![]() This is a story aimed at younger, less discriminating audiences. It is unfair to criticize The Graveyard Book by the standards of adult fiction. His creativity gushes forth feverishly into every aspect of his story which puts me off. He tries too hard to be clever and he offsets this by trivially naming his main character "Nobody" or always referring to the character Jack as "the man Jack." Gaiman is absurdly creative but he struggles to control it. Finally, Bod goes toe to toe with the villain in a G-rated showdown that will please concerned mothers. The story picks up when Bod uses his ghostly powers for good against a pair of school bullies. We follow along as he explores the graveyard and gets into trouble. In fact, he is so normal that he is boring. Bod, despite being raised by ghosts, is a fairly normal kid. It will leave any young reader wide-eyed. It is a milieu story designed to explore Gaiman's strange world of ghosts and ghouls and many other weird things. Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book is a simple story about Nobody "Bod" Owens who, after his family is murdered, takes refuge in a graveyard and is raised by ghosts. All in all, definitely a top drawer listen!Ī fine children's story but not worth a Hugo The story weaves its way into your psyche and finds a place to live (always the mark of an exceptionally fine piece of literature). I didn't think the book all that scary, wrong. I actually got chills, I was scared to pieces and had to tell myself it would be silly to make him take it back. He came home with a bottle of "Every Man Jack" saving soap. He ran up to Target to get some shaving soap. As matter of fact, the week after I finished listening to this book. Now, as an aside - my husband recently ran out of shaving soap. This is a book that begs to be read aloud and comes alive in the most marvelous way. Insofar as it goes as an audio book, it is fantastic. The story is a good one and has a very original twist. I am now delighted that fate compelled me wait a couple of minutes, otherwise I would have missed out. Luckily I was driving mach 80 down the interstate and couldn't fiddle with my iPod at the time. Let us just say that the story cannot take place without this bit, just struck a tad close to home for me. To be honest I almost turned it off after the first couple of minutes, but don't want to spoil. It is well written, interesting and the author's use of language gives an extra kick, like an elusive spice in a soup. ![]() What it is, however, is for grown ups who miss the magic of childhood. This book is no more for small children than a Tolkien book would be. I noticed that most of the negative reviews for this book are by people who bought it for their small children. Everything becomes possible, and it all feels real. ![]() NEIL GAIMAN THE GRAVEYARD BOOK FULLWhen I hear Neil Gaiman's books, however, I am drawn all the way back, full force, into a world of all new rules. I gradually lost my passion for fantasy and got drawn more to hard science fiction or murder mysteries or at least stories with a hard basis on reality, even if a reality poetically described. Somewhere along the line in the thirty years that followed I gradually lost the desire or will to escape the rules of nature. They had not only villains and heroes, children who became men, and powers discovered, but they made me feel like I could be part of battles between order and chaos, mages and warriors, gods and men, monsters and me. They were books of a different world with with rules of magic I could believe were real. As a kid (roughly age 10 to 13) I used to love reading books like the Sword of Shanara, Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Circle of Light, Elric of Melnibone, Chronicles of Amber, Grey Mouser and Fafhard, The Dragon and the George, The Compleat Enchanter, etc. I just put my finger on why I find Neil Gaiman's Graveyard Book and Neverwhere so enchanting. Magical, terrifying, and filled with breathtaking adventures, The Graveyard Book is the winner of the Newbery Medal, the Carnegie Medal, the Hugo Award for best novel, the Locus Award for Young Adult novel, the American Bookseller Association's "Best Indie Young Adult Buzz Book", a Horn Book Honor, and Audio Book of the Year. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their ghostly teachings - such as the ability to Fade so mere mortals cannot see him.Ĭan a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? ![]() Nobody Owens is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place - he's the only living resident of a graveyard. The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, has sold more than one million copies and is the only novel ever to win both the Newbery Medal and the Carnegie Medal. The original audiobook edition of the acclaimed novel, read by the author! ![]()
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