Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.87 AVERAGE
3.87 AVERAGE
This was basically the perfect summer read. It's a ghost story without being a horror, a coming-of-age story without too much angst, a detective story without any overwrought analysis of the clues, and a Stephen King story without allusions to either the Dark Tower series or Randall Flag. It is substantial without being heavy -- in tone or in book weight (it's less than 300 pages).
Speaking of pages, this book is a bit of an oddity in that it was not released as an ebook, allegedly because King liked paperbacks growing up.
A minor complaint: I got sucked out of the story at one point when a reference is made to a character wearing a South Carolina Mudcats ball cap. In 1973, when this story is set, the Mudcats not only didn't play in South Carolina (they play in North Carolina), they didn't even exist yet.
A second minor complaint: While the book cover is awesome, and gives the book a perfect retro vibe, the image has little to do with the plot whatsoever.
Spoiler
The wrong girl is on the cover, instead of Hollywood Girl Erin on the cover, the ghost in the blue dress definitely should be there. I mean, Erin isn't even in the park for either of the climactic scenes.
dark
mysterious
medium-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:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Primera vez que leo a Stephen King en inglés. Creo que es de sus mejores libros, King es un maestro para escribir historias de fantasmas que no tratan de fantasmas. El acercamiento humano que lo caracteriza toma mucha fuerza aquí. Un buen final, emotivo y atado a la nostalgia que tanto lo caracteriza Lo disfruté.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is my second Stephen King novel. I totally get why his books are so popular, but the hyperfocus on historical accuracy isn’t really my cup of tea. There were lots of details in this book that felt a little forced/unnecessary. The plot was very slow to get going, but overall I enjoyed my time reading it. One other thing, I think the book could have been written without ableist language. I get that back then such language would’ve been prevalent, but it’s fiction, not a history book… we can write fictional stories about the past from a present day perspective. Of course my opinion on this would be different if it were from a disabled author.
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
tense
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Honestly just a really cool read that was creepy at times but also a really good depiction of moving through heartbreak with some really beautiful moments and some satisfying if not like world changing endings.
I really liked it but it also felt really slow? But also fast? I’m not sure but when I was reading it I LOVED it and when I wasn’t reading it I was dreading picking it up so?
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes