Skip to main content

Book Review: Coraline

CORALINE by Neil Gaiman
5 Stars
Verdict: Quirky, creepy, and quick to read!


Bored and alone, with her parents too busy to play with her, eleven year old Coraline ventures through a mysterious door in the wall. It once led to nowhere. Now it leads to an interesting 'other' place, where her 'other' neighbours are much more entertaining than the normal world, and her 'other' mother gives her all the attention she could want. To stay here forever, all she needs to do is one little thing: sew buttons into her eyes...

This is a quick read that I only picked up because I was horribly behind on my reading list but too stubborn and competitive to lose. Fortunately, this is a great book for any age. Full to the brim of weird and wonderful characters, twisted logic, and dry humour, I enjoyed reading this from start to finish.

Gaimen's imagination really is endless. Wit is sew into the narrative like eyes, and it compliments the quirky tone well. The pacing is good, mixing the wondrous and quirky with action and adventure, and there's enough creepiness for me to think Coraline is a braver girl than I was at her age.

There are clever twists and strange discoveries and generally a lot to love. My only complaint is that there weren't' enough pages!

Source: Bought it to complete my 2017 reading challenge.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Your Best Character: Quiz and Contest

The best characters are put through hell and yet can still carry the story forward on their broken shoulders. Your plot will fall flat if your characters are one dimensional and strong characters can make a cliché story really shine; characterisation takes work and thought. The key to character development is to ask questions. Maybe spend time thinking about the scenarios that have happened to your character which won’t make the final cut of the novel. The questions below are designed to test that (to some degree). [NOW CLOSED, REVIEWS PENDING] Answer at least 5 of these in a comment with a link to your story and I’ll give you an in-depth review. Reviews are approximately 1000 words and take me well over an hour, so if you’re looking to polish up your manuscript then don’t miss out. Also, the opening chapter with the most interesting and well-developed character will be featured on this blog! Feel free to write about anyone as long as they feature in the same story. You can ans...

Dialogue Marks and Taglines

I’m having to point out how to format taglines on a regular basis now, especially when the dialogue takes the form of a question. I thought I’d throw together a quick guide in hopes that everyone who was unaware will see this and instantly understand... Or even just one person. “I fancy a biscuit,” said Samantha. – And I do (how could you tell?) although that’s not the point. My point is you need a comma after biscuit and ‘said’ is in lowercase because the following words form a tagline. It’s a tagline because it refers to how the dialogue is said or who says it. “I fancy a biscuit.” Samantha grabbed the tin. – There’s no tagline. Therefore you need a full stop and to start a new sentence. “I fancy a biscuit.” She smiled. – This doesn’t refer to how the speech is said. Therefore you need a full stop. “Where are my biscuits?” shouted Samantha. – You need lowercase into the tagline. Think of it as part of the sentence. “My biscuits!” she cried. – Again, lowercase. Whether...

Opening Chapter: Quiz and Contest

The opening chapter is pivotal. It needs to draw in an intended audience – it needs flare and promise of things to come, with writing that earns the reader’s trust, luring them into the next chapter.  I’ve made a quick quiz to test whether your opening has what it takes. You don’t need all of these things for a good chapter. Hell, I bet there are a few I’ve forgotten too! Answer each of the following using evidence from your opening. If you can’t, then maybe you need to spice up the chapter. 1) Is your opening line unique, scene setting, or hooking? 2) What makes your character unique? 3) Pick out your best line of description. 4) Pick out your quirkiest line. 5) Is the genre and sub-genres obvious? 6) Is it clean from silly mistakes – have you read through more than 10 times? 7) Does it end on a cliff-hanger? 8) What makes it different from other novels in that genre? 9) Does it start close to the action? 10) Are you happy with it?...