Fictional Book Spotlight #2

I can't believe it took me an eternity to write this up and sorry for the delay, people who actually take time to read my blog. Anyway, as promised here is the review for...

I really hold this book close to my heart for some reason.  I discovered this book through my friend Katelyn and I was able to buy my own copy. Its wonder lies not in the depth of its plot. Neil Gaiman's books are also so haunting and beautiful, just like this one. So without further ado, 

The Ocean at The End of The lane..

             Sypnosis

This is mostly centered around the unnamed narrator's childhood. If those words discourage you. Think again. His childhood was anything but normal. Nope, it wasn't filled with those same old fantastical adventures we usually read in kid's books. The adventure in this book was subtle yet powerful. (Hint: There's fantaaaasy) It all starts when he meets Lettie Hempstock who lives down the lane with her mother and grandmother. They have an "ocean" in their backyard, it's actually just a pond. (or not.) They chain of events that follow are soon pretty mystical and so very deep. Together, they must fight off an evil that threatens to disturb their peaceful countryside. 

  Reading the above words might make you feel that this is more of a kid's book but trust me, it isn't. It brings you back to your childhood but there are lots of metaphors and hidden meanings in between the lines. But at the same time it isn't an adult story. It's somewhere in between and that's the special thing about it.

           Review

 Honestly, writing this review was quite hard for me. The book is just so wonderful and beautiful that it is hard to capture it in words. Although, I'd say that Neil Gaiman's writing style is only for those who appreciate a creepy and haunting feel when reading their books (kind of like Lemony Snicket). I really got caught up with this book and I can't stop reading it. The Hempstocks were very unlikely people and you could easily love them. Plus, we all could relate to the unnamed boy narrator.  His innocent and simple thoughts ring with powerful truth and conviction.  When reading the book, I was sucked into the English countryside and all its mysteries. Even as I read it, I feel like I'm standing underneath the orange sky off the boundaries of the Hempstock  farm and listening to Lettie singing in a foreign tongue. The ending was memorable and just plain beautiful. You should all definitely read this book with all its wondrous peculiarities and mysteries. It will make you laugh, it will make you smile, it will make you cry and it will make you think about the darkness that lies outside and inside of us.

Rating: 4.5/5

"Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Some of them are things people are scared of. Some of them are things that look like things people are scared of a long time ago. Sometimes monsters are things people should be scared of, but aren't" -Lettie Hempstock

Thank you for reading my second review. It's such a pleasure to have people coming onto this blog. I'm not sure what my next book review will be but I have some books in mind. So stay tuned!