From the Bookshelf of The Cat's Tale…

The Ocean at the End of the Lane

Neil Gaiman

Start date: June 16, 2013

Finish date: June 30, 2013

Discussion: Novel of the month!

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Novel of the month!

April 2016 - House of Small Shadows by Adam Nevill
By Katastrofekat · 1 post · 3 views

last updated Apr 02, 2016 08:37AM

February 2016: The Sword of Summer (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard #1)
By Kiwie · 1 post · 5 views

last updated Jan 16, 2016 01:10PM

What Members Thought

Feb 03, 2013 Kiwie rated it really liked it

Shelves: fantasy

My initial thought after finishing this: Beautiful.

When I first started reading I wasn't entirely sure if this book would sit well with me. It is the first Neil Gaiman book I've pre-ordered. The first adult fiction book he's published after I fell in love with his words (which was sometime before the Graveyard book came out, which I got for Christmas in a really pretty edition from my aunt who is magical at gifs. Or psychic. Or she just talks to my mother.) for real. After I somehow learned tha My initial thought after finishing this: Beautiful.

When I first started reading I wasn't entirely sure if this book would sit well with me. It is the first Neil Gaiman book I've pre-ordered. The first adult fiction book he's published after I fell in love with his words (which was sometime before the Graveyard book came out, which I got for Christmas in a really pretty edition from my aunt who is magical at gifs. Or psychic. Or she just talks to my mother.) for real. After I somehow learned that Gaiman is a writer who writes books. Weird, I have Coraline sitting on a shelf and it's been sitting there for years, and I've read Sandman and you know been generally aware of Gaiman since I was a kid, but it wasn't until 07/08 I really got into him and read most of his fiction. So I was worried I was going to be let down because I've built him up. I wasn't.

This was and wasn't Gaiman as I've know him. The book started off like books do, uncertainly, teaching the reader it's language and I was puzzled for a while, but by page 50 I was so drawn into the story that there was no putting it down until the final page. I read every single word. If books are boring, or parts seem to not be relevant to the overall plot I often read, but don't register much of what's going on. That didn't happen. Gaiman writes beautifully, sometimes his descriptions and observations make me go "this is truth" or feel like I'm having a eureka moment, which is a wonderful thing, or just making the words seem very real. (*coughpage112cough*) I'm expecting to see a lot of quotes from this floating about the web, in pretty fonts and on pretty pictures.

It was beautiful, and scary and I wish it was longer and not. I also want to tip my hat for his naming skills. Ursula Monkton! Sounds villainy to me.

Not to mention the beautiful name and the cover of my edition. Well, the book underneath the dust jacket as well as the dust jacket (do you even call them that?).

Yes, there are flaws, yes there were parts where I wished someone had edited the language differently, but for the most part I wouldn't change a thing. I think this is a lovely little book and I cried at the end. There's a magic to it, and while the universe is intangible it isn't annoyingly so, not to me anyway (I know others will disagree).

Again: Beautiful, I wish I could say something better, but that's all I can come up with. ...more

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Jul 09, 2013 Katastrofekat rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, favorites, fantasy, adult

I really loved this book. Something about it felt like coming home and the world of the book was one I loved. It took me quite a long time to finnish this book, mostly because I didn't get a chance to get into the story the first few times I picked it up, and secondly because I wanted the story to last longer. I wish this book was longer so I could spend more time in this world but at the same time I don't think the book would have been the same if it was any longer.
It might not be the best boo ...more

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Aug 03, 2013 Kamilla rated it really liked it

Shelves: novels, fiction

May 01, 2016 Christina J. marked it as to-read

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