Book Review - Coraline

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Prof. Tarma Amelia Black
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Book Review - Coraline

Post by Prof. Tarma Amelia Black »

Title of the book: Coraline
Author: Neil Gaiman
Series: no
Genres: fantasy, horror, fiction, young adult, children
Short summary of the story: Coraline is not that happy with her life; she gets bored and wants more attention from her mother and her father (who both work at home). She explores their dwelling (they'd just moved in), and visits with the inhabitants of the other floors and explores the various parts of the gardens and grounds. Then she discovers a door which leads nowhere. Of course, that is the start of the rest of the story. She goes through the door and experiences the life she thought she always wanted. But something seems a little wrong ....
Points to consider: Depending on how vivid your imagination is, you might want to consider when you read this book, if you decide you want to read it. No imagination? No problem, read it anytime. Vivid imagination? Read it in full sunlight, with no storms or clouds or wind. Do not read it on a stormy night when the power has gone out and it's unlikely to return for any length of time. Do not read it when the candle you have starts flickering -- and there is no wind or cause of wind to cause it to flicker. Other than that, enjoy!

Goodreads has this to say about Coraline
The day after they moved in, Coraline went exploring....

In Coraline's family's new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close.

The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own.

Only it's different.

At first, things seem marvelous in the other flat. The food is better. The toy box is filled with wind-up angels that flutter around the bedroom, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer, little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. But there's another mother, and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.

Other children are trapped there as well, lost souls behind the mirrors. Coraline is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with all her wits and all the tools she can find if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and herself.


Critically acclaimed and award-winning author Neil Gaiman will delight readers with his first novel for all ages.
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Emily Spencer
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Re: Book Review - Coraline

Post by Emily Spencer »

First off, thank you, Professor Tarma, for posting your review. I'm a huge Neil Gaiman fan, and have been meaning to read this one for ages, but somehow I had never gotten around to it. I must say that it was everything I had hoped it would be and more.

The term 'dark fantasy' is certainly applicable here! It was unsettling in an 'I'm going to regret reading this but I can't stop" sort of way (just the kind of book I like, incidentally). The mood was deliciously creepy, and I swear that darned Bedlam (aka the "Other Mother") actually gave me the shivers. Sewing button on children's eyes and imprisoning them is not your typical happy-go-lucky fantasy story! I had nightmares; I will freely admit.

I know it's supposed to be a dark fantasy meant for children, but I personally would not want my daughter reading it. That isn't to say anything bad about it at all: I just feel that it reads better for a slightly older audience. Of course, that could be just me being overly cautious, too.

Nice sneak by Mr. Gaiman to tuck in a morality lesson, too. The old adage of 'be careful what you wish for' or more accurately, 'the grass isn't always greener on the other side' is woven beautifully throughout the story. Poor Coraline thought her life at home deadly dull and herself neglected, and fairly jumped at the chance to escape to the Other World. She soon found out that there are far worse things than not being the center of attention in your parents' lives. The Ghost Children implore her to leave and escape their fate, and Coraline cannot wait to run into her old life which doesn't seem so very bad anymore. Of course, knowing the outcome, I can hardly blame her.

Now, you know, I have to see the movie! I'll just have to make sure to have my favorite blanket handy for eye-covering and hubby nearby for hand-holding. Wish me luck :D
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