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riverofhorton's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
This book was unexpected. I went into it knowing nothing, apart from that it was written by Neil Gaiman, only assuming that a significant in some way. My only concrete expectation was that it would enjoy it, as I have almost all of Neil Gaiman's other books. That expectation was definitely met, and I will be re-reading this in the future. I am a little surprised that this is considered a children's book, it handles some very difficult topics, opening with a description of a man murdering two parents and a child. Thankfully, the murders themselves aren't described, just the moments after the final one. That said, it was an incredibly enjoyable book, following the childhood of a boy growing up in a graveyard with an adoptive family who are all either dead, or on the border between (I took that to mean a vampire). Ironically, I found the ghosts to be more fleshed out than the living characters of various other books by different authors, truly a testament to Gaiman's writing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
letopotato's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- 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
5.0
What else can I do but give any Neil Gaiman novel I read full points?
I read this book with the idea of it being a children's book. It is, in the way that the main character is a child.
Let's say it this way: If I had read this when I was ten years old, it would have scared me (I mean, the story begins with a family being murdered), but in the kind of way that this would have become my favourite book of all time.
This is a novel for weird kids and weird adults and I loved evers single word I've read.
I love Silas and Ms. Lupescu.
I read this book with the idea of it being a children's book. It is, in the way that the main character is a child.
Let's say it this way: If I had read this when I was ten years old, it would have scared me (I mean, the story begins with a family being murdered), but in the kind of way that this would have become my favourite book of all time.
This is a novel for weird kids and weird adults and I loved evers single word I've read.
I love Silas and Ms. Lupescu.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Child death, Genocide, Suicide, Kidnapping, Death of parent, and Murder
pauloleary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Murder
caitlincrtr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Suicide, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
optimisms's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book is lovely. It's dark but witty, heavy but charming. The prose of this story is so beautiful, never unnecessarily flowery or complex but you can tell that each word was chosen with care. The structure of the book is almost an anthology of short stories, but all with the same chronology, setting, and main characters. Without spoiling anything, I'll say that the ending does a great job of tying in most of the previous stories in surprising and entertaining ways. The only things I would change are I wish we had more information about Silas and what he is. I've seen a lot of people say he is clearly a vampire and maybe I'm just oblivious but that was not at all obvious to me and the Danse Macabre. Every other chapter somehow tied into the ending, but nothing from Danse Macabre ever came back or had any impact on the ending . Other than that, it was pretty much perfect. I would highly recommend anyone who's interested in this book to check out the audiobook, read by the author himself. Gaiman gives a fantastic performance, bringing the story to life in a truly remarkable fashion. It's difficult to decide whether he's a better author or voice actor.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying
Minor: Blood, Kidnapping, and Injury/Injury detail
booksthatburn's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
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? Yes
4.0
Nobody Owens ("Bod") is raised by the denizens of a graveyard after the rest of his family is killed when he's a baby.
Bod grows from a baby into a teenager over the course of the book, and he feels distinct at each age in how he interacts with the world and what kinds of questions he asks. His world is built from his relationships with the others in the graveyard, whether they're consistent visitors or permanent residents. It's also shaped by his attempts to be around living people, most of which go poorly and all of which are complicated. Because Bod’s perspective is the main (but not quite only) one in the book, his understanding is the filter for most of the worldbuilding. There are things he’s told but lacks additional context to understand, and some things he knows intimately but which are just mentioned.
The first two-thirds of the book is a series of vignettes of events which happened to Bod as he grows up. The episodic pacing culminates in one major event which comprises the final third of the book and is built on everything that happened until this point. It makes this large section feel important, tense, and distinct from the other sections while complementing them perfectly.
Bod grows from a baby into a teenager over the course of the book, and he feels distinct at each age in how he interacts with the world and what kinds of questions he asks. His world is built from his relationships with the others in the graveyard, whether they're consistent visitors or permanent residents. It's also shaped by his attempts to be around living people, most of which go poorly and all of which are complicated. Because Bod’s perspective is the main (but not quite only) one in the book, his understanding is the filter for most of the worldbuilding. There are things he’s told but lacks additional context to understand, and some things he knows intimately but which are just mentioned.
The first two-thirds of the book is a series of vignettes of events which happened to Bod as he grows up. The episodic pacing culminates in one major event which comprises the final third of the book and is built on everything that happened until this point. It makes this large section feel important, tense, and distinct from the other sections while complementing them perfectly.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Violence, Kidnapping, and Murder
Minor: Ableism, Suicide, and Cannibalism
marareading's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I have loved reading more of Gaiman's catalog recently. The wit, and cozy feeling fo this story was fantastic. He has a way of writing these stories that pulls you in and lulls you into a welcomed trance.
This story is about Bod. Short for Nobody Owens. A Strange man killed his family when he was a baby and he was raised by the ghosts in a graveyard. He also has a mysterious guardian. As we watch him grow, we learnore about the graveyard, these amazing characters, his guardian, and all of the interesting dealings of the worlds we cannot see as the living.
I love the way Gaiman pulls things together in his novels. Every detail makes sense. Nothing is there that doesn't need to be. Everything is in it's place. Every character has their distinct voice and purpose. I enjoy his writing SO MUCH. If you haven't read his books I highly recommend starting with this YA novel or my favorite, Neverwhere.
This story is about Bod. Short for Nobody Owens. A Strange man killed his family when he was a baby and he was raised by the ghosts in a graveyard. He also has a mysterious guardian. As we watch him grow, we learnore about the graveyard, these amazing characters, his guardian, and all of the interesting dealings of the worlds we cannot see as the living.
I love the way Gaiman pulls things together in his novels. Every detail makes sense. Nothing is there that doesn't need to be. Everything is in it's place. Every character has their distinct voice and purpose. I enjoy his writing SO MUCH. If you haven't read his books I highly recommend starting with this YA novel or my favorite, Neverwhere.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Stalking, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Child death and Kidnapping