The View From the Cheap Seats (by Neil Gaiman)
The View From the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman was such a pleasure to read. I chose the audiobook route as Gaiman narrates. To me, there’s nothing better than listening to Neil Gaiman tell his own stories. The book begins with a helpful introduction to the structure of these non-fiction works, why and how he put this book together, and the ways the reader may enjoy the book.
I was immediately drawn into this book when Neil talked about spending his childhood in his local library. He shared his school vacations were spent at his local library while his parents worked during the day. He highlighted the kindness of librarians and how they fostered his love of books. Neil romanticizes libraries, books, and the benefits of reading. This was my favorite part of the book. Listening to him talk about this subject was dreamy.
Neil relays the events that led up to him learning he won the Newbery Award for The Graveyard Book. What a whirlwind experience that was! It’s such a cool story.
Neil opened up about his relationships with other authors./famous people. I especially enjoyed his stories about Terry Pratchett and Stephen King. I haven’t read any works of Pratchett outside of Neil Gaiman, but I adored learning about their relationship. King is one of my favorite authors so needless to say, I was all ears for this part! I was shocked to learn that Neil and Geoff Notkin went to school together and even started a band in their earlier days. I know of Geoff Notkin from his television show, Meteorite Men. My husband and I loved watching those episodes! Neil talked about the extraordinary Ray Bradbury. I was fascinated to learn about Bradbury’s creative process and how the story of Fahrenheit 451 was developed. I loved imagining Bradbury writing his stories on a typewriter at the public library.
Neil relayed his experience at Sundance for the movie Mirrormask. I haven’t seen the movie; however, I was fascinated with his descriptions of the atmosphere at Sundance and the variety of people who attended.
Naturally, Neil talks about Doctor Who and comic books. I’ve never seen or read Doctor Who and I’ve hardly read any comics, so this part of the book was of least interest to me. If you’re a fan of either of these, then I’m sure you’ll love hearing Neil talk about them.
My intrigue was returned to full attention when Neil shared about his first experiences reading the masterpieces of Edgar Allan Poe, HG Wells, H. P. Lovecraft, and stories about Dracula and the Bride of Frankenstein. He has such an eloquent way of writing. It’s mesmerizing; as if I’m sitting on the floor next to a cozy fireplace looking up at Neil Gaiman as he tells his stories about his first exposures to these extraordinary works of art.
Neil wrote a lot of introductions to other authors’ books. The exposure this book provides will definitely increase the reader’s TBR pile!
Neil has such a cool friendship with Tori Amos! I was amazed listening to him talk about their unique relationship. Neil also has a strong affinity for Lou Reed. It was fascinating to learn about Neil’s connection with the musician and interview with him during Neil’s early days as a journalist.
Neil shared several articles he wrote pertaining to his wife, Amanda Palmer and her band, The Dresden Dolls. I am always interested in learning about an individual’s personal life. While he wrote about Amanda’s professional career, Neil included many personal moments in their relationship. It was most heartfelt as he described illnesses and deaths of their close friends.
Speaking of loss, Neil beautifully closed the book sharing about his co-author and friend Terry Pratchett.
This book was pretty great. After 16 plus listening hours, I became accustomed to hearing Neil Gaiman’s voice in my ears. I’m sure it’s going to be strange listening to my next audiobook.
Before I conclude this post, I want to recommend Amanda Palmer’s book, The Art of Asking; or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Let People Help. I listened to her audiobook, which she perfectly narrates, and it was brilliant! I had the ultimate pleasure of seeing Neil Gaiman on book tour for The Ocean and the End of the Lane hosted by Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, Kentucky back in July 2013. Amanda was with Neil helping out in the signing line. It was the longest signing line I’ve ever been in, in my entire life…And worth every minute of it! Below is a picture from that event.
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