Coraline

by Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean

Paperback, 176 pages

English language

Published April 9, 2002 by HarperCollins.

ISBN:: 978-0-380-97778-9

(253 reviews)

Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.

85 editions

KnitAFett reviewed Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Loved the movie, love the book too.

5 stars

Definitely creepy, honestly a little surprised it's marketed as juvenile fiction. Granted, there's nothing super horrible that happens, but some of the imagery I could totally see scaring the little ones pretty bad.

I was confused having watched the movie first, because Wyborn is not in the book. The movie is pretty dang true to the book, so I had to look into it to see why a whole character was made for the movie. Apparently, he was made to fill the gaps in the movie where Coraline's thoughts were on the page. So it's at least understandable. Honestly I felt like Coraline literally being on her own to get everything figured out and get away from the other mother added some additional suspense to it.

It is nice to have a character that is scared but still manages to put on a brave face and meet the challenges head …

It is nice to have a character that is scared but still manages to put on a brave face and meet the challenges head on.

This is one that I'll be saving and revisiting another time. The audiobook with the full cast was amazing, cannot recommend it enough!

Wild Woila reviewed Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Excellently creepy

4 stars

A girl is trapped in a mirror world inhabited by doppelgangers with black buttons for eyes. Can she escape becoming a meal for its architect? Creepy! But excellent. Too much tension for a sleep story.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=yYoEeGYxCzQ

Tim's nose in a book reviewed Coraline and Other Stories by Neil Gaiman

A selection of Gaiman tales for "children"

4 stars

This collection of Neil Gaiman short stories is sort-of aimed at children, teenagers, and young adults. Not all the stories involve mortal danger, and some are just mood pieces riffing on the themes of fantasy. Listen to the ghosts! Do go through the door! Do not go through the door!

As Gaiman quotes GK Chesterton, fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.

These tales have all appeared else where before, some in other Gaiman collections like Fragile Things. Locations from Gaiman's own childhood repeat - big houses, the Sussex countryside, etc.

The particular edition I read came from the Wrenbury Heath book swap depository in an old red telephone box, and I shall return it to circulation in other.

Henry reviewed Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Quick, Fun Read

4 stars

Coraline is a children's book good enough to be organically read by adults. As it's fairly similar to the movie, I'll cover some not-so-obvious interpretations I had:

Throughout the read I couldn't help but feel like Coraline's other mother was a perfect embodiment of a BPD parent. Aside from the obvious BPD characteristics exhibited by the other mother, I felt the following quote summed everything up beautifully: "It was true: the other mother loved her. But she loved Coraline as a miser loves money, or a dragon love its gold. Int the other mother's button eyes, Coraline knew that she was a possession, nothing more. A tolerated pet, whose behavior was no longer amusing."

After reading the book, I found a great blog analysis that touched on the many thoughts I had throughout the read: pensievely.wordpress.com/2020/12/17/seduced-by-borderline-an-analysis-of-coraline/

BPD-aside, very fun book. Made me laugh a few times, a bit creepy, and …

Coraline is a children's book good enough to be organically read by adults. As it's fairly similar to the movie, I'll cover some not-so-obvious interpretations I had:

After reading the book, I found a great blog analysis that touched on the many thoughts I had throughout the read: pensievely.wordpress.com/2020/12/17/seduced-by-borderline-an-analysis-of-coraline/

BPD-aside, very fun book. Made me laugh a few times, a bit creepy, and was nice to finally read the book. I adore the movie.

Fynh liest reviewed Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Creepy and beautiful at the same time

5 stars

Coraline slips into some kind of parallel version of the new house she has moved into with her parents, where there are copies of everything and everyone that she knows of in the real world, even of her mother and father, who are called 'her other mother' and 'her other father'. But there is one big difference: each copy is some sort of distorted mirage with black button eyes of the real version, and everything there is much more exciting, but also much more scary. And one of these things has kidnapped her parents.

She has to go through several creepy encounters with those monsters to save her parents. While doing this she is far from being fearless, she is actually terribly scared. But Coraline summons her bravery out of love for her parents and out of her desire to save them and that is what makes this book so …

And it also gives us the important message, that being brave doesn't mean you aren't scared. It means you are scared and do the right thing anyway. Something that author Neil Gaiman wanted to tell his daughters, for whom he has written the book.

aetheras reviewed Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Review of 'Coraline' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

i loved the movie and the book made me love this story even more.

Nathan John Cooper reviewed Coraline by Neil Gaiman

A Childhood Classic.

5 stars

Coraline will always hold a special place in my heart. I love the film, book, and audiobook, and I will always come back for the pure creativity, nostalgia, and wonder that Coraline brings me every time I revisit it.

paulineaillet reviewed Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Review of 'Coraline' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Scary and Hypnotising, it delivers a great message about bravery; a beautiful and unique story for kids or adults alike!

Martijn Reintjes reviewed Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Review of 'Coraline' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Coraline is one of those books that you can keep reading.
It's a fun, dark story, but it goes so deep and has inspired so many kids.
It's a must read. Read it for yourself, or read it with your kids. Or do both. Just read it :)

Avarla reviewed Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Review of 'Coraline' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Wonderful read, even perfect after having watched the movie first. Amazing how Gaiman's children's books work just as well for grown-ups.

B. Zelkovich reviewed Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Review of 'Coraline' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

What a creepy and satisfying story. As a child I wouldn't have found this half so scary, just wonderful in creepy sort of way. But as an adult it seems we learn to fear so much more, and there were moments when I cringed far more than a child's story should ever have made me. But, that's Gaiman for you. Brilliant.

AnieThings reviewed Coraline (Infantil Y Juvenil) by Neil Gaiman

Review of 'Coraline (Infantil Y Juvenil)' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Está mucho mejor que las versiones que se han hecho.

NightDrake reviewed Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Review of 'Coraline' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

This book was pretty odd, but I liked it. I'd totally read more of Gaiman's work. Especially if he reads the novel himself.
Coraline does complain a lot about being bored at the beginning of the book, but when the book gets going, there's no stopping her. :)

johnny dangerously. reviewed Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Review of 'Coraline' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

P. Craig Russell is one of my favorite working artists, and I'll sing his praises until I'm hoarse. He has a particular skill with prose adaptations. This book, while markedly different from the film adaptation, is no less successful, and in some arenas moreso.

Yashima reviewed Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Review of 'Coraline' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

A good and creepy story, just not quite my kind of story. I like a little more color I think. Other than that I did not enjoy reading it so much it was very good.