Caragh Reviews - The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Published - 30th September 2008
Publisher - Harper Collins
Format -  Hardback
Synopsis - After the grisly murder of his entire family, a toddler wanders into a graveyard where the ghosts and other supernatural residents agree to raise him as one of their own. Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy. He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead. There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy. But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family . . .  Beloved master storyteller Neil Gaiman returns with a luminous new novel for the audience that embraced his New York Times bestselling modern classic Coraline. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is sure to enthrall readers of all ages.

The Graveyard Book is my 3rd Neil Gaiman book and I was expecting great things as his writing is astounding and beautiful. Unfortunately I didn't experience that 'wow factor' that I previously had and i'm left feeling a little quizzical as to why this is said to be one of his best works. Part of me knows that I just didn't really fully understand what he was trying to say.

The Graveyard Book tells the story of Nobody Owens, aka Bod and how after a traumatic encounter with Jack as a baby, he was raised in a loving & homely environment; a Graveyard full of ghosts. I must admit, the concept of it drew me in and was really intriguing but in my opinion it was just a little flat. There were peaks and troughs throughout but the high points just didn't seemed to hit the spot.

There were a lot of 'meaningful references' (for want of a better explanation) about life and how sometimes you just need to let go and fully experience real life. These made the book interesting and the occasional mind blowing realisation was what urged me on to continue reading. One of Gaiman's greatest qualities is that he is able to write brilliant and funny Children's books that are equally loved and adored by adults everywhere. For me though, The Graveyard Book was a little too much on the Children's side of the scale for me to truly enjoy it.

The book was still enjoyable but it wasn't what I was looking or hoping for which is a shame. I still love Gaiman's books though and I definitely will be reading more!

Caragh Reviews - The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Published - 18th June 2013
Publisher - Headline Review
Format - Hardback
Synopsis - It began for our narrator forty years ago when the family lodger stole their car and committed suicide in it, stirring up ancient powers best left undisturbed. Dark creatures from beyond the world are on the loose, and it will take everything our narrator has just to stay alive: there is primal horror here, and menace unleashed - within his family and from the forces that have gathered to destroy it. His only defense is three women, on a farm at the end of the lane. The youngest of them claims that her duckpond is ocean. The oldest can remember the Big Bang.

Neil Gaiman is an incredible writer and an inspiration to millions. Previous to The Ocean at the End of the Lane, the only book I had read of Gaiman's was Coraline which was everything I imagined it would be; wonderfully written, exciting, imaginative and just a little bit creepy. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is both greatly different and quite similar. 

The book feels like Gaiman. His writing style is remarkable and memorable. He has the ability to capture the imagination, take it to the extreme and still leave you feeling like the story he is telling is totally believable and realistic. That's where the creepy comes in. Not only did I feel like I was taking part in this wonderfully screwed adventure, it felt like I was learning something. Not in the preachy way, but in the "oh my god that line is beautiful i'll never forget this moment of inspiration" almost fangirling way. The copy I read came from the library and after sticking a LOT of post-its all over the pages, it took me 30 minutes to painstakingly take them all out and write down their corresponding page numbers before I could take it back. There really were some beautiful lines. This is one of my absolute favourites:

“Grown-ups don't look like grown-ups on the inside either. Outside, they're big and thoughtless and they always know what they're doing. Inside, they look just like they always have. Like they did when they were your age. Truth is, there aren't any grown-ups. Not one, in the whole wide world.”

So much awesome in just a short piece of writing. I feel that no matter what I say about this book, i'll never fully do it justice or express how much I enjoyed and actually, yes, truly loved this book. I'll stop the review here because no matter how cheesy it sounds, this book needs to be experienced and not just talked about on a page in words that would never match up. Please do read it and let me know if you loved it too!  

Review // Coraline - Neil Gaiman

Published - 2nd August 2012
Publisher - Bloomsbury
Format - Kindle
Synopsis - There is something strange about Coraline’s new home. It’s not the mist, or the cat that always seems to be watching her, nor the signs of danger that Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, her new neighbours, read in the tea leaves. It’s the other house - the one behind the old door in the drawing room. Another mother and father with black-button eyes and papery skin are waiting for Coraline to join them there. And they want her to stay with them. For ever. She knows that if she ventures through that door, she may never come back.

Neil Gaiman's Coraline was incredible. Though more often than not, aimed at children, I think this book definitely appeals to adults and not just those who want to relive their youth ;) Written for his own children, this book is unique, wonderful and full of mysteries - and even a little creepy! Coraline as a character is just brilliant and inquisitive (as all children should be). She is brave and adventurous and even at 24 years old, she taught me a LOT.

There was this wonderful line about bravery, where Coraline states that bravery is being scared, and doing it anyway. PERFECT. She teaches that it's okay to be scared, in fact we should be scared, but we have the ability to push past that and do whatever we want to.

Coraline is imaginative and intense which just blew me away as the book is so short! It literally only took about an hour to read, and most of that time was spent appreciating the wonderful illustrations that accompany the book. Without doubt i'd say this book wouldn't be half as good without the amazing illustrations that just create the whole world brilliantly. I read Coraline on my kindle and even so the pictures were beyond what I could ever imagine.  Whether you're a new Gaiman fan, and old hand or have never even heard of him - I definitely recommend Coraline.