The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
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Book Reviews of The Graveyard Book
Book Review: Another Gaiman Delight mixing humor, creepiness, fantasy, horror, and humanity
Summary: 5 Stars
What a fun read. It kept me up 'til 7 in the morning yesterday, and I do not regret it a bit.
The story of Nobody Owens--his adopted name, as this is a wee human child spared the murderous spree of a dreadful assasin, then taken in by a cemetery full of ghosts from assorted centuries, and guarded by them because the assasin has not given up the quest to kill him--is unputdownable. Every adventure as he grows from toddler to teenager mixes wonders and frights and humor. It's just such fun to see him learn ghostly ways and interact with humans and nonhumans.
There's so much to recommend in the story (and my fellow reviewers cover plenty, so I need not repeat it), but I agree that the trip into the world of the ghouls was a wild ride. I have to give props to Gaiman for the total magic that he infused into the chapter on the Danse Macabre. It would have been a terrific short story--that strange, strange day--but it worked wonderfully in the tale, showing us clearly a thing or two about Nobody and his mysterious, powerful Guardian, Silas. (His particular fantasy niche, while never said specifically in so many words is , nevertheless, no great riddle.)
The near-end brings Nobody into confrontation with the horrible killer, and Nobody comes into his own, but it costs him. It's a well-crafted ending that is inevitable given all Nobody's learned as the story progressed. If you don't figure it out pretty well in advance, you werent' paying attention.
The bittersweet--but natural and fitting-- ending made me sad as I closed the book. It feels complete, yes, but I so want to see more written on Nobody Owens. I have no idea if Mr. Gaiman has planned another or several more novels with this character, but I can say that I would very much like to read more on Nobody and Silas.
I should add that there are illustrations scattered throughout, however, I'm not a particular fan of all the included art. I normally really enjoy McKean's partnering with Mr. Gaiman, but several of the illustrations just left me unimpressed. Though, honestly, I was so wrapped up in the tale, I didn't give them that much of a lingering look. So, the fault may lie more with my impatience to read.
A wonderful story. If you enjoyed the award-winning CORALINE, you're in for a treat. This one's better.
Thanks, Mr. G.
Mir
UPDATE Jan 26, 2009: This book just won Gaiman the prestigious Newbery Medal!
Book Review: Wonderfully Imaginative
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Graveyard Book" is the first of Neil Gaiman's work I've read. It's not hard to see why he is so popular- he has a gift for narration, and "Graveyard Book" delivers plenty of that. Moreover, the story is intriguing and emotionally honest- a good combination to have in a young reader's book.
"Graveyard Book" starts out very grimly. The man Jack murders a family, and is about to murder a toddler but he wandered out of the house before Jack had arrived, and found his way to the nearest graveyard. A mysterious man named Silas protects him and manages to drive Jack away. Afterward, the toddler is given the name Nobody, because no one knows his name, and the last name of Owens, because two of the graveyard residents with the last name Owens agree to be his surrogate parents.
The bulk of the book is about Nobody's (or Bod's) challenges in growing up. The graveyard residents, who the "real world" can't see, teach him things like how to become invisible and walk in dreams. Bod's bodyguard, Silas (who is probably a vampire though that is never explicitly stated) tells Bod that he must stay in the graveyard until the right time, because of the danger he would be in. But Bod, being the disobedient child he is, wants to go off on adventures. He is almost captured by Ghouls at one point, but that's just the beginning. He soon decides, around age 12, that he needs to leave and go to a school with people like him, against Silas's express wishes. Bod deals with some bullies in school, meets an old friend that he played with in his younger years, and then sees that he cannot run from his most dangerous threat forever. And from there, I will let the reader learn about the rest.
What really struck me about the book is how Gaiman blends together captivating fantasy with real emotional honesty. For example, Bod inhabits a world of the supernatural- he lives among ghosts in a graveyard and has to deal with other supernatural beings- but the characters and story all have real emotion. Bod really does want to get out and see the world and refuses to accept that there may not be positive consequences to his actions. In addition, the drama he has at school and with his childhood friend, and the danger he faces from Jack, are all honest, suspenseful, and not sugar-coated. In sum, I recommend "The Graveyard Book" to kids of all ages who are looking for a dark, captivating story.
Book Review: It Takes a Graveyard
Summary: 5 Stars
There is a moment in Gaiman's opus Sandman which stands out to this day. As punishment to a writer, a power curses him with an endless flow of ideas which he can neither control nor even pause to write (the two that I remember were about a "were-goldfish" and a man who inherits a library card to the great library at Alexandria). What stood out was how each of the ideas was intriguing as it was bizarre. Reading the Grave Yard Book I am reminded of the question that occurred to me at the time - how close is that character's experience to Neil Gaiman's real life?
Long recognized by those readers who appreciate his extraordinary imagination and his gift for prose, The Grave Yard book serves as a case in point; how does Gaiman come up with these ideas? A series of linked short stories, the novel features the protagonist of "Nobody Owens," who as a toddler after the murder of his family wonders into a grave yard where the Ghosts in residence adopt him agreeing to raise him as there own. What follows are a series of linked short stories, each bearing the author's trademarks of dark humor, a deep understanding of a variety of topics mundane and arcane, and an ability to take common myths in uncommon new directions.
No one would be surprised at the gallows humor which run through this work, yet it is Gaiman's sensitivity to his characters which marks this work with a tenderness not found in much of his other work (Sandman standing out for me as a notable exception). In his treatment of Nobody's struggles Gaiman show's a tenderness for his circumstance, while at the same time tapping into a number of universal themes of the challenges of childhood. Gaiman famously composed his Stardust as a sort of homage to a time when distinctions of genre were far less severe and high fiction fantasy was noted more for the former description than the latter (such as Tolkien's day). In the same way, the Grave Yard Book shows flashes for Gaiman's appreciation of the Brother's Grimm.
In the end, the highest two points of praise I can give this book are that not only could I not put it down, but also that I seem unable to stop recommending it to near everyone I see. As is so often the case in his work, Gaiman has crafted a world at once unique, familiar, scary, and wholly mesmerizing.
Book Review: I Can See Why it got the Newberry
Summary: 5 Stars
After discovering Coraline I was curious to see what other books Gaiman had written and was lucky enough to find this in the library.I only had to read the first few sentences before becoming hopelessly smitten.
Nobody Owens has a very unusual life.He lives in a graveyard,being raised by the ghosts who live there and watched over by his guardian Silas,who is neither living nor dead.Nobody('Bod' to his friends)cannot leave the graveyard because a killer named Jack,who has already murdered the rest of Bod's family,is still searching for him.But Bod doesn't mind;he has plenty of adventures there.Whether he's exploring an ancient barrow(hill)inhabited by an entity called the Sleer,or accidentaly going to Ghulheim,the terrifying home of the ghouls,there's never a dull moment.Things can't go on like this forever,though...sooner or later Bod will have to confront the man Jack,and only one of them will survive...
Words cannot begin to describe how much I love this book.The characters all feel very real.Bod,though he can be obnoxious and a little selfish at times,is a great hero:a kind,intelligent boy.And Silas.How I adored Silas.Every kid dreams of having a companion like him.He's powerful,wise,and,most of all, mysterious.You can never predict just what Silas is going to do or say next.He also happens to be a vampire(one of the best ever,in my opinion).Gaiman never actually says what Silas is,but with all the clues he gives(Silas only comes out at night,consumes just one food,has no reflection,dislikes sunlight,ect.)you don't have to be a rocket scientist to put the pieces together and come up with 'vampire.'Even minor characters,like Bod's foster parents and the 'Hound of God' Ms.Lupescu,come alive.The graveyard is a wonderful,fascinating world I wish I could live in.The thing I think I like best about The Graveyard Book is the fact that,as one reviewer pointed out,it has a lot more'heart' than Coraline.Coraline is a good book,but you never get as close to the characters there as you do in this novel.
The Graveyard Book is wise,enchanting,and even darkly funny in some places.It fully deserves the Newberry,and I predict that in thirty years it will become a classic.I loved it to death and hope that Mr.Gaiman will write more books about Bod and Silas in the future.
Book Review: Gaiman Hits Another High-note With Graveyard Book
Summary: 5 Stars
I have to admit, in general I'm a huge Gaiman fan. I've heard it said that you either like him or you don't. I don't tend to draw such straight lines, but I have found his stories to be for the most part surprising, and ethereal and they either pull at my imagination or they don't. The Graveyard Book definitely pulls, and not just at my imagination, but extraordinarily; at my heart.
I have to admit, I was a little iffy with the first couple pages, thinking this was going to be straight-out horror story all the way through, but then it took a lovely shift into fanciful and it quickly became one I couldn't put down. If I was forced to draw one comparison between Gaiman's other works, it would be that he seems to me to be at his best when he writes for a younger audience. He gives himself more room to play, and his sense of whimsy is fully-developed.
The Graveyard Book is the story of Bod, a young boy who is raised in the most fantastical of places. A graveyard. Orphaned as an infant, after the chilling murders of his earthly family by the man named Jack, he stumbles into the graveyard. Here, he is taken in by a charming cast of the dearly departed and learns about life, for the most part, by the people positioned to appreciate it most; the dead. Here he is safe, but he is also trapped, as the murderous Jack is intent on finishing what he started, and leaving the graveyard would mean the loss of the protection Bod enjoys there.
Gaiman manages to populate his story with more than the expected ghostly cliches and provides a series of mysteries to keep us guessing throughout. His characters are entertaining, endearing and surprisingly charming. There were more than a handful that I couldn't help wanting to know more about; like Bod's mysterious guardian Silas. I could easily see this as a series with Silas as the bridging character throughout. Part adventure, part murder-mystery, part comedy and part supernatural history, and with the emotional resonance that it manages to strike as we see Bod's relationship with these ghoulish characters and the outside world, it really is quite hard not to love.
Rating: 5
(Note: Review originally published at: Aurelia.) [...]