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

A magical experience...

I loved this book. It may be my favorite Gaiman yet! So delightful to hear him tell the tale. Beautiful story.

I want more!

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

Different, Joyful & Compelling

What did you like best about this story?

The "worm hole"

Any additional comments?

An excellent read, great way to spend an afternoon. Gaiman narration was, as usual, wonderful!

Great Listen

I had no idea what I was in for other than that I have enjoyed other works of Neil Gaiman. This was a captivating, creative story that I thoroughly enjoyed!

A book worth sharing

I absolutely love Neil Gaiman.
I absolutely loved The Ocean at the End of The Lane.

A Fantastic Story

This is now one of the best books of my life, I am sure. I did not know what the story was about, I only knew it was Neil Gaiman and that's all the information I needed.

The performance was great, the story mesmerizing and I was deeply lost into another world many times as I did the dishes. Wish it didn't end, how great it felt.

Wonderful

The only thing wrong with this book is that it was way to short. I could have listened to it for hours upon hours.

somewhat intriguing

This book caught my attention after the midway point. It got confusing for a moment , but otherwise it was good!

Beautiful book

If you were a bookish kid, one who loved the magical, or loved imagining other worlds, this is for you. If you never felt quite that you were where you should be - or had a sense of connection to other things beyond the obviousness of everyday “adult” life - you’ll love this book. It has a great subtext about feminine power, too.

If you like plot-driven page turners, probably not for you.

wonderful story

love love the soothing voice of Neil Gaiman. this was my nighttime wind down, so relaxing

"Everyone looks different on the inside"

what can be better than the author of a novel actually reading the novel? as he heard it in his own mind when he gave voice to the characters? when he crafted the moments of fear, joy, confusion, curiosity? when he imagined how it would be received by others? I can't imagine anything better.


Gaiman's tale was first mentioned to me by a friend who had seen the adaptation in London at a show. I was intrigued, though not exactly sure what the take would be about. it's about a lonely seven year old boy, who through a series of events and a new friendship with a magical girl from the neighboring farm, battles monsters who are not monsters as much as they do what they are meant to do. I think that's part of what I found so fascinating: that everything that exists does so in a way that belongs only to itself. A monster is not so much evil or cruel as it is simply meant to enact some kind of self-actualization. And, a boy who finds comfort in magical women.

Gaiman is a wizard, a warlock, a mage casting a spell over the listener. listening to him narrate only adds to the feeling of authenticity, though this audiobook includes a podcast interview in which Gaiman admitted to "shamelessly" pilfering from his own childhood to craft this story.

I can't wait to listen to another.