Welcome to Bookish Pursuits!

My name is Joyce and this is my humble playground in cyberspace where my insanity runs amok. I created this book blog with the intention of using it for my thoughts,opinions, and reviews on the books I've read and the books I want to read. This is also where I'll keep a tab of all the reading challenges I decide to participate in, and interesting excerpts from the books I'm reading, as well as any odds and ends related to books and reading.

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I’m a voracious reader and I enjoy a variety of genres including young-adult, romance, classics, mystery, fantasy, and historical fiction.

I would love to hear book recommendations from fellow booklovers. So if you want to share a recommendation or two, you can check out my Never-ending Reading List and leave me any suggestions in any of the comments section below.


Sunday, November 22, 2009

Review: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman



Title:
The Graveyard Book
Author: Neil Gaiman
Rating:
Number of Pages: 320 pages
Publication Date: September 2008
Genre: Children’s Book, Young Adult,
Series or Stand-Alone: Stand-Alone
Book Disclosure: Purchased from Bibliarch

Summary:

Nobody Owens, known to his friends as Bod, is a normal boy.

He would be completely normal if he didn't live in a sprawling graveyard, being raised and educated by ghosts, with a solitary guardian who belongs to neither the world of the living nor of the dead.

There are dangers and adventures in the graveyard for a boy-an ancient Indigo Man beneath the hill, a gateway to a desert leading to an abandoned city of ghouls, the strange and terrible menace of the Sleer.

But if Bod leaves the graveyard, then he will come under attack from the man Jack—who has already killed Bod's family. . . .

Review:

Neil Gaiman is a new find for me. I’ve never read anything by this author before but his name kept popping up of my friend’s favorite list so I decided to give his works a try and know what the buzz is all about. I should be ashamed to admit this but I picked up The Graveyard Book purely because of the magnificent cover by Chris Riddell. I was instantly drawn because the illustrations were wonderfully done. But soon, I discovered that there’s more to this book that meet the eyes.

Inspired by Rudyard Kipling's classic The Jungle Book, The Graveyard Book tells the story and adventures of an orphaned boy, Nobody Owens, raised in a graveyard inhabited by ghosts, ghouls and every other creepy creature you could think of. But Gaiman deviates from the concept by cleverly turning Kipling's classic story into a beautifully-written, dark-witty fantasy.

I applaud Gaiman for his brilliant imagination. His imagery and the world he had created in The Graveyard Book were for me, worthy of praise. I marveled at his skill for making the imagery seemed larger than life and for making the readers feel that they were also a part of this strange and yet wonderful place that he had created.

Although the opening scene and the setting might be enough to give some readers the creeps, Gaiman was careful not to focus too much on the dark side of death and even skillfully turned Bod's encounters with the graveyard members as a source of humor. From the comical names to the date of death and reason for their demise, each and every one of those mentioned in the story would surely bring laughter to the readers.

I also give kudos to Gaiman for creating such a wonderful cast. Nobody Owens, is an endearing child, while at the same time, not a weak character. He's brave, sweet and compassionate. With every chapter and adventure that Bod went through, as a reader I saw how Gaiman had used that in order for Bod to grow as a person. Even if Bod grew up in a graveyard, Gaiman was able to make him a believable and well-rounded character, and someone that people could relate to.

The supporting casts are also something to look forward to when you read this book. There’s an abundance of interesting characters and some of my favorites were the witty witch Liz, the fussy Mr. Pennyworth, and the substitute guardian Miss Lupescu. There's also the mysterious Silas who was both a mentor and a father figure to Bod while he was in the graveyard. Each and every one of them had made a huge impact not only in the life of Bod but in the story itself as well. Although they were not humans, you will be able to relate them to the people you encounter in your everyday life.

There’s so much more about this book that I haven’t mentioned but The Graveyard Book is, in a word, a masterpiece. This book is a bittersweet coming of age tale, a classic that is a deserving winner of the Newberry Medal. Fans of Gaiman and those who haven’t read his works would surely be delighted with this wonderful book.

10 comments:

  1. Oh, I loved The Graveyard Book! It was macabre, but as you said, had humor in it and imagination in spades. Well-deserving of the Newbery Award ~

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  2. Such a great book! I am glad you enjoyed it! :D

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  3. @Stephanie D

    I loved it too Stephanie. I didn't know what to expect when I first bought the book but I'm so glad I finally decided to read it. It's one of the best books I've read this year. :)

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  4. @ Lily,

    Thank you. ♥ I'm so glad to have read this book.

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  5. Hello Joyce.

    Its me Ray-Ann. I found your new blog. Love your review. Thinking of buying it... I hope makahanap ako ng Graveyard book with that cover. Cute ng cover nya.

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  6. @Ray-Ann

    Hello!!!

    How are you? It's been a long time since nakapag-usap tayo. :) I found some very wonderful pictures from your blog. Oh, and you have to tell me where you got the Little Prince Pop-up book! I have to find it. :) Super ganda niya. Hehe.

    Last copy na ito nung nahanap ko sa Bibliarch. Buti na lang nakita ko. Hehehe.

    And you should read Catching Fire.♥ Super ang ganda. Same with The Hunger Games. Two of my favorite books this year. And kailangan ko din basahin The Lightning Thief. mukhang maganda yung series niya. :)

    Thanks for dropping by Ray-Ann.

    Talk to you soon.

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  7. I havent read this book, but i did enjoyed Coraline. That one was great! This one is on my to be read list. Thank you for your review.

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  8. Coraline seems to be a top pick among Gaiman's works. I have to add that to my growing reading list.

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  9. Sa "A different Bookstore" sa Serendra ko nakita. Dapat bibilhin na siya sakin as a Christmas gift pag punta namin sold out na. huhuhu...

    Pero we bought Wizard of Oz pop-up edition kapalit nun Little Prince... hehehe...

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  10. Hi Ray-Ann,


    I need to find that Little Prince pop-up book. Sana may magbigay sa akin nun! :)

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