Coraline

An Adventure Too Weird for Words

By: Neil Gaiman

Narrated by: Dawn French

Length: 3 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Coraline has been made into an animated feature film directed by Henry Selick, director of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, with a cast including Teri Hatcher, Ian McShane, Dawn French, Jennifer Saunders and Dakota Fanning.

Shortly after moving into an old house Coraline discovers a big, carved, brown wooden door at the far corner of the drawing room. And it is locked. Curiosity runs riot in Coraline's mind and she unlocks the door to see what lies behind it. Disappointingly, it opens onto a brick wall. Days later, after exploring the rest of the house and garden, Coraline returns to the same mysterious door and opens it again. This time, however, there is a dark hallway in front of her. Stepping inside, the place beyond has an eerie familiarity about it. The carpet and wallpaper are the same as in her flat. The picture hanging on the wall is the same. Almost. Strangest of all, her mum and dad are there too. Only they have buttons for eyes and seem more possessive than normal. It's a twisted version of her world that is familiar, and yet sinister. And matters get even more surreal for Coraline when her "other" parents seem reluctant to let her leave.

©2002 Neil Gaiman (P)2002 Bloomsbury

Critic reviews

"I think this book will nudge Alice In Wonderland out of its niche at last. It is the most splendidly original, weird, and frightening book I have read, and yet full of things children will love." (Diana Wynne Jones)
"This book will send a shiver down your spine, out through your shoes and into a taxi to the airport. It has the delicate horror of the finest fairy tales, and it is a masterpiece. And you will never think about buttons in quite the same way again." (Terry Pratchett)

Excellent!

I watched the movie, and loved it. Then, I thought the audio would be nice, too. But, in fact, I think I'm in love with the whole story, in any possible way, since I'm listening all over and over again. The narrator is excellent, so I recommend it a lot, even to adults (I'm 30).

Perhaps I'm biased

I feel like I probably would have enjoyed it more had I read this when I was younger. I kept expecting it to be scary but it never got that far for me and I have to say that disappointed me a bit. Coraline is a good character however, and despite her constant repetitions that she is an explorers, she manages to not get tedious in the way other child protagonists do.

As for the storyteller, I'm pretty certain that the way this story was meant to be read was somewhat blandly in the beginning to underline Coraline's boredom and partial isolation. Seeing as Neil Gaiman is bad at dynamic storytelling and the storyteller became quite lively with all her voices and enjoyment of the text later on. However, I was very much regretting my purchase up until the first meeting with Coraline's Other Mother.

I quite enjoyed the audiobook regardless.

Incredible narration

Those who have heard the author's narration of his own story are easily forgiven for believing that to be, literally, the best possible version. I believed that myself - until I heard Dawn French tell this story.

It is, quite simply, a masterclass in narration, one of the best examples of the art I have ever heard.

Strongly, highly, thoroughly encouraged.

Such an entertaining and beautiful story

I loved the story and even more the performance. The incredible performance gave life to the complex and interesting characters. Perfect!

Eerie

A disconcerting book for an adult to read. An excellent book for a child who is contemplating the consequences of its wishes and actions.

Great book read by a great narrator!

I love this story, I bought it because I love the movie so much. I don't regret buying this for even a second. The narrator brings so much life to the story, it's a treat to listen to this.

Ah hahaha

What a lovely story this is, I see that this could have bin one of my favourite story when I was a child. But I was 26 when I heard it the first time. But it is a good story.

A creepy and funny read

My kids and I adore this book! It speaks to kids and keeps adults entertained, with a perfect blend of creepy story and humour.