The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman - June 2021 (previously read July 2013)

[Gail]

I started reading the book but stopped! I'm torn about starting it again.

[Amanda]

"Adults take paths. Children explore."

That can just about sum up the book.
I've never read Neil Gaiman before. I had read some reviews before I read this book, so I was prepared to have a lot of things left unanswered (who's funeral was it?). I really enjoyed the story much more than I thought I would. Have a young son, I could relate to the POV of a 7-year-old boy.

In the story, it's the children who do all the hard work and "adults" who make the trouble. Even Old Mrs. Hempstock (who presumably could have clear the whole thing up from the get go) doesn't set foot off her farm (path) until Lettie has made her sacrifice.

Here's something I questioned, though. Are there really three Hempstock women at all? Could there be only one who has projected three versions of herself? Perhaps Lettie was just part of the one "Hemptock" woman. And this woman actually gave her childhood up to save "Handsome George." I thought maybe there was only one, and she kept the three versions of herself around so she wouldn't forget what it was like to be that age, so she could continue to explore instead of just taking paths.

[Susan]

Hi Amanda

Ooooh, I love your line of questioning. Perhaps there is only one Hempstock woman? I'd like to think that because I felt a little up in the air about Lettie disappearing.
I really liked the way Gaiman handled the narrator's reaction to his father almost drowning him, it drew you in as a reader.

[Leen]

This was a beutiful read i really enjoyed the story. It showed me the strange yet extrordinairy. It made me think if other weird and scary things that every child goes through. And reminded me of what i went through as a child.

[Terry ~ Huntress of Erudition]

I loved this book, I never read anything by Gaiman before and it was the first audio book I ever listened to all the way through. The author narrated the book and he had such a way of speaking that I was spellbound from the begining to the end.

[Shaun]

I liked this book. It didn't blow my mind, but it was a nice change of pace from what i'm used to reading.

I thought Ursula Monkton was the most interesting character out of the bunch.

Most importantly it done what allot of good stories do; it left me wondering. Wondering if it was a child's imagination covering over bad childhood experiences or was there magic?

[Amanda]

I loved this book! It was something different for me. I have never read anything by Neil Gaiman but I plan on reading more of his work. I know I would recommend this book to everyone. At first I thought I wouldn't enjoy this one but I made myself continue. Boy am I happy I did.

Amanda I loved your question about the Hempstock woman! Now that you question that it really does sound like that is a great possibility.

[Kristie, Moderator (Retired)]

My copy finally came in from the library!! Only a month behind! lol At least I'll get to read it. :)

[Michael]

Kristie wrote: "My copy finally came in from the library!! Only a month behind! lol At least I'll get to read it. :)"
Better late then never. =)

[Terry ~ Huntress of Erudition]

This wonderful book is worth waiting for!

[Kristie, Moderator (Retired)]

Yes! It seems to be getting very good reviews. I can't wait to read it. I just started it yesterday and so far, so good.

[Jamie]

Oh, I can't wait to read this!

[Lisa]

This was my first foray into the magical world of Mr Gaiman. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is not normally a genre that I would normally have chosen and enjoyed. Would someone please suggest which of his books I should read next?

[Kristie, Moderator (Retired)]

Our winning "large body of water on the cover" themed group read for June 2021 is The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman. This book was previously read in July of 2013. The new discussion begins here. Please discuss here and remember to use spoiler tags as needed, as everyone may start at different times and reads at different speeds.



Sussex, England. 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 incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. It is a stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.

[JoJo_theDodo]

Just ordered the book from my favorite Indie Book Store. I will get to pick it up next weekend. Looking forward to reading this one!

[Utkarsha]

I recently bought a beautiful copy of this book. Looking forward to reading it with you all!

[Fayet]

I just happened to start this book this morning. So excited to talk about it with you all!

[Rachel]

I’m so looking forward to this book! I’m a newer member and am enjoying the community. Cheers!

[Kristie, Moderator (Retired)]

Rachel wrote: "I’m so looking forward to this book! I’m a newer member and am enjoying the community. Cheers!"

Welcome, Rachel!

[Melissa]

great! just came in today from the library!! ❤️

[Melissa]

This book was.so.good!! Once I got over the fact that it should be labeled as "fantasy" and went with it it was a super good read!

[Salma]

I liked this book. The thing with Neil Gaiman is- his ideas are amazing, but his prose doesn't seem to deliver in the same way. There's nothing wrong with his writing- technically it's very good. It just seems to lack passion somehow. It's as though the characters aren't fully feeling their emotions, if that makes sense. For "Ocean" I agree with a previous post-er who said the plot was mediocre. But I always like books that have powerful women in them. :-D

THAT SAID, Norse Mythology is one of my favorite books. It delivers in all aspects- passion, prose. Gaiman did a phenomenal job with that one.

[Utkarsha]

Hi, everyone!
I finished reading the book yesterday. It was so beautiful! I loved the story, the Hempstocks have my heart and it was such a great blend of childhood, memory and survival.
The ending broke me a little but there was still a strange sense of hope. Bittersweet will be the right word to describe it, I guess.

[Utkarsha]

Salma wrote: "I liked this book. The thing with Neil Gaiman is- his ideas are amazing, but his prose doesn't seem to deliver in the same way. There's nothing wrong with his writing- technically it's very good. I..."

Hi, Salma.
Norse Mythology is a very fun read and quite funny. When I was reading it, I kept picturing Loki and Thor as they are casted in MCU. That definitely added another dimension to my reading experience. XD

[Salma]

Utkarsha wrote: "Salma wrote: "I liked this book. The thing with Neil Gaiman is- his ideas are amazing, but his prose doesn't seem to deliver in the same way. There's nothing wrong with his writing- technically it'..."

I haven't seen any of the Marvels- but this will motivate me to do that :-)

[Rachel]

Started this month’s group book late but looking forward to listening to it on tape. The Author is the narrator and gives it an beguiling effect.

[JoJo_theDodo]

I just finished the book tonight and I honestly really enjoyed it. The dynamics between the characters pulled me into the story and I really looked forward to reading it each day. I finished it quickly though. I think I may have found I have a fondness for the Fantasy genre due to reading this book. Based on other comments here I think I would like to read Norse Mythology.

[Kristie, Moderator (Retired)]

I have not read Norse Mythology yet. I think my favorite Gaiman book so far is Neverwhere.

[Fayet]

I finished this book a couple days ago. This was my first Gaiman book so far, and I loved the imagination and the magic in it. After I finished it, I was left wishing that I could explore that world more - follow along more lifetimes with Old Mrs. Hempstock and Ginnie and Lettie, understand more of how the magic works! I like how reality and magic kept weaving together, and in a way you never know what was real and what was the protagonist's re-written memory.

[Jess]

Fayet wrote: "I finished this book a couple days ago. This was my first Gaiman book so far, and I loved the imagination and the magic in it. After I finished it, I was left wishing that I could explore that worl..."

You should check out Neverwhere by Gaiman. It's an amazing read as well!

[Jess]

This was a great read! I've yet to find a Neil Gaiman book that I didn't thoroughly enjoy. The worlds and characters that he imagines are always captivating. I've moved on to American Gods now, but will definitely be checking out Norse Mythology after seeing some of these comments! :)

[Kristie, Moderator (Retired)]

Jess wrote: "Fayet wrote: "I finished this book a couple days ago. This was my first Gaiman book so far, and I loved the imagination and the magic in it. After I finished it, I was left wishing that I could explore...

You should check out Neverwhere by Gaiman. It's an amazing read as well!"

Neverwhere was my favorite Gaiman read.