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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
I'm so conflicted about this book. I was hooked, there is no denying that - seeing as I have left all work aside for the past week to finish reading this mountain of a book. It was thoroughly engaging. After Stephen King's very self aware running gag on being called out for his bad endings in IT Chapter 2, I'd braced myself for a disappointment. So perhaps it didn't hurt as much when the predicted disappointment hit. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. First, the goods, or the positives:
The greatest triumph of SK's writing for me has always been the uncannily real characters. How he can effortlessly hop into the heads of hardened criminals, sociopaths, recovering alcoholics, bullies, angsty teenagers bursting at the seams, mothers, children, you name it. He can write the damnedest realistic characters and he has surely managed that in this book.
Not only that, he makes you care for them. He screws with you most when he makes you adore two characters on opposite sides of the plot and suddenly you're forced to choose. All of this, Sleeping Beauties has managed. There are moments of triumph when his characters hit right home. Just right.
The story is a mix of Under the Dome, The Stand, 11/22/63 and perhaps even Mr. Mercedes (specific references aside.) SK has proved before, more than once, that he can do small town mass hysteria and do it well. He has pulled it off here too, no surprises there.
And I mean there's the obvious, the more recent Stephen King charm you get: that brisk no-nonsense dialogue, casual meta references and nods to authors and movies and songs and his own characters, style - just a lot of cocky style. And all this makes it a thoroughly entertaining book, even at its worst moments.
I don't know how much of this is Owen King, but there's too much Stephen King to miss. Things I was surprised by and like included the element of dark fantasy. I like the allusions and the tricks and I love the perspective of the fox.
Now to the negatives, the bads:
Maybe the book came a little too late. I like the idea of a retelling of a fairy tale in this manner and on this scale, but it just seems strange to have this repeated overwrought discussion on the duality of gender, men and women, men against women, two genders and the very specific dual gender roles.. seems odd to centre the book entirely around this duality in today's world. It was quite the elephant in the room.
I think at the end of the day, it's Clint Norcross who has disappointed me the most, for reasons I need to spend more time over.
And lastly, I think the scope of the book was too narrow and for no solid reason. In Under the Dome, there is still an explanation for the seemingly arbitrary choice of that particular small town for that particular story. What makes this town so special? Why is the rest of the world so oblivious to this random town in Appalachia where everything of import seems to be happening? Even Under the Dome had a lot more of the external world. Here, it's just something you need to accept without justification. Too big a story in too small a package.
Final Thoughts: I'm glad I read it. My biggest takeaway is the character of Jeannette - that's one woman I will not forget easily, one character I'll keep coming back to. I would recommend it to you if you have the time for it. But there are always greater Stephen King novels to choose over this - when in doubt, when it comes to SK, go for the classics.
The greatest triumph of SK's writing for me has always been the uncannily real characters. How he can effortlessly hop into the heads of hardened criminals, sociopaths, recovering alcoholics, bullies, angsty teenagers bursting at the seams, mothers, children, you name it. He can write the damnedest realistic characters and he has surely managed that in this book.
Not only that, he makes you care for them. He screws with you most when he makes you adore two characters on opposite sides of the plot and suddenly you're forced to choose. All of this, Sleeping Beauties has managed. There are moments of triumph when his characters hit right home. Just right.
The story is a mix of Under the Dome, The Stand, 11/22/63 and perhaps even Mr. Mercedes (specific references aside.) SK has proved before, more than once, that he can do small town mass hysteria and do it well. He has pulled it off here too, no surprises there.
And I mean there's the obvious, the more recent Stephen King charm you get: that brisk no-nonsense dialogue, casual meta references and nods to authors and movies and songs and his own characters, style - just a lot of cocky style. And all this makes it a thoroughly entertaining book, even at its worst moments.
I don't know how much of this is Owen King, but there's too much Stephen King to miss. Things I was surprised by and like included the element of dark fantasy. I like the allusions and the tricks and I love the perspective of the fox.
Now to the negatives, the bads:
Maybe the book came a little too late. I like the idea of a retelling of a fairy tale in this manner and on this scale, but it just seems strange to have this repeated overwrought discussion on the duality of gender, men and women, men against women, two genders and the very specific dual gender roles.. seems odd to centre the book entirely around this duality in today's world. It was quite the elephant in the room.
I think at the end of the day, it's Clint Norcross who has disappointed me the most, for reasons I need to spend more time over.
And lastly, I think the scope of the book was too narrow and for no solid reason. In Under the Dome, there is still an explanation for the seemingly arbitrary choice of that particular small town for that particular story. What makes this town so special? Why is the rest of the world so oblivious to this random town in Appalachia where everything of import seems to be happening? Even Under the Dome had a lot more of the external world. Here, it's just something you need to accept without justification. Too big a story in too small a package.
Final Thoughts: I'm glad I read it. My biggest takeaway is the character of Jeannette - that's one woman I will not forget easily, one character I'll keep coming back to. I would recommend it to you if you have the time for it. But there are always greater Stephen King novels to choose over this - when in doubt, when it comes to SK, go for the classics.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed this one from the King's, probably one of my favourites by Stephen King. Took a bit of time to get into and wrap my head around all the characters, but it felt so real that I was imagining all the scenes as I read. Would love a limited TV series of this!
1,5/5
Σκεφτομουν μηπως του εβαζα 2/5, αλλα μετα θυμηθηκα ποσες δεκαδες σελιδες διαβασα διαγωνια και μου περασε.
Σκεφτομουν μηπως του εβαζα 2/5, αλλα μετα θυμηθηκα ποσες δεκαδες σελιδες διαβασα διαγωνια και μου περασε.
I liked this book at the start it draws you in well I didn't want to put it down however I did get really annoyed by the vast amount of characters that seemed to generalise genders for example all men are prone to violence, women make fairer decisions without turning to force that annoyed me greatly, however you have to keep in mind that these are the characters view points not necessarily the authors.
The story is really well written and overall I would recommend it
The story is really well written and overall I would recommend it
It was definitely a page turned and a fun thought experiment.
4 Stars
After all, it was only Appalachia.
It took me a while to work out what I liked about this book. Given there were a lot of small things that bothered me, I could have quite easily disliked it. Eventually I realised it was the town.
Sleeping Beauties is my first Stephen King novel, and I knew going into it that he likes to write novels about towns and their residents, focusing not on just a handful of POVs but many. Dooling, the town in which the novel is set, is located in Appalachia, a region of America known for struggling with poverty. (Other fictional representations of Appalachia and its people include District 12 from The Hunger Games (notably the poorest District), and Pennsatucky/Tiffany Doggett from Orange is the New Black). In the novel, Dooling certainly isn't defined by poverty, but it certainly isn't New York either. It's the kind of town that people wouldn't think much of, which wouldn't seem important, and yet it is going to determine the fate of the world. It basically embodies the Chosen One trope, except with an entire town - a very ordinary, forgotten, working-class kind of town - as the protagonist rather than a person, and I found that super compelling.
I loved the tapestry of characters that made up Dooling - naturally there were some POVs I enjoyed more than others, and a few I skimmed if not outright skipped, but taken together they made for a super immersive narrative. It's definitely a marmite stylistic choice, but it worked for me, and I did end up getting invested in most of the characters, especially the women.
In fact, my favourite element of the story, besides the whole town thing, was the relationships between the women of Dooling, the unlikely friendships and support systems that formed between them. The women were all very different, and while most were housewives with traditional roles, it was great to see them bloom when given the opportunity - without there being a dismissal of the feminine or the positive side of those traditional roles. We see a similar thing happen with several of the male characters by the end of the novel too. While I think some aspects of the exploration of traditional gender roles were handled better than others, I do think on the whole Sleeping Beauties does a pretty good job of it.
There were a few little things that irked me. A story concerned with gender published in 2017 should probablyyy touch upon gender identity beyond biological sex. XX chromosomes are implied to be the criteria for ending up in a cocoon, but chromosomes aren't quite so simple as that. There was a missed opportunity for exploration there. On the opposite end of things, I sometimes felt like the story's messages were almost too on the nose, though maybe that was necessary? I don't know. Then there were a few things that felt a bit stereotypical, for example.
There were also sections which were a little too heavily detailed for my liking - for the most part I liked the Kings' almost Realist descriptive style, but when it's about something you don't really care for, it can be a bit of a drag.
However, mostly I really liked this story! I particularly enjoyed the bittersweet ending and all the parts in. Also I'm glad King's writing style worked for me, because I'm super interested in The Institute (which I already own a very nice edition of) so it would have sucked if I didn't like it. I might get round to that sooner than I originally planned!
After all, it was only Appalachia.
It took me a while to work out what I liked about this book. Given there were a lot of small things that bothered me, I could have quite easily disliked it. Eventually I realised it was the town.
Sleeping Beauties is my first Stephen King novel, and I knew going into it that he likes to write novels about towns and their residents, focusing not on just a handful of POVs but many. Dooling, the town in which the novel is set, is located in Appalachia, a region of America known for struggling with poverty. (Other fictional representations of Appalachia and its people include District 12 from The Hunger Games (notably the poorest District), and Pennsatucky/Tiffany Doggett from Orange is the New Black). In the novel, Dooling certainly isn't defined by poverty, but it certainly isn't New York either. It's the kind of town that people wouldn't think much of, which wouldn't seem important, and yet it is going to determine the fate of the world. It basically embodies the Chosen One trope, except with an entire town - a very ordinary, forgotten, working-class kind of town - as the protagonist rather than a person, and I found that super compelling.
I loved the tapestry of characters that made up Dooling - naturally there were some POVs I enjoyed more than others, and a few I skimmed if not outright skipped
Spoiler
(pretty much all the Griner brothers chapters and many of the pre-battle-at-the-prison scenes bored me to death)In fact, my favourite element of the story, besides the whole town thing, was the relationships between the women of Dooling, the unlikely friendships and support systems that formed between them
Spoiler
also the surprise romance between Lila and Tiffany? Did not see that coming, but it was very sweet, albeit also very sadThere were a few little things that irked me. A story concerned with gender published in 2017 should probablyyy touch upon gender identity beyond biological sex. XX chromosomes are implied to be the criteria for ending up in a cocoon, but chromosomes aren't quite so simple as that. There was a missed opportunity for exploration there. On the opposite end of things, I sometimes felt like the story's messages were almost too on the nose, though maybe that was necessary? I don't know. Then there were a few things that felt a bit stereotypical, for example
Spoiler
in Our Place, adults don't worry about children because there apparently aren't any predators anymore, because all the men are gone (as if women can't be predators). I don't know if this was just the women assuming incorrectly - after all, women do still murder and get aggressive in Our Place - but this is actually one of the cases where the authors could have afforded to be a little bit more on the nose.There were also sections which were a little too heavily detailed for my liking - for the most part I liked the Kings' almost Realist descriptive style, but when it's about something you don't really care for, it can be a bit of a drag.
Spoiler
Again, all the pre-battle scenes. I can enjoy battle strategy but in this it just bored me, and this was supposed to be the climax of the novel. I just found it all very bogged down and therefore slow-paced.However, mostly I really liked this story! I particularly enjoyed the bittersweet ending and all the parts in
Spoiler
Our Place
A very big book with very little in it. It is far too long winded and not that interesting. I am shocked actually, because if two authors collaborated together with one book and one author happened to be Stephen King, I would have expected this book to be riddled with interesting activity most of the time and I have to say I am disappointed.
This book, with what was actually in it, should have been condensed down to about 250 pages, not the 700 and odd it had, simply because of the lack of action it it.
This book, with what was actually in it, should have been condensed down to about 250 pages, not the 700 and odd it had, simply because of the lack of action it it.
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I very much enjoyed this book, for the most part, but have to admit I'm a little disappointed too. One of my pet hates is authors using their books to push their own socio-political agendas on people, especially if it's done in a rather clumsy, heavy-handed way. It's a different story if they set out to write a book intended as such from the get-go, but I don't feel that is entirely the case here.
The point this book was making is that men are rubbish - mostly - and women would be much better off without them. Fair enough. It makes for a great scenario, and a great read.
But what I find really irritating is all the extra politics thrown in for a line or two, or even a page or two, just for one or other of the Kings to have their say on an issue, which didn't do anything to further the story at all.
For example, there was at some point a line where they decided to insult Trump. It wasn't a particular character's point of view - which makes things a lot easier to swallow - but came from the narrator. Now, I'm not American, and couldn't care less how individuals there feel about their president, but the cheap insult just came across as petty and childish, and left a bad taste in my mouth. It was so incredibly obvious this was the Kings' opinion, and nothing to do with the book that it really irritated me.
The book then proceeded to end on the issue, which had nothing whatsoever to do with the rest of the story, but was just tacked onto the end because again, the authors had an agenda to push. It doesn't matter whether or not I agree with any of the opinions they're preaching; what matters is that it doesn't feel like it belongs to the story.
I hate being preached at by fiction.
That aside, I loved the central story, and the writing was top notch. could have been 5 star, but ended up more like a 3.5 because I felt it was cheapened by tacking on stuff that didn't belong.
The point this book was making is that men are rubbish - mostly - and women would be much better off without them. Fair enough. It makes for a great scenario, and a great read.
But what I find really irritating is all the extra politics thrown in for a line or two, or even a page or two, just for one or other of the Kings to have their say on an issue, which didn't do anything to further the story at all.
For example, there was at some point a line where they decided to insult Trump. It wasn't a particular character's point of view - which makes things a lot easier to swallow - but came from the narrator. Now, I'm not American, and couldn't care less how individuals there feel about their president, but the cheap insult just came across as petty and childish, and left a bad taste in my mouth. It was so incredibly obvious this was the Kings' opinion, and nothing to do with the book that it really irritated me.
The book then proceeded to end on the
Spoiler
"white cop shoots innocent black person"I hate being preached at by fiction.
That aside, I loved the central story, and the writing was top notch. could have been 5 star, but ended up more like a 3.5 because I felt it was cheapened by tacking on stuff that didn't belong.
