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chainsawmochi's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Recently, I saw that it was available online through the Libby App, via my local library. On a whim, I borrowed the lone copy available and dug in. Life got in the way, as it tends to do; it took me far too long to actually manage to read the entirety of the book. It's not a very long novel, as it is classified as a children's book. Yet every moment spent not reading it was maddening. I wanted so deeply to delve back into the world of "Coraline," back into Gaiman's blunt yet whimsical prose.
Finally, while I was watching for a doctor's appointment today, I finished the book. "Coraline" is a five-star read, no doubt about it. Gaiman has a wonderful ability write in the way I remember thinking as a child. Everything is very matter-of-fact, yet there is magic there, in those words. He crafts a beautiful, disgusting, haunting world that suits Coraline's character very well. I viewed her story as a story of growing up too quickly, of yearning to still be a child, of learning to slow down and appreciate the small things. The things that make us mothers and fathers, children and family. The things that make us human, boring, normal, and unique. Coraline's world is full of juxtapositions and non-sensical parallels. She begins as a child that no one listens to--but by the end, she realizes she was not listening, either.
"Coraline" comes highly recommended if you have an afternoon or two to spend in a world very much like our own, with a few extra shadows and a few extra nightmares at the edges.
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Body horror, Child death, and Kidnapping
loonysaurus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Confinement, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror
Minor: Animal death and Abandonment
pacifickat's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Slavery and Violence
Minor: Animal death, Kidnapping, Murder, and Abandonment
riverofhorton's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I found it to be just the right level of horror to be a casual read, which I find I'm most likely to return to in the future. A good portion of the horror content of the horror was of the slightly-to-the-left-of-normal kind, rather than being overt and graphic.
This book offers depth to the world and story, rather than a shower of blood and guts found in some other horror book I've read. Sometimes I think this kind of horror takes more work, and this is even more true when it's a children's book and the author (presumably) knows adults will also read it and so also need to be thrilled. To me, this shows the mastery of the art of writing that Neil Gaiman repeatedly demonstrates.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
matildag00's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, and Confinement
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death and Blood
michael_langeloo's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Minor: Animal death, Child death, and Death
annie_brewer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
However, the colourful imagery from the screen fit in nicely with the tale and I am impressed how strong and accurate the movie adaptation was. The parts of the writing not included in the movie were also able to fit in seamlessly in my reccolection of the movie world and were testament to Gaiman's storytelling writing.
The impatient and paticular temprament of Coraline is exceptionally believable, the oddball characters she encounters are an unsettling delight, and the other mother is the queen of creepy!
Minor: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Gaslighting, and Abandonment
micaelacccc's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Death, and Violence
Minor: Animal death and Blood
misszoe's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Animal death and Child death
booknerderika's review against another edition
3.5
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, and Confinement
Moderate: Death, Kidnapping, and Abandonment
Minor: Animal death and Blood