ROMANTICISM’s rallying cry, “ Art for art’s sake” — a reaction to the Industrial Revolution’s oppressive functionalism — has left us with the enduring sense that art’s main purpose is our removal from present reality. Art “succeeds” when it simulates us through the play of form, colour, and tonality to a peak of quiet contemplative ecstasy: what the modernist critic Roger Fry (1896-1934) termed “aesthetic experience”. Thus, contemplation of Monet’s Water Lilies provides a sort of “spiritual” release and experience of self-transcendence — a secular equivalent to the fruits of meditation on an icon or mandala.

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." I am telling you this that it's never too late to read a good book. No matter what the genre it belongs to. The movie adaption gives some brief idea of where she came from; she is Wyborn’s Grandma’s sister. But I’m not sure how much of this we can actually consider. Although the movie was written in collaboration with Gaiman neither of the characters actually appear in the book. So I’m left with even more speculation. Miss Spink and Miss Forcible are a pair of retired actresses who live in the flat under Coraline's. They own many aging Scotties and talk in theater jargon, often referencing their glory days as actresses. In the Other World, they are youthful and perform continuously in front of many different dogs, who, in the Other World, are anthropomorphic. If I'm completely honest I'm not sure if my enjoyment was mostly the nostalgia this book generated within me. I loved the Little House books but even more so the TV show that I would watch with my Grandmother. This book is closer to what I remember the children's books being. Of course, with adult feelings and scenes. I am by no means a prude but I will say I was a bit uncomfortable during a VERY TAME love making scene between Ma and Pa. It just seemed weird to me. Not poorly done just odd-- kind of like the feeling you get when thinking about the fact your parents must have had sex or you wouldn't be here. It's obvious but not a place you like your mind to dwell. I'll also say I'm not so sure I like Pa as much looking at him from Caroline's perspective rather than the childlike awe from Laura. Caroline's feels a more realistic view and I see his selfishness, pig headedness, and the common "I'm the male, I make decisions" attitude. I also thought Caroline was portrayed with a much weaker constitution and resolve than in my previous opinion. But somehow she also seems even more rigid and unflinching than my impressions from Laura's books describe. It's hard to explain. I guess I just didn't much like her in this version. (Sorry).I see there are two versions with different illustrations. For what it's worth, I really liked the Chris Riddell illustrations in this one. I've probably read the Little House books dozens of times. My favorite is THE LONG WINTER, and that single volume was probably one of the biggest reasons why I wrote AFTER EVERYONE DIED. is the message for both young and old readers. Maybe it was Gaiman's intention to first show how fear can manifest and paralyze, or seduce, to stay or become a victim or even perpetrator. Or it's just a little coincidental side effect of the plot he wanted to create and I´m overanalyzing and hyper vivisecting again. If she were nowhere, then she could be anywhere. And, after all, it is always easier to be afraid of something you can’t see.”

I love the way Gaiman takes on fairy tale attributes here. Keys and mirrors are frequent in the book, and Coraline literally enters a mirror world at the risk of being trapped there forever. She also has three neighbors who she visits on both sides of the mirror, and cycles of 3 is a common motif in fairy tale narratives. He toys around with tropes in humorous ways to fit his themes of self-identity, such as in the mirror world where her neighbor can actually call her by the correct name but she is then told by the cat that names are meaningless. ‘ Now you people have names,’ he tells her, ‘ that's because you don't know who you are. We know who we are, so we don't need names.’ The idea of naming something in a fairy tale often means taking power over it, but here we see names as a placeholder until we can have power over ourselves. Clever riffing on fairy tale logic is part of what makes Coraline such a sheer delight. Coraline Jones and her parents move into an old house that has been divided into flats. The other tenants include Miss Spink and Miss Forcible, two elderly women retired from the stage, and Mr. Bobo, initially referred to as "the crazy old man upstairs", who claims to be training a mouse circus. The flat beside Coraline's is unoccupied. ...Some describe this as a slow read and at first I was inclined to agree. But after some thought, I feel this is meant to be a serene read where each word and scene is savored. To read it over again, I would take more time and enjoy it in a relaxed manner, perhaps only reading 1-2 chapters a day. P.S. I wonder if the 'other mother' in this book was called The Beldam after La belle dame sans merci. *shrug* Something to ponder.

This isn’t a remotely teachy or preachy book, but Coraline learns a lot about life, familial love, and especially herself. She finds bravery she didn’t know she had, but she faces temptation as well. “ The other mother loved her… as a dragon loves gold.” The other mother offers her everything she thinks she wants. But there is a price, and Coraline has a Eureka moment, and declares: Her voice did not just come from her mouth. It came from the mist, and the fog, and the house, and the sky.”

Did we miss something on diversity?

OK, I just wanted to say that this book, I really wanted to love the story more than I did. I love the TV series and the books the show is also good. And, this book is one that I really, really looked forward to reading. However, I found that the story never really got to me. I also didn’t particularly care for the way she writes the relationship between Caroline and Charles. I always thought of them as equals in that they cared for and respected each other. But the way she writes Charles’ love for Caroline as that of some kind of worship really bothered me. I don’t believe it and I don’t think it’s appropriate. I love the familiarity of the setting, the people, and things like Pa’s fiddle, the shepherdess, the delaine. If you’re already familiar with the Ingalls’ story, then you’ll smile when you read about these things too. If this is your first time reading anything-Ingalls, I hope that one thing you take away from this is that the author has obviously researched well and loves this subject matter. I should point out, just to be clear, that this story is historical fiction but that it is based on tons of research. The Author’s Note is exceptionally interesting. a b Blankenship, Mark (7 June 2009). "The Score and the Story, Inseparable". New York Times. pp.AR4.