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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book wasn’t exactly bad it just took me a year to read and i didnt even finish it properly
If I had been writing this review 400-pages into the novel, it would have been 4.5 stars. But Sleeping Beauties fizzled even worse than [b:Doctor Sleep|16130549|Doctor Sleep|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1362415596s/16130549.jpg|17851499]. What began as a quickly-paced, fun read with interesting characters soon became a slog as the Kings introduced key characters too late, wrapped up some characters’ story lines too abruptly, and dragged out a siege that felt like a fan-fiction version of a King story.
The poor pacing in the final third of the novel seemed to be reflected in the arbitrary decision to have Time move more rapidly in the “world beyond the tree” than in the real world. There is no explanation for this, but it seems clear that the Kings did it merely to solve the problem of their poor pacing of the various subplots. (“Hey, I know! Let’s just say that Time moves slower in the other world! Problem solved.”) Characters who played important parts in the end of the novel were not well developed. In some cases, they were given brief parenthetical backstories the very moment before they died, as if the Kings were trying to show us that these were Real People and not just random, nameless townsfolk caught up in the crisis. Even worse, the epilogue attempts to sum up the fates of all the surviving characters in a way that was so pat and superfluous as to be almost laughable.
It’s unfortunate, because the first 400 pages were quite fun. It’s too bad the Kings fumbled the baton going into the final turn.
The poor pacing in the final third of the novel seemed to be reflected in the arbitrary decision to have Time move more rapidly in the “world beyond the tree” than in the real world. There is no explanation for this, but it seems clear that the Kings did it merely to solve the problem of their poor pacing of the various subplots. (“Hey, I know! Let’s just say that Time moves slower in the other world! Problem solved.”) Characters who played important parts in the end of the novel were not well developed. In some cases, they were given brief parenthetical backstories the very moment before they died, as if the Kings were trying to show us that these were Real People and not just random, nameless townsfolk caught up in the crisis. Even worse, the epilogue attempts to sum up the fates of all the surviving characters in a way that was so pat and superfluous as to be almost laughable.
It’s unfortunate, because the first 400 pages were quite fun. It’s too bad the Kings fumbled the baton going into the final turn.
I was in dire need of a book to keep me hooked, and this was it. A fine piece of writing from Stephen and Owen King, albeit a different one than you would expect from Stephen King - but I did love the way the book unfolded. I specifically loved the way the authors described what it means to be a woman in a man's world and what men could do, if they had- or think they have - all liberty to do so. I could not help drawing parallels to The Power - even if the story there is totally different, it is still a story about women and men and their differences, today's society and the ease with which you can condone an abusive behaviour.
challenging
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
As collaborations go, this was very good. Maybe because it's father and son writing, I don't know. However, it was NOT a horror novel like I had thought. It was firmly in fantasy territory if you ask me. Not that I mind, it was just unexpected. As the title suggests, it had a fairy-tale undertone.
The story is about a mysterious "sleeping sickness" befalling all women on Earth. It starts in Australia and works its way around the globe. Some women fight it, but many end up cocooned in webbing.
Soon (and I mean within about 24hours which I thought was a bit excessive), the world falls apart, men realizing that without women the human race will die out. In one Appalachian town in the US, in a prison for women, a woman called Eevie is not only awake and chipper but apparently also pulling strings to make sure certain events happen.
We soon get to know that the women aren't just asleep but also.
As soon as certain men hear about a woman being awake and possibly being the reason for the sleeping sickness (and thus maybe also the cure), the race to get her begins.
In typical King fashion, the focus was on the people here. Men and women, young and old. And boy, did I detest most of them - as is also usual for a King novel. *lol*
Moreover, while it was fine and even funny to read certain comments about "locker-room talk" and references to current events, it grew old fairly quickly. You see, I hate the "hate men" genre that seems to have sprung up lately. Don't get me wrong: I'm acutely aware that there are many bad men out there and what they have done and are still doing. In fact, I'm unfortunately related to some such specimen. However, that does in no way mean that all or even the majority of men are like that and I hate slanted views.
This is also why the ending felt quite weak. It was indeed like a classic fairytale where everything gets resolved as if by magic, far too easy considering the numerous realistic conflicts (both in the book and real life, which the authors constantly nodded to after all).
That might also be why I detested Lilah especially. I mean,! And don't get me started on Frank's wife. I wanted to strangle that b****! Granted, mostly because I have a serious hate for all hypocrites and she did the exact same thing she accused her husband of in the beginning, but it was more than that.
The constant droning on about how men did this and that and were solely responsible for everything going bad in the history of the human race ... seriously?! What a cop-out! How about facing your own actions instead of looking for scapegoats?! So I'm glad at least some of the women actually saw that (funnily enough, it was mostly the female inmates).
As it is, it often read as if the authors were on a male guilt trip and while I deeply respect them for acknowledging all the things that are being done to women, I also think they took it too far because by a certain point they were demonizing the men. Just look at the end and how. To quote one of the characters: BULLSHIT.
Anyway, there were a few minor insinuations that rubbed me the wrong way such as but those really were minor ones and didn't stop me from enjoying the story. Plus, we had the mythical creatures (some more developed than others) that gave the story an additional boost. I really like how King typically analyzes human society and gives one perspective / outlook.
By the way, there were 5 special editions of the hardback back when this came out and I made sure I got one. 5 because of the 5 mythical creatures (white tiger, moth, snake, fox, peacock) and of course I went and got the fox. And it turned out to have been a great choice because of the 5 of them, he was the coolest. :D
The story is about a mysterious "sleeping sickness" befalling all women on Earth. It starts in Australia and works its way around the globe. Some women fight it, but many end up cocooned in webbing.
Soon (and I mean within about 24hours which I thought was a bit excessive), the world falls apart, men realizing that without women the human race will die out. In one Appalachian town in the US, in a prison for women, a woman called Eevie is not only awake and chipper but apparently also pulling strings to make sure certain events happen.
We soon get to know that the women aren't just asleep but also
Spoiler
waking up "on the other side". This "other side" is like a dreamworld to which you go either by falling asleep or by going through a so-called Mother Tree. Time is different there and the women of the small American town soon learn to live thereAs soon as certain men hear about a woman being awake and possibly being the reason for the sleeping sickness (and thus maybe also the cure), the race to get her begins.
In typical King fashion, the focus was on the people here. Men and women, young and old. And boy, did I detest most of them - as is also usual for a King novel. *lol*
Moreover, while it was fine and even funny to read certain comments about "locker-room talk" and references to current events, it grew old fairly quickly. You see, I hate the "hate men" genre that seems to have sprung up lately. Don't get me wrong: I'm acutely aware that there are many bad men out there and what they have done and are still doing. In fact, I'm unfortunately related to some such specimen. However, that does in no way mean that all or even the majority of men are like that and I hate slanted views.
This is also why the ending felt quite weak. It was indeed like a classic fairytale where everything gets resolved as if by magic, far too easy considering the numerous realistic conflicts (both in the book and real life, which the authors constantly nodded to after all).
Spoiler
I liked how Nana missed her father and how most women argued about why they wanted to go back but then it was as if Eevie had snapped her fingers and made all the problems go away with a simple prescription instead of people actually resolving the issues and thereby growing to be better people.That might also be why I detested Lilah especially. I mean,
Spoiler
maybe she didn't really want that goddamned pool but couldn't she have simply spoken up about it?! How about communication (for which at least two people are needed)?! Apart from it just being a friggin pool she got so hung up about (yes, I know it stands for more than just a basin full of water)! No, it was easier to blame it all on her husband even though she knew perfectly well that he was one of the good guysThe constant droning on about how men did this and that and were solely responsible for everything going bad in the history of the human race ... seriously?! What a cop-out! How about facing your own actions instead of looking for scapegoats?!
Spoiler
Because - and yes, I said this to a victim of domestic abuse I'm related to when she repeatedly declined to take (assisted) action - no matter how mean or powerful a man is, you can at least TRY.As it is, it often read as if the authors were on a male guilt trip and while I deeply respect them for acknowledging all the things that are being done to women, I also think they took it too far because by a certain point they were demonizing the men. Just look at the end and how
Spoiler
drugs were the only way the men could be changed (not being angry all the time) - as if they were somehow sick (genetically even) and not capable of being peaceful and nice otherwiseAnyway, there were a few minor insinuations that rubbed me the wrong way such as
Spoiler
this being "the world of men", sounding as if there should be a divide or that if you're not the way others want you, you'll get drugged until you areBy the way, there were 5 special editions of the hardback back when this came out and I made sure I got one. 5 because of the 5 mythical creatures (white tiger, moth, snake, fox, peacock) and of course I went and got the fox. And it turned out to have been a great choice because of the 5 of them, he was the coolest. :D
I wanted to love it but I didn’t. The story had potential but seemed weighed down by an overzealous effort to include political commentary. I don’t have a problem with lengthy books (The Stand was one of my faves) but this one seemed longer than necessary. It was a struggle to finish because it just seemed to drag on but I had to know how the story ended. Still a SK fan but this is not his best work. I’ll chalk it up to co-writing with his son.
Review can also be found at Snow White Hates Apples.
Before I start my review, let it be known that this is the first time I’m reading anything Stephen King (though, I have watched Carrie which I found slightly frightening). This is also the first time I’m reading anything Owen King. So really, I’ve no expectations for this book except for it to be pretty damn scary ’cause who hasn’t seen Pennywise and watched some snippets (if not the entirety/more than half of) It by now?
Unfortunately, Sleeping Beauties is a ‘meh’ yet satisfying read. ‘Meh’ because of the things I didn’t like about it. Satisfying because it took me more or less three months to finish reading it, but hey, I finished reading it!
Now, the first problem I have with this book is the horror. According to Bruce Kawin, “[h]orror is a compound of terror and revulsion” (Horror and the Horror Film, p.3). Having said that, where is the horror?! Sure, there’s a little gore here and there—and that ‘zombie-women-duo’ scene was a little creepy, but one little scene is simply not enough. Really, some pretty lady who’s maybe a magical dryad-witch-plant-goddess-deity-being isn’t terrifying until you make her do terrifying things with an indifferent attitude. Her bleeding heart and the fact that she was incredibly easy to sway by the ones on the ‘good’ side really disappointed me.
Secondly, the ocean of characters introduced here. Although I had no issues keeping up with who is who and all that jazz, I found all of them too two-dimensional. None of the characters are complex enough for me to feel for them, and even if they were developed, it didn’t feel like they were. I think that the story would’ve had a bigger impact on me if King2 had fewer characters (I won’t say ‘more opportunities’ since they had 700+ pages worth of opportunities) to focus on. It would’ve been more believable too.
Also, what’s the point of the peacock? Seriously? The moths have jobs, the rats have jobs, the fox has a job, the tiger has a job (a small and ridiculous one but still a job), and the snake is a snake, but what about the peacock? WHAT ABOUT THE PEACOCK?! I mean, it can be there simply for the sake of symbolism (if you count those brief appearances as something that can amount to symbolism) but that’s a too-shallow significance…
Moving on, the last issue I have with this book is the politics. I’m not saying that authors should refrain from including their own political views and such (or any other view, belief, etc.) from their works, but I would prefer for them to be subtle (allowing the reader to infer than just straight-up fed) or just less dogmatic about it. I read Sleeping Beauties with the mindset of it simply being a novel of certain genres. I didn’t read it as a political book, and while I would normally praise a work capable of allowing the reader to view it in various perspectives, I can’t do the same for this one because well, not all parts are equal. For me, the book worked fine as either up until Part Three where the balance was lost when the story became more list-like and matter of fact.
What I do like about Sleeping Beauties, though, is how the story begins from the actual beginning. It was a little strange since I’m used to stories beginning in the middle or near the end, but it was a nice strange that allowed me to appreciate the details King2 have incorporated into the story. Furthermore, the integration of the supernatural is as seamless as it can get. The arrival of Evie and the tree, the outbreak of the Aurora Flu—it all comes in smoothly and naturally. Thus, the combination of this smooth entrance and the details made the story believable when the characters couldn’t.
Before I start my review, let it be known that this is the first time I’m reading anything Stephen King (though, I have watched Carrie which I found slightly frightening). This is also the first time I’m reading anything Owen King. So really, I’ve no expectations for this book except for it to be pretty damn scary ’cause who hasn’t seen Pennywise and watched some snippets (if not the entirety/more than half of) It by now?
Unfortunately, Sleeping Beauties is a ‘meh’ yet satisfying read. ‘Meh’ because of the things I didn’t like about it. Satisfying because it took me more or less three months to finish reading it, but hey, I finished reading it!
Now, the first problem I have with this book is the horror. According to Bruce Kawin, “[h]orror is a compound of terror and revulsion” (Horror and the Horror Film, p.3). Having said that, where is the horror?! Sure, there’s a little gore here and there—and that ‘zombie-women-duo’ scene was a little creepy, but one little scene is simply not enough. Really, some pretty lady who’s maybe a magical dryad-witch-plant-goddess-deity-being isn’t terrifying until you make her do terrifying things with an indifferent attitude. Her bleeding heart and the fact that she was incredibly easy to sway by the ones on the ‘good’ side really disappointed me.
Secondly, the ocean of characters introduced here. Although I had no issues keeping up with who is who and all that jazz, I found all of them too two-dimensional. None of the characters are complex enough for me to feel for them, and even if they were developed, it didn’t feel like they were. I think that the story would’ve had a bigger impact on me if King2 had fewer characters (I won’t say ‘more opportunities’ since they had 700+ pages worth of opportunities) to focus on. It would’ve been more believable too.
Also, what’s the point of the peacock? Seriously? The moths have jobs, the rats have jobs, the fox has a job, the tiger has a job (a small and ridiculous one but still a job), and the snake is a snake, but what about the peacock? WHAT ABOUT THE PEACOCK?! I mean, it can be there simply for the sake of symbolism (if you count those brief appearances as something that can amount to symbolism) but that’s a too-shallow significance…
Moving on, the last issue I have with this book is the politics. I’m not saying that authors should refrain from including their own political views and such (or any other view, belief, etc.) from their works, but I would prefer for them to be subtle (allowing the reader to infer than just straight-up fed) or just less dogmatic about it. I read Sleeping Beauties with the mindset of it simply being a novel of certain genres. I didn’t read it as a political book, and while I would normally praise a work capable of allowing the reader to view it in various perspectives, I can’t do the same for this one because well, not all parts are equal. For me, the book worked fine as either up until Part Three where the balance was lost when the story became more list-like and matter of fact.
What I do like about Sleeping Beauties, though, is how the story begins from the actual beginning. It was a little strange since I’m used to stories beginning in the middle or near the end, but it was a nice strange that allowed me to appreciate the details King2 have incorporated into the story. Furthermore, the integration of the supernatural is as seamless as it can get. The arrival of Evie and the tree, the outbreak of the Aurora Flu—it all comes in smoothly and naturally. Thus, the combination of this smooth entrance and the details made the story believable when the characters couldn’t.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Antisemitism
I should have given up months ago. Too long and too slow.
I had trouble getting through this one. It never quite hits its stride. Entertaining and thought-provoking but the characters are mostly flat. I wanted to know what would happen badly enough to see it through, but just barely.