• 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 (24,634 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

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  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Nothing better than a Gaiman book read by the author!

I’m late to the Neil Gaiman party, but the beautifully woven stories, coupled with his unique voice and earnest storytelling captivate and entertain. I can’t offer anything different than the glowing praise offered by listeners before me. A treasure!

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One of my new favorite novels

The story was brilliant, beautiful, suspenseful, whimsical and everything you could want in this genre. Definitely a story I would love to listen to again greatly in part of how wonderful Neil Gaiman himself, did with the narration.

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

A children's book for adults!

I love that Neil Gaiman read his own story to us. I feel that it gave me the most authentic chance to listen to it as it was meant to be. Listening to this book was like listening to an adults children's book. I mean that in the best way possible. It is written like it is for adults, but it is full of wonder and adventure, that I felt like it was a children's book. I will listen to this again and I do recommend.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

@the end of the lane

Neil has a luxurious voice , a
pleasant calming voice
, Yet I have to restart the
Audible book,I keep fall asleep 😴
I don't mind, I have read it before...
And I will again

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  • 10-04-20

Just what I needed.

Neil Gaiman always helps when it's time to free my thoughts. There's the perfect amount of introspection in this book and I'm never left feeling like I want him to speed it up or slow it down. I appreciate the abstract pictures he paints with his words. I can't recommend this book enough for when you just need a break from the normal.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

couldnt turn it off

this book was so good, it's not my normal read but it was recommended to me so I gave it a go. I kept wanting to know what's next. great book.

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Strange and lovely

This was my first experience with Neil Gaiman and I was not disappointed. This book was strange and lovely, funny and heartbreaking, terrifying and really wonderful in its storytelling. I want to physically read this book now after listening to it.

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Loved this

I enjoyed everything about this story: the plot, the author's narration, the imagination that went into it. Would love there to be a sequel.

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Magical

This was a wonderful listen. There is magic in these words and the way they are spoken. Thank you for the journey.

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Neil Gaimain!

Magical story, magically told! Loved it! recommending to all my book loving friends and family!

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