The Ocean at the End of the Lane

A Novel

By: Neil Gaiman

Narrated by: Neil Gaiman

Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Finalist, Narration by the Author or Authors, 2014

Audie Award Finalist, Fiction, 2014

Sussex, England: A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. He is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet sitting by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean), the unremembered past comes flooding back. Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie - magical, comforting, wise beyond her years - promised to protect him, no matter what.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. A stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.

©2013 Neil Gaiman (P)2013 HarperCollinsPublishers

Beautiful story with amazing animation

If you could sum up The Ocean at the End of the Lane in three words, what would they be?

I listened to this book because my girlfriend recommended Neil Gaiman. I wanted to start off with something shorter and see if I liked his style. It is perfection! The fact that he narrated it to (which I didn't really recognize till I wrote this review) shows just how dynamic he is. I will be getting more of his books for my casual "reads"

What does Neil Gaiman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Everything you would hope/expect from a professional narrator with a little more emotion.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, I gladly touch it in pieces.

Stultifyingly beautiful.

This is an amazing work on the Nature of Things... please read it at once!

A fanciful tale passionately read by the author

For me, books read by the author capture the true spirit of the original work and this book is no exception. This starts as a seemingly simple story, but quickly evolves into much more. The author's vivid descriptions of characters and settings and the passion he put into the narration made this one of my favorites.

good, but

This is one of those books i may have enjoyed reading more than the audio.
It could also just be that I find his voice a little too soothing!

I would zone out in a trance and have to go back every now and then.

definitely recommend you give it a go though, one way or another!

Dark Curtains Drawn By the Passage of Time...

This is a beautiful and sad fable about remembrance and childhood. It is hard to describe this story because it is both very simple and yet vividly complex in its telling. There is something special about Neil Gaiman narrating his own work, it gives it a particular poignancy that makes this story seem truer. Like most stories I adore, my only recommendation is too simply read it and experience this unique tale.

Always a joy

Always a pleasure . Mr.gaiman never disappoints. He is also one of the best readers ever. Bravo, and more please!
Donna b

Great Summer Listen

What made the experience of listening to The Ocean at the End of the Lane the most enjoyable?

Listen to book in one sitting driving back home from Philly. Very fun and creepy story.

Have you listened to any of Neil Gaiman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

First time listen to Neil Galman. Really enjoyed the book!

Transported

I bought this audio book so long ago, I no longer remembered what made me buy it. But it sat there in my library waiting for so long that I finally put it in my queue just because it was still there. When I first started to listen to it, I became angry with myself when I realized that upon buying this book I had carelessly violated one of my basic audio book rules...don't buy an audio book read by its' author!!
Well, I have never been SO happy because of a mistake! This is an absolutely captivating book, read exquisitely well by the author!!! His voice immediately captures your attention and transports you completely into the book! It's a book that will stay in your thoughts long after you've finished it!
Truly wonderful !

Spookier than expected coming of age tale

Neil performs his most recent novel fantastically. This book has a lot of Coraline echoes, but with the keen eye of an adult looking back on childhood. Creepy, and spooky and magically beautiful all at once, this is the Gaiman you have been looking for.

amazing loved every minute of this book.

Great book. I loved every minute of it. Loved the characters. I bought the book for my daughter so she can read it. Amazing story.