Scan barcode
actualophelia's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
As recommended by squash.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Violence, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Bullying and Vomit
alexhaydon's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
uhtceara's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
jesseybean's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Sexual content and Suicide
hendrixpants's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Minor: Infidelity
hannybee96's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Gore
Minor: Child death and Suicide
queer_bookwyrm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
4 ⭐ CW: suicide, death of a pet, body horror, Native American caricature mention, child abuse, attempted drowning, death of a child
"Oh, monsters are scared. That's why they're monsters."
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman is a short, surreal, horror with some magical realism thrown in. It was creepy and haunting in a way that Gaiman has perfected.
We follow a nameless MC who goes back to his childhood town to attend a funeral when he finds himself inexplicably at the end of the Lane he grew up on. He remembers playing with a girl named Lettie Hempstock, who used to tell him the pond on her farm was an ocean.
It is when he sees the pond (Ocean) that all his memories come flooding back from when he was 7 years old. Our MC went through some really weird and fucked up shit for a 7 year old. He goes with Lettie to a weird place where they find this creature who gets out my transporting itself inside out MC's foot. Cue body horror. The thing becomes a person who seduces his father and convinces him to abuse his child. He experiences some otherworldly shit.
Although this was a really messed up story, Gaiman has made a statement on the different perceptions of adults vs. children. We see the powerlessness child face in world built for adults. A theme throughout the book is the notion that children will always blame themselves for anything that goes wrong.
This was a surreal, haunting story that packs so much into so few pages. I'm usually one for wanting more to a story this short, but I felt it wrapped up nicely. I love in Gaiman's stories things don't need to make sense, similar to fairytales.
"Oh, monsters are scared. That's why they're monsters."
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman is a short, surreal, horror with some magical realism thrown in. It was creepy and haunting in a way that Gaiman has perfected.
We follow a nameless MC who goes back to his childhood town to attend a funeral when he finds himself inexplicably at the end of the Lane he grew up on. He remembers playing with a girl named Lettie Hempstock, who used to tell him the pond on her farm was an ocean.
It is when he sees the pond (Ocean) that all his memories come flooding back from when he was 7 years old. Our MC went through some really weird and fucked up shit for a 7 year old. He goes with Lettie to a weird place where they find this creature who gets out my transporting itself inside out MC's foot. Cue body horror. The thing becomes a person who seduces his father and convinces him to abuse his child. He experiences some otherworldly shit.
Although this was a really messed up story, Gaiman has made a statement on the different perceptions of adults vs. children. We see the powerlessness child face in world built for adults. A theme throughout the book is the notion that children will always blame themselves for anything that goes wrong.
This was a surreal, haunting story that packs so much into so few pages. I'm usually one for wanting more to a story this short, but I felt it wrapped up nicely. I love in Gaiman's stories things don't need to make sense, similar to fairytales.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Animal death and Suicide
Minor: Racism
happylilfaerie's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
fast-paced
I can't really give this a star rating as I don't think I am the intended audience.
The writing itself is beautiful, the setting is magical and the story is captivating. However it drained me of hope and made me quite upset. I look to books to escape and play pretend somewhere more hopeful and happy, this book is not for that, at least not in the way I interpreted it.
Don't get me wrong it's a very good book, but it's for an older audience who enjoy darker themes and more somber tones. If you are going through a tough spot mentally this might not be the right read.
The writing itself is beautiful, the setting is magical and the story is captivating. However it drained me of hope and made me quite upset. I look to books to escape and play pretend somewhere more hopeful and happy, this book is not for that, at least not in the way I interpreted it.
Don't get me wrong it's a very good book, but it's for an older audience who enjoy darker themes and more somber tones. If you are going through a tough spot mentally this might not be the right read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Grief
alisonvh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I've only been so-so on the Neil Gaiman books I've read so far, but I really enjoyed this one. It has a nice, tight plot and a healthy dose of fantasy, which is all I could ever ask for in a book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, and Death
kylieqrada's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
3.5
3.5 ⭐s. This was good! My first from Neil Gaiman, and while I like his writing well enough, this didn't blow me away. The premise was solid, very folktale-esque, and I loved the twist at the end. Will definitely be picking up more from this author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Suicide, Violence, Blood, and Gaslighting