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136 of 140 people found the following review helpful:
It takes a graveyard
Imagine Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book"... but replace the animals with ghosts, ghouls, werewolves and other such supernatural creatures.
Such is the concept of "The Graveyard Book," which cleverly turns Kipling's classic story into an exquisitely-written, darkly witty fantasy. While it starts as the assorted supernatural adventures of a young boy...
Published 13 months ago by E. A Solinas
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31 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
Beyong the Grave...
Hate to be the one (slightly)dissenting voice here, but just finished The Graveyard Book, and thought I'd offer a differing opinion than those already below...
I don't think this piece of work is accomplished as some are claiming. For me, the opening was wondeful: atmospheric, an interesting tilt to the language, full of colour and excitement and oddness...
Published 12 months ago by Pitch Ender
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136 of 140 people found the following review helpful:
It takes a graveyard, 10 Oct 2008
Imagine Rudyard Kipling's "Jungle Book"... but replace the animals with ghosts, ghouls, werewolves and other such supernatural creatures.
Such is the concept of "The Graveyard Book," which cleverly turns Kipling's classic story into an exquisitely-written, darkly witty fantasy. While it starts as the assorted supernatural adventures of a young boy raised by ghosts, the story slowly evolves into a beautifully ghastly confrontation between Nobody Owens and the people who want to do him harm.
"There was a hand in the darkness, and it held a knife." A man named Jack kills an innocent family at night -- except for a baby boy, who toddles out to the graveyard.
With the approval of the Lady on the Grey, the Owens ghosts adopt the boy, whom they name Nobody (or "Bod" for short), and the mysterious not-dead-or-alive Silas is appointed his guardian. Bod slowly grows up, but his upbringing is hardly ordinary -- he is taught by a Hound of God, wanders into the horrific realm of Ghulheim, watches a danse macabre, and befriends a witch's spirit from the Potter's Field.
But the man named Jack is still out there, and for some reason he (and the organization he works for) still wants to kill Bod. And though Silas and the ghosts are trying to keep him safe, Bod is becoming curious about the world of living humans -- and about the man who murdered his family. And when they come for him, he'll be ready.
The world of Neil Gaiman is never a safe place -- it's always painted in shadows and shades of grey, and something horrible may be lurking around the corner. And the world of "The Graveyard Book" is no exception to this -- it's filled with strange supernatural creatures, hellish red cities with decayed moons overhead, and midnight parades where ghosts dance with the living.
The world of the graveyard is an intriguing one -- moonlight, crumbly headstones, a little stone church, and a creepy barrow where the Sleer lurk. From a lesser author this would be kind of boring, but Gaiman's beautiful prose brings it to life ("There was a silent implosion, a flutter of velvet darkness, and Silas was gone").
And Gaiman explores Bod's childhood with dark humour ("Can you imagine how fine a drink the black ichor that collects in leaden coffins can be?") and adventure. But the tone changes as Bod grows older, especially with the creepily professional Jack and his cohorts slowly closing in on him. It's a coming-of-age tale, and a bittersweet, sometimes terrifying one.
Bod himself is a lovable kid, who slowly explores first the world of the graveyard and then the world of the living. He's both ruthless and kind, sweet and strong. The mysterious Silas -- whose true nature is only revealed late in the book -- serves as a kindly but stern mentor, who pretty clearly loves young Bod like a father.
And there's a pretty wide supporting cast -- Bod's childhood friend Scarlett is rather bratty, but the ghosts make up for that. The snappy, witty witch Eliza, the kindly Owenses, Mother Slaughter, the fussy Mr. Pennyworth, and the schoolteacherish substitute guardian Miss Lupescu all round out the cast. And with only a few lines, Gaiman makes them seem practically real.
"The Graveyard Book" is a beautifully written, bittersweet coming-of-age tale with some moments of pure creepiness. A magnificent fantasy story, which is not to be missed.
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61 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
An evocative, touching, masterful book..., 11 Oct 2008
Brilliant - sinister, lyrical and poignant all at the same time. Like 'The Jungle Book', it's a great evocation of growing up as an outsider, and the world is vivid and perfectly imagined; and, like 'The Jungle Book', the narrative voice is faultless. But it has more narrative tension than 'The Jungle Book', and a grimmer edge - the gothic elements (ghosts, werewolves, vampires) are picturesque without being cliched, and occasionally funny, but at the heart of the book there's a real engagement with fear, time, and loss. There were a couple of moments towards the end where I thought the structure was weaker, but that's just a quibble - on the whole I thought this was wonderful: an intelligent, elegant, and - in spite of the pervading sense of graveyard cold - warm book. And Chris Riddell's illustrations are beautiful - ethereal-looking line drawings that are witty and unsettling. I haven't seen the other edition but I can't imagine Riddell's drawings being bettered.
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38 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
Raised *by* the dead? That doesn't sound right..., 20 Oct 2008
What one word best describes this tale of an infant whose whole family are murdered, and who toddles to the safety of a local graveyard, where he's raised and educated by the resident dead? That word, surprisingly, would be "charming".
And it is, in every sense of the word. It's eloquent without being condescending, comforting without being soft, sharp without being bitter, and it captivates your attention throughout its entirety, leaving you perfectly satisfied by the end.
The cast of characters are written to perfection. The dead maintain an eerie timelessness, whilst the other supernatural creatures are subtle yet distinct, ("Silas ate only one food, and it was not bananas"); the villains pull off the trick of being both evil *and* credible; the living have a refreshing mundane quality, and Bod the protagonist is left with the uneasy struggle of being neither fish nor fowl (nor dead).
A delight to read and a joy to think about.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Ideal for those new to Neil Gaiman, 19 Jun 2009
As someone new to Neil Gaiman, I wasn't sure what to expect - but it was very pleasant surprise. Both touching and really quite dark and sinister at times, I particularly liked the relationship between Silas and Bod. The book successfully portrayed a cemetery as a safe and welcoming place and you were never quite sure what was going to happen next. Highly recommended.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
A Ghoulish Delight for Both Adults and Kiddies, 25 Oct 2008
Gaiman is a master story-teller, there is no doubt about that, but it's very hard to think of him as a children's story-book writer (and yes I know he has written other children's books before, but they always seemed...not quite right). However, after reading through this novel of his one can clearly see that he has the skills necessary to delight and educate the young ones without dulling it down too much or losing the young ones on the way.
The story can be considered to be an homage to Kipling's "Jungle Book" with excellent references being made to Kipling's story that are easily recognizable. The hero of the tale, Nobody Owens, is endearing, while at the same time not a weak character. Except for the fact that he was raised by ghots of the graveyard, he is an entirely believable character, which makes the novel even more enjoyable.
Fans of Gaiman will not be disappointed by this novel, those new to him will definitely enjoy it, and those who are looking for a good book to read to a child will also be well served by this.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, 19 Jun 2009
Deservedly this book won the Newbery Medal. It is a remarkably unsentimental, wonderful,gently humorous tale of Nobody. The Baby who crawled into and was brought up in The Graveyard. To tell more of the story than that would spoil the magical effect of Gaiman's skill in leading you down a path which has you believing seven impossible things before elevenses.
To say I was entranced by this book is to put it in banal terms. I have now told at least forty people that until they read Gaiman's latest work, they will not realise that English writing is not only well, not only thriving, but reaching heights that the most optimistic would hardly credit.
This is story telling at it's highest level. I suggested to one of my grandsons (aged 11) that he might like to read this book. Unlike me he is not a great reader though he usually has a book by his bed. He shrugged but took it. Two days later he came to me with a huge grin on his face. "It's cool, Dadoo." he said " It's just...magic"
I don't think I can improve on that.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A brilliant book, defintely one of my favourites of the year!, 14 Jan 2009
I'd never read anything by Neil Gaiman before; "Not my thing", I'd decided. Then I watched the film adaptation of Startdust and thought maybe I'd give it a try after all. But I never did. And then all the publicity for The Graveyard Book started appearing ... and talk about judging a book by its cover. As a school librarian I should be ashamed to admit it but I decided to read the book purely because of the magnificent cover by Chris Riddell! I probably wouldn't have bothered if only the David McKean cover had been available. And what a mistake that would have been! Because WOW, what a book!
Bod is only a toddler when his whole family is murdered by the Man Jack; narrowly escaping, he takes refuge in a nearby graveyard. After many discussions, the ghostly inhabitants decide to look after him and he is adopted by Mr and Mrs Owens. Under the watchful eye of his guardian Silas, Bod grows up as a living boy in a dead man's world, with all the abilities of a ghost. But the Man Jack cannot rest until he has finished the job and is still on the lookout for Bod.
This is a fantastic fantasy book and a great coming-of-age book. There is lots of action, plenty of twists (some of them I did not see coming!) and enough gory creatures to keep fans of this genre entertained. But most of all, it is an amazing love story. Gaiman writes so well you forget that Bod's parents are in fact ghosts and his guardian a vampire; what you take away from this story is the sheer feeling of devotion for a child (the last chapter was heart-breaking for me but I think that's just because I am a mum and the thought of "letting go" of your child is quite hard!).
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
A good, light hearted, escapism book., 27 Dec 2008
I've just finished reading this and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Like I said in the title it was easy to read, funny in places and a good, light-hearted, escapism book. I would recommend it to anyone.
The lack of a 5th star only comes from the fact that I wish Neil would have gone into a bit for detail about the characters Silas and Miss Lupescu. I found myself left wanting for a bit more involvement from these two characters. I also got a tad frustrated by the haziness of what went on between them and the Jacks.
Other than that, I loved it and would defiantly read it again! I would also recommend listening to the audio-book. Neil himself narrates it and he does it extremely well; very atmospheric, broody and extremely enjoyable.
I hope you find this helpful (it's my 1st book review...)
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
This could well be a future Classic!, 3 Dec 2008
In a nutshell: A fine read primarily aimed at the junior reader, but with enough maturity to be able to be enjoyed by all. The Graveyard Book has the potential to be a future classic in the same vein as the one that inspired it, The Jungle Book (and other greats such as Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard in Oz and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe etc.), and for that reason alone I consider this novel unmissable.
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In his acknowledgments Gaiman credits more than a passing nod for this novel to Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, a childhood favourite of his, and while the chief protagonist of the novel Bod, can certainly fit into Mowgli's loin cloth, I didn't really feel that there was much of a relationship between the two, other than a child growing up in a unique environment. Then again I read Jungle Book with child eyes many years ago, and this I read as a mature adult, so my perspective is somewhat different. More delightful for me perhaps (mainly because of the romantic notion it throws up), is the author's revelation that the inspiration for The Graveyard Book came after watching his two year old son pedaling his tricycle between the gravestones of a church one summer.
So from the outset I think I've established that The Graveyard Book is a title primarily aimed at the more junior reader, and fundamentally it is. That said the narrative is certainly more than mature enough to be read by all ages and I certainly didn't feel at any point that I was reading a book that was too young for me. In fact the publishers have seen fit to release this title in both a child's and adult's version so it's accessible for all. Being frugal I actually bought the child's version (it was available at a discounted price :o)), and I'm glad I did because it's got some really nice illustrations throughout from accomplished artist Chris Riddell.
On to the story itself and The Graveyard Book is hugely fantastical (what story about a baby being adopted by ghosts wouldn't be?), but that's The Graveyard Book's quality - pure unadulterated escapism. The story is well-paced, tight and easily read and with this novel at least (because it's the only one I've read) Neil Gaiman shows himself as a great storyteller. If he were around in times of lore then he would undoubtedly be the one wandering the medieval countryside with his lute, entertaining the townsfolk with his tales of wonderment :o). Gaiman's put a lot of cleverness into this story with some neat plot twists that ensure the pages keep turning.
Aside from the plot twists I loved following Bod's interactions with the ghosts of the graveyard, and his attempts to adopt the ghostly attributes which would prove useful to him in his unique position. Undoubtedly however, the main success of the storyline comes from Bod's growing angst at being kept from the world outside the graveyard. It's a problem that increases as Bod grows older and its fundamentally an exploration of growing up, but it's growing up in a wholly unique environment, and that's what makes the story so compelling.
As anyone who has read any of my former book reviews would know, my biggest passion is for good characterisation. I'm not so bothered about story or plot (although they help of course) but good characters mean everything to me; so much so that this aspect on its own can often make the difference between a novel being good or bad for me. Well, I'm happy to proclaim that Gaiman has created a really well-rounded charismatic character in the chief protagonist Bod, and if he were looking to create an equal to rival Kipling's Mowgli then I think he's succeeded, admirably. Silas, Bod's vampiric guardian, is another well realised character in this novel. He's a character that comes across with a great deal of enigmatic depth, and the phrase `still waters run deep' comes to mind when I think of him. I also think that this is the first time ever that I've been so endeared to a character who is traditionally considered to be an icon of horror.
Sadly however that's where the good characterisation diminishes somewhat for me, and with the possible exception of `the man Jack', all of the other characters come across as being somewhat flat and mere `players' in the story. Don't get me wrong, the portrayal of the other characters is certainly adequate, more than enough to ensure the novel keeps its gleam, but given the richness of character that could have been realised with such an imaginative cast of ghostly figures, I would have liked to have seen some of the other characters being better developed, at least up to the same standard as Silas.
In closing then the main question remaining is whether this is a novel that I recommend reading? Well if you're a junior then absolutely. It's a fantastic novel with a flowing, interesting storyline that juniors are certain to love. I promise! :o)
What about the more mature reader? Well as I've said above it's marketed towards all ages and the story has enough maturity to make it a novel for all ages. It's certainly a light read so if your expecting something as deep and engaging as a Tolstoy or Murakami then you're going to be disappointed. However, if it's a light read you're after then I can think of no better. It entertained me completely and as a reader who normally gets his kicks from the more dense prose of writers such as Steinbeck, Doestovsky and Hamsun etc. that's a big achievement. Bearing that in mind I'm confident that The Graveyard Book will entertain just about anyone. Go buy it!
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31 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
Beyong the Grave..., 6 Nov 2008
Hate to be the one (slightly)dissenting voice here, but just finished The Graveyard Book, and thought I'd offer a differing opinion than those already below...
I don't think this piece of work is accomplished as some are claiming. For me, the opening was wondeful: atmospheric, an interesting tilt to the language, full of colour and excitement and oddness. But after that (and in particular, the middle section), the narrative fell away, exposing what is merely a collection of fantasy cliches (though well-embroidered with Gaiman's imagination), doled out in the form of short stories. This brings me to perhaps my biggest problem with the book - the structure did not serve the story well. As a kind of Bildungsroman, it should have given more of a sense of continuity; change; development. Breaking the narrative into fragments (seemingly without rhyme or reason) does not serve the story well enough as a coming-of-age piece, and the momentum was largely lost...abandoned when it was just gaining pace. As a result, each section resolved itself into a kind of "fable"; each chapter summed by the "lesson" learned in each.
The ending was a major disappointment though: a prophecy? Really? After Harry Potter et al, is this all Mr Gaiman could come up with? And a secret society of (effectively) murderers? His story-telling skills simply weren't up to the task of orchestrating a big ending; it felt shamelessly cinematic, and much too concerned with a contrived tying-up of loose ends. Though on the plus side, the denouement was suitable poignant...
On the whole, I wouldn't recommend NOT to buy this book. I'm just not convinced of its already-touted status as "an instant classic!".
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