Reviews

Stephen King always have signature words and themes , in this book his spirit was absolutely there but not the way it is in his other book . This book was inspirational . Those stories was never meant to be complete or understandable , it was meant to be scattered ideas and feelings . If ur an upcoming author you should definitely read this book as each of the stories there can definitely inspire you to write 600 page book !

galadhwen's review against another edition

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1.0

Niente a che vedere con i vecchi racconti. Storie senza capo né coda e soprattutto senza un briciolo di brivido. Bocciato completamente.

claudia_is_reading's review

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3.5

Another King's book and another collection of stories. Yes, I'm trying to get up to date with my King :P

This one I liked a little less than 'Everything is Eventual', mostly because 1. too many stories about plane crashes, 2. some of these short stories should have been... shorter :P

Nevertheless, there are some true gems here. I loved 'Gingerbread Girl', 'N', 'The Cat from Hell', and 'A Very Tight Place'; all very different from each other but all with the right kind of creepiness that I love.

'Willa' and 'The Things They Left Behind' are my least favourite ones, particularly the latter.

But, overall, if not his best collection this is a fairly good read.

aml44's review against another edition

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4.0

I always enjoy taking a journey with Mr. King and it was fun to experience his short stories although they did not quite engross me as well as his novels do. They are all fun and interesting, but the last one so vividly described a massively disgusting port-o-potty I was literally gagging. It became a challenge to finish the story without losing my lunch. That is not an experience I would care to repeat, but I'm sure I won't soon forget that story.

jenmat1197's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

This is a book of short stories. Here is what Amazon has to say about it:

Who but Stephen King would turn a Port-O-San into a slimy birth canal, or a roadside honky-tonk into a place for endless love? A book salesman with a grievance might pick up a mute hitchhiker, not knowing the silent man in the passenger seat listens altogether too well. Or an exercise routine on a stationary bicycle, begun to reduce bad cholesterol, might take its rider on a captivating and terrifying journey. Set on a remote key in Florida, "The Gingerbread Girl" is a riveting tale featuring a young woman as vulnerable - and resourceful. In "Ayana" a blind girl works a miracle with a kiss and a touch of her hand. In one of the longer stories here "N" is a psychiatric patietn's irrational thinking might create an apocalyptic threat in the Maine countryside - or keep the world from falling victim to it.

This was a great book. If you follow my blog at all, you will know I am not a big fan of books full of short stories. I need some substance. But this one was really good. I loved almost every story. None were terribly short, and I think that helped. The stories reach out and grab you and ended well. Glad I read this one.

johnsnowwasright's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

Not King's best outing. Generally, the longer stories were of better quality than the shorter ones.

Willa: King doesn't like this one per the notes in the back of the book but I found it nicely atmospheric and bittersweet.

The Gingerbread Girl: my 2nd favorite. With 60 pages, King gives us a compelling female lead and a tense stand off with the villain. The ending was cathartic and earned. Our villain veered into being cartoonish but I'm willing to forgive that in a short story.

Harvey's Dream: Meh. I can see what King was trying to do but it just wasn't interesting.

Rest Stop: Honestly, kind of an offensive depiction of domestic violence. I like the idea of the pen name being a separate persona from the author. I just wish King had explored that in literally any other way.

Stationary Bike: I'm still undecided on this one because I'm not entirely sure what King was trying to say with it? Is it a commentary on restricting oneself too much in the name of health or something else? Your guess is as good as mine.

The Things They Left Behind: So this one is about a man suffering survivors guilt as he played hooky from work on 9/11 and he worked in the twin towers. I think this was a bit in poor taste.

Graduation Afternoon: Another bland story that I'm not sure what the point of it was.

N.: My favorite story in the book. There are neat references to the Dark Tower series and King does an excellent job channeling Lovecraft. Your mileage may vary on whether or not this makes light of those who suffer from OCD.

The Cat From Hell: Super creepy and packs a punch. But seriously, what does King have against cats?

The New York Times....: Not reinventing the wheel by any means but still a decent story.

Mute: Another decent story that isn't groundbreaking. I did enjoy a confessional being the setting as our main character wrestles with the morality of his actions and role in what happened.

Ayana: This story was dumb, full stop. It shouldn't have been included.

A Very Tight Place: (TW: casual homophobia). A good choice to end the book, it was satisfying and funny while still having tension.

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