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

Incredible story about growing up

I reread it immediately after finishing the first time. It's hard to find stories that move me, and this did it so well.

Pleasantly surprised!

I really enjoyed this one. I put it on my wish list long ago and just kinda forgot about it. I went into this not remembering what it was about and was just hooked from the start.

Child

Thought it was a unique view of a child’s life. The fantasy is used in a surprising way and the book is just different which is something I have a hard time finding

Fantastic!

A fantastic story told by the author. It was WAY better than I had anticipated, this has now become a favorite of mine.

I love it when an author reads his own book

What a different story. I couldn’t figure out if it was a kids book because it is told from the point of view of a seven year old, but it really is good for adult reading. The supernatural events are meant for at least teenage, but enjoyable for all

awesome read by the author

This is a great book. it is read by the author, which to me is a great addition. Honestly the end of the book made me cry, which is a sentiment in it's own.

Another Neil Gaiman masterpiece.

Riveting and imaginative, this book weaves reality with magic into a fantastical tapestry you want to explore and ponder for its depth and meanings. Suspend your footing in the tangible world and enjoy this journey in the otherworld.

Brilliant

It’s hard to put into words just how much I loved this novel. Neil Gaiman has an exceptional talent for writing what I like to think of as fairy tales for adults. He writes these stories that are so deeply imaginative and yet are so real, they just resonate with me like few other stories.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane was a simple, yet incredibly moving story. It was simply elegant storytelling. It took me back to my childhood and made me appreciate it in ways I never have before. It also made me insanely jealous of people that got to grow up in big, old houses on quite country lanes.

I listened to the audio of this novel and I have to believe that was the best way to experience it. Neil Gaiman is not only an amazing writer, but he really is a great narrator as well. I had hear him narrate The Graveyard Books so I knew what to expect, but I was still incredibly pleased with the result.

Honestly, this novel was just excellent. I would recommend it to anyone, not just science fiction or fantasy fans. Brilliant.

Perfection

When I selected this book after listening to the free preview, I expected to enjoy a story full of Gaiman magic and whimsy, narrated to perfection by the expressive author. I got that and so very much more. This is a truly magical exploration of dreams and nightmares, fear and courage, youth and timeless age, and the ultimate sacrifice for things that matter more than one’s own life. What might at first glance appear to be merely a fantasy of childhood, for me was deeply moving, woven together with almost mystical wisdom and heart, and the often asked question "is it really true . . ." Children can be so very wise.

I rarely re-read books once I’ve finished. I think this will be an exception. There are layers to be re-examined, and I really loved these people, especially the children, not simply written, but created, inhabited by Gaiman. His words and his voice in my ears made them real. He IS the little boy. He is a master craftsman and this is a work of art.

Love Gaiman, But Not His Best

Where does The Ocean at the End of the Lane rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'm a pretty voracious reader and listener across the spectrum of genres in the audible world. There is a short list of writers I get truely excited about when a new novel is to be released. Neil is on that short list. I have listened to and read all of his novels. He is one of my personal idols of the literary world. Plus he is a phenomenal narrator. So I have been giddy for months now waiting for "Ocean" to be released. And as beautifully written and narrated as it was I can't help feeling disappointed. I've heard bits and pieces of this short novel before in past Gaiman books. A bit of Stardust here. A sprinkle of American Gods there. A dash of Neverwhere and a hefty pinch of The Graveyard Book. It seems that "Ocean" is an amalgam of leftover ideas from brilliant stories gone by. Although I am aware that this novel/novella was originally to be a short story, I guess I was hoping for something bigger, something more grand, some completely different place to be carted off to and get lost for a few days. Instead it was a place I had been before. I would still recommend this novel purely on Gaiman's beautiful use of words (every sentence is magically crafted), but, as it calls itself a novel, I would place it behind most of Gaiman's other big books. Now on the other hand, if it were a short story I would put it near the top.