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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
After reading the reviews I had been expecting great things from this book and by god did it deliver! As always Stephen King lives up to his reviews, he entertains, he horrifies and he surprises. Yet another amazing read from him with twists and turns. I think my favorite part of this book is the way each small character has their own back story and it's not all revealed all once. It's slowly brought to us and that is the brilliance of a Stephen King book, we think we know everything then surprise! we don't and that is what intrigues me in a book of his.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Pedophilia, Suicide, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Alcohol
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Trouble and aggravation's mostly made up of ordinary things, did you ever notice that? Undramatic things."
from Stephen King's "Needful Things"
This is the first truly disappointing experience I've had with Stephen King. It's his own damn fault for setting the bar so high. The story is quite basic…a stranger arrives in a small town and opens a store that's part antiques, part yard-sale. "In a small town, the opening of a new store is big news." The owner if this strange little store is Leland Gaunt.
"Needful Things" is Stephen King's statement on the absurdities of American consumerism. Gaunt seems to have exactly what each member of the town needs…deep in their heart of hearts. A town deputy finds a fishing rod, amazingly similar to the one he used on memorable days casting with his deceased father. A woman finds sunglasses worn by Elvis Presley, and when she wears them, she's taken to a concert, to Graceland, or to The King's bed. The price of these items is small financially, but Gaunt always insists on a 'favor' in addition to cash. When those ‘favors’ are cashed in, chaos ensues.
While negotiating with one person, Gaunt says, "Why is it that so many people think all the answers are in their wallets? It's criminally stupid…The world is full of needy people who don't understand that everything, everything, is for sale…if you're willing to pay the price."
"Keep an eye on him, I tell you. Keep an eye on everything. You've been here before, but things are about to change. I know it. I feel it. There's a storm on the way."
One of my issues with the book is the lack of much back-story on Mr. Gaunt. He's both charismatic and creepy in a very vampiric way. Think of "The Stand's" Randall Flagg, and then superimpose an evil Gandalf. There's no doubt about his evil, but King barely allows the reader to dip a toe into his enigmatic history.
"…Be patient. Wait. That's most of what life in The Rock is about -- taking it easy, being patient, and waiting for the occasional stink to blow over."
King's at his best when creating atmospheric Small Town, USA. Castle Rock, Maine is the base for many of his earlier works, so he knows its people and character very well. "And it looks like such a sleepy little town from the outside, doesn't it?" says Polly Chalmers to Sheriff Alan Pangborn when filling him in on some of the towns' more memorable and dark history.
In "Needful Things, King's characters have familiar roots and themes. The extremely good-hearted cop with a dark past. His burgeoning love, who also has a secret past, but a heart of gold. The head Selectman of Castle Rock feels awfully similar to Big Jim Rennie in "Under the Dome", which includes a family-owned car dealership. Even the eerie similarities between Gaunt and Flagg seems to evoke a sense that King was continually experimenting with the same themes, similar characterizations, and how those would interact when tossed together in a small New England town.
The book is enjoyable, but nothing in comparison to some of his other works. It's big at over 900 pages, but contains no where near the depth of "It" or "The Stand", nor the poignancy of "Bag of Bones".
from Stephen King's "Needful Things"
This is the first truly disappointing experience I've had with Stephen King. It's his own damn fault for setting the bar so high. The story is quite basic…a stranger arrives in a small town and opens a store that's part antiques, part yard-sale. "In a small town, the opening of a new store is big news." The owner if this strange little store is Leland Gaunt.
"Needful Things" is Stephen King's statement on the absurdities of American consumerism. Gaunt seems to have exactly what each member of the town needs…deep in their heart of hearts. A town deputy finds a fishing rod, amazingly similar to the one he used on memorable days casting with his deceased father. A woman finds sunglasses worn by Elvis Presley, and when she wears them, she's taken to a concert, to Graceland, or to The King's bed. The price of these items is small financially, but Gaunt always insists on a 'favor' in addition to cash. When those ‘favors’ are cashed in, chaos ensues.
While negotiating with one person, Gaunt says, "Why is it that so many people think all the answers are in their wallets? It's criminally stupid…The world is full of needy people who don't understand that everything, everything, is for sale…if you're willing to pay the price."
"Keep an eye on him, I tell you. Keep an eye on everything. You've been here before, but things are about to change. I know it. I feel it. There's a storm on the way."
One of my issues with the book is the lack of much back-story on Mr. Gaunt. He's both charismatic and creepy in a very vampiric way. Think of "The Stand's" Randall Flagg, and then superimpose an evil Gandalf. There's no doubt about his evil, but King barely allows the reader to dip a toe into his enigmatic history.
"…Be patient. Wait. That's most of what life in The Rock is about -- taking it easy, being patient, and waiting for the occasional stink to blow over."
King's at his best when creating atmospheric Small Town, USA. Castle Rock, Maine is the base for many of his earlier works, so he knows its people and character very well. "And it looks like such a sleepy little town from the outside, doesn't it?" says Polly Chalmers to Sheriff Alan Pangborn when filling him in on some of the towns' more memorable and dark history.
In "Needful Things, King's characters have familiar roots and themes. The extremely good-hearted cop with a dark past. His burgeoning love, who also has a secret past, but a heart of gold. The head Selectman of Castle Rock feels awfully similar to Big Jim Rennie in "Under the Dome", which includes a family-owned car dealership. Even the eerie similarities between Gaunt and Flagg seems to evoke a sense that King was continually experimenting with the same themes, similar characterizations, and how those would interact when tossed together in a small New England town.
The book is enjoyable, but nothing in comparison to some of his other works. It's big at over 900 pages, but contains no where near the depth of "It" or "The Stand", nor the poignancy of "Bag of Bones".
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
relaxing
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Even though it took me over a year to finish reading it, I really loved this one. It sucked me in, as an addiction usual does. First, it wasn't that impressive. I wouldn't have kept on reading, if it were not for the fact that I've read S. King's books before and were thus certain sticking with it would reward me in the end. I was not disappointed.
The book was for me a long metaphor for addictions. For the dangers of wanting and needing. At first it was a book easy to put away, I read other books instead and only returned to this one because of the expectations. Then, about one third into it, it started to harden its hold on me. To the end, it was hard to put away to do something else - like for example to sleep.
Even though the beginning did not "take a hold on me" it was well written, just as the book in whole. I found it to be a very fascinating read, and it made me think a lot about the dangers of thinking you need something particular. The words "I'd do anything ..." got a deeper meaning for me with this book.
The book was for me a long metaphor for addictions. For the dangers of wanting and needing. At first it was a book easy to put away, I read other books instead and only returned to this one because of the expectations. Then, about one third into it, it started to harden its hold on me. To the end, it was hard to put away to do something else - like for example to sleep.
Even though the beginning did not "take a hold on me" it was well written, just as the book in whole. I found it to be a very fascinating read, and it made me think a lot about the dangers of thinking you need something particular. The words "I'd do anything ..." got a deeper meaning for me with this book.
Castle Rock is like any other small town, but it's about to be taken over. Leland Gaunt has arrived with his mysterious store "Needful Things" and he'll pride his customers anything they think they need but for a price.
King has done it again with his of the telling a story about small town America and its deep dark secrets. The story starts out slow, introducing you to the characters and telling you about their lives and relationships. It escalates steadily as Gaunt destroys this town piece by piece adding to the intensity and desire to know what will happen to these characters. One of my favorite things about King's writing is character development as he tells you every little thing about his characters, so you'll have strong feelings about them. He wants you to know them completely and that helps to understand them whether you agree with their actions or not. I hated a lot of the characters but I also loved a lot characters too. They're relatable even in a small way, especially with the desires and fears Gaunt feeds off of. Gaunt is one of King's supernatural villains and he is unsettling. He knows how to charm you, but he also has a scariness to him. Those are my favorite kind of villains. The ones who can charm you, but there's a dark, underlying nature to me. There's also something special about this happening in small town. It's creepiness is that though on the surface it seems like this would be a safe space it takes one spark to set off someone and make things unsafe. Like a lot of his novels, Needful Things can be slow at times but it picks up the pace too.
King has done it again with his of the telling a story about small town America and its deep dark secrets. The story starts out slow, introducing you to the characters and telling you about their lives and relationships. It escalates steadily as Gaunt destroys this town piece by piece adding to the intensity and desire to know what will happen to these characters. One of my favorite things about King's writing is character development as he tells you every little thing about his characters, so you'll have strong feelings about them. He wants you to know them completely and that helps to understand them whether you agree with their actions or not. I hated a lot of the characters but I also loved a lot characters too. They're relatable even in a small way, especially with the desires and fears Gaunt feeds off of. Gaunt is one of King's supernatural villains and he is unsettling. He knows how to charm you, but he also has a scariness to him. Those are my favorite kind of villains. The ones who can charm you, but there's a dark, underlying nature to me. There's also something special about this happening in small town. It's creepiness is that though on the surface it seems like this would be a safe space it takes one spark to set off someone and make things unsafe. Like a lot of his novels, Needful Things can be slow at times but it picks up the pace too.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Another King novel read this year. I buddy read this with a friend on my bookstagram.
~This book follows many characters in Castle Rock both old and new, such as Sheriff Pangborn and Ace Merrill. The actions of all the characters in town intertwine and create tragedies along the way.
~Mr. Gaunt is new in town, but yet knows what everybody may need in their life. He's willing to sell these needful things and he's sure everyone is willing to buy. For what price though???
~I enjoyed the rants and the craziness of this book, however its another issue with the length. But, I guess it sold me on the absolute absurdity that went on in the town after Mr. Gaunt pulled up. Sometimes, it got a little tedious trying to keep up with the characters and every small act to lead to the big ones. Also, the ending was predictable if you've read a King novel before.
Overall, I enjoyed this read. I loved the insanity that ensued after all the "pranks" happened lol
~This book follows many characters in Castle Rock both old and new, such as Sheriff Pangborn and Ace Merrill. The actions of all the characters in town intertwine and create tragedies along the way.
~Mr. Gaunt is new in town, but yet knows what everybody may need in their life. He's willing to sell these needful things and he's sure everyone is willing to buy. For what price though???
~I enjoyed the rants and the craziness of this book, however its another issue with the length. But, I guess it sold me on the absolute absurdity that went on in the town after Mr. Gaunt pulled up. Sometimes, it got a little tedious trying to keep up with the characters and every small act to lead to the big ones. Also, the ending was predictable if you've read a King novel before.
Overall, I enjoyed this read. I loved the insanity that ensued after all the "pranks" happened lol