Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
medium-paced
Fantastical, mysterious, and a fun world to explore. The main characters story told through the viewpoint of his childhood self, masked some of the darker themes in his innocence and ignorance. The whole story is sort of tinged with the question of whether it really happened as told or whether it was a child's mechanism to cope with some trauma. Either way I found the Hemstocks to be so appealing and their brand of magic was compelling as well.
I read this to my kids. It was odd, imaginative, engaging and satisfying.
Updated 2021:
It’s nice to have an old review you wrote 7 years ago. I’m quite sure this blog is defunct now as it will not load. Not sure why I had a blog in the first place. I believe I reviewed advance copies in exchange for free books, and that was why there was a blog.
Just as Ocean at the End of the Lane is about change and memory, I have changed and barely remember reading this book. My taste in books has changed. I like the uncertainty now. The dark parts don’t bother me as much at 25 as it did at 18. I don’t find its strange that it’s narrated by a 7 year old boy, although if I were him, I hope I could have been just as brave. Sometimes he doesn’t react as much, but it’s the small changes in dialogue and interior monologue that lend to character development. You can see how he challenges the rules of the Ocean and asks for answers about halfway through the book. I wrote below that I was confused by the cross between magical realism and fantasy, and that perhaps there was too much magic for magical realism. I think now that there are many ways to write magical realism. At times I’m disappointed by Murakami’s realism. Heh. What magical realism is is a way to write, not an atmosphere and not a cult experience — you can certainly create atmosphere with it, though, but it’s maybe only half of the way there. I confused the two.
Other thoughts:
*The Hempstocks are amazing women.
*From a writing perspective, the sequence of set up events is amazing: lonely boy is gifted a kitten, kitten is run over by the opal miner tenant, opal miner is suicidal and disappears into a doll, boy wakes up with coin in mouth (Vita Nostra also has this coin idea), coin is examined by Lettie Hempstock.
*Perspective upon growing up: who the MC see the Hempstocks as, if changes. Reality changes in the space of a few paragraphs as MC’s mind changes, memory challenges, begins to believe what the Hempstocks said
For a select book or two, might be nice to have records like this, a bit easier to sort through than a notebook. But then you contend with the internet.
Review from 2014:
This review originally appeared on my blog Tangled Inkspills
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Target: Fantasy for Everybody
Category: Fine Read With Some Deep Tidbits but Not Quite Off the Deep End
Review: I began The Ocean at the End of the Lane, not exactly sure what to expect out of it. Turns out Gaiman started it as a short story, then later extended it to a novel. I loved the character of Lettie and the friendship between her and the unnamed main character. However, the magic events happening in the book felt a little off. I think maybe it was too much outright magic. Perhaps it should have been just a pinch of magic, just a little mysterious sprinkling of it. That would have tied in better. In addition, I would have liked some more character development in the main character. I empathized a lot with the 7-year-old boy, especially when I read the lines, “I was not happy as a child, although from time to time I was content. I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else.” I would have liked more insight into his character, perhaps in a more linear time frame as he ages a few years. I probably won’t be rereading The Ocean at the End of the Lane, but I will take some interesting thoughts from it.
Writerly thoughts: strong points are the ocean at the end of the lane, Lettie, and the main character’s trust in Lettie
It’s nice to have an old review you wrote 7 years ago. I’m quite sure this blog is defunct now as it will not load. Not sure why I had a blog in the first place. I believe I reviewed advance copies in exchange for free books, and that was why there was a blog.
Just as Ocean at the End of the Lane is about change and memory, I have changed and barely remember reading this book. My taste in books has changed. I like the uncertainty now. The dark parts don’t bother me as much at 25 as it did at 18. I don’t find its strange that it’s narrated by a 7 year old boy, although if I were him, I hope I could have been just as brave. Sometimes he doesn’t react as much, but it’s the small changes in dialogue and interior monologue that lend to character development. You can see how he challenges the rules of the Ocean and asks for answers about halfway through the book. I wrote below that I was confused by the cross between magical realism and fantasy, and that perhaps there was too much magic for magical realism. I think now that there are many ways to write magical realism. At times I’m disappointed by Murakami’s realism. Heh. What magical realism is is a way to write, not an atmosphere and not a cult experience — you can certainly create atmosphere with it, though, but it’s maybe only half of the way there. I confused the two.
Other thoughts:
*The Hempstocks are amazing women.
*From a writing perspective, the sequence of set up events is amazing: lonely boy is gifted a kitten, kitten is run over by the opal miner tenant, opal miner is suicidal and disappears into a doll, boy wakes up with coin in mouth (Vita Nostra also has this coin idea), coin is examined by Lettie Hempstock.
*Perspective upon growing up: who the MC see the Hempstocks as, if changes. Reality changes in the space of a few paragraphs as MC’s mind changes, memory challenges, begins to believe what the Hempstocks said
For a select book or two, might be nice to have records like this, a bit easier to sort through than a notebook. But then you contend with the internet.
Review from 2014:
This review originally appeared on my blog Tangled Inkspills
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Target: Fantasy for Everybody
Category: Fine Read With Some Deep Tidbits but Not Quite Off the Deep End
Review: I began The Ocean at the End of the Lane, not exactly sure what to expect out of it. Turns out Gaiman started it as a short story, then later extended it to a novel. I loved the character of Lettie and the friendship between her and the unnamed main character. However, the magic events happening in the book felt a little off. I think maybe it was too much outright magic. Perhaps it should have been just a pinch of magic, just a little mysterious sprinkling of it. That would have tied in better. In addition, I would have liked some more character development in the main character. I empathized a lot with the 7-year-old boy, especially when I read the lines, “I was not happy as a child, although from time to time I was content. I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else.” I would have liked more insight into his character, perhaps in a more linear time frame as he ages a few years. I probably won’t be rereading The Ocean at the End of the Lane, but I will take some interesting thoughts from it.
Writerly thoughts: strong points are the ocean at the end of the lane, Lettie, and the main character’s trust in Lettie
Beautiful! Haunting! Magical! Terrifying! I loved this book!
adventurous
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Pure magic. Thankful for the way Neil Gaiman’s books make me feel.
I am so glad the I gave Neil Gaiman another chance! After being somewhat disappointed by "The Graveyard Book" I was shocked at how much I liked "The Ocean at the End of the Lane"! This book was thought-provoking and a very interesting mix of fantasy, sci-fi, mythology, and fairy tale (all things I love!!!)
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated