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

loved it

I have never read anything by this author and bought this on a whim. I normally don't like when authors read their own work however I loved this one and loved the narration. highly recommend.

EH, HELPED THE TIME GO BYE

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

I really enjoyed the infantile struggle between the antagonist and protagonist.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Ursula Munkton(sp)

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Yes

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

Ursula Munkton because she was evil, but sounded hot.

Any additional comments?

No

Yes

Do this. It's beautiful and hard and worth every minute. Find a tree to sit under and do this.

excellent listen!

enjoyed every minute. great imagery and I character building.. loved listening to this audio book.

Another great book by an amazing narrator

I totally recommend this book, Neil is an amazing narrator, such a pleasure to listen to his book narrated by himself!
The book is a fairy tail for everybody, very deep and insightful.

Wonderful

One of the best I've listened to. Loved it so much. Neil is a great reader and his voice really pulls you into the story.

Adult fairy tale at it's finest!

In the vein of the original Grimm's fairy tales, Neil Gaiman brings us a story of terror, tears, and wonder.

Neil Gaiman's imagination is superb. I absolutely loved this book and Neil Gaiman's reading of it, because then you know exactly what he was thinking and wanted to be presented by the story and his choice of words.

My two favourite lines of the book...
"Nobody actually looks like what they really are on the inside"
"If I looked inward I would see only infinite mirrors staring into myself for eternity"

Amazing!

Neil Gaiman is seriously the best narrator ever! The story was captivating and I enjoyed every magical moment of it!

Awesome!!!

Any additional comments?

The Ocean at the End of the Lane was my introduction to Neil Gaiman, who is my current favorite author. I listened to the Audible version and loved it. Gaiman’s narration is spellbinding. It’s like listening to the best bedtime story ever. The Ocean at the End of the Lane has a fairy tale quality, but is definitely an adult story.

Told in flashback format, the middle-aged narrator looks back at his childhood while visiting for a funeral. The story is suspenseful and dark, yet deeply moving. It evoked memories of childhood longings and fears. Gaiman’s writing and narration were totally engaging. Even though a seven-year old boy was the main character, I loved the Hempstock women. Their strong maiden, mother and crone characters were central to the story for me. There was a lot of suspense and several major twists. The Ocean at the End of the Lane was a great introduction to Neil Gaiman and left me wanting more!

I am smiling!

I was not expecting whitches. I was not expecting that a 7-year old boy would make me wonder during the day, looking forward to reading / listening another piece of this fairy tail. Neil Gaiman's voice is just perfect for this brilliant whimsical story!