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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Needful Things takes place in Castle Rock, Maine, which is the setting for several of King's stories. It's a sleepy little town. At least, it would be if it hadn't been the site of some seriously bizarre violent happenings over the years. Leland Gaunt, a charming man, comes to town and opens a store called "Needful Things". It seems to be a curio shop, or an odd antique store. People from the town start coming in and, luckily for them, find the thing they most want.
Leland Gaunt sells things for an intriguing price- what the shopper can pay in cash plus one prank. Just a harmless little prank. Except, it's Castle Rock, Gaunt isn't who he seems, and suddenly these pranks have less than harmless consequences.
The idea is fascinating, Not because someone who deals in more than currency is a new idea; it's not. But someone who uses pranks as currency is very original and the way the story progressed is unique. I've never heard any version of the Peddler who deals in that sort of trade. So, right away, I was intrigued.
Stephen King is an incredibly talented writer, no one will deny that. At times, I did feel like there were too many background characters, and there were a few parts that I think could have been condensed (for example, there were multiple Elvis Presley sexual fantasies, which seemed redundant). Overall, though, I really liked it. By the end, the story was barreling along at a breakneck pace and taking me with it.
See full review at wittyandsarcasticbookclub.blogspot.com
Leland Gaunt sells things for an intriguing price- what the shopper can pay in cash plus one prank. Just a harmless little prank. Except, it's Castle Rock, Gaunt isn't who he seems, and suddenly these pranks have less than harmless consequences.
The idea is fascinating, Not because someone who deals in more than currency is a new idea; it's not. But someone who uses pranks as currency is very original and the way the story progressed is unique. I've never heard any version of the Peddler who deals in that sort of trade. So, right away, I was intrigued.
Stephen King is an incredibly talented writer, no one will deny that. At times, I did feel like there were too many background characters, and there were a few parts that I think could have been condensed (for example, there were multiple Elvis Presley sexual fantasies, which seemed redundant). Overall, though, I really liked it. By the end, the story was barreling along at a breakneck pace and taking me with it.
See full review at wittyandsarcasticbookclub.blogspot.com
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book was disappointing for a slew of reasons. I love some of King's work because of what it communicates about human nature. I expected Needful Things to do the same, but in this case, that commentary is muddled by a hypnosis that everyone is powerless against. Readers of Cell and The Stand will balk to see dreams used yet again to tie together disparate plot lines. Fans of Under the Dome (among whom I don't count myself) will recognize duplicative character archetypes to a tee, including the unconvincingly evil town selectman and tortured-by-a-past-tragedy cop/veteran protagonist. The escalation of the story is similarly unbelievable here.
I finished it, but it was a struggle. Recommend 11/22/63, the Stand, the Shining and Cell miles ahead of this one. Needful Things keeps company with Cujo and Misery as my least favorite Kings.
I finished it, but it was a struggle. Recommend 11/22/63, the Stand, the Shining and Cell miles ahead of this one. Needful Things keeps company with Cujo and Misery as my least favorite Kings.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Definitely could have gone without the spider
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm a huge King fan but this one was all over the place. He got a little too carried away with characters and back stories.
Rubbish, I got 200 pages in and nothing had happened, I couldn't carry on it was painful, however I watched the film and it was brilliant. One of the very rare cases where the film is better than the book.
Where to even start...this definitely tops my list of favourite Stephen King novels. It is so subtle in metaphor and foreshadowing that it is perfect. Leland Gaunt is the devil, but he wants deeds instead of souls, and he is willing to sell you a hallucinatory projection of your most desired thing in life in order to ensure that you will be committed to doing what it is that he asks. He also is super sexy so ❤️
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Blood
Moderate: Fatphobia