A review by coleyreads
Coraline and Other Stories by Neil Gaiman

adventurous challenging dark lighthearted mysterious reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

I don’t know if my loving the film has impacted this reading experience but I absolutely loved Coraline. The “other stories” however were a hit or miss! Some I liked and others I genuinely skipped.

Coraline is one of those staple stories from my childhood that bring me so much joy and I’m surprised it’s taken me this long to get round to the book. This is also my first Neil Gaiman and I really gelled with the writing style. It was airy and thoughtful but also solid and direct. It took me right into Coraline’s world, and the world of the “other mother”. My brain couldn’t help but play the little exploration song while I read this. 5/5⭐️

Now for the other stories… here are the ones I enjoyed!
- Troll Bridge
- Don’t Ask Jack
- October in the Chair
- Chivalry
- The Price
- How to Talk to Girls at Parties

The rest I read and disliked or started reading and skipped. Mostly because they were boring. All these stories took on elements of fairytales, whether it was characters, settings, ideas etc. which I liked. Sadly, though, I need to deduct a little half star to honour my dislike of some of the stories.

This hasn’t put me off Neil Gaiman and I’m going to pick up more of his work soon!