A fabulous five star read! From the very first line you are drawn into the story with Sarah Miller’s beautiful prose. Her comparison of the crochet hook to the fiddle’s bow and the music it produces sets the tone and spirit for a novel filled with hopes and dreams. Her words are so descriptive and readily convey Caroline’s thoughts and feelings. Re-read for my book club! This time I liked it less, mostly because I already knew what was going to happen and wasn't as enchanted by the voice of the book (which felt like someone older telling me a story, rather than getting to experience a story through Coraline). I think it reads like it really wanted to become a movie (and did!). Coraline, not Caroline, thank you, the little girl who was small for her age, and found herself in darkest danger was the subject of Neil Gaiman’s 2002 publication, which was in Gaiman’s own words “refreshingly creepy.” LOL So funny and so true of children. I'm glad Gaiman isn't trying to make Coraline into a 'little adult.' And, now that I think about it, nor is he trying to force some kind of 'healthy eating' agenda down readers' throats. Ugh, I hate that shit. Instead, he's absolutely captured childhood with perfection. Mr. Gaiman, you've done it to me again. I'm basking in a puddle of pure joy, right here, right now!

I wanted this book to be more gripping and fast paced. I wanted the writing to be more dramatic. I wanted the characters, especially the main character, to be a little more lively and interesting. I wanted to learn more about the side characters and I wanted these characters to be more involved in the adventure and the quests. I wanted the actual parents to be more realistic rather than seeming like fragments of a good, nice memorable dream. I wanted the ending to be a bit more interesting and enjoyable. Oot pauses for a moment then, and I realize that this has been the point of the whole conversation. He wants to send Neil Gaiman a message. Sarah Miller revists the Ingalls family, telling the story from Caroline Ingalls' perspective. The life of a pioneer family from an adult's view is still magical.....but also harsh, frightening and unforgiving.Coraline is a little girl who is rather introverted. This means she is ignored by adults a lot. Most of them don't even know her real name - Coraline - and instead, keep erroneously calling her Caroline. Her parents work a lot and don't spend a lot of time with Coraline. In many ways, this was an excellent read. Written from Caroline’s perspective, the reader gets a full picture of the fear, loneliness, sorrow, and other emotions faced by a woman who is leaving all she knows to follow her pioneer husband. Caroline's fear when crossing the frozen water, and her racing thoughts as to how she will protect her daughters if the ice breaks, are written with an intensity that the original book could not bring through Laura’s eyes. Her concern about what she will do when her baby comes, with no other women around, brings a new dimension to reading about the experiences of a pregnant pioneer. The creep factor is so immense thanks to Gaiman's writing skills and him seemingly wanting to traumatize people, the clever and first peaceful way, by generating more and more suspense until it escalates without much real violence. It´s more the permanent feeling of something being terribly wrong, more and more disturbing signs appearing, and the final realization of the protagonist what really is behind the seemingly better reality. So one message could be to That won't make any sense to my boy, but still, I try to be honest with him whenever I can. "I don't know if we're friends," I say. "But we're colleagues." Every single word of this book was so purposeful, I absolutely loved it. This is my first Neil Gaiman novel, though I have had Graveyard book on my shelf for years now. And despite its cinematic popularity I’ve never read or seen a Coraline before (Tim Burton movies STILL terrify me).

Yet Coraline is written so simply and poetically that it’s almost meant to be listened to. The audio version that I borrowed from the library has a full cast, and it’s one of the best audiobooks I’ve ever encountered. Plus, having the story read aloud to you only adds to the experience of being returned to your childhood. It’s just wonderful. That brought me up short. For Oot, that's a simple question. If you meet someone and play with them, they're you're friend. Easy.

For adults these things are harder. And it's doubly hard for me these days. My life has changed so much over the last five years, and my previously established metric for friendship doesn't work very well any more. I liked the idea of the book, about reading about Charles, Caroline, and the children traveling to Kansas. If you have read the books and/or seen the TV series is this a must read. Sure, I found the story not perhaps living up to my expectations, but at the same time was it interesting to get Caroline's POV on leaving the old life behind. And, her worries about the baby was the thing that really got to me, just the thought of how worrisome everything would be, not even knowing if there would be someone in Kansas there to help her with the birthing. I just wish the story had been a bit more moving or in some way more engrossing. For me, it was also a really interestingly written book. The sentences are short, punchy, and vivid in a way that made me feel like I was there with Coraline, going into danger and finding a way to be brave. Reading Caroline was like reading Little House on the Prairie again for the first time. When I was young, I spend an entire summer reading Wilder's Little House series. Since then, I've re-read her books many times. I was excited but apprehensive to read Caroline. Would Miller be true to the Ingalls family, or would she twist Ma into an unrecognizable character? I shouldn't have worried. From small details like Pa combing his fingers through his whiskers or Ma making cornbread, to major events like Ma twisting her ankle, Pa digging the well and both together fighting the prairie fire, the familiar story shines through each chapter.