In why I wrote Coraline, Neil Gaiman
explains that he started this novel ten years prior to it being
published. He wanted to write a children’s book with a girl heroine for
his daughter. Now you wouldn’t think Gaiman and children’s book would
belong in same sentence. But in this story, it mostly works out well but
I think kids will enjoy it much more than adults.
With the movie coming out and being pretty impressed by the trailers I thought this is the kinda story I like to read. Just based on the trailers, the novel is darker than movie but that remains to be seen.
The novel is really an extended short story as the actual page count is 162 and could easily be read in a couple of hours. It starts off with Coraline being bored and ignored by her parents when she discovers a secret door to another dimension? A ghost world? Who knows as it is never explained. Think of it as Alice in Wonderland. In this other world Coraline finds that she has another set of parents, only these have black button eyes. This wouldn’t be a Gaiman story without some strangeness. The other mother makes Coraline an offer she can’t refuse but Coraline does the unthinkable and turns it down flat. The rest of the story involves Coraline and the other mother playing a game to win her freedom, along with her parents and 3 ghostly kids.
What I liked: I really enjoy reading Gaiman because his imagination is limitless and he will take you to new and fascinating places. Coraline is no exception. You just wish there was more time spent in this other world, but wanting more is never a drawback.
What I didn’t like: The story was written for children and Gaiman stays on the level of his audience. To me this was a downside because the story was a little too simplistic.
Last word: I enjoyed the novel but I would put it behind The Graveyard Book. Then again, The Graveyard Book was one the best novels I read last year. My advice, pick up it, read to your kids and then afterwards tape black buttons to your eyes to scare the hell out of them.
With the movie coming out and being pretty impressed by the trailers I thought this is the kinda story I like to read. Just based on the trailers, the novel is darker than movie but that remains to be seen.
The novel is really an extended short story as the actual page count is 162 and could easily be read in a couple of hours. It starts off with Coraline being bored and ignored by her parents when she discovers a secret door to another dimension? A ghost world? Who knows as it is never explained. Think of it as Alice in Wonderland. In this other world Coraline finds that she has another set of parents, only these have black button eyes. This wouldn’t be a Gaiman story without some strangeness. The other mother makes Coraline an offer she can’t refuse but Coraline does the unthinkable and turns it down flat. The rest of the story involves Coraline and the other mother playing a game to win her freedom, along with her parents and 3 ghostly kids.
What I liked: I really enjoy reading Gaiman because his imagination is limitless and he will take you to new and fascinating places. Coraline is no exception. You just wish there was more time spent in this other world, but wanting more is never a drawback.
What I didn’t like: The story was written for children and Gaiman stays on the level of his audience. To me this was a downside because the story was a little too simplistic.
Last word: I enjoyed the novel but I would put it behind The Graveyard Book. Then again, The Graveyard Book was one the best novels I read last year. My advice, pick up it, read to your kids and then afterwards tape black buttons to your eyes to scare the hell out of them.
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