Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman

Book Title: The Ocean at the End of the Lane
Author: Neil Gaiman
Published: June 2013, Headline Review
Pages: 248
Find it at: Amazon
My Rating: 4/5!

I was introduced to Neil Gaiman only recently, and it made me feel somewhat stupid, not knowing him already, considering he's been writing since forever. It's alright, though. Better late than never! The first book by him I got to read was The Ocean at the End of the Lane, a fantastical account of a middle-aged man as he remembers a time as a seven year old boy in his old home in Sussex, England. Filled with magic and nightmares as we all would have related to as children, this book is one of the most unique I've ever come across. Reading up on Gaiman revealed that that's his style. I'm now quite looking forward to read his other books!

Goodreads Blurb!

Sussex, England. A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. Although the house he lived in is long gone, he is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock, and her mother and grandmother. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet as he sits by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean) behind the ramshackle old farmhouse, the unremembered past comes flooding back. And it is a past too strange, too frightening, too dangerous to have happened to anyone, let alone a small boy.

Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie—magical, comforting, wise beyond her years—promised to protect him, no matter what.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. It is a stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.


My Thoughts!

As the unnamed middle-aged man visits his childhood home and sits in front of a pond, his memories of a time when he was seven come rushing back. He remembers the house at the end of his lane as one belonging to the Hempstocks, and his eleven year old friend Lettie Hempstock, who used to call the pond her 'ocean'. I'm still not completely sure what the underlying meaning of the whole book was. Is it simply a fantasy tale in essence (considering the ending) or an attempt at celebrating and remembering our childhood? The memories of the man as a seven year old revolve around the suicide of a tenant they had, at the end of the lane. This suicide opens up a series of events that seem to come straight out of the nightmares of a child. Is all that real?

The parents of the boy bring in Ursula Monkton, the new nanny for the children, and the boy takes an immediate dislike to her. He fears she is the result of his mistake at the magical farm when he was with Lettie. She had asked him not to let go of her hand, but he had, and what ensues in the form of the "flea" that Ursula Monkton is, is all his fault. Or so he seems to believe. He tries escaping the monster in his home, one who is manipulating his father and making his home a living hell. He seeks Lettie Hempstock's help. She's eleven, but she is very much capable of making the horrors go away.

The story is captivating, although at some parts I felt it went on and on about the same thing. Even then, it's unpredictable and you wouldn't know where its heading, what with the absolute uncertainty as to what is real and what isn't. For me, it was something befuddling. And something that seemed like a combination of many imaginative nights I had as a child. There's no telling for children as to how they see the world around them, how one incident can trigger off a series of nightmares, not necessarily related, making one feel like they're living in a monster-infested world. There have been some moments, some things one does or feels sometimes, that have been included in the book. This seven year old feels like what we all might have felt sometime in our lives.

There was one paragraph that I was surprised to read. I'm not the only one who gets into these kind of moments! *yess!* Here it goes:
'I wondered, as I wondered so often when I was that age, who I was, and what exactly was looking at the face in the mirror. If the face I was looking at wasn't me, and I knew it wasn't, because I would still be me whatever happened to my face, then what was me? And what was watching?'

The author's writing style is also simple, and the book is a quick read. The main character is the boy (the middle-aged man who starts the story), with other characters of prominence being Lettie Hempstock and her mother and grandmother, Ursula Monkton - the flea - and the narrator's father. Even though most characters did not have a brief sketch about them, they're very easy to sketch out using their actions and behavior. The ending was satisfying, if not somewhat delightful for a person who loves the idea of a fantasy world running parallel to the one we live in. For all its genuineness, I'd recommend the book to lovers of fantasy, imagination, young adult fiction. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is considered a fairy tale for adults, probably because of a few mature scenes or more so because of the content of the book, which adults will very well relate to, reminiscing their childhood.

Some marked quotes from the book:

'Adults follow paths. Children explore. Adults are content to walk the same way, hundreds of times, or thousands; perhaps it never occurs to adults to step off the paths, to creep beneath rhododendrons, to find the spaces between fences.'

'Growing up, I took so many cues from books. They taught me most of what I knew about what people did, about how to behave. They were my teachers and my advisers.'       

'Lettie shrugged. "Nobody looks like what they really are on the inside. You don't. I don't. People are much more complicated than that. It's true of everybody."'

'I do not miss childhood, but I miss the way I took pleasure in small things, even as greater things crumbled.'

'I said, "Will she be the same?" The old woman guffawed, as if I had said the funniest thing in the universe. "Nothing's ever the same," she said. "Be it a second later or a hundred years. It's always churning and roiling. And people change as much as oceans."'

Review: The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens

John Stephens

Book Title: The Fire Chronicle (The Books of Beginning # 2)

Author: John Stephens

Published: 2012 by Doubleday (Random House)

Pages: 437

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 4/5! 

The second book in The Books of Beginning series, The Fire Chronicle deals with the story of three siblings, Kate, Michael and Emma, who are prophesied to find the three books that form the basis of life on Earth. Since I hadn't read the first book, The Emerald Atlas, I figured I wouldn't really understand in depth, but that was definitely not the case. This book is pure magic, adventure, and a lot meaningful. 

Blurb from Goodreads...

After the tumultuous events of last winter, Kate, Michael, and Emma long to continue the hunt for their missing parents. But they themselves are now in great danger, and so the wizard Stanislaus Pym hides the children at the Edgar Allan Poe Home for Hopeless and Incorrigible Orphans. There, he says, they will be safe. How wrong he is. 

The children are soon discovered by their enemies, and a frantic chase sends Kate a hundred years into the past, to a perilous, enchanted New York City. Searching for a way back to her brother and sister, she meets a mysterious boy whose fate is intricately—and dangerously—tied to her own.

Meanwhile, Michael and Emma have set off to find the second of the Books of Beginning. A series of clues leads them into a hidden world where they must brave harsh polar storms, track down an ancient order of warriors, and confront terrible monsters. Will Michael and Emma find the legendary book of fire—and master its powers—before Kate is lost to them forever? 

Exciting, suspenseful, and brimming with humor and heart, the next installment of the bestselling Books of Beginning trilogy will lead Kate, Michael, and Emma closer to their family—and to the magic that could save, or destroy, them all.

My Thoughts...

The story of the Wibberly children is fascinating. Left to live in orphanages ever since they were little, abandoned by their parents, Kate, Michael and Emma believe that they'll soon be taken back. Their loving parents had sent them off for their own safety, and as they grow up, they form a close relationship with each other, their love for each other always in place. They'd had an adventure a few months ago, when they were transported back in time to Cambridge Falls. Kate had retrieved the Atlas and Dr. Pym, the wizard, had sent them back to their world. Kate knew it was a matter of time when they'd be on the run again, for the Dire Magnus knew about the children, and was hunting them down. A powerful force with evil aspirations, it was imperative that the Books be kept away from the Dire Magnus. 

This is a story of what happens when the foul creatures of the Dire Magnus, the Screechers, come looking for the children in their newest orphanage and Kate is sent back to the time nearing The Separation, when the magical world officially closed off its contact with the human world and went into hiding. Michael and Emma are by themselves now, although rescued by Dr. Pym. Michael's destined to be the Keeper for the Chronicle and the story goes about finding the Book, meeting despicable creatures and breathtaking adventures on the way. 

It's an interesting book and I particularly loved it for the 'magical' feel to it. It had been ages since I read something like this. The writing style is definitely something I'd applaud the author for. Apart from the story being gripping, the sequence set in a balanced way, I loved the writing style. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the author has beautifully included wit and humor at the appropriate places, making reading the book real fun. Such language not just adds to the reading experience but also helps character development implicitly. My favorite example for this would be the conversation between Michael and the dragon who is guarding the Chronicle. I mean, that's such a serious situation, and the next moment you learn so much more about the dragon and Michael! That's a brilliant and well-timed use of wit. 

The characters were all properly developed, with hardly anyone missing something crucial about them. Even if it is the midst of a trilogy, you'd be able to assess the characters as appropriate information is provided, or implied, about them. Although at some points I did feel like there's been too much influence of Harry Potter: Dr. Pym seemingly like Dumbledore, for example, but it's been quite subtle and the story manages to stand for itself as a distinctive entity and not a reflection of its inspiration. I also love the whole idea of the book. It's pretty much interesting and as you read, it brings in different elements that make you keep thinking about the story and people even when you're not reading it. I quite liked Kate's part of the story as well, especially the mystery surrounding Rafe, the boy she meets when back in time. 

The theme of a missing, separated family also surfaces in the book and has been included pretty well. The Fire Chronicle is a good read, recommended to children, teen, young adult readers and whoever else is interested in adventure and a 'complete' story. 

Some quotes from the book I loved: :')           

“The point of life isn't to avoid pain. The point of life is to be alive! To feel things. That means the good and the bad. There'll be pain. But also joy, and friendship and love. And it's worth it, believe me.”

Even though Wilamena was an elf, I loved loved loved her! -->

“He remembered the darkness and despair she'd suffered during her long years as a prisoner, but he also recalled the deep, unquenchable joy she took from the world around her; and he knew that given the choice, Wilamena would suffer all she had and more rather than sacrifice one day of being alive.

It was just as his father had said. She chose life, all of it.” 

Thank you Random House Publishers for this book! :)

Epic Book Nerd Problems!

A fantastic website, Epic Reads is a fun haven for book lovers! They recently came up with a series of fun videos with book nerd problems, explained through witty visuals. I love the exaggeration shown in the videos, since those awesome nerds are actually acting out what they feel! It's sure to make one laugh, and to spread this awesomeness, I'm sharing two of such videos that made me go, "Oh Boy! HAHA!" :D

# 1: Misunderstood literary references: This one is my favorite of the lot. When people don't get your lit references!

# 2: Lending books to friends: When lending your book becomes a problem and how you deal with it.

Waiting for more such videos! *_*

Classic Talk # 5: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

R.L. Stevenson

Title: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

Author: Robert Louis Stevenson

Pages: 144

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 4/5

R.L. Stevenson's short book about a lawyer named Utterson feeling intrigued about his friend, Dr. Jekyll has been something I've always had a fascinating feeling for. Back to the days when I was a Children's Digest reader, I read this book's abridged version in one of the magazines. I was hooked on to the story. It was dark, intriguing, scary, mysterious and completely engrossing! Even years later when I came across the name, I had fond memories of the association I had, and wondered about the characters, before deciding to read the complete book.

I guess I've been quite lucky. Had I come across this title now, I might not have been too keen to read it excitedly, despite the blurb. I knew the story, having read it in a simpler language. The classic way of writing is obviously, 'classic', so it's mature and needs patience, which I have more in quantity now than before. Even though I'm not sure if I loved it as much as I did reading it back then, I still am in awe of the idea of the story. I initially believed it's purely science fiction, but there are a lot of other elements in the book. 

Utterson has reason to believe that his dear friend Dr. Jekyll might be in trouble or being blackmailed by a certain Mr. Hyde, someone who reeks of evil in his soul. Mr. Hyde is a sight of despair: short in stature, stout, with a face that dispels despair and negativity. He tries to investigate the probable reasons, taking help from their common friend Lanyon, before he himself is pulled into the mystery, a short while after Lanyon's death due to a sudden illness. 

I love the story for its essence: the appeal of separating good and evil, the imagery of man as a being with a combination of characteristics and what perils playing with nature might affect those who try it. There's also a psychological aspect to it, as far as personalities are concerned. The book can also be seen as a parallel to understanding about split personality disorder (source: wikipedia), although personally I associate it with the former theme (probably because I happen to be a more philosophical person than psychological). More than anything, I love the kind of suspense it manages to create. The elaborate explanations are capable of leaving a reader breathless, although I guess the suspense vanishes in the first read and the subsequent ones might not be as exciting.

All in all, worth a read at least once in your life as a reader! :)

Check out these quotes from the book!

“Quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm."

"If I am the chief of sinners, I am the chief of sufferers also."

"With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to the truth, by whose partial discovery I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two.” 

Review: Serve to Win by Novak Djokovic

Note: This is a guest post authored by Usama Sulaiman.

At first glance, Serve to Win appears to be made of the same material autobiographies are made of. Catchy title, a guy with a famous name standing smiling, ready and confident, all cement the idea of an autobiography. But if you miss reading the full title or if don’t read the blurb properly you might be led astray and end up having a book which is absolutely not what you expected.

--- In 2011, Novak Djokovic won a breathtaking ten titles, three Grand Slams and forty-three consecutive matches. Remarkably, less than two years earlier, this champion could barely complete a tournament. How did a player once plagued by aches, breathing difficulties and injuries on court suddenly become the number-one tennis player in the world? The answer is astonishing: he changed what he ate.

In Serve to Win, Djokovic recounts how he survived the bombing of Belgrade, rising from a war-torn childhood to the top tier of his sport. He reveals how changing his diet transformed both his health and game - eliminating gluten made him feel instantly lighter, clearer and quicker.

Now Djokovic has created a blueprint for remaking your body and your life in just fourteen days. With weekly menus and delicious, easy-to-prepare recipes, he’ll help you on your way to shedding extra weight and finding your way to a better you. ---

---

Serve to Win: The 14-Day Gluten-Free Plan for Physical and Mental Excellence

By Novak Djokovic

161pp | Bantam Press

Find it at: Amazon

Rating : 3.5/5

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Serve to Win is the kind of book you should/shall find in the Health and Fitness segment rather than in Sports or Biographies in a bookstore. Obvious as it is from the blurb above, it talks about health and diet and fitness and shows you how to become the better version of you by asking you to change your eating habit for two weeks and seeing and experiencing the improvements yourself later.

The book starts with a little introduction by the author informing about how in 2010, when he suffered a terrible defeat in the quarterfinals of the Australian open, he was at the lowest low of his career and yet, just 18 months later, he was at the very top and realising his dream for good. But it is not all game technicalities and diet talk if you are thinking of that. The first chapter opens to the bombings in the dead of night in the neighbourhood of his hometown of Belgrade, Serbia. He recounts how NATO forces bombed the town for weeks and weeks, night after night and how lives changed all around him. He recounts how even in the face of destruction, people found a way to live life, found reasons to joke and smile, and for keeping their love for sports alive. He recounts how in a place where nobody knew or cared much about tennis, he kept working and working towards the realisation of his dream, which after many failures he did realise, and how his diet had a pivotal role in doing so.

Djokovic tells how he was introduced to a Gluten-free diet just like how he proposes it to you in this book. He took a fourteen day test and saw such definite and evident results that he never went back to his old diet. He stopped eating Gluten containing food, which as he explains, is the substance mainly found in wheat and other grains which makes food made from such grains doughy and holds them together and also the substance which if you are intolerant to (a lot of people are, to varying levels), can make you feel tired and drained and can affect your metabolism even when you are eating ‘healthy’ home cooked food.   

Novak paves the way for you to avoid Gluten, gives you motivation to do so, tells you what to eat (and when) and helps you understand your body well while he serves his dishes. The book shifts between his life events and advices, insights and information which he gives you in order to excel on the path to health renovation and revolution. The narration is fluid and doesn’t bore you, except for the recapitulation of how eliminating gluten proved one of the most rewarding things he ever did.

There are some nice things about the book that would make you feel good and maybe someday even draw you again to pick it up and read it again just for those things. But sadly, those things are not contained in the paragraphs which talk about gluten free diet. While Novak doesn’t leave anything hanging in there by giving you detailed information about what foods do contain gluten and which not and a list of recipes towards the end of the book and more importantly, a lot of enthusiastic encouragement which does fill you up to try the diet, the main reason for the book’s existence is not fulfilled. Which is to try and incorporate a Gluten free diet in your own life.

Like the book asked and as a responsible reader (and reviewer) I took the Gluten free challenge. I stopped eating wheat or any other grain in any form, didn’t take sugar unless feeling absolutely dying by the lack of it, excluded milk products and red meat. To give you a good overview, I stopped taking any form of bread, cookies, cereal, sugar and foods containing sugar like chocolates/sweets, milk, curd and other milk products, red meat, fried foods, packaged soups and juices, noodles, rice, and a whole lot many products which contained gluten for a good six days (after which I had enough). I live in North India, and if you’re an Indian, you can imagine what was there left for me to eat. Next to nothing. I was perennially hungry and since you can’t find a lot of foods suggested there in the book for Gluten-free living easily here, it is simply too much work to dig out gluten free foods for continuous practical implementation of the diet. Like Djokovic himself said, gluten is everywhere. Moreover, I realised (during and after those six days) that I am not much gluten intolerant, as I felt more weary during the diet phase than before and after it.

So to come to a conclusion, I would say that as a book, as a recount of a successful journey, Serve to Win is a likable read. You would feel positive and energetic just reading the book but when it comes to the incorporation aspect, keeping in view different ethnic, geographic and economic variation of the masses, it is hardly a ‘diet for everybody’, contrary to the writer’s opinion.

Serve to Win is like a swimming coach or a trainer who motivates you, tells you that you can really swim if you tried the technique right, shows you how he does it with elan and then goes ahead and asks you to jump straight into the deep pool, without giving you many swimming aids. You are thrilled. You want to do it. But at the same time, after the first dive in you realise it’s more thrilling an idea than the execution.

I would still suggest it to anyone who is in for a light read and/or who wants to try something new. Theoretically and practically. Although I liked reading the book, I give it 3.5/5 for the reason explained above.