Helpful Score: 2
I loved this book! It deals with the truths of childhood memories - did things happen as we remember them, or do we make up our own truths to be the way we need them to be?
The narrator's memories of his 7-year-old self are of a world that takes magical realism to its max. His adventures revolve around his family and the neighboring Hempstock household, consisting of the Lettie (maiden), Ginnie (mother), and Granny (crone) - an altered version of the triple goddess. These powerful women seem to have the ability to transform reality. But are the magic and monsters really a child's coping mechanism to deal with the suicide of their boarder and his father's infidelity with the nanny - big things for a 7-year-old to be exposed to?
Also, loved the way that water is represented as a healing force. The water becomes a character in itself
The narrator's memories of his 7-year-old self are of a world that takes magical realism to its max. His adventures revolve around his family and the neighboring Hempstock household, consisting of the Lettie (maiden), Ginnie (mother), and Granny (crone) - an altered version of the triple goddess. These powerful women seem to have the ability to transform reality. But are the magic and monsters really a child's coping mechanism to deal with the suicide of their boarder and his father's infidelity with the nanny - big things for a 7-year-old to be exposed to?
Also, loved the way that water is represented as a healing force. The water becomes a character in itself
Stephanie G. (thestephanieloves) reviewed The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel on + 241 more book reviews
Neil Gaiman is one of those modern authors I automatically categorize as classic. I've loved his previous novels and all his little projects in between, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane solidifies his position as one of my all-time favorite writers.
Through a drowsy, overwhelming narrative, we follow the sudden, startling recollection of one man's pastone that is all of magical, terrible, and sobering. While visiting the little English country lane of his childhood, our unnamed protagonist reunites with a familiar face who prompts him to think of an old friend he hasn't thought about in years. Upon remembering one thing, he remembers everything.
Vividly Proust-like and told in calm, focused prose, this novel submerges readers into the sweet, wise, sometimes wondrous, and sometimes frightening mementos of a forgotten childhood, while expertly capturing the one-track mind of a seven-year-old boy. His memories immerse us into a world that is all of strange, fantastical, but still utterly believableas well as introduce us to an intriguing character, Lettie Hempstock, who teaches us the most valuable lesson about being a friend.
The fantasy setting of the child's experiences is out of this worldliterally. I don't know how Gaiman comes up with the most bizarre concepts and the most sinister of villains while still managing to sound so real, but he does it beautifully. The story definitely has dark undertones, but it is masked by the naïve tranquility of an ignorantly blissful child. Not only is this aspect of magical realism so smoothly incorporated, but the injustices and powerlessness of childhood are also exquisitely portrayed. Gaiman reminds us of what it is like to be young againand through this reliving, we are forced to consider the underestimated wisdom of children, and the overlooked foolishness of adults.
Stylistically, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is quite easy and straightforward; at less than 200 pages, it is a slim volumebut it has a huge impact. In the veins of Marcel Proust and Georges Perec, Neil Gaiman acknowledges the sheer power or memory, imagination, and wonder, while providing a haunting reflection of what it means to remember, and what it means to forget.
Pros: Stunningly perceptive // Light but meaningful writing style // Poetic // Sinister and dark at times, yet overall enlivening // Fantastical while still startlingly realistic // Poignant observations on memory, storytelling, and youth // If you're a Neil Gaiman fan already, this may become your newest favorite of his // Simply put: a good story
Cons: Slow-moving at times
Verdict: Imaginative, chilling, and mournful to a past life, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a powerful novel about the importance of stories, seen through the impressionable, vulnerable eyes of a nameless child. The book juxtaposes supernatural occurrences in a contemporary setting to create the ultimate urban fantasy world, with splashes of nostalgia added in between that really disorient the plot's flow. Told in Neil Gaiman's trademark voiceso dark, but so eloquentthat made Stardust a huge hit, this #1 New York Times Bestseller is completely deserving of its widespread praise. I loved this book; it is all of gloomy, heartbreaking, and magical; in the end, it is completely hope-filled.
Rating: 9 out of 10 hearts (5 stars): Loved it! This book has a spot on my favorites shelf.
Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher via tour publicist in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Harper Collins and TLC!).
Through a drowsy, overwhelming narrative, we follow the sudden, startling recollection of one man's pastone that is all of magical, terrible, and sobering. While visiting the little English country lane of his childhood, our unnamed protagonist reunites with a familiar face who prompts him to think of an old friend he hasn't thought about in years. Upon remembering one thing, he remembers everything.
Vividly Proust-like and told in calm, focused prose, this novel submerges readers into the sweet, wise, sometimes wondrous, and sometimes frightening mementos of a forgotten childhood, while expertly capturing the one-track mind of a seven-year-old boy. His memories immerse us into a world that is all of strange, fantastical, but still utterly believableas well as introduce us to an intriguing character, Lettie Hempstock, who teaches us the most valuable lesson about being a friend.
The fantasy setting of the child's experiences is out of this worldliterally. I don't know how Gaiman comes up with the most bizarre concepts and the most sinister of villains while still managing to sound so real, but he does it beautifully. The story definitely has dark undertones, but it is masked by the naïve tranquility of an ignorantly blissful child. Not only is this aspect of magical realism so smoothly incorporated, but the injustices and powerlessness of childhood are also exquisitely portrayed. Gaiman reminds us of what it is like to be young againand through this reliving, we are forced to consider the underestimated wisdom of children, and the overlooked foolishness of adults.
Stylistically, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is quite easy and straightforward; at less than 200 pages, it is a slim volumebut it has a huge impact. In the veins of Marcel Proust and Georges Perec, Neil Gaiman acknowledges the sheer power or memory, imagination, and wonder, while providing a haunting reflection of what it means to remember, and what it means to forget.
Pros: Stunningly perceptive // Light but meaningful writing style // Poetic // Sinister and dark at times, yet overall enlivening // Fantastical while still startlingly realistic // Poignant observations on memory, storytelling, and youth // If you're a Neil Gaiman fan already, this may become your newest favorite of his // Simply put: a good story
Cons: Slow-moving at times
Verdict: Imaginative, chilling, and mournful to a past life, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a powerful novel about the importance of stories, seen through the impressionable, vulnerable eyes of a nameless child. The book juxtaposes supernatural occurrences in a contemporary setting to create the ultimate urban fantasy world, with splashes of nostalgia added in between that really disorient the plot's flow. Told in Neil Gaiman's trademark voiceso dark, but so eloquentthat made Stardust a huge hit, this #1 New York Times Bestseller is completely deserving of its widespread praise. I loved this book; it is all of gloomy, heartbreaking, and magical; in the end, it is completely hope-filled.
Rating: 9 out of 10 hearts (5 stars): Loved it! This book has a spot on my favorites shelf.
Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher via tour publicist in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Harper Collins and TLC!).
Wonderful modern fairy tale, that hits all the bases, and does it beautifully: for younger readers, a dark adventure, in which two friends take on the timeless evil lurking behind the curtain of ordinary life. For us adults, a reminder of the magical landscape we had to leave behind ...
So, when you were growing up, you didn't have an ocean at the end of your lane? No, me neither: growing up in Queens, New York, "lanes" were at a premium. BUT that's not to say there wasn't magic in our lives -- magic is the default response of childhood, and we work with what we're given. The cranky old lady, in the slightly neglected house on the corner? Witch. Possibly a Good Witch (every year, her Halloween candies are beyond awesome), but DEFINITELY, witch. The big tree in the park , with a knot shaped like a face? Its "eyes" are following you, and if you have any sense, you always hurry your steps as you go past. For the rag-tag bunch of kids on 32nd Avenue in Bayside, New York, our hero's journey was the secret route to each other houses, cutting though gaps in fences, and creeping though neighbours' flowerbeds. Oh, the terrible frisson at the thought we might be caught! (I was caught, once. My dad -- the kindest, most mild-mannered man in the world -- was not amused ...)
Anyway, what I love about this novel is the way that it works on all of these different levels. On the literal level -- a child's adventure, full of dangers and evils reshaped from stories, and half-overheard adult worries, and deep childish fears. On the level of memory -- the memories restored to the nameless narrator, who has "written over" what actually happened in those thrilling few days in order to allow him to live in the adult world of "ordinary." And on the level of metaphor: the narrator was an ordinarily troubled little boy with an ordinarily troubled family -- parents who have money troubles, and are working on (and sometimes failing) to hold their relationship together. A bossy big sister. (Confession: I was the Bossy Big Sister ...) Bullies at school, and no friends to speak of. Dodgy lodgers and unqualified au pairs (see above, "money troubles") who come and go, taking over your bedroom, with its tiny sink that is just the perfect size for you, and wreaking havoc on the family dynamic, whether they are kind or cruel ....
The default position of childhood, as I recall it, is that no one explains anything. Your parents are tired, worried, angry -- and they don't explain why. People appear in your life (or, worse, disappear) and no one explains why. You have to move house, and lose all that's familiar to you ... You're not allowed to cut through neighbours gardens ...
Gaiman has marvelously captures the way that, in the "explanation vacuum," the child (and the adult who grows up from that child) creates their own explanations -- and that sometimes, those magical explanations can be much closer to the truth.
So, when you were growing up, you didn't have an ocean at the end of your lane? No, me neither: growing up in Queens, New York, "lanes" were at a premium. BUT that's not to say there wasn't magic in our lives -- magic is the default response of childhood, and we work with what we're given. The cranky old lady, in the slightly neglected house on the corner? Witch. Possibly a Good Witch (every year, her Halloween candies are beyond awesome), but DEFINITELY, witch. The big tree in the park , with a knot shaped like a face? Its "eyes" are following you, and if you have any sense, you always hurry your steps as you go past. For the rag-tag bunch of kids on 32nd Avenue in Bayside, New York, our hero's journey was the secret route to each other houses, cutting though gaps in fences, and creeping though neighbours' flowerbeds. Oh, the terrible frisson at the thought we might be caught! (I was caught, once. My dad -- the kindest, most mild-mannered man in the world -- was not amused ...)
Anyway, what I love about this novel is the way that it works on all of these different levels. On the literal level -- a child's adventure, full of dangers and evils reshaped from stories, and half-overheard adult worries, and deep childish fears. On the level of memory -- the memories restored to the nameless narrator, who has "written over" what actually happened in those thrilling few days in order to allow him to live in the adult world of "ordinary." And on the level of metaphor: the narrator was an ordinarily troubled little boy with an ordinarily troubled family -- parents who have money troubles, and are working on (and sometimes failing) to hold their relationship together. A bossy big sister. (Confession: I was the Bossy Big Sister ...) Bullies at school, and no friends to speak of. Dodgy lodgers and unqualified au pairs (see above, "money troubles") who come and go, taking over your bedroom, with its tiny sink that is just the perfect size for you, and wreaking havoc on the family dynamic, whether they are kind or cruel ....
The default position of childhood, as I recall it, is that no one explains anything. Your parents are tired, worried, angry -- and they don't explain why. People appear in your life (or, worse, disappear) and no one explains why. You have to move house, and lose all that's familiar to you ... You're not allowed to cut through neighbours gardens ...
Gaiman has marvelously captures the way that, in the "explanation vacuum," the child (and the adult who grows up from that child) creates their own explanations -- and that sometimes, those magical explanations can be much closer to the truth.
Julie S. (mermaidsmemo) reviewed The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel on + 12 more book reviews
This book is hauntingly beautiful and holds some truth in dealing with painful (or scary) memories from childhood. The main character had dealt with a lot of things at a really young age and from my experience reading the text, I truly believe this boy was a strong person (mentally) and dealt with the demons of his family's pasts greatly through vivid imaginations (or were they really imaginations?) with the help of kind strangers who pulled him through.
I really like how the author included the 'ocean' in the book and to use that force to symbolize a place of cleansing, a specific time for healing from what he has seen. It's like baptism...being baptized and washed away from (potentially) PTSD.
I really like how the author included the 'ocean' in the book and to use that force to symbolize a place of cleansing, a specific time for healing from what he has seen. It's like baptism...being baptized and washed away from (potentially) PTSD.
Cameron-Ashley H. (BigGreenChair) reviewed The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel on + 454 more book reviews
Well-written little strange and scary story for grown-ups. Nothing gory, just the imagination of a child for you--the adult.
Karen S. (MKSbooklady) reviewed The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel on + 949 more book reviews
A lot more fantasy than I was expecting-all in all an interesting read.
Loved this book. Absolutely wonderful characters, lots of suspense and excitement, and this author has an incredible imagination. Boulen't put it down.
Can I overstate the gorgeousness of this book? I cannot.
Written with Neil Gaiman's signature style, using words of velvet and ice, he really draws the reader in on a strange and thrilling tale. I won't give the storyline away, but it is truly one of his VERY BEST!
Find out why Gaiman is an international rock star of the literary world... but hold onto your heart, you're in for a wild ride!
Written with Neil Gaiman's signature style, using words of velvet and ice, he really draws the reader in on a strange and thrilling tale. I won't give the storyline away, but it is truly one of his VERY BEST!
Find out why Gaiman is an international rock star of the literary world... but hold onto your heart, you're in for a wild ride!
