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

Classic Gaiman - great story!

Neil Gaiman is such a creative author, and when he reads these creations to me via Audible, there aren't many better audio book experiences. Fascinating... I hope we someday get to learn more about the women who tend and live by the Ocean at the end of the Lane!

Do yourself a favor - LISTEN TO THIS!

I love everything Neil Gaiman has written (at least the adult books plus The Graveyard Book - haven't tried the younger stuff yet, but I will) and it's infinitely wonderful to hear him read them himself. I think he's one of those authors that, once you know him you will buy and read (listen to - whatever) everything of his that you can - his imagination is so much broader than mine, soooo good...

An odd and whimsical fairytale for all ages.

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

I enjoyed listening to The Ocean at the End of the Lane for all of its surprises. I would not listen to it again as the story would not be as enjoyable without its surprises. In addition, I would prefer to read one of Gaiman's other fairy tale novels than to read this a second time.

What did you like best about this story?

Gaiman's creativity never fails to seep into my brain and fill my imagination.

Which character – as performed by Neil Gaiman – was your favorite?

My favorite characters in this book were the varmints or the cleaners. Creepy, complex, mysterious and a nice comic relief... with a bloody appetite.

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

I felt most intensely when listening to the piece of the story which involved the main character trying to escape the house (from the very suspicious nanny, Ursula) and get to the Hempstock's house and his only friend Lettie for protection and explanation.

Any additional comments?

The epilogue pulled the novel together for me. I would not have gotten as much from the story without this to explain what exactly happened in the end of the story.

Well-written quick read

The Ocean at the End of the Lane was recommended to me by one of my friends, and by Amazon because I liked Night Circus. So I gave it a try.

The beginning was a little slow but once the story started, it really got hold of me. Fortunately the book is relatively short because I started getting annoyed whenever I got interrupted. That's when I know I have a good book.

Themes like innocence, regret, the flawed nature of humans, mercy, and sacrifice woven into the story very naturally.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but I'm withholding that 5th star primarily because there are so many loose ends, like whose funeral he is attending. (Or did I miss that? I listened to the beginning 3 times ...)

I liked it. I recommend it. Well written, doesn't get it its own way, good, creative story.

Oh - and the narration was outstanding.

Great story

I haven’t touched a book in forever and this one was one of the books that I decided to jump one I like the whole story and the reader makes it like your experiencing the story with your own eyes.

Stick with it

Reading this book was not as entertaining, however after reading about till chapter 10? I starting to listen to the audio book, it made it more interesting as was the book the low fee you stayed with it.

Favorite on Audible

I love re-listening to this book, I think it's my favorite book by the author, and I love that he is telling me the story. it was this title that really got me into audiobooks

Wonderfully unique

The story is wonderfully unique! I will enjoy rereading this book many times. Neil Gaiman’s narration of the story is absolutely superb.

Your inner child will adore this book

Best audio book I have ever listened to, read by the author, Neil Gailan. This was my intro to this amazing author, I don’t know how I didn’t know about him before. Am going to listen to the Neil Gaiman reader next, as he suggested when asked in the bonus interview podcast. His creativity and imagination is vast AND diverse, so the reader will help me figure out which direction to go in his collection.

A delight

Gaiman does a lovely job of giving us meaningful characters in a short amount of time. His tangle of real human emotion and whimsy keeps me coming back for more.