• 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 (24,616 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: 55+ Quotes About Fear—of the Unknown, Change, Love, and More


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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
    15,589
  • 4 Stars
    5,893
  • 3 Stars
    2,189
  • 2 Stars
    567
  • 1 Stars
    378
Performance
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    17,312
  • 4 Stars
    3,610
  • 3 Stars
    1,066
  • 2 Stars
    229
  • 1 Stars
    187
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    13,847
  • 4 Stars
    5,292
  • 3 Stars
    2,230
  • 2 Stars
    569
  • 1 Stars
    420

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

I did not want it to end

Neil was a fabulous narrator. I loved the Graveyard and this has the same feel, a creepy premise. In fact, now I want to listen to the Graveyard again.

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

Peter Pan story - really enjoyed it!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Great voice - really enjoyed listening to the author, kwew he would put the right stress on things, but had no idea his voice was so english and dramatic! Loved it!

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved the commonsense of the the characters - like Harry Potter books they are everyday in a magic world

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Extremely Enjoyable

Narrator/Author was perfect. The voices were very well done. The imagery was awesome. I would recommend to anyone.

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

A really good choice for a summer read

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

On a scale of one to ten, ten being the best, this would rank about 7.

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

This is the first performance by Neil Gaiman that I have listened to. I really enjoyed his voice and his presence.

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

It's very lite for Neil. Like die Gaiman.

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

My collection is too diverse to compare.

Would you recommend The Ocean at the End of the Lane to your friends? Why or why not?

Only if they were a Neil fan. I think if they were not familiar with his work this would not be the one I started them with.

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

Yes.

Any additional comments?

It's not epic, but it is a good read. Perfect for a lazy long Sunday with tea.

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

A Beautiful Perfromance

Any additional comments?

I have mixed emotions about this book. At times I really enjoyed the story and the supernatural elements presented. At other times, I found it random and confusing to follow. I listened to the audiobook, and greatly enjoyed the author reading his own work.

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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

Opened the Ocean in My Heart

Neil Gaiman is a master storyteller, and this book is no exception. I almost didn't choose this audiobook, because it was much shorter than I like, but, in retrospect, I found the story much richer than most books twice or three times the size! Thank you, Neil, for another wonderful and heart-opening adventure.

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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

Amazing work by Gaiman!

If you loved Coraline, this book is for you! It is frightening, beautiful, magical and bittersweet.

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

Not what I was expecting... nonetheless I loved it

Not what I was expecting.... nonetheless I love it. It got me, move me... and made me wonder.

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

A wonderful story with suspense, intrigue, and a bit of humor thrown in.

What a beautifully written story. The prose was remarkable, bringing each character to life and giving them meaning. The parallels between fantasy and reality that I believe this book is trying to make the reader see weren’t lost on me. Sometimes as children we see and experience things that are conceptually beyond our years, yet have tremendous impact on the rest of our lives. This book describes that in a truly unique, beautiful, and entertaining way. Loved it.

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