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

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

Brilliant

It’s hard to put into words just how much I loved this novel. Neil Gaiman has an exceptional talent for writing what I like to think of as fairy tales for adults. He writes these stories that are so deeply imaginative and yet are so real, they just resonate with me like few other stories.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane was a simple, yet incredibly moving story. It was simply elegant storytelling. It took me back to my childhood and made me appreciate it in ways I never have before. It also made me insanely jealous of people that got to grow up in big, old houses on quite country lanes.

I listened to the audio of this novel and I have to believe that was the best way to experience it. Neil Gaiman is not only an amazing writer, but he really is a great narrator as well. I had hear him narrate The Graveyard Books so I knew what to expect, but I was still incredibly pleased with the result.

Honestly, this novel was just excellent. I would recommend it to anyone, not just science fiction or fantasy fans. Brilliant.

Perfection

When I selected this book after listening to the free preview, I expected to enjoy a story full of Gaiman magic and whimsy, narrated to perfection by the expressive author. I got that and so very much more. This is a truly magical exploration of dreams and nightmares, fear and courage, youth and timeless age, and the ultimate sacrifice for things that matter more than one’s own life. What might at first glance appear to be merely a fantasy of childhood, for me was deeply moving, woven together with almost mystical wisdom and heart, and the often asked question "is it really true . . ." Children can be so very wise.

I rarely re-read books once I’ve finished. I think this will be an exception. There are layers to be re-examined, and I really loved these people, especially the children, not simply written, but created, inhabited by Gaiman. His words and his voice in my ears made them real. He IS the little boy. He is a master craftsman and this is a work of art.

Love Gaiman, But Not His Best

Where does The Ocean at the End of the Lane rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'm a pretty voracious reader and listener across the spectrum of genres in the audible world. There is a short list of writers I get truely excited about when a new novel is to be released. Neil is on that short list. I have listened to and read all of his novels. He is one of my personal idols of the literary world. Plus he is a phenomenal narrator. So I have been giddy for months now waiting for "Ocean" to be released. And as beautifully written and narrated as it was I can't help feeling disappointed. I've heard bits and pieces of this short novel before in past Gaiman books. A bit of Stardust here. A sprinkle of American Gods there. A dash of Neverwhere and a hefty pinch of The Graveyard Book. It seems that "Ocean" is an amalgam of leftover ideas from brilliant stories gone by. Although I am aware that this novel/novella was originally to be a short story, I guess I was hoping for something bigger, something more grand, some completely different place to be carted off to and get lost for a few days. Instead it was a place I had been before. I would still recommend this novel purely on Gaiman's beautiful use of words (every sentence is magically crafted), but, as it calls itself a novel, I would place it behind most of Gaiman's other big books. Now on the other hand, if it were a short story I would put it near the top.

Gaiman is the master of the written word.

I really enjoyed this story, I enjoyed it so much that as soon as I read the last line I started the book over again. Yep, 2 readings in 2 days….skill! Ahem, I mean, it helps that I have the audiobook and Neil Gaiman reads to me as I push papers around my desk.

When I read Coraline, I came into it thinking it was a story for children and I had that mode in my head. There was aspects of that story that were fun and exciting for a child, but when an adult reads it they are kind of freaked out.

Ocean is a book meant for adults, so the darker aspects hit home in a different way. We have all been children. We have all been afraid of the dark or believed that there really were things that were magic. As adults we believe what we can see (or we are supposed to). The fact that the events touched both the adults in the story and the child made it especially frightening. You are lifted out of the story and begin to wonder, is it the imagination of a seven year old trying to cope with what his family is going through, or is this flea real? That uncertainty is what is so exciting about this book. The Hemstock women help keep the story from being too dark. Gaiman does an amazing job of using these women to balance the terror he has invoked with their warmth. Their farm becomes a symbol of refuge and comfort. The young narrator comes to them for help and in Letty he finds a protector.

Letty protects our young narrator, but never explains why she does it. This point in the story begs the question: Was I worth it? I guess what I mean is that the narrator is an adult when we begin the story. He is not at the best place in his life and when these memories begin to rush to him it makes him evaluate if he was worth protecting. Let’s take it a step further. When we were children someone protected us. They did this because there was an expectation / hope of the persons we would become as adults. Have we met that expectation? Is that a bar that we should measure ourselves by? Or perhaps they had no motive and just wanted to make us feel safe.

This is why I read Neil Gaiman’s books. I get so much more from them than an amazing story. I hope you pick up this novel and that you enjoy it as much as I have.

there should be room for more than 5 stars

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

I did not want it to end and i want to know if the ocean ever heals the girl

Who was your favorite character and why?

the main character. He was believable as a 7 yr old boy

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

no

If you could rename The Ocean at the End of the Lane, what would you call it?

No I would leave it as it is as you get it at the end

Any additional comments?

this is fabulous fantasy with meanderings of truth. Excellent book

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful

You just can't lose with Gaiman. His writing is brilliant both technically and creatively. This is another of his deeply empathetic visions.

Enjoy!!

Lyrical

What did you love best about The Ocean at the End of the Lane?

The story is compelling and haunting. All childhood fears are there, once that were forgotten and should not have been remembered.

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

Usually, I am wary to listen to a novel read by the author himself, but this was a lyrical experience. Gaiman not only writes excellently, he also has a good sense of timing and drama when he narrates.

If you had colorful dreams and fantasies as a child, and enjoy utter escapism, do check out this magical story...

Different from what I usually read. Different from what I usually listen to. Different from anything I’ve ever watched...in the event they make it into a movie, which I’m fairly certain they might.

I downloaded this story simply because I wanted to read something from Neil Gaiman. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Neil Gaiman also narrated his story.

“How very brave,” I thought, but within a few minutes of listening, I completely forgot about Neil or the fact that I was even listening to a story; I was swept into the lyrical prose and vivid descriptions. By the end of the prologue, I was hooked, wanting to know more about the man’s past.

If you care about what “genre” you’re reading, this story might not be for you. If you just enjoy listening to a lovely tale... If you had colorful dreams and fantasies as a child, and enjoy utter escapism, do check out this magical story of a man who revisits his past, and suddenly remembers a fantastical journey he once experienced.

Shorter, but a great story

Neil Gaiman has a special talent – writing creepy and not in the same way blood or gore are creepy. Gaiman does not need to use curse words or violence. His true talent is recognizing the childlike fears we hold inside and creating a story that explores the depth of them.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is such a great example of this talent. The innocent fears of an everyday child come alive in this shorter story about an impossible journey. Impossible, yet completely brought to life through the eyes of a child. That being said, this is not specifically a children’s book. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is more about the fears adults like to believe they have grown out of. Told in a way that pulls you into the book and allows you to live their quietly while watching the memories play out.

Thought provoking and interesting, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a book I will not soon forget. If you are looking for a change of pace from the normal filler books, this is a great book to switch it up.

The downside was the ending. I am not sure what happened and felt like the ending didn’t fit the rest of the story. It was a bland ending to a great story.

Narration: Narrated by the creepy genius himself, Neil Gaiman was shockingly good. OK, so maybe that was kind of what I expected, so “shockingly” might be a bit of an exaggeration. I think a part of me wondered how different an author would interpret characters, and probably made a slight assumption that it would not be as good as I hoped it was going to be. That ended up not being the case. Gaiman glides through every part of the story and made feel childlike. I so wanted to close my eyes and wish myself young, cross-legged on the floor, with Neil Gaiman sitting on a stool reading this book to me.

I rate The Ocean at the End of the Lane 4 out of 5 Bullets