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

Amazing. Beautiful.

Any additional comments?

This bok is fantastic. I literally didn't put it down. I listened to it straight through and will undoubtably listen to it again very soon. Do yourselves a favor and check it out.

Fairytale for adults

Neil Gaimans works have a way of making me feel around 10 again--when I was obsessed with the folklore of witches, fairies and vampires. I felt giddy and nostalgic listening to this read. I loved that it was read by him, as he knows exactly how he wanted everything delivered.

Fairytales can still be enjoyed by adults!

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

Neil Gaiman does a fantastic job of portraying both young and old, male or female. He also has a wonderful accent that makes it enjoyable to listen to. Since he is the author, he truly gets how to read the emotions and quotes by the characters.

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 loved the women in this story, they are all very strong and independent. I would love to have a long conversation (or several) with the old woman of the house. She is mysterious, "older than the moon" and seems to have magical powers she passes on to her daughter and granddaughter.

Any additional comments?

An imaginative escape from every-day life, I found this book to be like a childhood fairytale, but meant for any age. There are monsters, magic, and child heroes. I enjoyed getting pulled into the eyes of my inner child.

Genius

It took me 3 attempts to get into this book. It was my first Gaiman. I purchased it 2 pr 3 years ago and listened to about half. It was just too bizarre and weird. I forgot O had it. About 6 months ago I fell in love with Gaiman’s writing after Good Omens, American Gods, my favorite Neverwhere and Stardust. I dug up the Ocean... and could not stop this time. I guess, Gaiman requires an acquired taste for tour literary taste buds. But once you do you can’t get enough

My first Gaiman, and I’ll be back for more

Such a curious, wonderful, simple and yet deep and beautiful story. Gaiman reading his own work is a dream. I will probably listen to this recording again. I hope I will anyway. Highly recommend to lovers of a good yarn.

Loved it

I love the story, the mysteries and how much was left unknown. But most of all, I loved the ending. What a déjà vu feeling!

my fave author

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

i love the way neil gaiman reads his stories. i wish all authors would read their own stories. they emphasize all the right things and make the characters sound the way they did in their minds as they wrote. it all sounds and feels so right.

Which character – as performed by Neil Gaiman – was your favorite?

hmmmmm.......i'm such a fan, that's a tough question

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

lettie, of course, i want to know her story

Any additional comments?

keep reading neil

Fantastic

It's always lovely to hear an author narrate their own book. You can hear what all the characters are supposed to sound like. What a great book. Beautiful, descriptive fantasy at it's finest.

Superb

There is nothing better than a Gaiman story read by Gaiman himself. The story is the typical Gaiman with twists that you would never imagine and fantastical elements that seem quite believable in the world he creates. The reading of the story greatly enhances the already wonderful tale. I am a big Gaiman fan and this made me more of one.

Magic, melancholy, inventive story.

Would you listen to The Ocean at the End of the Lane again? Why?

Already listened to it twice. Loved the aura of the story

What did you like best about this story?

Unique

Which scene was your favorite?

Meeting the women in the farm kitchen.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Where imagination and reality meet, heroes come in unexpected guises.

Any additional comments?

Modern adult fairytale.