betweenbookends's review against another edition
3.0
The Ocean at the End of the Lane was my first brush with Neil Gaiman’s work and I certainly enjoyed it. It was a moving examination of childhood memories and nostalgia, tinged with the unreal and the lasting effects it has on the adult self. I really liked the style of the prose. There’s a simplicity and inherent beauty to his writing that is a pleasure to read. I, in fact listened to it on audio as it was narrated by Neil Gaiman himself who does a splendid job of the narration.
I went in blind without really knowing what to expect and I think that’s the best way to approach this book so I will not divulge any plot points here. While I certainly liked this book, I found it a little too incredulous and over-the-top towards the end. My other issue was there were certain characters, the Hempstocks in particular, who I found very interesting but weren’t explored to the fullest. Their personalities seemed a little fuzzy, lacking in depth and dimension. I guess that was actually intentional, as the narrator is looking back at what he remembers from a being a child. But still, it was something that I wished Gaiman had explained a bit more.
Throughout this entire novel, there is this underlying thread of doubt. Firstly, our narrator is unreliable, as he is himself recollecting his childhood memories. And obviously, as a child, he had a very active imagination so as a reader you could choose to either trust him completely or try and find that faint thread of reality of what might have happened. I found that element of ambiguity really fascinating.
All in all, it’s an absorbing, interesting and darkly fantastical story well worth a read.
Rating: 3.5/5
I went in blind without really knowing what to expect and I think that’s the best way to approach this book so I will not divulge any plot points here. While I certainly liked this book, I found it a little too incredulous and over-the-top towards the end. My other issue was there were certain characters, the Hempstocks in particular, who I found very interesting but weren’t explored to the fullest. Their personalities seemed a little fuzzy, lacking in depth and dimension. I guess that was actually intentional, as the narrator is looking back at what he remembers from a being a child. But still, it was something that I wished Gaiman had explained a bit more.
Throughout this entire novel, there is this underlying thread of doubt. Firstly, our narrator is unreliable, as he is himself recollecting his childhood memories. And obviously, as a child, he had a very active imagination so as a reader you could choose to either trust him completely or try and find that faint thread of reality of what might have happened. I found that element of ambiguity really fascinating.
All in all, it’s an absorbing, interesting and darkly fantastical story well worth a read.
Rating: 3.5/5
emmadawynner's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
This book spoke to my soul. Neil Gaiman is a genius of imagination and his stories both speak to the wonder and the realities of life. The Ocean at the End of the Lane was a wonderful tale of childhood, memory, and mythical foes and friends.
bowarner's review
4.0
Weird relatable to me with a family that lived across the road from me in my childhood who I thought were absolutely magical, and really sparked that uneasy childhood feeling of not knowing the boundary between fantasy and reality.
Wish the ending had been a little punchier, but apart from that it had me hooked till the end!
Wish the ending had been a little punchier, but apart from that it had me hooked till the end!
nthurman_dude's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
literarischerlatzhosenpfriemel's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
malinda_nevitt's review
5.0
This was a beautiful read. It was everything that you would expect from Gaiman: beautiful prose, witty, creepy...I loved it. "I liked that. Books were safer than other people anyway."
trukkos_travisz's review
3.5
I didn't find this as lush as Neverwhere or American Gods. But perhaps that's because this reads more like a (dark) fable for adults. It's a meditation on childhood and adulthood, on danger and friendship and trust. And I did read it in one sitting.
sgr123's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tobyyy's review
5.0
A haunting, beautiful, evocative tale. I picked this book up at the airport for a belated birthday present to myself on a recent trip, after hearing rave reviews of it from friends here on GR, and it was definitely worth it. I was sucked into the story from the very start and am so glad that I decided to try it - this is the first Neil Gaiman book I have read and I don't think it will be the last, now that I've sampled his wonderful writing.
Will definitely be rereading this one, for sure. I'll also be trying to get everyone I know to read it. XD (Oooor... maybe not, but it really IS that good!!)
Will definitely be rereading this one, for sure. I'll also be trying to get everyone I know to read it. XD (Oooor... maybe not, but it really IS that good!!)