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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
finally finished it. waste of time. sort of sad about it because I used to worship his writing ability.
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Stephen King wrote this before his career took off then released it years later for extra cash, claiming that it sucked. It doesn't suck, it's actually a pretty well-told story that I wouldn't care about otherwise if it was written by someone else. The characters are well-developed and you feel a real sense of sympathy for Blaze in spite of yourself.
Style as good as any other King, story didn't grab me as much, still a good read tho.
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In the copy I read, it starts off with an introduction written by Stephen King. The whole introduction reads almost as an apology for what he thought was a bad story, and that made me question if I even wanted to read it. I'm very glad I did, because this was much better than I expected. A very sad story all around, which caused quite a few audible "oh no" quips as I began to realize how certain events would play out.
While this book was definitely a different sort of approach for King, I still find it enjoyable and rather enticing. Perhaps this was because of how different it is from his other work, or just perhaps because of the story itself. I found Blaze to be a likable character, for all of his flaws and wrong-doings, and I sympathized with him throughout the entire story. I found it endearing, the way he took to baby Joe, and how he seemed reluctant to want to give him up. I think that it wasn't so much his loneliness that formed the attachment to Joe, but rather his need to be needed instead of just being 'the dummy' of the situation.
This story was like some sort of odd mix of Fight Club and Of Mice and Men for me. I kept wondering if George had ever really existed at all, or if he was simply always in Blaze's head as a figment of his imagination. That was never made quite clear to me, even with the flashbacks, because it seemed like Blaze was always to in-touch with George (for example: knowing George had had his teeth pulled). Blaze reminded me too so much of Lenny Small from Of Mice and Men on so many levels. He was a large man (following around a man named George too) who came off a bit scary, but who really was quite gentle and mentally not all there. He was content to just amble along keeping to himself, and didn't ever quite seem to mean to hurt people, he just couldn't help it.
All in all, I enjoyed this book. Not my favorite, but certainly not bad. A good effort, for a story that was never meant to be read.
This story was like some sort of odd mix of Fight Club and Of Mice and Men for me. I kept wondering if George had ever really existed at all, or if he was simply always in Blaze's head as a figment of his imagination. That was never made quite clear to me, even with the flashbacks, because it seemed like Blaze was always to in-touch with George (for example: knowing George had had his teeth pulled). Blaze reminded me too so much of Lenny Small from Of Mice and Men on so many levels. He was a large man (following around a man named George too) who came off a bit scary, but who really was quite gentle and mentally not all there. He was content to just amble along keeping to himself, and didn't ever quite seem to mean to hurt people, he just couldn't help it.
All in all, I enjoyed this book. Not my favorite, but certainly not bad. A good effort, for a story that was never meant to be read.