Coraline

Hardcover, 162 pages

English language

Published Jan. 13, 2015 by HarperCollins Publishers.

ISBN:
978-0-380-97778-9
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4 stars (38 reviews)

Looking for excitement, Coraline ventures through a mysterious door into a world that is similar, yet disturbingly different from her own, where she must challenge a gruesome entity in order to save herself, her parents, and the souls of three others.

57 editions

Quick, Fun Read

4 stars

Coraline is a children's book good enough to be organically read by adults. As it's fairly similar to the movie, I'll cover some not-so-obvious interpretations I had:

Throughout the read I couldn't help but feel like Coraline's other mother was a perfect embodiment of a BPD parent. Aside from the obvious BPD characteristics exhibited by the other mother, I felt the following quote summed everything up beautifully: "It was true: the other mother loved her. But she loved Coraline as a miser loves money, or a dragon love its gold. Int the other mother's button eyes, Coraline knew that she was a possession, nothing more. A tolerated pet, whose behavior was no longer amusing."

After reading the book, I found a great blog analysis that touched on the many thoughts I had throughout the read: pensievely.wordpress.com/2020/12/17/seduced-by-borderline-an-analysis-of-coraline/

BPD-aside, very fun book. Made me laugh a few times, a bit creepy, and …

Review of 'Coraline' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

There's something about the way Neil Gaiman writes that appeals to me greatly. He doesn't WASTE words. No flowery, adjective laden descriptions or ridiculous cliches. And yet, I never feel cheated. He'll often move a character from one place or situation to the next, and if you're new to him or have been reading someone else you might think for a second "That was abrupt", but he does it well and it serves the story.

More importantly, Coraline is an engrossing tale. Firstly, while Coraline the character isn't particularly warm or cute, she's smart, inquisitive, polite... you feel bad for her in the boring life she's so unsatisfied with, and in the journey she takes from there. And she's brave, while still admitting her fears and insecurities. And all of this is done without wasting words and while maintaining a reading level that kids could follow.

The best part about …

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Subjects

  • Supernatural -- Fiction.
  • Horror stories.