Reviews with content warning for Grief - The Graveyard Book

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.

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renwrites13's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional lighthearted 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? Yes

4.0

I think one of my favourite books, so heart-warming, yet emotional. Dark, but light. It's a truly well-rounded story, that lets you feel so many things at once. The characters are soo loveable and you get quite attached.

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braveprincess11's review against another edition

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medium-paced

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

4.0

“You’re always you, and that don’t change. And you’re always changing, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

A middle grade book tackling the topics of death, grief, and growing up, Neil Gaiman has beautifully woven these themes together into a short tale that is both spooky and hopeful, as is characteristic of his middle grade works.

A great introduction into Gaiman’s books, every chapter felt like it’s own short story featuring the same characters and a thin narrative thread, rather than one 8-chapter book.

We watch as Nobody Owens is adopted by the ghosts of the graveyard, and grows up before our eyes, learning to stand up for himself, and making some friends along the way. Of course, it wouldn’t be a Gaiman book without spooky characters chasing after young Bod…

It’s fun, short, sad and uplifting. Will definitely be going back to Gaiman’s books, and I’m excited to try out some of his more adult novels

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