Book Title: The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Author: Neil Gaiman
Date Started: October 26th 2013
Date Completed: October 28th 2013
Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Mystery
Rating: Five stars
Review:
The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a beautiful book about a child growing up in a world he doesn't really understand; a world filled with magic and mystery, as well as the more common issues like family matters and learning about life in general. This book was so enjoyable to read, and I can tell the story is going to stay with me for a very long time.
There was a suicide on the narrator's road; a lodger who ran over the narrator's kitten and bought him a vicious, hissing cat instead. It's hard for a seven-year-old to understand such matters, even more so when it results in dark creatures emerging from the shadows and infiltrating their way into his life. He doesn't trust his new housekeeper - a varmint, as his friend's grandmother would say - but he has more to worry about than sneaking out of the house when it turns out she's a dangerous spirit that the narrator himself might have let loose into his world...
Neil Gaiman is one of my favourite authors of all time, and this book just proved it again. It's written beautifully. Magically realistic, and addressing taboo issues so innocently: it's like Gaiman can turn into a seven-year-old at will whenever he needs to write his next bestseller. There's such youthfulness in the words that really make the personality of the story and narrator come across to the reader, so they really care about what happens to them.
Aside from the amazingly vivid imagery produced and the adventurous storyline etc, Gaiman is also able to write a story about growing up and learning to make friends and look after yourself in such a way that, even with all the magic, is still really relatable to the reader. I was reading it, remembering similar experiences and feelings I'd had to the story.
There's a part very early on (page 12 in my edition) where the narrator simply talks about books and how he hid in them and how they allowed him to get away. That sort of thing is written a lot these days, but Gaiman wrote it in such a new, different way (I don't even know how) that it hit home for me even more than usual, and I actually had to pause and just think for a second.
It's beautiful and I really can't get over it.
The story was so different from anything else. It's clearly inspired by classics, and many aspects of this shone through, but I wasn't able to predict what was going to come next in the plot at all - which, of course, made it all the more exciting.
I love the twists and turns it went down. It was a roller coaster; events seemed to turn to the worst, and then it would get better, and then there would be a heart-plummeting moment when things went downhill again. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and I could barely put the novel down.
It really is a bitter-sweet ending. It's melancholy, and it's kind of sad, but there's that conclusion-kind-of-feeling where you can tell the story has come to an end, and you can accept it - even though you might not be happy with where it ended. There's also that inevitable feeling that there's more of a story to happen, and it's even more exciting to be able to think about what they might be by yourself.
The characters were great, and I believed every word they said and every action they made.
The narrator (he's mentioned as 'Handsome George' as a nickname at one point, so I'm guessing his name might be George - but I like the mystery of not knowing his exact name) was wonderful. He was brave, sweet and everything a seven year old should be. At times I actually thought it was Gaiman writing about his own childhood; the personality shone through in the text and it was written in such a way that you could easily believe would come naturally to a young child - and not to an adult.
Lettie was a great character, and I loved the faithfulness she showed to 'George', despite the fact that her relationship with him was more of a sibling-sort-of-thing. I really liked this, as well, because it made everything all the more innocent, and was a really nice breath of fresh air, considering the majority of books I read tend to have romances and/or siblings - nothing like friendships that are really strong.
Ursula was a great villain because I felt threatened by her, and you could see the impact she was having on 'George's' life. Ignoring the fact that there's magic for a second, even if you take all that away, she really damaged his family and the way he lived his life. You could even create a theory where the magic never existed, and all 'George's' adventures were a way to cope with what was happening to him. (I, personally, prefer the magical side, because real life is hard and boring.)
The pace was really good. It didn't feel like there was always something vital to the story going on, but there was always something interesting to read and learn about the narrator's world. The actual story was very well spread throughout the book; it wasn't dragged out too long, or not gone into in enough detail. It was just right for the story.
I recommend The Ocean at the End of the Lane to everyone who loves a bit of fantasy, and a completely new story. There's something unique about the way Gaiman writes, and the creations he thinks up. I loved reading this, and it was something new that also had echoes of childhood fairytales. It was just wonderful.
Image Source: https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/
17026_413852478709121_1163712783_n.jpg
The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a beautiful book about a child growing up in a world he doesn't really understand; a world filled with magic and mystery, as well as the more common issues like family matters and learning about life in general. This book was so enjoyable to read, and I can tell the story is going to stay with me for a very long time.
There was a suicide on the narrator's road; a lodger who ran over the narrator's kitten and bought him a vicious, hissing cat instead. It's hard for a seven-year-old to understand such matters, even more so when it results in dark creatures emerging from the shadows and infiltrating their way into his life. He doesn't trust his new housekeeper - a varmint, as his friend's grandmother would say - but he has more to worry about than sneaking out of the house when it turns out she's a dangerous spirit that the narrator himself might have let loose into his world...
Neil Gaiman is one of my favourite authors of all time, and this book just proved it again. It's written beautifully. Magically realistic, and addressing taboo issues so innocently: it's like Gaiman can turn into a seven-year-old at will whenever he needs to write his next bestseller. There's such youthfulness in the words that really make the personality of the story and narrator come across to the reader, so they really care about what happens to them.
Aside from the amazingly vivid imagery produced and the adventurous storyline etc, Gaiman is also able to write a story about growing up and learning to make friends and look after yourself in such a way that, even with all the magic, is still really relatable to the reader. I was reading it, remembering similar experiences and feelings I'd had to the story.
There's a part very early on (page 12 in my edition) where the narrator simply talks about books and how he hid in them and how they allowed him to get away. That sort of thing is written a lot these days, but Gaiman wrote it in such a new, different way (I don't even know how) that it hit home for me even more than usual, and I actually had to pause and just think for a second.
It's beautiful and I really can't get over it.
The story was so different from anything else. It's clearly inspired by classics, and many aspects of this shone through, but I wasn't able to predict what was going to come next in the plot at all - which, of course, made it all the more exciting.
I love the twists and turns it went down. It was a roller coaster; events seemed to turn to the worst, and then it would get better, and then there would be a heart-plummeting moment when things went downhill again. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and I could barely put the novel down.
It really is a bitter-sweet ending. It's melancholy, and it's kind of sad, but there's that conclusion-kind-of-feeling where you can tell the story has come to an end, and you can accept it - even though you might not be happy with where it ended. There's also that inevitable feeling that there's more of a story to happen, and it's even more exciting to be able to think about what they might be by yourself.
The characters were great, and I believed every word they said and every action they made.
The narrator (he's mentioned as 'Handsome George' as a nickname at one point, so I'm guessing his name might be George - but I like the mystery of not knowing his exact name) was wonderful. He was brave, sweet and everything a seven year old should be. At times I actually thought it was Gaiman writing about his own childhood; the personality shone through in the text and it was written in such a way that you could easily believe would come naturally to a young child - and not to an adult.
Lettie was a great character, and I loved the faithfulness she showed to 'George', despite the fact that her relationship with him was more of a sibling-sort-of-thing. I really liked this, as well, because it made everything all the more innocent, and was a really nice breath of fresh air, considering the majority of books I read tend to have romances and/or siblings - nothing like friendships that are really strong.
Ursula was a great villain because I felt threatened by her, and you could see the impact she was having on 'George's' life. Ignoring the fact that there's magic for a second, even if you take all that away, she really damaged his family and the way he lived his life. You could even create a theory where the magic never existed, and all 'George's' adventures were a way to cope with what was happening to him. (I, personally, prefer the magical side, because real life is hard and boring.)
The pace was really good. It didn't feel like there was always something vital to the story going on, but there was always something interesting to read and learn about the narrator's world. The actual story was very well spread throughout the book; it wasn't dragged out too long, or not gone into in enough detail. It was just right for the story.
I recommend The Ocean at the End of the Lane to everyone who loves a bit of fantasy, and a completely new story. There's something unique about the way Gaiman writes, and the creations he thinks up. I loved reading this, and it was something new that also had echoes of childhood fairytales. It was just wonderful.
Image Source: https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/
17026_413852478709121_1163712783_n.jpg
Am going to have to borrow your book - sounds wonderful. Fab review Daisy.
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