The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Hardcover, 192 pages

English language

Published June 18, 2013 by William Morrow.

ISBN:
9780062255655

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (185 reviews)

A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly …

37 editions

Short and mostly sweet

4 stars

I guess it is long for a novella, but short for a novel. That means there is not a lot of room to build up characters. The protagonist is a bookish but uncomplicated boy but e.g. the parents are mostly ciphers.

It's an engaging story, I finished it in a few sessions, something I don't do very often these days. It feel very English, and very Rural, which isn't what I remember of Gaiman. It doesn't really break any new ground, but it well crafted, and the setting is more completely related than the characters.

It does have some scenes that would probably give sensitive souls (and children) nightmares.

Review of 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I was rather underwhelmed by this book, Gaiman is a great writer and can take the reader on some stunning adventures but this book feels more like an idea for a story instead of a finished product. It might be that due to the story being from the point of view of a young child Gaiman has limited the language and story. There was a lot of potential here to create a story full of magic and wonder and that just never takes off.

I'd avoid this one and pick up one of his many other great stories.

Review of 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a powerful story - about childhood, about memory, about being human. It's a beautiful book, in its own right - a story told through the eyes of a child, that managed to capture the essence of childhood so perfectly well, that I find it surprising that it was written by an adult.

The main character was simple - he is a young child, after all - but, to me, that was part of the beauty of it. As simple as the character was, he was actually relatable. How he saw the world around him, how he saw the adults of his life, all brought back memories of my own childhood, making me remember how I saw the world around me and my parents - and, in a way, how I still see them.

The other characters were interesting, mystical, and yet, …

Review of 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I honestly want to use this book as a teaching tool for how to describe the amazing, salivating power of describing delicious food from a perspective of narrative memory. Every time a part of the story delved into the tastes, smells, and textures of food, I felt like I needed to look up a recipe on whatever was being talked about.

I liked the story. The creature from another place. The violent possession and manipulation of his father. The memory of what was witnessed in the car. The narrative telling of a dark childhood, and the reaching for memories that seemed lost and blurry - brought back to the foreground by coming back around the childhood home.

A good, short read of dark fantasy.

Review of 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

My second Gaiman book. A story I liked, filled with fantasy, mystery and nostalgia; made me think about my childhood years; in a similar way such as the protagonist reflected on half remembered adventures and things that were true back then but aren’t anymore. With wonders and fears, amazement and disappointments. I think most of us can relate to some of that.

I enjoyed the narration by Gaiman, personally getting a longing feeling from it that just adds to the mystery of the story.

Review of 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I loved this more than anything else I've read recently. Gaiman just has a way of drawing you into the world right away and keeping you there until he's done with you. Hearing him read this was also amazing and made the hold even stronger. I was more than a bit sad when it was over, actually. This made me want to read the rest of his work that I haven't gotten to yet, and revisit the stuff that I have already read.

Review of 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

I love Neil Gaiman's modern-day fairy tales. The Ocean at the End of the Lane tells the story of a middle-aged man who comes back to his old neighborhood and remembers a pretty unbelievable part of his childhood.

Gaiman's story is a pretty good story about the troubles of growing up and losing the things that were precious to us as kids.

This was a great read, I had trouble putting it down from the second I picked it up.

Review of 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' on 'Storygraph'

3 stars

The narrator visits the house at the end of the lane on which he grew up. The same family still lives there. He recalls some particular events of his childhood involving the family at the end if the lane.

The story has the vague sort of quality that is shared by both half-forgotten childhood memories and half-remembered dreams. The narrator as a child may not fully understand what he sees but, unlike an adult, he doesn't question it.

I enjoyed this book and would rate it closer to a 3.5 because it was very interesting and almost nostalgic and I wouldn't mind reading it again.

Review of 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

Lots of wonderful imagery, and he captures nostalgia quite well. There are some very uncomfortable scenes in the middle, which was surprising. I thought this book would be another child's tale like Coraline, but it really is a tale about middle age and memory. I thought it spent too much time in the nethers. The best parts I thought, were in the present, not the past. Even preferred the epilogue to the middle part of the book. Harsh?

Review of 'The Ocean at the End of the Lane' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

I can't read Neil Gaiman's books. But I can listen to him read his books all day long. It's like having Paddington Bear read you a bedtime story while you're tucked safely in your childhood bed on a cold winter's night. I didn't like this book as much as The Graveyard Book, but I still enjoyed it. I felt the ending was very appropriate and would have been upset if everything had been tied-up neatly with a nice little bow.

avatar for cthulahoops

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ghostmodernist

rated it

3 stars
avatar for aandnota

rated it

3 stars
avatar for jzacsh

rated it

3 stars
avatar for haagen_daz

rated it

4 stars
avatar for inga-lovinde

rated it

3 stars
avatar for james

rated it

5 stars
avatar for selykg

rated it

4 stars
avatar for sifuCJC

rated it

4 stars
avatar for rainer

rated it

4 stars
avatar for meeg

rated it

4 stars
avatar for tempse

rated it

2 stars
avatar for WishingWalrus

rated it

5 stars
avatar for omega

rated it

5 stars
avatar for mckmak

rated it

2 stars
avatar for ChrisIkin

rated it

2 stars
avatar for mountellipsis

rated it

5 stars
avatar for drb
drb

rated it

3 stars
avatar for gummibunny

rated it

2 stars
avatar for souzadan

rated it

4 stars
avatar for AnthonyPerrett

rated it

5 stars
avatar for NC
NC

rated it

3 stars
avatar for NoAbbyOnlyZuul

rated it

5 stars
avatar for devpogi

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Dmoraldi

rated it

4 stars
avatar for kergoth

rated it

5 stars
avatar for noisydeadlines

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Nnnnnnnn

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Nnnnnnnn

rated it

5 stars
avatar for MagneticCrow

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Heavyboots

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ArchivalOwl

rated it

4 stars
avatar for kiarazard

rated it

5 stars
avatar for palousegeo

rated it

4 stars
avatar for fjordic

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jdb

rated it

3 stars
avatar for writh

rated it

4 stars
avatar for factolvictor

rated it

4 stars
avatar for DerekCaelin

rated it

5 stars
avatar for evermorian

rated it

4 stars
avatar for mttktz

rated it

4 stars
avatar for EkiTeebi
Eki

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Ellemir

rated it

5 stars
avatar for kimkarma66

rated it

3 stars
avatar for bpepple

rated it

4 stars
avatar for philroyle

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Mikisni

rated it

5 stars
avatar for rina

rated it

3 stars
avatar for lattermild

rated it

3 stars
avatar for oisin

rated it

2 stars
avatar for donaghy

rated it

4 stars
avatar for xavierroy

rated it

4 stars
avatar for unsquare

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jumpinggrendel

rated it

4 stars
avatar for wakatara

rated it

4 stars
avatar for hryggrbyr

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Rosa

rated it

3 stars
avatar for chefraven

rated it

4 stars
avatar for sansaraf

rated it

5 stars
avatar for newmanth

rated it

4 stars
avatar for mcchots

rated it

5 stars
avatar for suzidarling

rated it

4 stars
avatar for vncavalcanti

rated it

5 stars
avatar for tradecraft

rated it

4 stars
avatar for ScottSchlueter

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Thriveth

rated it

4 stars
avatar for r0bbie

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Bruce

rated it

5 stars
avatar for arclight

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Chigaze

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Reading_Lullaby

rated it

5 stars
avatar for andrlik

rated it

5 stars
avatar for AnneOminous

rated it

4 stars
avatar for danshield

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Skitter

rated it

3 stars
avatar for Skitter

rated it

3 stars
avatar for kain

rated it

4 stars
avatar for sparky_005

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Lowrain

rated it

5 stars
avatar for sparky_005

rated it

5 stars
avatar for wiebkehere

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Drumclem

rated it

5 stars
avatar for jkwatson

rated it

4 stars
avatar for jennifilm

rated it

5 stars
avatar for hel
hel

rated it

3 stars
avatar for StephaneHuart

rated it

5 stars
avatar for dria

rated it

5 stars
avatar for martijnreintjes

rated it

5 stars
avatar for mrkvm

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Stratski

rated it

4 stars
avatar for awboonstra

rated it

4 stars
avatar for ajkerrigan

rated it

5 stars
avatar for _Irma_

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Blerkotron

rated it

5 stars
avatar for swayne

rated it

5 stars
avatar for CaptainCornflake

rated it

4 stars
avatar for wafonso

rated it

5 stars
avatar for curtdubya

rated it

4 stars
avatar for kbg
kbg

rated it

4 stars
avatar for SeaFury

rated it

5 stars
avatar for PlayAllTheThings

rated it

4 stars
avatar for JustGrist

rated it

3 stars
avatar for unicornia

rated it

4 stars
avatar for stinkingpig

rated it

4 stars
avatar for tylerbones

rated it

5 stars
avatar for mattlehrer

rated it

2 stars
avatar for MandolinDan

rated it

3 stars
avatar for yallah110

rated it

4 stars
avatar for xorn

rated it

5 stars
avatar for corexian

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Xenodike82

rated it

4 stars
avatar for cjhubbs

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Yukari

rated it

4 stars
avatar for pithypants

rated it

3 stars
avatar for RobinMarx

rated it

4 stars
avatar for paudie

rated it

4 stars
avatar for TheCacklingCrow

rated it

5 stars
avatar for emarsh

rated it

4 stars
avatar for wordeater

rated it

2 stars
avatar for bug138

rated it

5 stars
avatar for moondownr

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Satch

rated it

5 stars
avatar for paulineaillet

rated it

5 stars
avatar for wrath

rated it

2 stars
avatar for Realgnomidad

rated it

5 stars
avatar for LindseyB

rated it

4 stars
avatar for Doomedrider

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Ivia

rated it

3 stars
avatar for MikeR

rated it

5 stars
avatar for cedled

rated it

5 stars
avatar for j6m8

rated it

5 stars
avatar for PromptedInkReads

rated it

4 stars
avatar for MaryKat

rated it

5 stars
avatar for Crepusculi

rated it

4 stars
avatar for tremain

rated it

3 stars
avatar for khohmann

rated it

4 stars
avatar for wzhkevin

rated it

4 stars
avatar for atheory

rated it

4 stars
avatar for scbarton

rated it

4 stars
avatar for fighting

rated it

3 stars
avatar for AnsgarFrej

rated it

5 stars
avatar for androgynoid
bee

rated it

4 stars
avatar for KathleenMMM

rated it

5 stars
avatar for tgt
tgt

rated it

4 stars
avatar for cfnnm

rated it

4 stars
avatar for saurabhs

rated it

5 stars
avatar for whitmad

rated it

4 stars
avatar for AliCorbin

rated it

4 stars
avatar for vilhelmr

rated it

5 stars
avatar for ryuslash
Tom

rated it

4 stars
avatar for tmarsh1024

rated it

4 stars