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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
There's nothing technically wrong with this book, I think I've just determined that I don't enjoy this style of Fantasy / Magical Realism.
I began ‘The Ocean at the end of the Lane’ today after having been stuck on the first few pages for the past few days and I ended up reading the whole book at a go. This is the first Neil Gaiman novel that I have completed (I am still stuck at the halfway point in American Gods) and I finally his writing and the story struck a chord within me. I was left with goosebumps after completing the book and I had to hug it, so overwhelmed with emotion was I.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane is like the joy of an old memory which comes unbidden, leaving a smile like the milky crescent moon on your face. It is made of whispers heard by a lone man standing and staring at the dark sea as the wind softly blows against him and speaks in a language unknown. It is the charm of a fairy in the forest, hiding out of sight, yet you know she is there, mischievous and teasing. It is the magic of words climbing out of books and crafting emotions which you leave you shivering. It is of the magic of a letter from across the ocean by a long-forgotten friend for whom the heart yearns in faint moments of remembrance.
In short, it is a Neil Gaiman novel and it is wondrous, enchanting, thoughtful and magical. Like a campfire in the dark with music and food and good cheer and the tinge of the pressing cold around it.
It is a small dip in the Ocean at the end of the Lane.
The Ocean at the End of the Lane is like the joy of an old memory which comes unbidden, leaving a smile like the milky crescent moon on your face. It is made of whispers heard by a lone man standing and staring at the dark sea as the wind softly blows against him and speaks in a language unknown. It is the charm of a fairy in the forest, hiding out of sight, yet you know she is there, mischievous and teasing. It is the magic of words climbing out of books and crafting emotions which you leave you shivering. It is of the magic of a letter from across the ocean by a long-forgotten friend for whom the heart yearns in faint moments of remembrance.
In short, it is a Neil Gaiman novel and it is wondrous, enchanting, thoughtful and magical. Like a campfire in the dark with music and food and good cheer and the tinge of the pressing cold around it.
It is a small dip in the Ocean at the end of the Lane.
Neil Gaiman is amazing, once again. I want more Hempstock stories. I feel like the other Hempstocks (the watered down, not real ones) are in his other stories, but I didn't know about them yet.
mysterious
dark
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Suicide
Moderate: Child abuse
This reminded me of a darker Wrinkle in Time. I appreciated the all-enveloping writing. Although this wasn’t my style of story, I couldn’t put it down.
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I'm going to have to re-read this one - too much happened for just one reading. Ursula Monkton scared me more than I expected.
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
this book was literally so cool, creepy, and fun to read :)