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notalightbulb's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Animal death and Infidelity
royalty's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Sexual content
Minor: Gore, Infidelity, and Gaslighting
brookey8888's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I’m not going to lie when I bought this book I thought it was a different book. Then when I realized it wasn’t that book I recognized the author so I was like I’ll just read it. That being said I didn’t know this was like magical realism and I don’t really like magical realism. It honestly just confuses me. So I was confused reading this like I understand everything that happened but I don’t know just me and this type of story and the way it was written doesn’t really vibe with me. I did like the women in this and it was interesting but it’s just not gonna be a favorite and I’m sad because a lot of people like it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, Torture, Violence, and Gaslighting
batcaves's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, Car accident, and Injury/Injury detail
leonormsousa's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
TRIGGER WARNINGS
animal death, bullying, child abuse, emotional abuse, infidelity, suicide, and violence
REPRESENTATION
none
REVIEW
I had very high expectations for this book and that's maybe why I ended up so disappointed with it. I definitely can see where the author was going and I can even understand why so many people loved it, but for me personally, it fell a bit short. Like one of my favourite books ever, The Shining by (the) King, it dwells on how children use their imagination to deal with trauma, leaving the reader to choose to believe or not in the fantastical elements of the story. And maybe because that is a topic that I absolutely love, I would have liked to see it explored in a deeper way. In relation to the adventure of the plot, it was interesting but it somehow didn’t pull me in, although I did like the two principal characters. The fantastical part was interesting and original, but 184 pages were, for me, not enough to explore its full potential. All in all, I did enjoy myself and I’m hoping that in a future reread (with the original English instead of the translated Portuguese like this time) I will fall in love with this book like I always expected.
REPRESENTATION
REVIEW
I had very high expectations for this book and that's maybe why I ended up so disappointed with it. I definitely can see where the author was going and I can even understand why so many people loved it, but for me personally, it fell a bit short. Like one of my favourite books ever, The Shining by (the) King, it dwells on how children use their imagination to deal with trauma, leaving the reader to choose to believe or not in the fantastical elements of the story. And maybe because that is a topic that I absolutely love, I would have liked to see it explored in a deeper way. In relation to the adventure of the plot, it was interesting but it somehow didn’t pull me in, although I did like the two principal characters. The fantastical part was interesting and original, but 184 pages were, for me, not enough to explore its full potential. All in all, I did enjoy myself and I’m hoping that in a future reread (with the original English instead of the translated Portuguese like this time) I will fall in love with this book like I always expected.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Suicide, and Violence
roraisabella's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-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
4.0
A magical and beautiful adventure, that is also a thoughtful reflection on childhood and fear. I loved escaping into this story.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, and Infidelity
meliemelo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
5.0
(2023 reread)
I reread this book before going to see the incredible, amazing play based on it. Thus, this read had much of a "how will they translate that on stage" feel to it (the answer? very creatively and so, so well, even better than anything I could have expected). Yet, I found myself fully absorbed once more by the story. It truly is a very special book to me.
-----
(2018 reread)
I was at the bookshop, looking for books to complete my Goodreads challenge, when I saw it: a nice paperback edition of the book that had touched me so profoundly years ago, and that I didn't own yet. So I got it. And read it again.
It's still deep, the connection I have to this book, to this story, the way it speaks to me. Neil Gaiman is an amazing writer, and one of my favourite authors, but this is different. I relate to parts of the story, and not just the ones that don't feel like fiction: I relate to the supernatural parts too, the way they reshape reality. It's not just the kind of books I love to read. It's the kind of book I want to write, someday.
----
(original 2014 read)
I was really touched by this book. Neil Gaiman uses childhood memories to create something and it's both beautiful and terrifying. It's a kind of [b:Lunar Park|4031|Lunar Park|Bret Easton Ellis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385309748s/4031.jpg|1374605], though I wouldn't be able to tell you which of the two books is scarier. I read them at two different parts of my life, and as much as Lunar Park disturbed me I don't think it was as profoundly as The Ocean at the end of the lane. I saw bits of myself in this book, small echoes.
And even without that, I loved it. I loved every single page of it.
I reread this book before going to see the incredible, amazing play based on it. Thus, this read had much of a "how will they translate that on stage" feel to it (the answer? very creatively and so, so well, even better than anything I could have expected). Yet, I found myself fully absorbed once more by the story. It truly is a very special book to me.
-----
(2018 reread)
I was at the bookshop, looking for books to complete my Goodreads challenge, when I saw it: a nice paperback edition of the book that had touched me so profoundly years ago, and that I didn't own yet. So I got it. And read it again.
It's still deep, the connection I have to this book, to this story, the way it speaks to me. Neil Gaiman is an amazing writer, and one of my favourite authors, but this is different. I relate to parts of the story, and not just the ones that don't feel like fiction: I relate to the supernatural parts too, the way they reshape reality. It's not just the kind of books I love to read. It's the kind of book I want to write, someday.
----
(original 2014 read)
I was really touched by this book. Neil Gaiman uses childhood memories to create something and it's both beautiful and terrifying. It's a kind of [b:Lunar Park|4031|Lunar Park|Bret Easton Ellis|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1385309748s/4031.jpg|1374605], though I wouldn't be able to tell you which of the two books is scarier. I read them at two different parts of my life, and as much as Lunar Park disturbed me I don't think it was as profoundly as The Ocean at the end of the lane. I saw bits of myself in this book, small echoes.
And even without that, I loved it. I loved every single page of it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Infidelity, Sexual content, and Suicide
rebekablair's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, and Suicide
some_things_cosmic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
4.5
such a beautiful reflection on childhood , memory, and human (and nonhuman) connections. i definitely want to return to it in the future to annotate and maybe write an essay on it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Animal death, Death, and Infidelity
Minor: Suicide
aeris7's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Death
Moderate: Animal death