“I do not miss childhood, but I miss the way I took pleasure in small things, even as greater things crumbled. I could not control the world I was in, could not walk away from things or people or moments that hurt, but I found joy in the things that made me happy.” p. 149
I will never love Neil Gaiman as much as his fans do.
I have been sorely disappointed by Coraline and The Graveyard Book, while feeling only moderately enchanted with American Gods and Stardust.
Perhaps fantasy is just not the genre for me.
But, I will be the first to acknowledge the way that he “gets” the terrors of childhood. In reading this book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, I was immediately pulled into the uncertainty of childhood with its unknown horrors lurking behind almost every shadow.
Worst of all is the powerlessness the child feels at the hands of the adults around him.
May there be a larger proportion of the Hempstock women’s kindness in all of our lives, than the evil residing in the likes of Ursula Monkton.
Neil, you have finally written a book which wholly absorbed me.
Dolce Bellezza 
Wonderfully well-made point about the kindness of the Hempstock women. 😀
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Glad u loved this – I'd like to try it as well.
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<3 <------ That's how this review made me feel :) Glad this one got you, Bellezza :)
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Being a great fan of American Gods & Anansi Boys, this one's on my list. Also Gaiman helped ween my daughter of the Potter books & onto other literature.
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I love how you picked up on that as well, Andi. It is far and above my favorite aspect of the novel. Love covers many sins…
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Here's the direct quote I was thinking of:
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 1 Peter 4:8
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It's short, Diane, and well worth the few hours spent. Although one wonders what drugs Gaiman may have taken to induce such an imagination.;)
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Look how clever you are with all your symbols! Whenever I think of Gaiman I think of you, Chris, because you introduced him to me. Didn't we read American Gods years ago?
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Well then you have to read this Gary. And don't we love the authors who encourage our children to read?!
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The Graveyard Book is all I've tried of his. I just searched my blog for my review and see that I read it four years ago for the Read-a-Thon…loved your comment…surprised by all the comments from people I no longer hear from…
But I digress. I have this book on my Nano and wonder how I'll like the audio version.
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Oh, Les, I bet it would be very effective as an audio book. The imagery is quite fabulous, if not bizarre. But there are the lovely scenes at the Hempstock farm within which to relish.
Isn't it odd how the people with whom one comments and reads has changed over the years? Several bloggers I've loved no longer blog. Others have simply disappeared. I guess that's okay, it has to be, but it still makes me sad.
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Oooooo your review (as a non huge fan) makes me want to read this even more.
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I won this book in a giveaway and have yet to read it. I keep hearing positive things about it, so I'm really looking forward to it. And after reading your post about it, I definitely am interested in reading it sooner rather than later 🙂
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Lucky for you for winning it! Of all the Gaiman books this is the one I'd prefer to have in my library. Not sure what to do with the signed first edition of The Graveyard Book lying there…
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