The Graveyard Book

By: Neil Gaiman

Narrated by: Neil Gaiman

Length: 7 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's Summary

Here's a fantastic ghost adventure story, laced with menace and humour.

When a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing the entire family, who would have thought it would find safety and security in the local graveyard?

Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead. But for Bod there is also the danger of the murderer still looking for him - after all, he is the last remaining member of the family.

A stunningly original novel deftly constructed over eight chapters, featuring every second year of Bod's life, from babyhood to adolescence. Will Bod survive to be a man?

©2008 Neil Gaiman (P)2008 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Critic Reviews

"Thrilling, elegant and joyously macabre. You will love it to death." (Holly Black, author of The Spiderwick Chronicles)

A book by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman is one of my favorite authors. As I'm sure you have probably heard of Coraline, Stardust, Anansi Boys......are some of his masterpiece. However, The Graveyard Book might be the best book he has ever written so far. The book won the 2009 Newbery award for a reason. I enjoyed it very much myself, as I'm sure most of you would too. By the way, the narrator was Neil Gaiman himself and he did a splendid job of presenting his own work in audio form.

8 people found this helpful

Wonderful story, brilliant writing and narration

I read this after being tormented by the mediocre pulp of "Game of Thrones" and "Red Mars". What a relief to return to a real writer and storyteller, and one who can narrate his own work brilliantly as well. An enchanting story, believable and captivating characters, real imagination of an offbeat world so masterfully painted that you don't hesitate to suspend disbelief to enjoy it. The only downside is the fact that most of Gaiman's books are blacklisted by Audible's narrow-minded publishers, available only to listeners in the USA.

7 people found this helpful

Classic!

If I am to pick my favorite of all Gaiman's works, The Graveyard Book would be it. This one might be catered to the kids, but adults can appreciate this too.

And with Gaiman doing the narration, it's just perfect!

5 people found this helpful

Narrator surprise

I was astonished when I finished listening to this & realised that Neil Gaiman had narrated his own work. I was hooked from the first moment both because of the way Gaiman uses language but also his wonderful narration. It is hard to know how much I would have enjoyed the book if I had read it but listening to this book was the most pleasurable audiobook experience I have had so far.
I think what made it so good is that Neil Gaiman immeasurably enhances the characters with his vocalisations. On hearing him utter a single sentence by Bod or Silas or any of the other characters, you immediately get a sense of who they are. It is the happy result of a fantastic author who obviously knows his characters inside out and also happens to be a first class narrator

2 people found this helpful

Vivid storytelling

This was an ideal book to hear on audio because the author's voice of his characters was convincingly and colourfully performed.
The story is fantastic, I felt as though I was wandering through the graveyard and seeing a secret world.

2 people found this helpful

Incredible

"Wow" is all I can say about this book. The book kept me on my feet and the narrator was exhilarating! At the end I was shocked to find out that the author himself narrated it! As far as the content of the book I would say 4/5, but how it is narrated is by far the best I have previously heard, receiving a 6/5 in my books. Great Job Neil Gaiman!

5 people found this helpful

Enjoyable listen!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I recommended especially to those that as an adult enjoy a good teenage novel.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I liked every character even the bad guys. The story unfolds through the characters so there is one for everyone to like or dislike

Have you listened to any of Neil Gaiman’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No but I will now

1 person found this helpful

Something different and worthwhile!

Hard to believe a toddler could grow up in a graveyard cared for by spirits. But it works! This story is delightful, sad, out-there, mysterious and more.

1 person found this helpful

Charming and clever

An enticing story that makes it difficult to pause. Beautifully developed characters and heartwarming to the end.

Beautiful

Listening to this audio book was even lovelier than reading it. An absolute gem for all ages.

I loved this

Not written a review of any other audiobooks on here but this was a great adults fairytale and read in a lovely way just like someone reading you a bed time story. I am new to Neil Gaiman and am already a huge fan. I would listen to this one again and again.

65 people found this helpful

Another 5 star book by Gaimen

What made the experience of listening to The Graveyard Book the most enjoyable?

Gaiman's quirky imagination, evocative writing and great narration made this a brilliant listen. His characters are engaging and the music score really pulls the whole thing together. I loved how each chapter was a separate story following Bod from a young boy to a teenager.

What other book might you compare The Graveyard Book to, and why?

This is more reminiscent of Gaiman's Good Omens (which he co-wrote with the amazing Terry Pratchett) or The Ocean At The End Of The Lane. It is a children's book but I personally prefer his books for younger readers as they can equally be enjoyed by adults but have less darkness and more humor than more well known books like Neverwhere.

What does Neil Gaiman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?

Gaiman is a really good narrator. He was shortlisted for Audible's narrator of the year in 2013 and this book will show you why. His understanding of the story and ability to give voice to his characters, brings the whole thing to life exactly as the author intend. Combined with the music score, Gaiman's narration really creates an atmospheric performance.

Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

There are both funny and sad scenes in this book but despite some very bad things happening to the hero there is a lot more cheer and optimism than sadness in it, which is how I prefer a book.

Any additional comments?

This is one of those books I just couldn't stop listening too, it's beautifully narrated and imagined and I will defiantly be listening to it again.

32 people found this helpful

Excellent

I wasn't 100% sure that this book would appeal to me, but I'm glad I bought it. Excellent story and the reading by Neil Gaiman was also excellent and added to the story. One of the best books I read/listened to this year!

35 people found this helpful

fab book neil, but why the loud music???

Would you consider the audio edition of The Graveyard Book to be better than the print version?

no!! the music separating the chapters/parts is unbearable, too loud and too intrusive. shame because neil reads so well.

Did Neil Gaiman do a good job differentiating each of the characters? How?

absolutely! when you read like him you don't need to put on funny voices.

16 people found this helpful

Delightful tale wonderfully narrated

This is a delightful adult fairytale beautifully narrated. I loved the gothic style, very Tim Burton-esque. A wonderful journey for the ears! Will listen to it again and again. Highly recommened.

7 people found this helpful

Magical

Don't be put off by the 'young adult' tag; it's a very long time since anyone called me that but I loved this book. It has a magical atmosphere, combining the fantastical with a lovingly authentic evocation of an ordinary English town, cold chips, buses, rain and all. Crucially, for an audio book, the narrator (Neil Gaiman himself)is a wonderful reader. He also sounds uncannily like Alan Rickman, which is high praise indeed. Strongly recommended.

19 people found this helpful

Most entertaining audiobook I've bought so far!

What made the experience of listening to The Graveyard Book the most enjoyable?

In addition to writing a unique and interesting story, Neil Gaiman does a fantastic job narrating his book. His various voices and accents bring all his characters alive (even the ghosts!), and his detailed descriptions paint vivid pictures in the mind's eye. This book crosses over genre categories and would appeal to audiences of all ages.

What did you like best about this story?

Neil Gaiman's narration is awesome.

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

Bod (the protagonist) was my favorite; he is sensitive, tries to be helpful, and especially tries to understand the ways of life (and death) around him.

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

I liked all of the heart-to-heart conversations in the book between Bod and Cyrus.

Any additional comments?

I wish Neil Gaiman's book "Stardust" were available to buy through Audible. Why isn't it? It has already been recorded by the author. I would snap it up immediately!

11 people found this helpful

Fantastic!

Full of thrills, humour, mystery, and pathos, this is a wonderfully imaginative tale for everyone from 10 - 100. The author is an excellent reader (is there no end to his talents?)and there is appropriate music between chapters. All in all, a delight from start to finish and a perfect Christmas treat.

26 people found this helpful

almost but not quite

A great story, with only one or two dissapointing bits you find in all books - but for the story itself its 5/5 - what lets this audio book down the most is the music thats overlayed onto the start of each new secion which drowns out the narator to a degree distracting your mind from the tale and onto the tune which plays for aft far to long into each section.

Also sad to say that I would have much preffered a proffesional voice artist to the author narrating his own book - I'm sure theres a certain charm to this and that he, above anybody else really has a feel for the characters, who they are and what they sound like... its just that the way its read at times is like a story being read to a small child by an adult who isnt quite used to reading stories yet and hasnt quite worked out which bits to emphasise, and other tricks of the trade.

Good book - but the music and naration slightly lets it down.

24 people found this helpful

Perfectly scary, perfectly sad, perfectly magical.

Any additional comments?

It's a children's book but I think suitable for anyone who loves Neil Gaiman. It manages to be scary and sad but uplifting too. The language is simple enough for a child without being at all childish.

Neil Gaiman's reading is imbued with a lyrical melancholy which is absolutely right for the story. Refreshingly, he even manages a fairly creditable Glaswegian accent - bad Scottish accents seem to be a feature of the lot of the books I've listened to recently so it's good not to be jarred out of the story for the change.

It's not relevant to this review, but should they ever make a film of this, it's very clear to me that Mr Frost should be played by Reece Shearsmith.

5 stars aren't really enough for a faultless book, read faultlessly.

7 people found this helpful