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readacorn's review against another edition
3.0
Sommerchallenge Aufgabe #3. muss vom SuB sein
Nach dem Tod seiner Frau ist Dean Evers nach Florida gezogen. Gut geht es ihm nicht, er nimmt Tabletten und trinkt zu viel. Eines Abends, als er mal wieder einsam Baseball schaut, sieht er im Publikum seinen alten Zahnarzt. Der Mann ist seit Jahren tot. Eine Halluzination? Dean gießt sich vorsichtshalber nach.
Weitere Bekannte tauchen auf dem Bildschirm auf: alles Menschen, denen Dean irgendwann im Leben übel mitgespielt hat. Auch seine tote Frau ist dabei, die ihm gleich noch per Handy erklärt, was für eine Hölle ihre Ehe war. Und dann sieht Dean das Gesicht, das er am wenigsten sehen möchte und das ihn zu einem verzweifelten Schritt treibt.
Frage 1: Was hat Dir besonders gut gefallen?
Die Idee der Geschichte. Wer schon mal zufällig das Gesicht eines Bekannten im Fernsehen gesehen hat, weiß wie befremdlich das Gefühl ist. King und O'Nan haben diesen Gedanken ausgebaut.
Frage 2: Was hat Dir weniger gut gefallen?
Kurzgeschichten sind nicht Kings Stärke. Das kommt hier wieder durch. Außerdem für meinen Geschmack etwas zu viel Baseball.
Frage 3: Wer war Dein Lieblingscharakter?
Es gab keinen. Ich fand weder den Erzähler noch seine Begegnungen besonders sympatisch.
Frage 4: Würdest Du das Buch empfehlen?
Von beiden Autoren gibt es bessere Werke.
Nach dem Tod seiner Frau ist Dean Evers nach Florida gezogen. Gut geht es ihm nicht, er nimmt Tabletten und trinkt zu viel. Eines Abends, als er mal wieder einsam Baseball schaut, sieht er im Publikum seinen alten Zahnarzt. Der Mann ist seit Jahren tot. Eine Halluzination? Dean gießt sich vorsichtshalber nach.
Weitere Bekannte tauchen auf dem Bildschirm auf: alles Menschen, denen Dean irgendwann im Leben übel mitgespielt hat. Auch seine tote Frau ist dabei, die ihm gleich noch per Handy erklärt, was für eine Hölle ihre Ehe war. Und dann sieht Dean das Gesicht, das er am wenigsten sehen möchte und das ihn zu einem verzweifelten Schritt treibt.
Frage 1: Was hat Dir besonders gut gefallen?
Die Idee der Geschichte. Wer schon mal zufällig das Gesicht eines Bekannten im Fernsehen gesehen hat, weiß wie befremdlich das Gefühl ist. King und O'Nan haben diesen Gedanken ausgebaut.
Frage 2: Was hat Dir weniger gut gefallen?
Kurzgeschichten sind nicht Kings Stärke. Das kommt hier wieder durch. Außerdem für meinen Geschmack etwas zu viel Baseball.
Frage 3: Wer war Dein Lieblingscharakter?
Es gab keinen. Ich fand weder den Erzähler noch seine Begegnungen besonders sympatisch.
Frage 4: Würdest Du das Buch empfehlen?
Von beiden Autoren gibt es bessere Werke.
hmbb99's review
2.0
This was not the most impressive King book. It was predictable and a tad boring. I knew where the story was going after about two pages.
mxsallybend's review
4.0
I'll admit it. As much as I'm a huge fan of Stephen King AND the game baseball, I have never read his first collaboration with Stewart O'Nan, Faithful . . . and likely never will. It looks like an interesting read, but the Blue Jays fan inside me just will not allow me to indulge nearly 500 pages of Red Sox rhetoric. :)
Fortunately, with A Face in the Crowd they have turned their attention away from the Sox, and away from the realm of fan-based non-fiction. Instead, they've written a short little Twilight Zone type slice of fiction about an elderly widower, banished by retirement (and his dearly departed wife) to the land of the Tampa Bay Rays.
The concept here is pretty simple. Basically, each night, as he sits down to watch the game on TV, Dean Evers spots somebody from his past sitting in the same premium seat behind home plate. The problem is, each of them is well and truly dead, passed on before his time. The prospect of watching another game begins to fill him with dread, as each face brings back painful memories, but his efforts at mental distraction do nothing more than delay his viewing by a few innings. Where the story really begins to get interesting is when his phone rings . . . and the woman behind the plate motions for him to pick it up.
It's a fun story, written with the baseball fan in mind, full of names and stats that definitely anchor it in the current season.Dean Evers is your typical King character, a nice guy with flaws, who is haunted by regrets and past indiscretions, but you do feel for him. There are 2 nice twists to the story - the phone call, plus one other - and an ending that's definitely a bit melancholy, but fitting.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
Fortunately, with A Face in the Crowd they have turned their attention away from the Sox, and away from the realm of fan-based non-fiction. Instead, they've written a short little Twilight Zone type slice of fiction about an elderly widower, banished by retirement (and his dearly departed wife) to the land of the Tampa Bay Rays.
The concept here is pretty simple. Basically, each night, as he sits down to watch the game on TV, Dean Evers spots somebody from his past sitting in the same premium seat behind home plate. The problem is, each of them is well and truly dead, passed on before his time. The prospect of watching another game begins to fill him with dread, as each face brings back painful memories, but his efforts at mental distraction do nothing more than delay his viewing by a few innings. Where the story really begins to get interesting is when his phone rings . . . and the woman behind the plate motions for him to pick it up.
It's a fun story, written with the baseball fan in mind, full of names and stats that definitely anchor it in the current season.Dean Evers is your typical King character, a nice guy with flaws, who is haunted by regrets and past indiscretions, but you do feel for him. There are 2 nice twists to the story - the phone call, plus one other - and an ending that's definitely a bit melancholy, but fitting.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
irmakkilinc's review
2.0
The story itself was not bad, however, for such a short novella, it kind of dragged on. It wasn't creepy or thrilling one bit, and I don't see how this is categorized as "horror," but that's just me.
morganalan's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
prismsquare's review
4.0
Good, quick read. Quite enjoyable and interesting. Void of Kings typical ranting which is always better.
Solid 4/5
Solid 4/5
agnewjacob120's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Interesting to see a characters flaws laid bare in front of them and their reaction to it
beentsy's review
3.0
The feel of a cautionary tale. Live a good life, be kind to others, and don't screw people over. It will come back and bite you. Possibly in a creepy King manner.
snarkytorta's review
2.0
A very short story that I found difficult to get into; mostly because of all jargon and setting having to do with Baseball. I found the plot and scenarios quite intriguing none the less. If there were baseball allegories or allusions, they were missed by me. I will stick to King books that were he isn't the co-author.
abbiegregory's review
dark
sad
fast-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
3.0