Monday 13 July 2015

Coraline by Neil Gaiman



Book Stats:  Title: Coraline
                    Author: Neil Gaiman
                    Publisher: HarperCollins
                    Page Count: 160 (10th anniversary edition includes +27 pages of reading group guide, a
                                         Q&A with Neil Gaiman, and an exerpt from The Graveyard Book.
                    Release Date: January 24th, 2002
                    Series Status: Stand alone 
 Summary: (taken from Goodreads): Coraline's often wondered what's behind the locked door in the drawing room. It reveals only a brick wall when she finally opens it, but when she tries again later, a passageway mysteriously appears. Coraline is surprised to find a flat decorated exactly like her own, but strangely different. And when she finds her "other" parents in this alternate world, they are much more interesting despite their creepy black button eyes. When they make it clear, however, that they want to make her theirs forever, Coraline begins a nightmarish game to rescue her real parents and three children imprisoned in a mirror. With only a bored-through stone and an aloof cat to help, Coraline confronts this harrowing task of escaping these monstrous creatures.
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Book Review
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Having already watch the movie when I was younger, it was fun to compare what was the same and what was different. This story, though short, was filled with details and morals that make it equally fun for adults or children to enjoy. The setting was very original and was described with the perfect amount of imagery to clearly picture it but not too much so that you'd get bored. The charaters were very vivid and felt like real people, and the "other" parents were equally scary yet very interesting. You always wanted to know more. 
The world that Gaiman created could house many different stories, even with the ending of the book. That is when you know that a setting is done well, when there is a possibility to continue on. 
One of my favorite parts of this book was the foreshadowing. Like I mentioned, since i had already watched the movie I knew what would happen at the end, (this did not impact my reading experience) and it was cool to be able to identify the foreshadowing that Neil Gaiman expertly weaves into the story.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a nice story before bed or a mild fantasy to keep you entertained.
Rating: 4.5 / 5 stars