You can say what you want about Neil Gaiman, but he certainly knows how to write engaging stories.
The Graveyard Book introduces us to Nobody Owens, niYou can say what you want about Neil Gaiman, but he certainly knows how to write engaging stories.
The Graveyard Book introduces us to Nobody Owens, nicknamed Bod, who survives as a toddler while his family is murdered in a gruesome act of violence. Bod escapes to a nearby graveyard and is taken in by the ghosts who are condemned to remain forever at the place their bodies were buried. The weird plot requires some time getting used to, which the author doesn't really allow us because the story soon sees Bod growing into a curious boy and later into an adventurous teenager.
Neil Gaiman's success partly rests on his very own niche in the fantasy genre he managed to create, a fusion of classic fantasy stories, Kafkaesque plot details and coming-of-age tales. It is easy to discover Gaiman's personal style inside his books; some of his ideas are so grotesque that hardly any author person would be able to come up with something like this ... and turn it into a captivating tale enthralling thousands of readers. In The Graveyard Book, Gaiman soon develops a rather dark atmosphere even more memorable than it was in Coraline or The Ocean at the End of the Lane, but it is difficult to connect with any of the characters in the beginning. Some parts dragged on and became boring, before the end ultimately made up for everything and allowed the book to conclude in a breathtaking, spectacular finale.
Gaiman himself pointed out in the afterword that his novel is basically a retelling of Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book mixed with darker elements, the most significant difference being that the protagonist was raised by ghosts rather than a pack of wolves. The book was structured in such a way that it allowed us to focus on one specific period or moment in Bod's life with every chapter, which resulted in a huge diversity of topics the novel deals with because Gaiman never remained at one specific subject for more time than he should have. We get to know Bod on his way through life as he finds a new family in the graveyard, experiences friendships and enmities, as he is taught supernatural abilities by the ghosts and learns about major significances between death and life.
In the end, this book not only keeps its reader on the edge of the seat, it also explores a meta level by dealing with some more significant topics like losing beloved people and learning to care for others. The writing was not as beautiful as I remembered it from The Ocean at the End of the Lane (which I can forgive because while that book was very well-written, the plot lacked just about everything for me - and an author's writing style should change and improve over the time, just like every person grows with his or her experiences). In addition, the book was not without flaws, but those were not significant enough to embody a major influence in my enjoyment of the novel....more
Whatever one could possibly say about this novel, it's definitely one you will continue thinking about even after having finished reading it. Not withWhatever one could possibly say about this novel, it's definitely one you will continue thinking about even after having finished reading it. Not without cause has it been the Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ Choice 2013 Winner in the category Fantasy - it's an engaging tale of darkness about the demons of a childhood. Neil Gaiman's writing style is amazing as always, but the story itself is nothing but weird. Apart from a lot of metaphors, the story also included unrealistic, illogical phenomena, and while the characters worked for me, Gaiman did not allow them to have any kind of depth or remarkable personality. Lettie, the perfect girl from the neighborhood, was eleven years old, yet she represented wisdom and safety. *clears his throat* ... yes, totally realistic.
The aspect which bothered me even more was the novel's length. After I have recently read his short story The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains which might have had the potential to become a full-length novel, I felt the opposite about "The Ocean at the End of the Lane": that it would have worked better for me had it been written as a short story. But to be honest, my criticism originates mainly from my admiration for Neil Gaiman's marvelous writing abilities and my high expectations for this novel which have not been fulfilled in their entirety.
I will definitely continue reading novels and (short) stories by Neil Gaiman because of his abilities as a writer, but the plot respectively the message did not keep up with the level of the prose. However, I'll recommend reading this story, even if only for its creepiness and the beautiful way it is written.
Initial reaction [29th October 2015]:
I can't decide what to think of Gaiman's story, since while the writing itself has been beautiful as usual, the plot was quite confusing. And I'm wavering between two and four stars, so for the moment, it's a decent three-star-rating. More detailed review to come soon....more
“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.�
It may
“Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.�
It may seem uninspired to start this review with one of the most famous quotes of the novel, but after all, it does accentuate so well what "Coraline" signifies. Presenting an account of a brave soul confronted with the terrors and fears of childhood fantasies becoming true, Neil Gaiman allows us to get involved with his protagonist, a young girl called Coraline, who is anything but fearsome and shy. But most importantly, Coraline is, if you take into account her young age, wise above the standards of her age:
“I don't want whatever I want. Nobody does. Not really. What kind of fun would it be if I just got everything I ever wanted just like that, and it didn't mean anything? What then?�
Coraline captured what today's society fails to teach their children: that contentment does not necessarily mean getting all the things you long to have. Her story is a stirring and horrifying one, but also one which opens the eyes for the dangers of longing for something without taking into account how the consequences might be like. In the beginning of this book, Coraline is bored by her entire life, wishing for excitement and adventures to enter her life. When she finds a mysterious door, our protagonist, adventurous as any of our childhood heroes, can't resist to step through it ... and lands in her own house again. Everything seems to be the same ... except it isn't. Her parents seem to be the same ... except they aren't. Coraline seems to be home again ... except she isn't. As soon as you realize that Coraline's parents are wearing buttons instead of eyes, the true horror of the story begins to emerge and drags you along with Coraline into the story and on a twisty ride.
This story teaches to behave bravely in a world where being cowardly might cost your life. Neil Gaiman teaches to embrace the things we love and be content with having them rather than wishing for more. And even more, he delivers a story with entertaining and thought-provoking elements alike, combining the genres Fantasy and Horror and allowing those two to encounter each other above the head of young Coraline. The characterizations are top-notch; when do you ever find a book where a cat turns out to become a favorite of yours? (At least it did become a favorite of mine, but so did Coraline herself.)
During the course of not even 200 pages, Neil Gaiman incorporates well-known and frequently used themes like stepping through doors into an alternate world, and he did it so well. Some minor flaws aside, "Coraline" has so far been my favorite Gaiman novel, and it makes me anticipate his other works even more - if only for the profound quotes which can be discovered throughout the course of your reading experience.
“What's your name,' Coraline asked the cat. 'Look, I'm Coraline. Okay?' 'Cats don't have names,' it said. 'No?' said Coraline. 'No,' said the cat. 'Now you people have names. That's because you don't know who you are. We know who we are, so we don't need names.�
The cat wrinkled its nose and managed to look unimpressed. "Calling cats," it confided, "tends to be a rather overrated activity. Might as well call a whirlwind."
"But how can you walk away from something and still come back to it?"
"Because," she said, "when you're scared but you still do it anyway, that's brave."
4.5 stars, embedded in a wholehearted recommendation to read this book....more
I'll be honest, I didn't particularly like this short story. It is full of symbolisms and meant to parallel real life in a particular way, the wings rI'll be honest, I didn't particularly like this short story. It is full of symbolisms and meant to parallel real life in a particular way, the wings representing people's freedom, the horn symbolizing power and the voice signifying the possibility to publicly announce your thoughts. But I don't need ponies as a metaphor of life, and although it was well-written, it was very expectable as to what its meaning was supposed to be....more
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