This is technically written for younger readers (so I'm told). However, I enjoyed it all the way through and would recommend it to anyone of any age. ( )

You can also read the review here Hi books! It's me JethPlain

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
My rating:

“You're alive, Bod. That means you have infinite potential. You can do anything, make anything, dream anything. If you can change the world, the world will change. Potential. Once you're dead, it's gone. Over. You've made what you've made, dreamed your dream, written your name. You may be buried here, you may even walk. But that potential is finished.”

I'm not going to lie, this book made a handful of tears fall from my eyes. I love the whole atmosphere of the book. Nobody Owens is an orphan who was adopted by the Mr and Mrs Owens and has Silas as his guardian. He grew up in let's say in a sheltedred life in the graveyard, with special abilities like talking to ghost and walking through walls. As Bod grows up he wants to explore the world outside but with one tiny problem, someone's after him .

I really felt the love and care the folks from graveyard have for Bod and vice versa. I especially love the bond between Silas and Bod. As usual I love how this book was written like all Neil Gaiman books! I know this is a children's book but this surely has a special plac ein my heart. It's morbid and written by Neil Gaiman!

Truly, Death is not a "Goodbye", but a "see you soon".




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Had it in my to-read pile for years, finally decided to just get through. It's an excellent book, as is typical for Gaiman. He's very good at evoking a particular part-mythic tone and has a fantastic imagination.
Given the recent reveal about what kind of horrible person the author is, though, I'm not sure I can recommend it to anybody else. Not so good at separating the art from the artist. ( )

Alas, I borrowed this from a friend and had to return it, so I'm relying on poor aged memory for review. I found it to be a pleasant read, perhaps unnecessarily detailed in its violence in the very beginning, but mercifully absent once those first few pages have been overcome. Each chapter is a age/time period in dear Nobody's life, and I thought they were done well, with age-appropriateness as he is growing up. His naivete is a charming trait, but perhaps a little surprising from someone who lives in a graveyard among ghosts. You'd think their insight into human life would be more jaundiced. Perhaps the largest stutter was the section in which Nobody ends up attending school and dealing with bullies. There's perhaps a lesson in drawing attention to oneself that is a little heavy-handed, but then again, that's typical of most children's stories. Still, it was an enjoyable fast read.

I loved the way graveyard characters are introduced with their names then epitaph.

Gaiman is talented at creating fascinating images with words, and the dance macabre was particularly well done. Mr. Gaiman, meet Mr. Burton--now go make a movie. ( )

As usual, Gaiman evokes both the humane and the sinister elements of this novel with equal care, and his original fantasy world is well-realized. In contrast, the plot was not as imaginative as in his other novels. The ghouls, I think, are the stars of the story. ( )