Coraline

Rating:
Summary: Overrated
Review: Clearly Gaiman has a following, but I've never been able to fathom why. Perhaps it's the cult cachet sustained from his Sandman series, and the way he consistently appeals to the narrow reading experience of contemporary goth cyberculture and the like. So, being a fan of darkly twisted children's books that appeal equally to adults (Philip Pullman, Lewis Carroll, Roald Dahl, etc), and having succumbed to the unusually hyperbolic back-cover blurbs of this work (c'mon, a ranking above Alice in Wonderland?), I plodded my way through this short novel to its ultimately prosaic conclusion. The image of black-button eyes is novel and resonates, but the rest is tired and contrived, with thin characters whose motivations and actions aren't properly established and don't always ring true (e.g., Coraline venturing through the trap door to the basement, knowing that it's a trap). I've never found Gaiman's writing particularly impressive, and this is no exception. The illustrations, on the other hand, are worthwhile.

Rating:
Summary: Neil Gaiman's _Coraline_
Review: _Coraline_ continues Neil Gaiman's long running theme of placing seemingly ordinary humans in the way of forces beyond our world. These humans, that remind us so much of ourselves, find themselves in worlds that defy explanation, and yet seem so familiar, because they are the places we inhabit, the places we've grown up in, and the places we have nightmares about.

In _Coraline_ this world is a mirror of the flat the title character finds behind a door that normally leads to nowhere. The real world flat is inhabited by Coraline with her two loving but absent minded parents, two delightful old ladies retired from the stage, and a mysterious man training a mouse circus. In the dark reflection Coraline finds her "other mother" waiting to love Coraline and give her all the attention she could ever want, the old ladies becoming young again and return to the stage, and the old man with his successfully performing circus.

How is this a "dark reflection?" you ask? A very good question, and one that makes this book so brilliant in its execution when you find out. Coraline is offered something by her other mother that your average monster would not offer: the chance to have Coraline's desires fulfilled. And yet that makes the other mother the perfect monster.

There is of course a price: Coraline must replace her eyes with brigth shiny black buttons and lose her own soul. Coraline politely refuses the offer and returns to her own world, only to find that the other mother has kidnaped her real parents. And so begins Coraline's quest and adventure back into the world of her other mother.

There are moments in this book that will haunt you for days: the other mother and other father with their black button eyes, the songs of the delightfully creepy rats, the ghostly children, trapped in the mirror, the silent cry for help from Coraline's real parents, and the creeping hand . . .

There are moments that will give you joy for days: tea with the drama queens, the picnic, father's recipes (a particularly autobiographical moment from Gaiman's own life), conversations with the cat, and Coraline's triumph.

And Coraline does triumph, for if she did not _Coraline_ would not be the fairy tale it is. For as the book reminds us in its prophetic quote from G.K. Chesterton, "Fairy Tales are more than true: not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."

A wonderful adventure story for children, and a story that will give adults nightmares, _Coraline_ will delight and frighten all who dare to spend some time in Gaiman's fantastical vision.

Rating:
Summary: A Story For All Ages
Review: Master of the bizarre Neil Gaiman has tried his hand at EVERYTHING. Novels, horror, sci-fi, fantasy, plays, scripts, comics... He has done it all. Well, almost all. The only thing missing in his repertoire is a children's novel. But here comes Coraline, a very touching and very entertaining story that will touch young and old alike.

Coraline is a very lonely girl. She has moved in this big house and has nothing to do. On one rainy day, she goes exploring and finds a door in a closet. This door leads to another world, where people looking almost exactly like the ones from the real world, where the places look almost like the ones she used to seein the real world. Only these new 'other' people and places are slightly different, darker.

When Coraline's parents are kidnapped by her 'other' mother, it will be up to her to save them and to defeat this evil woman who is pretending to be her mother. She goes on a wild goose chase in order to find the things that will help her defeat this evil woman.

Gaiman is a master at creating different and weird places that still feel real for the reader. And he does it perfectly in Coraline. This magical little tale can be dark at times, but Coraline is such an amazing character placed in such an odd and interesting setting that you'll never find a dull moment in this book.

I don't think there is a single thing Gaiman does not excell in. His writing is just magical. It grips you by the guts and makes you smile, makes you frown, makes you feel a slew of emotions all at once. With Coraline, he has created a story - and, most importantly, a heroine - that everyone will love and remember for a very long time.

Rating:
Summary: Black button attack
Review: Neil Gaiman branches out into children's fiction. The well-known horror novelist and graphic comic writer now has a short children's novel, one for mature kids with a high scare tolerance and a low queasiness factor. Adults may enjoy it as well, though it's a little on the short side.

Coraline (not "Caroline") is bored and ignored in her new apartment, where her parents are too busy to deal with her. The overall atmosphere of the place is dreary, dull, and a little decayed. The neighbors are a slightly loony old man who claims to train mice, and a pair of old ladies who talk continuously about how they "trod the boards" when they were young. It's the sort of relentlessly dull world that any little girl would want to escape from. Until Coraline does.

She encounters a door that leads into another apartment in a different world, where there are attentive doubles of her parents -- but they have buttons (literal buttons) sewn on their faces instead of eyes. So do the neighbors, who are now acting again with rats applauding them. Especially sinister is the "other mother," with her taloned fingers, moving hair, stark white skin, and constant insistence that Coraline stay there -- even to the point of veiled threats, and locking Coraline inside a mirror. When her real parents vanish, Coraline falls increasingly into the grip of the malignant other mother. Only a game can give her a chance to get free.

"Coraline" is full of sinister atmosphere -- it's easy to tell real kindliness from the creepy parody that the "other" people exhibit. With singing rats, soulless children trapped behind a dark mirror, a doughy grublike "other" person, a bag of beetles eaten like candy, two "other" people melted into a monster, and a clawlike disembodied hand searching for Coraline, it's full of things that will terrify and excite. The easily frightened or grossed out should avoid this book, but those who revel in the over-the-top ickiness and horror will enjoy it.

The beginning of the book is a little weak; without horrific elements, Gaiman seems to fumble. It matter-of-factly tells the readers "Coraline did this, she put on these clothes, she did that, she said that." The descriptive elements kick into gear when Coraline drifts into the other world. The dialogue, as common with adult writers trying a kids' book, is often a little stilted.

Coraline is a nice enough heroine, relentlessly courageous without being too upbeat and never, ever cheerful. The other mother is creepy at the start, and Gaiman skillfully peels back layers of her evil personality to make her seem even worse. The gossipy old maids are the kind of irritatingly nice neighbors that anyone could have. While Gaiman asserts that the parents are inattentive to Coraline, he also makes it clear that they do love her and want what is best for her. And the cat steals the show -- smart, aware, smart-alecky and perhaps the most natural character in the entire book.

"Coraline" is a fun, spooky read for kids and young adults, and adults as well if they are fans of Gaiman. Just don't read after dark. Ever. Especially not in a new apartment.

Rating:
Summary: Coraline and her adventures through the door
Review: This story would be in the same genre as Alice in Wonderland. It is a strange, dark novel that appeals to both the young and young at heart. It is the story of a heroine who must go to another world to save her family and other children trapped there. She is momentarily sidetracked by the appeal of this world where she can do anything she likes, and everything from the living toys to the plays of Miss Spink and Miss Forcible's (her neighbors) counterparts seems tailored to her entertainment. The plot thickens when the door back to her reality is locked and the stakes for her soul and those of her parents are threatened to be trapped forever. This is definitely an interesting story for all ages, another of Neil Gaiman's great achievements.

Rating:
Summary: My ten year old and I both loved this ...
Review: My ten year old son read this first in one sitting (!), and I picked it up after he finished. I also read this all in an afternoon. While I think some of the reviews are a bit over the top, I heartily recommend this alternate world fantasy. I think it will especially appeal to the 10-13 year old age group, but adults who enjoy children's literature will also like it.

Coraline has moved into a new house, and her neglectful parents send her to count the doors in the house to be rid of her for a while. She knows that this is their plan, but she does it anyway. On the other side of the "extra" door, there is another world ... with perhaps nicer "other" parents. Of course there are complications, and this is where the novel takes off.

Neil Gaiman is an excellent fantasy novelist, and I would also recommend Neverwhere and American Gods (both are adult novels in reading level and American Gods has some adult content).

Rating:
Summary: Like a bent "Alice in Wonderland."
Review: Even buttons can be creepy. That's one of the things readers will learn when they flip open "Coraline," the latest from author Neil Gaiman (the "Sandman" comics; "American Gods," to name a few).

"Coraline" is like an even more bent and twisted version of "Alice in Wonderland." There's no Cheshire Cat, Mad Hatter or bottles that say "Drink me," but the classic young-girl-finds-bizarre-danger-in-a-strange-new-world plot is still readily apparent.

Coraline and her parents, who ignore her, move into a new apartment. She soon goes exploring. After meeting the wacky upstairs neighbors - two gossipy old maids and an elderly gent who talks to rats - Coraline finds the door in her own place that opens into a simple brick wall. Or does it?

The door also opens into a creepy other realm, where strange doll-like versions of her parents have buttons for eyes and vow to never neglect her like her real parents have. The attention is sort of nice at first, but what happens when Coraline wants to go home?

Coraline finds assistance, if not alliance, in a smart-aleck black cat, whom she can only talk with in the other realm.

And the old man's rats are apparently continually discussing her adventures, providing a commentary on the action and Coraline's safety, although they never are seen by the audience. (We only get the heads up from the old guy himself, which goes to show what kind of a weird and quirky novel "Coraline" is.)

There's not too much to the plot, and even less that can be revealed lest we give it all away, but "Coraline" is fun, pure and simple. It's "Wonderland" gone even darker.

Told in the same amiable tone that made "Gods" (in which the worshiped deities of old found themselves doing battle with the new gods of technology) such a fun read, Gaiman has put together a fabulously creepy tale that teeters on the verge of childhood and adulthood. It's one more successful addition to a rapidly increasing list of impressive accomplishments.

Rating:
Summary: Nuevo Fairytale
Review: A delightfully creepy story, Coraline is reminiscent of the original Grimm fairytales. Dark, yet oddly innocent, it is a great little book. Neil Gaiman yet again shows his mastery of the subtle horror that can seep into you and make a shiver run up your spine.

Rating:
Summary: An Indomitable Young Lady
Review: Neil Gaiman has shown as admirable knack for fiction for young adults and children as he has shown in adult fiction. I am tempted to attribute this to his experience writing graphic stories, but it is really something more than that. It is an ability to touch the sources of wonder and fear without the necessity of excessive gore and grimness. Not that bad things don't happen in Gaiman's tales, but they tend to go right to the heart, instead of the stomach.

This tale is about a remarkable young woman named Coraline (who remains polite, even when you call her Caroline). Recently she and her parents have moved into one of those wondrous old houses that are sometimes converted into flats. Both Coraline's parents work at home, and sometimes she feels a bit ignored and bored. Nevertheless, she is encouraged to explore and so she does. First her neighbors. The Misses Spink and Forcible are two retired thespians who live together in the bottom flat, and up above is Mr. Bobo, who is an avid trainer of mice. Having run out of people, Coraline investigates the premises. Her flat is most unusual; it has 21 windows and 14 doors. Only one door is locked, and that only leads to a brick wall.

Well, most of the time it does. On some occasions, it opens up on a world just like this one, where Coraline finds her other mother, other father, and even other neighbors. At first it seems quite nice, people pay more attention to one there, the toys are better, and, of all things, the cat talks. Soon Coraline finds all is not quite as it seems. Everyone has buttons for eyes, her other mother has strange hands that seem to have a life of their own, and there are a remarkable number of rats. In fact, if you dig deep enough, things are really most horrible. Coraline has much to do to make things come around right.

With young people's fiction, adults are often driven to worry about what the stories teach and if they will have ill effects on their child. Coraline's plight, being stranded away from her parents amidst a world full of thinly veiled threats may be uncomfortable for a sensitive child. Yet things work out well in the end, and Coraline is an excellent role model, who understands what courage truly is and is in touch with what is really important to her. Equally, this is a work of art and it is never too early to encourage children to develop a sense of what good writing really is.

Fortunately, this really is a book that an adult can enjoy as well. And I can't help but think that it might stimulate some interesting family discussions. I would recommend it to anyone who believes that children can benefit from new and unusual reading experiences. I also should mention the delightful illustrations from the pen of Dave McKean, a long time designer and illustrator for Neil Gaiman's graphic work.

Rating:
Summary: Too Creepy for the Kids
Review: Neil although a gifted author should be saved for a more mature audience. I gave a low rating for this book because it is clearly not material for a young reader. The story itself was well crafted and interesting. The groteque despriptions of the characters made me turn on an extra light. This however is a not a book you tuck your children in to bed with.