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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Great Stephen King book, his later works are different but I find them enjoyable. Lisey's story was very engaging, I find myself thinking about it often!
Took a tiny break about 3/4ths of the way through but absolutely loved this book!!! King at his best in my opinion. Spooky, otherworldly, a love story, a page turner, love it.
dark
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is very much a slow burn, the last 200 pages or so really carry it. I enjoyed the exploration of grief through King's lense of the supernatural, but I think he spends too long on the background of Scott and Lisey's relationship in the beginning.
If he had cut that down this would be heading towards five stars.
If he had cut that down this would be heading towards five stars.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one is a slow burn. Yet, I could not put it down. It is not highly rated among King’s works; see the 3.7 average on Goodreads. Yet he says it is among his favorite of his own books.
It’s not hard to understand why. The story is about the widowed wife of a famous author, in the midst of trying to sort through his piles of unfinished work, and has to deal with some demons along the way. King frequently features authors as his protagonists. Featuring an author’s widow, this book looks a lot like King imagining what his wife’s life might be like if he died.
And as any King fans knows, he almost did die when he was hit by a car in 1999. This obviously influenced his writings. It motivated him to finish the Dark Tower series. Even though Lisey’s Story is seven years after this accident, it would be hard not to imagine reckoning with his own mortality does not still play a part.
What makes this a more difficult read than the average King book is, among possibly other things, a lot of inside language. Every relationship has its quirks and inside jokes, the sorts of thing that might not make sense to outsiders. Opening a window into Lisey’s relationship with Scott, we tire of terms like “smucking” and “bool.” With Lisey’s deep love for her deceased husband a the foundation of the story, this book, in the end, feels like a love letter from King to his wife Tabitha.
Finally, this book pairs with Duma Key, which came shortly after. Both feature the sort of scary monsters we are used to in King books, yet in both these fantastic monster are not really the point. In earlier King works, a lot more time would have been spent on how all the evil and supernatural works. In these books, its much more about the human relationships.
Overall, it was a slow burn. But it’s much better than a 3.7 average!
It’s not hard to understand why. The story is about the widowed wife of a famous author, in the midst of trying to sort through his piles of unfinished work, and has to deal with some demons along the way. King frequently features authors as his protagonists. Featuring an author’s widow, this book looks a lot like King imagining what his wife’s life might be like if he died.
And as any King fans knows, he almost did die when he was hit by a car in 1999. This obviously influenced his writings. It motivated him to finish the Dark Tower series. Even though Lisey’s Story is seven years after this accident, it would be hard not to imagine reckoning with his own mortality does not still play a part.
What makes this a more difficult read than the average King book is, among possibly other things, a lot of inside language. Every relationship has its quirks and inside jokes, the sorts of thing that might not make sense to outsiders. Opening a window into Lisey’s relationship with Scott, we tire of terms like “smucking” and “bool.” With Lisey’s deep love for her deceased husband a the foundation of the story, this book, in the end, feels like a love letter from King to his wife Tabitha.
Finally, this book pairs with Duma Key, which came shortly after. Both feature the sort of scary monsters we are used to in King books, yet in both these fantastic monster are not really the point. In earlier King works, a lot more time would have been spent on how all the evil and supernatural works. In these books, its much more about the human relationships.
Overall, it was a slow burn. But it’s much better than a 3.7 average!
Not my favorite of his books, but definitely kept me involved. On a par with The Green Mile.
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3,5 carino, ma alla fin fine ci sono libri che mi sono piaciuti di più (Scott che si rompe la mano per sanguinare pazzo malato ma lo amo lo stesso)
How interesting that I gave this book 3 stars over a decade ago. This story was comforting in its slower pace, as my grief has been slow and creeping lately. I loved the imagery of the pool, and the characters won me over. It’s a lovely, very sad story, as a lot of ours are.