• 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 (24,612 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
  • 5 Stars
    15,585
  • 4 Stars
    5,893
  • 3 Stars
    2,189
  • 2 Stars
    567
  • 1 Stars
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Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    17,308
  • 4 Stars
    3,610
  • 3 Stars
    1,066
  • 2 Stars
    229
  • 1 Stars
    187
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    13,845
  • 4 Stars
    5,291
  • 3 Stars
    2,230
  • 2 Stars
    568
  • 1 Stars
    420

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Well-written quick read

The Ocean at the End of the Lane was recommended to me by one of my friends, and by Amazon because I liked Night Circus. So I gave it a try.

The beginning was a little slow but once the story started, it really got hold of me. Fortunately the book is relatively short because I started getting annoyed whenever I got interrupted. That's when I know I have a good book.

Themes like innocence, regret, the flawed nature of humans, mercy, and sacrifice woven into the story very naturally.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but I'm withholding that 5th star primarily because there are so many loose ends, like whose funeral he is attending. (Or did I miss that? I listened to the beginning 3 times ...)

I liked it. I recommend it. Well written, doesn't get it its own way, good, creative story.

Oh - and the narration was outstanding.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

I haven’t touched a book in forever and this one was one of the books that I decided to jump one I like the whole story and the reader makes it like your experiencing the story with your own eyes.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Stick with it

Reading this book was not as entertaining, however after reading about till chapter 10? I starting to listen to the audio book, it made it more interesting as was the book the low fee you stayed with it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Favorite on Audible

I love re-listening to this book, I think it's my favorite book by the author, and I love that he is telling me the story. it was this title that really got me into audiobooks

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Your inner child will adore this book

Best audio book I have ever listened to, read by the author, Neil Gailan. This was my intro to this amazing author, I don’t know how I didn’t know about him before. Am going to listen to the Neil Gaiman reader next, as he suggested when asked in the bonus interview podcast. His creativity and imagination is vast AND diverse, so the reader will help me figure out which direction to go in his collection.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A delight

Gaiman does a lovely job of giving us meaningful characters in a short amount of time. His tangle of real human emotion and whimsy keeps me coming back for more.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderfully unique

The story is wonderfully unique! I will enjoy rereading this book many times. Neil Gaiman’s narration of the story is absolutely superb.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible story about growing up

I reread it immediately after finishing the first time. It's hard to find stories that move me, and this did it so well.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
  • Mr
  • 09-19-23

Pleasantly surprised!

I really enjoyed this one. I put it on my wish list long ago and just kinda forgot about it. I went into this not remembering what it was about and was just hooked from the start.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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Child

Thought it was a unique view of a child’s life. The fantasy is used in a surprising way and the book is just different which is something I have a hard time finding

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