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

Great Book!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Ocean at the End of the Lane to be better than the print version?

Definitely! I loved the characterizations. It was a great book.

What other book might you compare The Ocean at the End of the Lane to and why?

Neil Gaiman is a unique writer so it would be difficult to compare it with anyone. However, his quirkiness is similar to Christopher Moore's quirkiness.

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

His delivery of the story gives you his perspective on the story. His delivery is great!

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I am hard pressed to pick a moment. Many surprises. I really liked this book.

Beautiful... simply beautiful!

This novel is nostalgic and beautifully written. Narrated by Gaiman himself, he breathes life into other worldly characters. I was captivated by the story and imagery.

Fantastic read

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

This was my first Neil Gaiman book but won't be my last. What vivid pictures he writes. I feel like I dreamed the book. Crazy plot that's perfect, and the prose made me feel the story as if I were a child again. Sheer magic.

So thoroughly enjoyable!

This was such a treat to listen to. It's a fairytale written for adults beautifully crafted and read by the author. Definitely one audiobook I will listen to again!

Simply splendid!

I devour Neil Gaiman’s books. I’m so excited as I start each one, so satisfied as I finish and always hungry for more. This was certainly no exception. I feel sorry for those who only read them as Gaiman’s narration is a wonder in itself. “Tell me a story” mr. Gaiman. Again and again. I shall never tire of you.

Experiencing the ocean of a master storyteller

Has their ever been a Neil Gaiman story that hasn't been magical, opening the doors to the reality that is behind the nundane surface world we think we inhabit? If so, I haven't found it yet. Ocean is another work of word magic and imagination that transforms the world and makes it exciting and mysterious. My biggest frustration with the book is that it comes to an end eventually.

It is the story of a seven year old boy who stumbles into contact with the world behind the world as a result of the foolishness of a wandering spirit who finds its way into rural 1960's England. It is a story of magic, memories, nightmares, buried fears and wonder. It is similar in some respects to Coraline but then not...

The book is narrated by Gaiman who does a fine job as the teller of his own story. His reading of the tale helps to draw you into it. It adds to the experience, a talent that is rare in many authors who attempt to narrate stories they have written.

Feels Like Childhood

Neil Gaiman does a fantastic job of capturing the feeling of being a child in a world you're just starting to understand and of being a kid who finds more comfort in books and stories than other people. He reads it beautifully too; I personally think his voice acting is incredible. Beautiful story. Highly recommend it.

great book!

loved the book! it I only wish someone would have acknowledged what the boy did at the end, and I like happier endings. but a very good story.

One of the best from the master!

Amazing story that won't let you go till the end! Loved hearing it from Neil the way he imagined it. You will believe it to be true!

Enjoyed through hurricane Florence in NC.

Thank you, Mr. Gaiman for this bright spot through many days of fear, hard work, exhaustion and sleepless nights. It was the brightest distraction in a terrible time. I loved Lettie and her fearce wisedom in the face of monsters. She inspired me through wind rain and flood.
-Suzanne C.
Wilmington NC