Coraline (Bloomsbury Phantastics)
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Despite being mostly known for his fantastical graphic novels and adult fiction, Neil Gaiman's first book for children is everything that you would expect from such a massive imagination as his. It's special and wonderful and very weird indeed. Described by some as the new Alice in Wonderland, Coraline is actually more bizarre than that, much more frightening and its modest length definitely adds to the book's undiluted potency.
Shortly after moving into an old house with strange tenants above and below, Coraline discovers a big, carved, brown wooden door at the far corner of the drawing room. And it is locked. Curiosity runs riot in Coraline's mind and she unlocks the door to see what lies behind it. Disappointingly, it opens onto a brick wall. Days later, after exploring the rest of the house and garden, Coraline returns to the same mysterious door and opens it again. This time, however, there is a dark hallway in front of her. Stepping inside, the place beyond has an eerie familiarity about it. The carpet and wallpaper are the same as in her flat. The picture hanging on the wall is the same. Almost. Strangest of all, her mum and dad are there too. Only they have buttons for eyes and seem more possessive than normal. It's a twisted version of her world that is familiar, and yet sinister. And matters get even more surreal for Coraline when her "other" parents seem reluctant to let her leave.
Her attempted escape from this nightmare alternative reality sees Coraline experience a chilling series of ever more bizarre encounters. Some are plainly odd, others disturbingly spooky and together they combine to form an immensely readable story. It's like all the best bits of the Goosebumps books condensed into 160 pages. A unique reading experience guaranteed. (Ages 10 and over)--John McLay --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
`Beautiful and haunting ... A master modern fable'
--Waterstone's Guide to Kid's Books, February 2009
--Waterstone's Guide to Kid's Books, February 2009
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Disturbing in the best possible way,
By
This review is from: Coraline (Paperback)
I discovered this book a little over four years ago. It was the first Gaimain novel I had come across, and remains--despite my delving into the fascinating depths of Neverwhere's London Below, the dangerous beauty of Stardust's Faerie and all the rest--my absolute favourite of all his works. His clear, unconvuluted style is really allowed to shine through here as this story is primarily for children, giving a wonderfully bleak, chilly feel. Also, Gaiman's masterful tendency of leaving much unexplained and not feeling the need to rationalise the extraordinary is, no doubt one that will appeal to children greatly.
Admittedly, the basic idea of a 'Looking-Glass' world is not original, but the intricacies of the storyline certainly are. This novel has that feel that so many horror films try (and largely fail) to obtain with their demonic children and evil dollies; Coraline is awash with a kind of twisted innocence that is infinitely eerie. Black buttons have ever since made me edgy.
32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Coraline - ultimate spooky pageturner you can't put down,
By yvonne morrison (London, UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Coraline (Paperback)
I was attracted by the amazing artwork on the cover of this book, but was totally unprepared for the surprise inside. It is a pleasure to read out loud and was chosen as a bedtime story for our 8 year old child. OOps - very scary indeed, talking animals, rats singing cautionary tales, haughty cats, an impossibly long key, souls of dead children, the truth seen through a stone with a hole in it...... a girl trapped in a parallel world unable to leave until she rescues her parents.... The Other Mother and Father with large black buttons sewn on their eyelids, waiting to stitch up Coralines eyes..... I'm such a fan, can't you tell. Anyway, some clever person has bought the film rights and I can't wait. There's also a great website.. mousecircus.com Look out for and click on the rats when they scurry over the page, they will sing their chilling song for you. Enjoy if you dare.
19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Darkly Witty and Disturbingly Weird,
By
This review is from: Coraline (Paperback)
What a strange and disturbing little book! At a time when many children's authors are jumping on the fantasy bandwagon and producing clones of existing popular books, this weird tale comes as a refreshing change. The story is a surreal one; imagine 'Alice through the Looking Glass' with a contemporary twist, written in a style that makes the dark humor of Roald Dahl seem tame by comparison. Coraline lives with her parents in one half of a block of flats; the other half is empty and the door connecting the two is bricked up. However, one day the bricks vanish and Coraline finds her way into a parallel world that mirrors her own, but with some very, VERY disturbing differences. Some reviewers have grumbled about lack of depth to supporting characters - but I think they are missing the point. This book is quite short, (largish print) and no time is wasted on superfluous details about Coraline's neighbours. The emphasis of their characterization is on dark humor - all we really need to know are their peculiarities and foibles to appreciate their skewed mirror characters in the alternate world Coraline gets herself trapped in. I like children's books to take me somewhere new, unique and different - and to give me a few laughs along the way. This book certainly gets into my top ten favourites, despite being like one of those hideous nightmares that you can't seem to wake up from! If you enjoy something dark and different, check out 'Speed of the Dark,' by Alex Shearer.
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