• The Ocean at the End of the Lane

  • A Novel
  • By: Neil Gaiman
  • Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
  • Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (24,618 ratings)

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The Ocean at the End of the Lane  By  cover art

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

By: Neil Gaiman
Narrated by: Neil Gaiman
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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

Featured Article: The Best Neil Gaiman Listens of All Time


"I make things up and write them down"—that’s how Neil Gaiman has humbly described his work. And he must be pretty good at it too, because many, many people count themselves as fans. He’s written novels, short fiction, nonfiction, comic books, books for children, graphic novels, films, and audio dramas in genres from mythic fantasy to horror. With so many Neil Gaiman works to get through, here's what you won’t want to miss in audio.

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What listeners say about The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    15,590
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    5,894
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    2,189
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  • 2 Stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A Delight: Depth, Warmth, and Good Humor

One of Gaiman's best, and that's saying something. A story that embraces you from the start, and refuses to let go. It is an homage to childhood, too often lost or forgotten and then recalled mostly in snippets; a tribute to the good that triumphs in an often dangerous world; and a well crafted work of art capturing just the right amount of myth and legend and ancient tale to help the imagination soar and the heart find moments of rapture and resolve. Thank you, Neil, you have helped us all dare to take the journey to see what may lie at the end of the lane.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Scary & comforting

Beautiful! Neither a child's fable nor an adult's story but just a myth. It glows.

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So good!

Oh geez, I just love Neil Gaiman's books. And, though I've said it many times before, he is such a great narrator!

This book is a perfect blend of fantasy from a child's point of view, told by a sort of morose, introspective adult. The dark elements of the story are tempered by a lighthearted innocence that just wrenched my heart a little bit.

Definitely enjoyed this one.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Very very good

I quite liked this wonderful story and wonderful performance, though i found the ending unsatisfying unfortunately

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Layered, insightful, and still unique.

What did you like best about this story?

The analogy of the "hole in the heart" hit me in the heart. OF COURSE we all have a hole in our hearts that can never be filled. Amazing.

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

To this book, Neil Gaiman brings his own pacing, especially in the songs and rhymes. His accent adds that extra level of authenticity to the story that I would not have heard had I read it.

If you could take any character from The Ocean at the End of the Lane out to dinner, who would it be and why?

I would love to take Gran from the book out to dinner. I would take her to a common, everyday restaurant. Listening to her accent and the interesting things she would say, especially about the people we may come into contact with, would be the real meal.

Any additional comments?

The layers in this book are so deep that it is like swimming in an ocean. I will need to listen to it again from start to finish to sink a little deeper as I feel I only skimmed the surface.

Dive in!

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My Favorite Book

I come back to this book more than any other. Few other books can capture the magic of childhood and what it's like to remember it years later.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great story and narration

I have read this book several times, and this is the first time listening to audio. Fantastic! Neil Gaiman is such a wonderful narrator, with a soothing yet fun voice. I can’t wait to listen to more audio versions of his novels I already love.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Loved every moment

Loved this imaginative story - which I have listened to multiple times. And Neil Gaiman is a wonderful narrator in addition to being an enthralling writer.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Neil Gaiman continues to deliver.

What a delight. Like most of Gaiman's books it defies description. I suspect that this one will change form with each subsequent rereading.

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Excellent! Simply Excellent!!

Loved it entirely! The characters are well formed and Neil Gaiman's voice is the best storytelling voice ever!

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