Reviews

This book is a spellbinding tale from a child’s point of view but written for adults. It spans worlds of fantasy and reality, giving a tantalising glimpse of the lives and existence of characters that are older than imagination, from the perspective of a young boy who finds himself drawn into an adventure within which he has very little power or control. The setting is a small country lane, but the scope is vast, with hints of worlds beyond our own.

The narrative is all 1st person - from the perspective of the 7 year old boy. The perspective of a 7 year old boy ought to be childish and unsophisticated, and I would normally avoid tales from a child’s point of view for this reason. But there is a depth and richness to the writing which is very satisfying. There is a maturity to the storytelling which makes it easy to read, while not undermining the image of a youthful and immature narrator.

The fantasy elements aren’t fully explained, and this is consistent with the point of view of the narrator, but the many small insights into the Hempstock family and the world from which they came are rewarding and enjoyable and left me wanting to know more. The story was engaging and the plot moved with a pace that kept drawing me on. I would love to read further stories from this world!

camklingfus's review against another edition

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mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated

5.0

tadster20's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

salgalruns's review against another edition

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3.0

This is my second Neil Gaiman book (the first being [b:Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch|12067|Good Omens The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch|Terry Pratchett|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327875267s/12067.jpg|4110990]). While I wasn't a super fan of the first one which was a collaborative effort, I thought I'd give this one a shot based on the incredible reviews that I've seen here.

I have decided that fantasy is not really my thing. I kept trying to be logical in situations that really were anything but logical. It just never grabbed me, other than the more realistic scenes, and that's not really the punch of the book. The fantasty scenes are definitely creative and interesting, and as a result, I am giving it the 3 star rating as I think Gaiman did those quite well.

I'm glad it's having a good run in it's particular genre, it's just not for me. :(

dnandrews797's review against another edition

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5.0

This book was absolutely beautiful. It felt like being inside a dark impressionist painting full of poetry, joy, tragedy, and secrets. There were very few characters in the novel, but the ones that existed were fully fleshed out and compelling.
The magic in the world of this novel doesn’t need extensive lore to capture the readers attention and the lack of detail helps fully center the reader in the perspective of our narrator, a young boy of eleven: being able to witness terrible and wonderful things without being able to make sense of them.
It’s this kind of storytelling and body of work that keeps me coming back again and again to explore the dimensions and galaxies Gaiman creates.

lacea's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.5

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