From the Bookshelf of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

The Ocean at the End of the Lane
by
Start date
January 13, 2015
Finish date
January 17, 2015
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By Book Riot · 1 post · 5295 views
last updated Dec 16, 2014 09:22AM
Free copy of Proximity Factor this July, no reviews required. Just enjoy.
By S.S. · 1 post · 9 views
last updated Jul 18, 2024 06:08AM

What Members Thought

Alvin
Dec 02, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
This book brought up so many memories of childhood for me. The magic and wonder of being a 7-year old, the hopes and fears. There was barely a boundary of what was real and what was possible. This book tapped all of that. We so easily forget about that power of curiosity as adults. This book reminded me of it. It was the perfect amount, as well.
Marisa
Mar 14, 2014 rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: ya, grown-up-books
What a perfectly flawless story, the kind of story you want to start all over again immediately upon finishing. I loves me some Neil Gaiman.
Erika
Aug 09, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: thefantastic
I think this may be one of my favorite Gaiman novels yet, and was definitely the first one to make me cry. There was something so heartbreakingly sad about the whole story - how powerless children are, how the events of childhood of which we have little to no control impact our adult lives, how we compartmentalize our traumas, all couched in classic Gaiman mythical fantasy horror. The underlying currents of meaning that carried the storytelling really resonated with me. I loved every minute of i ...more
Vanessa
Just a it says on the dust jacket, I read this in one evening, totally absorbed for a few hours of escapism. A quick but mesmerizing read, this is a sweet story about a man who returns to his childhood stomping grounds and encounters the ghosts of his growing-up time. It has all the spooky otherworldliness I would expect from Gaiman, but is more grounded than, say, Coraline, and has some definite adult themes despite coming from the point of view of a seven-year-old. The youthful experiences are ...more
Nick
Jun 20, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: contemporary, fantasy
A gem of a fairy tale for grown-ups (not that there are any), and a beautiful reminder that every so often you have to go to the Hempstocks' farm and stare at the pond for a while. ...more
Leah Fitzgerald
Jun 03, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: ya, writing, 2013
I think I need to sit on this one, maybe reread it, before I can talk about it. It was haunting and though it's listed as an "any audience", I'm not sure what a child would get out of it. ...more
Noam
Aug 19, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: speculative, europe
You know how sometimes an author will write a number of good books, and then they sort of run out of steam, and nothing really lives up to those earlier books? Well, this was not like that. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is Gaiman at his finest.
Meg
This book was fantastic. It reminded me of how well Gaimen writes, and how easily he can transport us to another world. A quick and satisfying read, and a perfect stand-alone book to use as a break between sometimes monotonous and never-ending series books.
Sarah
Dec 22, 2013 rated it did not like it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: fiction
I don't think this genre of fantasy is my thing. ...more
Kaitlin
Dec 31, 2012 rated it it was ok  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: fiction, fantasy
Laura
May 21, 2013 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Julie
Jun 06, 2013 rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: adult-fiction
fenchurch
Jun 15, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
anne
Jun 18, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shannon
Jun 19, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Heather
Jun 22, 2013 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
vivike
Jun 29, 2013 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: own, fiction, library, gift
HeatherLynn
Jul 06, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Jill
Jul 17, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: listened
Elizabeth
Jul 18, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
KT
Aug 12, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Lorena
Sep 09, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Jenny
Oct 10, 2013 rated it liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: fiction
Sophie
Nov 07, 2013 rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
Julie
Nov 11, 2013 rated it really liked it  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: 2013
Mandy
Dec 03, 2013 marked it as to-read  ·  review of another edition
Erin
Dec 04, 2013 rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
alana
Dec 11, 2013 rated it it was amazing  ·  review of another edition
Shelves: no-men, fantasy
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