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vcmnsn's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
billymac1962's review against another edition
3.0
I'm reading this collection in bite-sized pieces, between novels every now and then. I'll review each story as I read them.
Since I need to rate this to have it saved, I'm setting the bar at 3 stars for now.
Willa: This was okay, there wasn't much of a storyline, but King creates an eerie sense of place with this one. 3 stars.
The Gingerbread Girl: A fairly longer short story, but it sure doesn't feel that way. King ratches the suspense meter up to full with this one. 4 stars
Harvey's Dream: Read this while unable to sleep at 2:30am. Nicely done shorty with a niggling sense of foreboding. 3 stars
Rest Stop: Just a short evening incident in the life of an author at a rest stop. Pretty absorbing for a brief time. 3 stars
The Things They Left Behind: King's nod to the 9/11 horror. It's obvious he spent a lot of time on this one given the sensitivity in its telling. Best story so far. 5 stars
Graduation Afternoon: A very short look at a graduation that is backdropped with destruction. Interesting. 2 stars.
N.: Predictable, but still a creepy decent into obsessive compulsion (I don't think anyone does this better than Stevie). 5 stars if only for the OCD slant.
The Cat From Hell: Indeed. Very creepy and I enjoyed this one a lot. 4 stars
Mute: A man in a confessional describes his car trip with a deaf-mute hitchhiker. This was pretty good, and a fine accompaniment to my lunch today. 3 stars.
Ayana: A short story about miracles. It was OK. 2 stars.
A Very Tight Place: Yuck. I can't even begin to tell you how much I savoured the long, hot shower I had after reading this one. 4 stars
All in all, not up to his usual awesomeness, but mostly was an OK filler read.
Since I need to rate this to have it saved, I'm setting the bar at 3 stars for now.
Willa: This was okay, there wasn't much of a storyline, but King creates an eerie sense of place with this one. 3 stars.
The Gingerbread Girl: A fairly longer short story, but it sure doesn't feel that way. King ratches the suspense meter up to full with this one. 4 stars
Harvey's Dream: Read this while unable to sleep at 2:30am. Nicely done shorty with a niggling sense of foreboding. 3 stars
Rest Stop: Just a short evening incident in the life of an author at a rest stop. Pretty absorbing for a brief time. 3 stars
The Things They Left Behind: King's nod to the 9/11 horror. It's obvious he spent a lot of time on this one given the sensitivity in its telling. Best story so far. 5 stars
Graduation Afternoon: A very short look at a graduation that is backdropped with destruction. Interesting. 2 stars.
N.: Predictable, but still a creepy decent into obsessive compulsion (I don't think anyone does this better than Stevie). 5 stars if only for the OCD slant.
The Cat From Hell: Indeed. Very creepy and I enjoyed this one a lot. 4 stars
Mute: A man in a confessional describes his car trip with a deaf-mute hitchhiker. This was pretty good, and a fine accompaniment to my lunch today. 3 stars.
Ayana: A short story about miracles. It was OK. 2 stars.
A Very Tight Place: Yuck. I can't even begin to tell you how much I savoured the long, hot shower I had after reading this one. 4 stars
All in all, not up to his usual awesomeness, but mostly was an OK filler read.
valetam's review against another edition
4.0
It's more recent than most of King's short story collections (2008), and it is decidedly more refined than, say, Nightshift (1978), but I have to say I enjoyed the latter more!
The stories in this book deal with the human psyche and big themes like The Afterlife. "N" stands out to me, an amazing novella! But other stories are forgettable because they don't drive home the point has hard.
The stories in this book deal with the human psyche and big themes like The Afterlife. "N" stands out to me, an amazing novella! But other stories are forgettable because they don't drive home the point has hard.
holmstead's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars! It is always a pleasure to read King's shorts. I love the difference one goes in each one's complexity and simplicity. My favorite: The Gingerbread Girl. My least favorite: Ayana. Crazy off the wall fun: The Cat from Hell (the mental images running through my head were insane and just some fun shit!) Most thought provoking: Mute.
I never tire of King's words and images and stories. I will be even more anxious and excited to carefully crack open my next collection from him, The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. Ooooh, yessssss........
I never tire of King's words and images and stories. I will be even more anxious and excited to carefully crack open my next collection from him, The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. Ooooh, yessssss........
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
4.0
Warning! This review will be incredibly long because I find it impossible to review a collection of short stories without reviewing each story. Feel free to move along.
Overall, this was not a typical Stephen King short story collection. His short stories generally give me nightmares. There were a few horror stories in here, but really he was exploring the post-9/11 world, grief, loss, and the afterlife. Some of his efforts were more successful than others, but the ones that worked really worked for me.
"Willa"--3 stars--A young couple on their way to San Francisco are waiting at a train depot for another train after theirs derails. This story was just sort of eerie. King is so great at setting a mood that you realize right away that something's not quite right, but mostly this story just felt like page filler.
"The Gingerbread Girl"--5 stars--A young woman runs to escape her grief, and then a nightmare. This one was straight-up suspense. I found my shoulders tensed and my body hunched over as I read this one. It's amazing to me that an author can do that in so few pages.
"Harvey's Dream"--3 stars--A man on the brink of retirement tells his wife about a terrible dream he had the night before. It was well-written, but I just didn't care.
"Rest Stop"--4 stars--A mild mystery writer overhears a disturbing argument at a rest stop late one night and must decide what to do about it. This one left me wondering what I would do in his shoes. There's some exploration of the hidden depths we carry around inside that we hope we never tap into. A good "makes-you-think" story.
"Stationary Bike"--A man creates more than he thinks when he paints himself a picture to help pass the time as he rides his stationary bike. I had no idea where this was going. And who can't relate to the mind-numbing boredom of an exercise machine?
"The Things They Left Behind"--5 stars--My favorite story from this book. A man who should have died along with the rest of his office on 9/11 suddenly finds objects in his apartment that he associates with his co-workers. This was a quietly powerful story that had much more going on than meets the eye. It read like a good exploration of survivor's guilt. Don't dismiss this one as "just another Stephen King story." This one's Literature. I actually pulled some good quotes out of this one: "Obliqueness is the curse of the reading class." "They did it in the name of God, but there is no God. If there was a God, Mr. Staley, He would have struck them dead in their boarding lounges with their boarding passes in their hand, but no God did. They called for passengers to get on and those fucks just got on." If we're being honest, who among us didn't feel that, at least for a second, on that day?
"Graduation Afternoon"--4 stars--The unthinkable happens in New York City. This was probably one of the most truly scary stories in the book. Before 9/11, this would have just been a fantasty/horror story. Post-9/11, I think deep down we're all waiting for this to actually happen, at least in our darkest, most pessimistic hours.
"N."--4 stars--A psychiatrist leaves behind notes on a delusional patient. King mentions the story, "The Yellow Wallpaper" in this story. That "descending-into-madness-with-the-character" feeling seems to be what he was going for, but he didn't accomplish it like Charlotte Perkins Gilman did. This was supposed to be a horror tale, but I somehow never quite got there. The fantasy world was never very real to me. I don't know if that's because King's writing fell short or because my imagination is not the equal of his.
"The Cat From Hell"--4 stars--The title describes the plot. This was an absurd, but at the same time scary, story. It reminded me of that Chattering Teeth story he wrote in an earlier collection in that I wanted to laugh at the same time that I was freaked out.
"The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates"--3 stars--A woman receives a phone call from her husband--as she's dressing for his funeral. This was another one where all I have to say is that I really didn't care.
"Mute"--3 stars--A man whose life has just fallen apart picks up a deaf/mute hitchhiker and feels safe confessing all his troubles. I found this one pretty predictable. But here's a quote that made me giggle: "He pointed toward the silhouettes on the side of the [bathrooms] instead--black cutout man, black cutout woman. The man had his legs apart, the woman had hers together. Pretty much the story of the human race in sign language."
"Ayana"--3 stars--All I'm going to say about this one is "The Green Mile revisited." It might have been more interesting if I hadn't read the novel first. There was a good quote in here too though: "The medical definition of miracle is misdiagnosis."
"A Very Tight Place"--4 stars--Two neighbors are feuding over a piece of land in the Florida Keys. One of them decides to end the feud once and for all. This one was a good, old-fashioned, Stephen King gross-out. Don't read it if you have a weak stomach.
Overall, this was not a typical Stephen King short story collection. His short stories generally give me nightmares. There were a few horror stories in here, but really he was exploring the post-9/11 world, grief, loss, and the afterlife. Some of his efforts were more successful than others, but the ones that worked really worked for me.
"Willa"--3 stars--A young couple on their way to San Francisco are waiting at a train depot for another train after theirs derails. This story was just sort of eerie. King is so great at setting a mood that you realize right away that something's not quite right, but mostly this story just felt like page filler.
"The Gingerbread Girl"--5 stars--A young woman runs to escape her grief, and then a nightmare. This one was straight-up suspense. I found my shoulders tensed and my body hunched over as I read this one. It's amazing to me that an author can do that in so few pages.
"Harvey's Dream"--3 stars--A man on the brink of retirement tells his wife about a terrible dream he had the night before. It was well-written, but I just didn't care.
"Rest Stop"--4 stars--A mild mystery writer overhears a disturbing argument at a rest stop late one night and must decide what to do about it. This one left me wondering what I would do in his shoes. There's some exploration of the hidden depths we carry around inside that we hope we never tap into. A good "makes-you-think" story.
"Stationary Bike"--A man creates more than he thinks when he paints himself a picture to help pass the time as he rides his stationary bike. I had no idea where this was going. And who can't relate to the mind-numbing boredom of an exercise machine?
"The Things They Left Behind"--5 stars--My favorite story from this book. A man who should have died along with the rest of his office on 9/11 suddenly finds objects in his apartment that he associates with his co-workers. This was a quietly powerful story that had much more going on than meets the eye. It read like a good exploration of survivor's guilt. Don't dismiss this one as "just another Stephen King story." This one's Literature. I actually pulled some good quotes out of this one: "Obliqueness is the curse of the reading class." "They did it in the name of God, but there is no God. If there was a God, Mr. Staley, He would have struck them dead in their boarding lounges with their boarding passes in their hand, but no God did. They called for passengers to get on and those fucks just got on." If we're being honest, who among us didn't feel that, at least for a second, on that day?
"Graduation Afternoon"--4 stars--The unthinkable happens in New York City. This was probably one of the most truly scary stories in the book. Before 9/11, this would have just been a fantasty/horror story. Post-9/11, I think deep down we're all waiting for this to actually happen, at least in our darkest, most pessimistic hours.
"N."--4 stars--A psychiatrist leaves behind notes on a delusional patient. King mentions the story, "The Yellow Wallpaper" in this story. That "descending-into-madness-with-the-character" feeling seems to be what he was going for, but he didn't accomplish it like Charlotte Perkins Gilman did. This was supposed to be a horror tale, but I somehow never quite got there. The fantasy world was never very real to me. I don't know if that's because King's writing fell short or because my imagination is not the equal of his.
"The Cat From Hell"--4 stars--The title describes the plot. This was an absurd, but at the same time scary, story. It reminded me of that Chattering Teeth story he wrote in an earlier collection in that I wanted to laugh at the same time that I was freaked out.
"The New York Times at Special Bargain Rates"--3 stars--A woman receives a phone call from her husband--as she's dressing for his funeral. This was another one where all I have to say is that I really didn't care.
"Mute"--3 stars--A man whose life has just fallen apart picks up a deaf/mute hitchhiker and feels safe confessing all his troubles. I found this one pretty predictable. But here's a quote that made me giggle: "He pointed toward the silhouettes on the side of the [bathrooms] instead--black cutout man, black cutout woman. The man had his legs apart, the woman had hers together. Pretty much the story of the human race in sign language."
"Ayana"--3 stars--All I'm going to say about this one is "The Green Mile revisited." It might have been more interesting if I hadn't read the novel first. There was a good quote in here too though: "The medical definition of miracle is misdiagnosis."
"A Very Tight Place"--4 stars--Two neighbors are feuding over a piece of land in the Florida Keys. One of them decides to end the feud once and for all. This one was a good, old-fashioned, Stephen King gross-out. Don't read it if you have a weak stomach.
alexandrabree's review against another edition
4.0
A found that the stories were a little too long, but overall pretty good. The Things They Left Behind was my favourite along with The Cat From Hell
coenobi's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
faryewing's review against another edition
3.0
Willa-
Catch the Buck Owens/Roy Clark reference :-) One of the things I love about King are his music references; the way his characters frequently have bits of songs stuck in their minds.
The Gingerbread Girl-
I'll never think the same way about those empty looking monstrous houses along the stretch between St. Augustine Beach and Crescent Beach again.
Rest Stop-
This is a good story about domestic violence (one of life's REAL boogies) and what can happen when someone steps in. What bothers me, being a Florida native is that the main character starts out heading for Sarasota from Jacksonville. The rest stop is 7 miles south of Ocala. THEN he heads BACK in the direction of Lake City? I'm confused.
The Cat From Hell-
Didn't he write an earlier one about a cat taking the breath away from people? Mr. King does not like cats, does he?
The Things They Left Behind-
Certainly the most touching of the stories. Post 9-11 Survivor story. Again, touching.
Catch the Buck Owens/Roy Clark reference :-) One of the things I love about King are his music references; the way his characters frequently have bits of songs stuck in their minds.
The Gingerbread Girl-
I'll never think the same way about those empty looking monstrous houses along the stretch between St. Augustine Beach and Crescent Beach again.
Rest Stop-
This is a good story about domestic violence (one of life's REAL boogies) and what can happen when someone steps in. What bothers me, being a Florida native is that the main character starts out heading for Sarasota from Jacksonville. The rest stop is 7 miles south of Ocala. THEN he heads BACK in the direction of Lake City? I'm confused.
The Cat From Hell-
Didn't he write an earlier one about a cat taking the breath away from people? Mr. King does not like cats, does he?
The Things They Left Behind-
Certainly the most touching of the stories. Post 9-11 Survivor story. Again, touching.
randybaggins's review against another edition
5.0
King has a long history with short fiction. Here yet again is a fine collection of short stories, not overly long or overly short. I particularly enjoyed 'Stationary Bike', 'N.','The Gingerbread Girl', 'Ayana' and 'A Very Tight Place'.
teklagyorgy's review against another edition
4.0
A személyes kedvenc elbeszélésem A mézeskalács lány volt, mégpedig azért, mert az izgalom a tetőfokára hágott, nem tudtam elengedni a könyvet, és igen, azt hiszem, hogy King egyik legjobb irománya. Emily története talán azért is ennyire tökéletes, mert – ahogyan a borító is írja – ez tényleg megtörténhetne. Brrrr, színtiszta borzongás, és igen, ez az amit imádok Kingtől :)
Bővebben: http://teklakonyvei.blogspot.hu/2014/09/stephen-king-napnyugta-utan.html
Bővebben: http://teklakonyvei.blogspot.hu/2014/09/stephen-king-napnyugta-utan.html