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I must re read.. This was a day one purchase for me. I enjoy Neil Gaiman work and by that I mean everything he has done. Comics, TV, Movies, but his books oh I could spend all day there.

Ocean at the end of the lane was no different. The world is that of small boy (maybe the writer) and described in the way a seven year may see the world. It is full of wonder but it is so big and scary sometimes and his control of it is very limited.

It may be Neil best written story to date and I understand that a big bold statement. I am talking about structure and narrative not story ideas and it is a nice return to adult form.

I did love the story and the story scared me, even affected my dreams for a few days. =)

Michael wrote: "I must re read.. This was a day one purchase for me. I enjoy Neil Gaiman work and by that I mean everything he has done. Comics, TV, Movies, but his books oh I could spend all day there.

Michael, I'm just a bit over halfway through, forcing myself to stop and savor being the ONE reason I didn't just sail through entire book at once. I just wanted to say that your description of the "world," of this BOOK, to me is, so far, very fitting!

Gaiman just gets more interesting as times goes on, don't you think? I have to ask myself, what can't this guy do and do well? :~.}
-Annie

Annie wrote: "Michael wrote: "I must re read.. This was a day one purchase for me. I enjoy Neil Gaiman work and by that I mean everything he has done. Comics, TV, Movies, but his books oh I could spend all day ..."

Thank you. =) I hope more of the club give it a chance.

Michael wrote: "Annie wrote: "Michael wrote: "I must re read.. This was a day one purchase for me. I enjoy Neil Gaiman work and by that I mean everything he has done. Comics, TV, Movies, but his books oh I could ..."

Me too! :))

I just joined this group, and the main reason is because you reminded me that I want to pick this book up. Need to grab it and devour it. (I usually go back and savor his books later, because I love re-reading almost as much as reading the first time).

Welcome Sean! Cool reason to join... I just read the last morsel I had saved of the book late last night. I am stunned, amazed, impressed & even a bit jealous what a wonderful read and what a flawless book this one truly is!

I also often re-read his works, even though there are still quite a few I have yet to read! Enjoy the book and come back to the thread & let us know your impressions after you get around to reading the book...

:)
Annie

Being a fanboy I thought this was cool about Neil

Michael wrote: "Being a fanboy I thought this was cool about Neil 14 Things you didn't know about Neil Gaiman"

Many thanks, Michael: that really was interesting! Love to be able to have an enormous library like he talks about someday!!! :D

I am not too far into this book I think because I am listening to an audio version, narrated by the author and he speaks rather slowly. I never realized how much I "skim" over while I am actually reading a book. Having to listen more slowly, I am enjoying the little nuances in this book. Lately, I have had a craving for home made jam and I was reminded of the beginning when they were in the kitchen as I was eating the toast I just burnt because I didn't want to waste it.

Terry wrote: "I am not too far into this book I think because I am listening to an audio version, narrated by the author and he speaks rather slowly. I never realized how much I "skim" over while I am actually ..."

What a seemingly simple, yet forthright observation you make. I think, narrator aside, was, your introspective remarks, also reflect how the the very nature 'fabric of time are treated in this story. I found myself relating to your point about "skimming." Yet, without giving anything away, the book's pacing & timing are unusual, that being to me, an added part of its unusual appeal.
It took me several days to tease apart my feelings, before I could "shake off" this book effect over me enough to respond.
Terry, I'd love to know how this book hits you as a whole after you have finished. :~.} Cheers!
~Annie

Duh, just realized that I could could control the speed of the narration on my app after I posted that this morning -

Terry wrote: "Duh, just realized that I could could control the speed of the narration on my app after I posted that this morning -"

Lol! Did you think maybe Mr G took some sedatives or pain pills to lull readers into a stupor so they'd all drop the book to the floor, lulled into a stupor by the extreme soporific effect of this silm volume? Congrats!!! This could chg everything! :))
-A

I wish I could say I loved this book. I certainly liked it well enough, and there are moments that I do love. *cough* foot-worm *cough* I think I was looking for something a bit meatier, after Coraline and some other short story outings from Neil.

There isn't a thing wrong with it. It's just...less than I was hoping for. Part of that might have been that I hadn't actually seen a physical copy of it in the store before I bought the e-book. So when he said he had a new novel, I was thinking of something rather more epic, like American Gods, rather than something of a romp like Neverwhere.

American Gods is the book that made me sit up and take notice of Gaiman, even after reading and loving the Sandman books. I fell into American Gods in a way that I just wasn't able to fall into this book, because it wasn't as complete a universe. It's way more sparse, and leaves more up to your imagination.

And I say that not as a criticism. Just an observation, because I'd love it if my comment allowed someone to go into the book with their eyes open as to what to expect. It's a good book. It is an emotionally moving book. It's just not as fully fleshed out, and complete a realized universe as American Gods is. Even Good Omens seems to have a bit more meat on the bone than this book. But the bones are definitely there. You bring a good deal of the meat with you though, and I think that's by design. It's just a different way of telling the story.

Sean, I have to disagree. This is one of the most tightly written & circumspect books I've ever read from Gaiman. Not only do I feel it was fully fleshed out, but I think there was SO much more there than could possibly be absorbed if you were reading just for story, and not for content, literary devices, or even allusions to others works of literature.
Also, I felt other issues were addressed through the story. The shrinking of our vast world, the impact of learning about fear as a child, and it's impact on innocence and imagination. I could go on, with still plenty to unpack about the intricate crafting & the art of this slim, yet thick wallop of a novella, but since you said that you like to re-read his books, perhaps more will unfold for you in subsequent reading. I hope so! ;)
Annie

I think 'tightly written' is a perfect way of putting it, Annie. I think his inner editor was working very well, and chopping out anything that didn't immediately convey what he was going for. Which is exactly what's needed in young adult fiction. I feel this way about A Wrinkle In Time, upon reading it as an adult. I think if I was reading "The Ocean..." as an 11 year old, I would be absolutely in love with it, and write more stories like I did about Meg and Charles. And I likely will read it over again, like I say. I think that it's just that whereas this book allows you to 'unpack' it from the tightly worded and very metaphorical text, a book like American Gods was telling a story with a lot of amazing description that allowed you to immerse yourself in the world as imagined by the author for a good long stretch. This book took me a night to read. I think I just felt as I was reading that I was missing the lush descriptors and ruminations (and further adventures) that you get in other of his works. This is a good outing. And you'll note that I said I liked it. I think it just isn't quite a novel in the sense that I've come to know it. A novella definitely, but it's a super slim novel. I think that if this were the first act of a larger work, I might feel differently. It feels like a first act to me. A really good first act, and if it were to go on from there, I would likely read and come to love the rest. But imagine American Gods if it only told the story of Shadow in the town with the car out on the lake of ice. It's a good interlude, and a decent story, but it's not a novel. I'm totally not putting this book down. I think people should read it. I just think they should know what they're getting. I heard it described as a novel, and maybe by page-count it is. But it's a brief one. Tasty, but brief.

Hey Sean...
One of the great things about art, be it painting, music, literature, etc, is that no art cannot exist without the person reading, observing and interacting with the artwork. It's a 2-way relationship.
So it's no wonder we seek art out over & over. When we read a book, we devote as much of ourselves to the creative processt, as the artist. In other words, no art can exist without the subjective observer. I think this is one of the coolest & most beautiful things; it's a two way street. Meaning ultimately no feeling one experiences is right or wrong, all are valid. We can always try to learn more through study or by uexchanging opinions and being open to others views.
To me, it seems clear that our experiences with Ocean, our feelings & gut reactions were vastly different. Yet I appreciate your allowing me a glimpse into both what you wanted more of from the experience & where you felt it fell short for you.
In my two readings, this book has for me, like the pond, so seemingly impossible an ocean could fit inside, yet for me it DID. In my imagination, and experience of this book, I found that possibility; our journey from childhood to adult is, what it means to be taken care of or neglected, to be safe vs unprotected, and much more. This and more was my ocean in a pond.
Equally important is that your journey felt unfulfilled, incomplete, too rushed; you wanted more and were left unfulfilled. Point being, that's every bit as valid & strong a feeling as what I took away! I hope what I'm saying, comes across as supportive, and above all is clear sense, as that's the spirit in which I intended!
I hope your next reading venture is much more to your expectations! I've enjoyed our conversation about this book and hope we have the opp.to cross paths on another book soon!
My Regards,
~Annie

I love a book that makes me see things differently for a while afterwards...I just finished listening to the audio version of this book today and it was wonderful - I think this book really lends itself to being spoken, I was able to focus more on the prose than I otherwise would, (especially when the writing has a dream-like quality, I tend to skim past parts of it to get on with the story)
The author makes the extraordinary explanations of earth, oceans, phases of the moon, living in different dimensions and living in different physical forms seem completely believable. I felt a strong emotional attachment to all the characters, which hasn't happened in the past few books I have read. I feel that I really know that little boy to whom all those strange and amazing things happened.
Just want to float for a while now before I start reading the next book on my list....

Sounds like a great feeling & reading experience, Terry! I, too felt a bit floaty or otherworldly after finishing the book. Though I've read others since then, I need only think of this story for the whole dream-like feel to be with me once again.
I think this book was magic...
;~.} Annie

Terry wrote: "I am not too far into this book I think because I am listening to an audio version, narrated by the author and he speaks rather slowly. I never realized how much I "skim" over while I am actually ..."

I listened to it as well and there are certainly a lot of details I would have missed reading the printed version. There are also a few passages I would have liked to read a few times over, especially when he quoted Lewis Carroll. Not being a native English speaker made that quite hard to understand.

Overall I liked the novel. It was slow and dreamlike. We listened to the beginning again after finishing the novel and that was really nice. You got to understand how intricately it is told and how much all the details fit together to form the story.

Hi Hedvig,
Glad you liked listening to this book as well!

I loved this book; so many layers to Gaiman's imagination and writing.

Yes, he really takes the reader to a different world - we only see one dimension, on the surface, but he lets you see all the layers beneath.