the book, I realized they were all derived from here, but goodness, did they vary in which aspects to emphasize. The plot seems to change whenever the author feels inclined, and new chapters can read like entirely different books. It was at its strongest before the fantasy element was introduced. Once the swan began going to school, became gainfully employed, and took to ordering room service, I lost a bit of interest.
It’s definitely showing its age and is very politically incorrect with the ‘defective’ swan who can’t make a trumpet among other things. However, some parts were truly amazing. Similar to Charlotte's Web, it attempts to teach the reader things in an engaging manner and imparts a wealth of knowledge and facts about swans, seasons, and climates. The cob with his pompous pontificating as he teaches children new words was hilariously absurd every time he spoke. I’m not sure if he was intended to be funny considering how serious his character was, but I chuckled at his cheesy overacting on several occasions. At the start, his wife is very much: look at this magnificent male I mated with. But a few years later, she’s interrupting and basically reduced to “yes, dear.”
But the overall message here is not so great. And Louis agreeing to ‘donate’ a cygnet to the zoo whenever they ask in exchange for his wife’s freedom… aah, what on earth? Everyone knows not to bargain away their unborn child, and he does it for an unlimited number. And it was for a bargain that didn’t even need to be struck because they could have literally just flown away and been fine. But for its strange enjoyability, it’s up there. It’s far better than Stuart Little. And it’s said that this was made into a movie at some point! I need to track that down. Though I hope it is one day made into a live-action film because I would love to see everyone’s expressions as they come out of the cinema thinking WTF did I just watch?
This is my favorite book written by E.B. White. Among all his works, I have a particular affection for "Charlotte's Web" as it is an extremely popular one. However, "Stewart Little" is a completely different story. I really hated it. In fact, I don't ever want to read it again. I even wonder why they bothered to make a movie out of it! On the contrary, "Charlotte's Web" just warmed my heart. It was not only a heartwarming tale but also great fun to read. The story was filled with interesting characters and engaging情节. And the ending was simply beautiful. It left me with a feeling of warmth and contentment. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read.