Coraline in Into the Forest

Jan 14, 2009 Danielle The Book Huntress rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, owned-copy, dark-fantasy, 2015-cover-to-cover-challenge, middle-grade-juvenile, 2015-challenge-factory-challenge, favorites, girl-power, set-in-uk, favorite-or-autobuy-author

"Coraline" continues my love affair with Neil Gaiman's books on audio. I love his voice so much. It's soothing but also keeps my mind focused on the story. I think that he endows his words with all the emphasis, power and creative energy they should have. He's really great with different voices as well. "Coraline" might be a short book on audio, but it's so rich and fulfilling.

I freely admit I had ghoulish tastes in books when I was a girl. I read every scary or dark fantasy novel in the childre "Coraline" continues my love affair with Neil Gaiman's books on audio. I love his voice so much. It's soothing but also keeps my mind focused on the story. I think that he endows his words with all the emphasis, power and creative energy they should have. He's really great with different voices as well. "Coraline" might be a short book on audio, but it's so rich and fulfilling.

I freely admit I had ghoulish tastes in books when I was a girl. I read every scary or dark fantasy novel in the children's section, and some multiple times (The Gruesome Green Witch I'm looking at you!). I would have loved this book if it had been written when I was a young girl. It's nicely scary and intense, but also suitable for a child (and adults like me). The "Other Mother" seethes with menace, and the use of subtle details (like her button eyes, penchant for eating beetles, and hair that waves as though a breeze is blowing although it isn't.) There are even gruesome touches, such as the fact that some of the inhabitants of the world the "Other Mother" created are barely formed, gelatinous blobs. I agree with another reviewer who said that they admired how brave Coraline was (and she's brave in the real sense, doing something in spite of her fears). She's really an awesome young girl (but also realistic in her flaws).

I think that Gaiman has a sense of childhood that has not faded with his age. He understands the joy and the disappointments of it. Coraline is a young girl surrounded by adults, and that's a tough situation. She seethes with physical and mental energy, and while appropriate in development for her age, she's also mature and capable of taking care of herself to a degree. But like any other child, she yearns for the love and attention of parents who care about her. Luckily, she is able to see through the "Other Mother" and realizes that her parents are exactly what she needs and not a figment of her imagination with a menace beneath the wish fulfillment.

I would have to give this one 4.5 stars because it doesn't quite meet the high standards of The Graveyard Book in comparison. But it really is an outstanding book. The movie is pretty good, if you get a chance to watch it. I saw it first, and I plan to re-watch it and compare it since I watched it years ago and I'm just now reading the book.

If you can get this on audio, I highly recommend it. ...more

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Jul 11, 2007 Lacey Louwagie rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: youngadultfantasy

Choosing to read this book before bed my first week living alone was not a great idea. During the day, this book is a little quirky and creepy. At night, it could be downright scary. I ended up reading most of it over breakfast rather than as a bedtime story.

This book really does read like a dark Alice in Wonderland, complete with Alice in Wonderland's complete disregard for answering any of the "why?" questions. I wanted all the characters to be a bit more substantial (no pun intended), and I w ...more

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Feb 06, 2009 Lesley rated it it was amazing

Thank you Neil for writing such a great children's book... I wanted to read it before going to see the movie. I loved it!

This is a heads-up to all of you if you want to go see the movie... Don't leave until the credits are all the way done.. the best 3-D scene is AFTER the credits roll at the end.

The movie was worth every penny!

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May 16, 2009 Netanella rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy, young-adult

Beautiful story of a young girl, feeling bored and neglected by her busy parents, who finds a secret passage through a locked door into another world. This world is a dark replica of her world, created by the other mother, an evil being with black-button eyes and snaky hair who wishes to keep Coraline for her own. Add a talking black cat, a weirdo upstairs neighbor named Mr. Bobo who keeps musical mice, and three ghostly children whose souls she must rescue in order to escape. This is children's ...more

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Aug 01, 2007 Lia added it · review of another edition

Shelves: owned

Was listening to it in the car, with the kids, while driving them to & from school... until the cd player ate the disc! I can't get it to eject or play, so I guess it's stuck until I get the player repaired or something.

Of COURSE the car eats the library's disc, not one of my own... =P

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Update: Bought my own copy and replaced the library's CD with my own, so now it's MY disc stuck in the car stereo. But before I took the library's back to them, I copied the first disc onto my computer. So I ...more

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