Overall, the majority of the members that read The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil
Gaiman really enjoyed the book. One member even said that she felt like a child
again, and wanted to re-read the classic childhood books. Other members found
themselves missing certain details, or not fully understanding parts of the
book. Below is a brief synopsis of our likes and dislikes that we discussed.
What we liked:
- The imagery used was bare minimum, but very
descriptive and vivid.
- The book contained groupings of 3s that added
another depth and element to it.
- The symbolism used throughout the book.
What we didn't like:
- The flow of the book was confusing at times.
- The fantasy aspect of the book was hard to grasp
and get into for some of the book club members.
Favorite quotes:
“Adults follow paths. Children explore. Adults are content
to walk the same way, hundreds of times, or thousands; perhaps it never occurs
to adults to step off the paths, to creep beneath rhododendrons, to find the
spaces between fences. I was a child, which meant that I knew a dozen different
ways of getting out of our property and into the lane, ways that would not
involve walking down our drive.”
“I knew what egg was. Where the universe began, to the sound
of uncreated voices singing in the void. And I knew where rose was. The peculiar
crinkling of space into dimensions that fold like origami and blossom like
strange orchids, and which would mark the last good time before the eventual
end of everything and the next big bang, which, would be I know now, nothing of
the kind.”
