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billymac1962's review
3.0
This has been acknowledged by reviewers and by the author himself as Keene's best work.
Those of you looking for a horror novel are best suited to look elsewhere, as The Girl on the Glider is mostly an autobiographical tale which is also a ghost story.
There is the odd creepy moment in this, and it is a finely written story, but for the most part there wasn't a whole lot new for me.
Brian Keene started a horror podcast this year, and I listened to about 20 episodes. His podcast is highly personal, and it gives interesting insight into the life of a writer. A writer who has had countless difficulties with publishers who owe him money, who struggles to manage debt, who has health issues, and occasionally winds up sloppy on bourbon by hour's end.
I've since tired of the formula and have stopped listening. Maybe someday I'll go back to it.
Anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that apart from the ghost aspect, a lot of this was a rehash of Brian's life that I had already heard about. And that's fine. If you don't know anything about his life, you are encouraged to read it. It's well written eye-opener to the plights of writers, a pretty good story, and not a huge time commitment.
Those of you looking for a horror novel are best suited to look elsewhere, as The Girl on the Glider is mostly an autobiographical tale which is also a ghost story.
There is the odd creepy moment in this, and it is a finely written story, but for the most part there wasn't a whole lot new for me.
Brian Keene started a horror podcast this year, and I listened to about 20 episodes. His podcast is highly personal, and it gives interesting insight into the life of a writer. A writer who has had countless difficulties with publishers who owe him money, who struggles to manage debt, who has health issues, and occasionally winds up sloppy on bourbon by hour's end.
I've since tired of the formula and have stopped listening. Maybe someday I'll go back to it.
Anyways, the point I'm trying to make is that apart from the ghost aspect, a lot of this was a rehash of Brian's life that I had already heard about. And that's fine. If you don't know anything about his life, you are encouraged to read it. It's well written eye-opener to the plights of writers, a pretty good story, and not a huge time commitment.
the_enobee's review
4.0
I loved (and felt relief) when reading the following sentence early on in the narrative..."what I've written so far is nothing more than the incoherent, self-indulgent babblings of a madman."
That's exactly what I was thinking! And then Keene lays out the narrative like a master, bringing the reader along on a journey that is both highly believable and scary as hell. Every time I was afraid there was too much ego, Keene would bring the narrative home in a humbling way that smacks of the way life is. Good stuff, and this is a no-brainer read for Keene fans.
That's exactly what I was thinking! And then Keene lays out the narrative like a master, bringing the reader along on a journey that is both highly believable and scary as hell. Every time I was afraid there was too much ego, Keene would bring the narrative home in a humbling way that smacks of the way life is. Good stuff, and this is a no-brainer read for Keene fans.
mellabella's review
4.0
I'm a big fan of Brian Keene's horror novels.
This is a departure from his usual books. There is a supernatural element. But, it's really a personal short story about a difficult time in his life.
It's definitely worth a look.
This is a departure from his usual books. There is a supernatural element. But, it's really a personal short story about a difficult time in his life.
It's definitely worth a look.
motzofendworld's review
4.0
This is a 4.5 star read every day of the week!
I love Brian Keene! I've read just about every damn thing he's written, and paid large sums of money for some of his rare hardcovers and limited editions, and yet this whopping $3.00 NOOK book is one of the best things he's written.
Without going into it, if you are looking for crazy zombie kills, giant worms, or shoot-outs against strange creatures in the middle of the woods, then go read some of Brian's other material. You'll find nothing like that here. What you will find is a very personal story with a slightly supernatural twist. Nothing more and nothing less. To me it's a fascinating look into the mind of a "mid-list" author - his troubles in coping with everyday life, deadlines, marriage, parenthood, and the strain that choosing his lifestyle has put on his family and himself.
Very personal stuff! It's stories like these that make you look at Brian Keene the individual instead of Brian Keene the author. Check this one out folks, you won't be disappointed, and even if you are, tough crap! As he says in his afterword, he didn't write the book for you, he wrote it for himself.
Well done!
I love Brian Keene! I've read just about every damn thing he's written, and paid large sums of money for some of his rare hardcovers and limited editions, and yet this whopping $3.00 NOOK book is one of the best things he's written.
Without going into it, if you are looking for crazy zombie kills, giant worms, or shoot-outs against strange creatures in the middle of the woods, then go read some of Brian's other material. You'll find nothing like that here. What you will find is a very personal story with a slightly supernatural twist. Nothing more and nothing less. To me it's a fascinating look into the mind of a "mid-list" author - his troubles in coping with everyday life, deadlines, marriage, parenthood, and the strain that choosing his lifestyle has put on his family and himself.
Very personal stuff! It's stories like these that make you look at Brian Keene the individual instead of Brian Keene the author. Check this one out folks, you won't be disappointed, and even if you are, tough crap! As he says in his afterword, he didn't write the book for you, he wrote it for himself.
Well done!
dankeohane's review
5.0
It's been far too long since I've read a Keene story. He's got a natural, conversational narrative voice that brings you along in his fiction like an old friend, building suspense when needed and, like every great writer, doing so around a cast of fully fleshed out characters whom one grows to love, even the bad ones. Here, though, the cast is laden with actual people, Keene himself, his family and closest friends both in and outside the genre. The Girl on the Glider is a fine weaving of truth and fiction - what is what isn't revealed until the heartbreaking Afterword from the author. Many have said this novella is one of his finest works, and I would have to agree.
mrfrank's review
4.0
On the surface, Brian Keene really comes across as the every man. He could be you. you could be him. But then you read something by Brian Keene and you realize that he could be the every man and you could be him except that when it comes to writing you can't hope to hold a candle to him. So we all just sit and read Keene and hold our breath in awe at the yarns he spins.
THE GIRL ON THE GLIDER is many things. In its simplest terms, it is a chilling ghost story. Told as 50% fiction and 50% fact (or is it 5% fiction and 95% fact? The lines are so blurred), the creep factor is ramped up a few notches simply by telling it as something that actually occurred. Sorta, kinda. Also, because it is told with a few tons of truth, THE GIRL ON THE GLIDER is an interesting, eye-opening look at the less than glamorous life of a mid-list horror writer. Add to that the other layer as a cautionary tales to writers themselves to watch our for the pitfalls of that misleading glamorous life.
Its easy to lose sight of what is important. That's easy for anyone to do. For writers, it maybe more difficult to realize they are far off course and lost in their own worlds while the reality of the world around them slips away. Love and art are wonderful things, but they don't always pay the bills and they don't always lead to fulfillment within. Writers take heed and livers of life take notice. Your could learn something from this story or you could get goose flesh reading this story. Either way, its a win-win.
THE GIRL ON THE GLIDER is many things. In its simplest terms, it is a chilling ghost story. Told as 50% fiction and 50% fact (or is it 5% fiction and 95% fact? The lines are so blurred), the creep factor is ramped up a few notches simply by telling it as something that actually occurred. Sorta, kinda. Also, because it is told with a few tons of truth, THE GIRL ON THE GLIDER is an interesting, eye-opening look at the less than glamorous life of a mid-list horror writer. Add to that the other layer as a cautionary tales to writers themselves to watch our for the pitfalls of that misleading glamorous life.
Its easy to lose sight of what is important. That's easy for anyone to do. For writers, it maybe more difficult to realize they are far off course and lost in their own worlds while the reality of the world around them slips away. Love and art are wonderful things, but they don't always pay the bills and they don't always lead to fulfillment within. Writers take heed and livers of life take notice. Your could learn something from this story or you could get goose flesh reading this story. Either way, its a win-win.
sjgomzi's review
5.0
Wow! This will most assuredly be on my favorites list at the end of this year. I have no idea how many of the autobiographical/supernatural events occurring in this book are real, and how much of it is just Keene writing a great ghost story, but I couldn’t put it down, and it has accomplished what only the best stories can do-it has forced me to take a long hard look at my own life, to see so many of the same types of choices in regards to letting work take over, getting in the way of the things that are most important in life. I’m turning fifty this year, so Keene’s observations and insights regarding mortality and being remembered by the people that most matter to us when we’re gone, really resonated with me. Enough gushing. Read this book! I loved it!