Dunkel, charmant
5 stars
Eigentlich ein Jugendbuch, aber deswegen nicht weniger wundervoll.
188 pages
English language
Published Jan. 5, 2014 by Bloomsbury.
When a baby escapes a murderer intent on killing the entire family, who would have thought it would find safety and security in the local graveyard? Brought up by the resident ghosts, ghouls and spectres, Bod has an eccentric childhood learning about life from the dead. But for Bod there is also the danger of the murderer still looking for him - after all, he is the last remaining member of the family. This novel features every second year of Bod's life, from babyhood to adolescence. Will Bod survive to be a man?
Eigentlich ein Jugendbuch, aber deswegen nicht weniger wundervoll.
I forgot how much I liked this book. Gaiman claims it is inspired by the Jungle Book, but to me it felt more like Kidnapped, but improved.
The most remarkable thing (other than me sitting down and reading a book on paper for once), was the complete lack of cynicism. That is not a sure thing with Gaiman.
That was superb. The opening is quite macabre, but it soon settles down into being The Jungle Book with a graveyard setting -- and it works really well.
The story is enthralling and really quite moving.
4+
4+