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mshaniak's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was such a short enchanting story.
At first I thought I was reading a kids book. And nothing wrong with it.
It’s about a man that comes to his old town for a funeral and ventures down the memory lane, visits his old house and his friend’s house. He spends the afternoon sitting by the pond remembering what had happened when they were just children. Memories filled with magic and horror.
This was so beautifully written! It suitable for kids and adults both I think. Because haven’t we all had all sorts of adventures when we were kids? We transformed sofas into pirate ships, boxes into doll houses.. And this story is one of those.. it could be just his imagination, but who said it had never happened for real right? Hehehe
There was a couple of scenes (both in the bathroom) that made me feel anxious. I’d suggest to check trigger warnings before reading this.
At first I thought I was reading a kids book. And nothing wrong with it.
It’s about a man that comes to his old town for a funeral and ventures down the memory lane, visits his old house and his friend’s house. He spends the afternoon sitting by the pond remembering what had happened when they were just children. Memories filled with magic and horror.
This was so beautifully written! It suitable for kids and adults both I think. Because haven’t we all had all sorts of adventures when we were kids? We transformed sofas into pirate ships, boxes into doll houses.. And this story is one of those.. it could be just his imagination, but who said it had never happened for real right? Hehehe
There was a couple of scenes (both in the bathroom) that made me feel anxious. I’d suggest to check trigger warnings before reading this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
literatureleaf's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Age: 14+
Reading time: 3 days
Difficulty level: 2/5
Rating: 5/5
After attending a relative’s funeral, an unnamed man returns to his childhood home in search of comfort and relief from his grief. When he chooses to visit an old neighbor, he finds himself drawn into the web of his childhood memories, struggling to reconcile what he remembers as magic and monsters against the complexities and inhibitions of an aged mind.
Reading like a fever dream, The Ocean at the End of the Lane combines simple, yet elegant prose with magical realism and a sense of whimsy that seamlessly blurs the lines between the fantastical and the real. Capitalizing on the fragility and uncertainty of our own memories, Gaiman makes us ask ourselves if we can ever be truly certain that what we remember, was our reality.
Nostalgic and emotional, Gaiman’s writing feels like glancing into the glimmering waters of the fountain of youth. With an ethereal, fuzzy quality that permeates throughout the story, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is reminiscent of the feelings that you get when you remember your first kiss, the car you got at 16, the first dog that you ever called your own, or any of the hundreds of experiences that you can never return to, no matter how significantly they shaped who you became.
Because The Ocean at the End of the Lane leans heavily on nostalgia, with the goal of permeating each reader’s own childhood, the characters are the weakest aspect of the book. The protagonist is unnamed, likely with the hope that the reader will put themselves in his shoes, and while the other characters do have more substance, there is not as much there to work with as those who prefer character-driven stories may like. However, many readers may find that the minimalized characterizations work with the book rather than against it.
With the emphasis on emotional impact and gorgeous writing being so pervasive, the pacing struggles at times, particularly towards the middle of the book. Much of the actual plot advancement takes place towards the beginning and towards the end, and for such a short read, this lends to the feeling of the story “dragging” a bit. Nevertheless, this is more than compensated for with the rich imagery and stylistic prose that fills those middle pages.
A beautiful journey into the eye of the storm that is childhood, Neil Gaiman paints an endearing and lyrical portrait of what it’s like to be young and still believe in magic. Like drinking a steaming cup of hot cocoa from the mug you used every Christmas morning as a kid, or driving past the house you grew up in, The Ocean at the End of the Lane will leave you with an irrevocable need to go back home again, even if that home doesn’t exist anymore.
Reading time: 3 days
Difficulty level: 2/5
Rating: 5/5
After attending a relative’s funeral, an unnamed man returns to his childhood home in search of comfort and relief from his grief. When he chooses to visit an old neighbor, he finds himself drawn into the web of his childhood memories, struggling to reconcile what he remembers as magic and monsters against the complexities and inhibitions of an aged mind.
Reading like a fever dream, The Ocean at the End of the Lane combines simple, yet elegant prose with magical realism and a sense of whimsy that seamlessly blurs the lines between the fantastical and the real. Capitalizing on the fragility and uncertainty of our own memories, Gaiman makes us ask ourselves if we can ever be truly certain that what we remember, was our reality.
Nostalgic and emotional, Gaiman’s writing feels like glancing into the glimmering waters of the fountain of youth. With an ethereal, fuzzy quality that permeates throughout the story, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is reminiscent of the feelings that you get when you remember your first kiss, the car you got at 16, the first dog that you ever called your own, or any of the hundreds of experiences that you can never return to, no matter how significantly they shaped who you became.
Because The Ocean at the End of the Lane leans heavily on nostalgia, with the goal of permeating each reader’s own childhood, the characters are the weakest aspect of the book. The protagonist is unnamed, likely with the hope that the reader will put themselves in his shoes, and while the other characters do have more substance, there is not as much there to work with as those who prefer character-driven stories may like. However, many readers may find that the minimalized characterizations work with the book rather than against it.
With the emphasis on emotional impact and gorgeous writing being so pervasive, the pacing struggles at times, particularly towards the middle of the book. Much of the actual plot advancement takes place towards the beginning and towards the end, and for such a short read, this lends to the feeling of the story “dragging” a bit. Nevertheless, this is more than compensated for with the rich imagery and stylistic prose that fills those middle pages.
A beautiful journey into the eye of the storm that is childhood, Neil Gaiman paints an endearing and lyrical portrait of what it’s like to be young and still believe in magic. Like drinking a steaming cup of hot cocoa from the mug you used every Christmas morning as a kid, or driving past the house you grew up in, The Ocean at the End of the Lane will leave you with an irrevocable need to go back home again, even if that home doesn’t exist anymore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Physical abuse, and Suicide
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, and Violence
Minor: Domestic abuse, Sexual content, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
michael_richter's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Blood
Minor: Bullying and Child death
noms01's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Suicide
Minor: Animal death and Body horror
s_mivsek's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse
Moderate: Death, Emotional abuse, Suicide, and Gaslighting
Minor: Animal death and Infidelity
tabookish's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Suicide, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infidelity, Grief, and Abandonment
naes's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, and Infidelity
riverofhorton's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
So I went into this book thinking it was a kid's book and would be a fun frolic in a fantasy world. A kid's book it most definitely is not, despite the main character being 7 through the main part of the story. Once I realised and came to terms with my own assumptions being wrong, I found the book to be really enjoyable.
It tackles a few quite mature themes through the wonder of a child's perspective, which is something I don't think I've seen before. It takes place pretty much in our world but with a bit of magic thrown in, some being things that are still magic to us as children, giving the impression that there is magic to be found in the real world, if you look through that child-like lens.
I did also appreciate some of the little call backs to things that previously seemed unimportant.
I also liked that it ends in such a way as to facilitate re-reading.
It tackles a few quite mature themes through the wonder of a child's perspective, which is something I don't think I've seen before. It takes place pretty much in our world but with a bit of magic thrown in, some being things that are still magic to us as children, giving the impression that there is magic to be found in the real world, if you look through that child-like lens.
I did also appreciate some of the little call backs to things that previously seemed unimportant.
I also liked that it ends in such a way as to facilitate re-reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
bellebeaumont95's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Stalking, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Animal death and Car accident
Minor: Child death and Grief
elisepage's review against another edition
It genuinely started getting scary. I was not in the headspace to read about children being helpless and scared while they are threatened or abused by adults.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Gaslighting, and Abandonment