Reviews with content warning for Suicide - The Ocean at the End of the Lane

This was such an interesting read, and it was really fun listening to it read by Gaiman. That felt special to me. I did get kind of bored in the middle, but I find that happening fairly often lately, so it may very well be a me problem. Anyway, the Hempstocks are very interesting and I love a story where it’s left somewhat ambiguous as to whether or not things are being told as they really happened or just how the narrator saw them.

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spookfish's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.0

It's always difficult to review horror, as I have to separate my physical feelings of discomfort with what I think objectively about it.
Found myself asking "why?" a lot of the time, without answer from Gaiman. There are parts of this book where it doesn't feel sure of where it is trying to head itself. It makes sense knowing this was supposed to be a short story that was extended into a novel. Not a bad book by all means, just... lacking something for me.

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keelymightread's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious fast-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

4.75

Such an eerie yet beautiful book that reminded me of the innocence of childhood. The curiosity felt as the story progressed was artfully done. Such a unique story, magical realism is an unmatched genre. The whimsical mystery is a perfect feeling I got from the novel.

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readermann's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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sambiina's review against another edition

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adventurous dark hopeful mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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corriejn's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious medium-paced

4.5

Gaiman's typical engaging, quirky/creative storytelling (real world setting with fantasy elements). A very enjoyable shorter novel.

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crusoe's review against another edition

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adventurous dark medium-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

3.0

Disclaimer: my experience of the book may be tainted by my reaction to the recent allegations brought against Neil Gaiman. I started reading this book before I became aware of these allegations.

The ocean at the end of the lane is quite dark for a fantasy novel and it sits in a weird spot between an adult and children's novel. This was also the case for Stardust (a different story by Gaiman) but there I did not notice it as much because the story was a little less dark.

Overall, the story was okay. The magical elements were great, but it took a while to get to these and the main character was quite bland in my opinion. I liked the theme of how growing into an adult does not make you all-powerful or even very different from being a child.

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