A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse where she once lived, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.
A groundbreaking work as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out.
- Paperback: 181 pages
- Publisher: William Morrow (June 3, 2014)
- ISBN: 9780062255662
Author Bio:
Neil makes things up and writes them down. Which takes us from comics (like SANDMAN) to novels (like ANANSI BOYS and AMERICAN GODS) to short stories (some are collected in SMOKE AND MIRRORS) and to occasionally movies (like Dave McKean's MIRRORMASK or the NEVERWHERE TV series, or his own short film A SHORT FILM ABOUT JOHN BOLTON).
In Neil's spare time, he reads, sleeps and eats, and tries to keep the blog at www.neilgaiman.com more or less up to date.
In Neil's spare time, he reads, sleeps and eats, and tries to keep the blog at www.neilgaiman.com more or less up to date.
REVIEW:
What a magical story!
You need to let your imagination run wild with this book because most of it is as far-fetched as it gets. That's part of what's so cool about it though.
I love the Hempstock ladies! Not sure what to make of the time stitchers, but I loved the fantasy element of it all. Lettie was awesome to sacrifice herself as she did.
I've never read anything so imaginative before. Though it took me out of my element, the great writing made it okay.
I can't wait to read more from this author. I love his attention to detail when he writes and tells a story. It easily puts the reader in the scene and in the moment.
Some people may not get into this book for the outlandish story, but I think most people overall will rather enjoy it for the same reason.
4/5
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Is this your first Gaiman? If it is, you're in for a treat .... so much more great stuff from him!
ReplyDeleteYes, my intro to him and I'm hooked! :-)
DeleteHave not heard of Gaiman before. The cover alone intrigued me, but your review finished me off. ^_^ It is rare when a book surprises me, so I am glad to hear this one did it for you.
ReplyDeletesherry @ fundinmental