The Graveyard Book (urspr publ 2008; utgåvan 2008)

This was a good book. I tried reading it when I was younger and I found that I didn't like it, but now that I read it, it was good. I especially like the ending.
Anyways, this book isn't really written just to be enjoyed by children, and people of all ages can enjoy this book. ( )

This was a lovely read. This is a story that can definitely be appreciated at different layers and is for many different ages. Younger readers will definitely find a lot of adventure and maybe even some moments of suspense and horror. Adult readers will also be able to understand the older characters in the book and be able to look at Bod in a different way.

While Gaiman never explains directly the 'rules' that the ghosts and others exist by, his world building still feels very consistent and readers are able to follow along on this different way of viewing ghosts, graveyards, etc. than they may have encountered before.

I do hope that one day we get a story more about Silas, especially.

Note: If you are reading the 10th Anniversary Edition, be warned that the foreword by Margret Atwood contains mild spoilers. (I was very, very glad I didn't read it till after finishing the book) ( )

Ho trovato un Neil Gaiman un po' fuori forma in questo romanzo. Insomma, le idee sono quelle: sempre molto affascinanti e sottilmente inquietanti, però per la prima volta, come dire? Le ho trovate un po'... oh mio dio, non riesco neanche a dirlo quando parlo di Gaiman... le ho trovate ripetitive. Non credo che siano le idee in loro stesse ad avermi disturbato, quanto, forse, il contesto in cui sono inserite... si, perché qui è la costruzione stessa del romanzo che non funziona. La storia si trascina per quasi tutta la sua lunghezza attraverso capitoli quasi autoconclusivi senza una coerenza interna, anzi, molti di essi mi sembrano addirittura aggiunti a posteriori per giustificare alcune soluzioni narrative sucessive (Neil, questo non è da te... me lo sarei aspettato dal Dimitri di "Pan", ma non da te) e inoltre manca un background:il "non narrato" che da profondità alla storia che è proprio una delle caratteristiche che hanno reso Gaiman un grande scrittore, quella profondità che magari, nel racconto, viene solo accennata ma che il lettore percepisce e ci regala la sensazione che dietro la storia ci sia un vero e proprio universo. Niente di tutto questo è presente ne "il figlio del cimitero", che risulta quindi un'opera molto vuota. Forse Neil Gaiman dovrebbe abbandonare per un po' la narrativa per ragazzi e dedicarsi di nuovo a quella per adulti, quella che, a partire da Sandman fino a American Gods, ci ha fatto spaventare e sognare...
( )

Nobody Owens is a boy who lives in a graveyard and has been granted Freedom of the Graveyard. He came to live with the supernatural beings here because when he was a little baby, his family was killed. This book logs all the adventures Nobody (Bod) encounters as he grows into a young adult. The spirits and his guardian do their best to prepare Bod for life outside of the graveyard, but when will that day come? ( )

My Thoughts



I really enjoyed this one, and I think it would make a great family read/bedtime reading. ⁠



“You're alive, Bod. That means you have infinite potential. You can do anything, make anything, dream anything. If you can change the world, the world will change. Potential. Once you're dead, it's gone. Over. You've made what you've made, dreamed your dream, written your name. You may be buried here, you may even walk. But that potential is finished.”







Despite being set in a graveyard, the book isn't too chilling, but actually shows a lot of family bonding and love!



The storytelling is phenomenal and perfect for getting to know all of those creepy characters without the fear factor. There are many comparisons between this read and The Jungle Book, which I noticed while reading, then found out after was intentional buy Gaiman. ⁠



Bod, aka Nobody Owens, is adopted by ghostly couple after he wanders into the graveyard as a toddler, following the murder of his whole family. ⁠Bod is raised by the Graveyard and all of its spooky inhabitants, going on several spooky adventures with his friends. ⁠But his most dangerous escapades lie outside the cemetery gates!⁠



This book is brilliant, because as well as being highly entertaining, it is teaching strong values in confidence and potential, and touching on sensitive topics such as suicide, in the same way youth do- approaching it with curiosity and plain honesty.



“Face your life, its pain, its pleasure, leave no path untaken.”



Have you read this? Have any other Gaiman faves? We actually own a lot on our shelves, so I think it's past time I got to reading them!⁠⁠















I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on The Graveyard Book. Have you read this? Tell me what you thought! 



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This review was originally posted on ReadWithWine ( )