Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
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
dark
emotional
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 STARS!!!!!!!
the first section of the book was my favorite and it just went downhill from there
the first section of the book was my favorite and it just went downhill from there
Of all the 20+ Stephen King books I've read at this point, I think Hearts in Atlantis may be the one I'm struggling the most to write about. For one, it's a really unique take on a story collection, in my opinion. There's two novellas followed by three short stories, and although they are definitely distinct and separate from one another, they are also all very interconnected, almost to the point where this simultaneously feels like a novel, and a story collection. They take place chronologically, and there are many recurring characters who show up throughout the stories at different stages in their lives. Even though there are some stories that I greatly prefer to others, it's hard to think about any of them divorced from the grander context that this book creates as it goes.
Another reason this is hard to write about is that this book is clearly very personal for King, and much of it serves as commentary about The Vietnam War, and the 60's in general, which is something that I'm probably not fully equipped to understand as I was not there, and I don't have nearly as nuanced thoughts about it as King does, who very much was there, and did experience those things. With that being said, I think this book contains some absolutely excellent stories, and some that I don't care for all that much, but it's definitely one of those things where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I'll try to briefly go through each story here (even though I've already written about each one individually), and then talk a little about how they all connect.
The first novella here, Low Men in Yellow Coats is easily one of the best Stephen King stories I've ever read. It's so heartfelt and real, all the characters are deeply complex and there's so much depth to every relationship. Bobby and his mother Liz, Bobby and Ted, Bobby and Carol, Liz and Ted, you can always see everyone's perspectives, understand their motivations, and empathize with them, despite the darkness that runs through the story. The Low Men are so creepy and unsettling, and I absolutely love the inter-dimensional time-hopping Dark Tower stuff. Stephen King is obviously praised for writing accurate children, and I think that is demonstrated here in spades.
The next two stories are definitely where this book lulls for me. King really starts to dive into the Vietnam / 60's commentary and some of it just feels kind of flat to me I guess. I think the title novella Hearts in Atlantis is okay, but the whole "spirit of protest" felt kind of shallow and lame to me (although that just might be my jaded millennial brain talking, I don't know), and Blind Willie just kind of confused me. At this point in the book though, I was already appreciating some of the throughlines being set up between these stories. Like for one, despite never being the main character in any of the stories, I think Carol Gerber is the most important character overall throughout the collection. She's Bobby's best friend / first girlfriend in Low Men, is Peter's main love interest in college in Hearts in Atlantis, and she's the focal point of Willie Shearman's intense guilt in Blind Willie as he's one of the boys who beat her up when they were kids. She also shows up in the next two stories, which I enjoyed considerably more. She's in Why We're in Vietnam where Sully is the main character, and where he just does a lot of reminiscing in general (which includes Carol, as they dated in high school, and she became a radical anti-war leftist type while he was being deployed), and in Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling which is an absolutely beautiful epilogue where Bobby and Carol reunite years later, after Ted (who should long be dead at this point) sends Bobby a small letter in his old baseball glove with a message for the both of them.
And again, even though I didn't love every story here, I think it's conceptually one of the coolest King books out there. The way you get to watch the characters grow, see basically their entire lives from childhood to death, watch as the 60's slowly change into the 90's, and what that means for the people who experienced it. It's just really beautiful. I think it's kind of a perfect mixture of two of King's favorite things: one being bleak realism; that The Vietnam War was a massive failure, the counter-culture was never actually real, and that the people who spent their formative years in that time period never recovered, and maybe never deserved to recover from those things. And yet there's this really poignant air of nostalgia that King clearly feels in real life, and clearly informs so much of this collection. The second is wacky mind-bending time-breaking Dark Tower stuff. That despite all this, there is still magic in the world, nothing is known for sure, and real life is never as boring as it seems. Overall, the good definitely outweighs the bad here, and it's maybe one of the most on-brand things I've read from Stephen King so far. Maybe not my favorite story of his, but one that made me think and feel more than most.
Another reason this is hard to write about is that this book is clearly very personal for King, and much of it serves as commentary about The Vietnam War, and the 60's in general, which is something that I'm probably not fully equipped to understand as I was not there, and I don't have nearly as nuanced thoughts about it as King does, who very much was there, and did experience those things. With that being said, I think this book contains some absolutely excellent stories, and some that I don't care for all that much, but it's definitely one of those things where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. I'll try to briefly go through each story here (even though I've already written about each one individually), and then talk a little about how they all connect.
The first novella here, Low Men in Yellow Coats is easily one of the best Stephen King stories I've ever read. It's so heartfelt and real, all the characters are deeply complex and there's so much depth to every relationship. Bobby and his mother Liz, Bobby and Ted, Bobby and Carol, Liz and Ted, you can always see everyone's perspectives, understand their motivations, and empathize with them, despite the darkness that runs through the story. The Low Men are so creepy and unsettling, and I absolutely love the inter-dimensional time-hopping Dark Tower stuff. Stephen King is obviously praised for writing accurate children, and I think that is demonstrated here in spades.
The next two stories are definitely where this book lulls for me. King really starts to dive into the Vietnam / 60's commentary and some of it just feels kind of flat to me I guess. I think the title novella Hearts in Atlantis is okay, but the whole "spirit of protest" felt kind of shallow and lame to me (although that just might be my jaded millennial brain talking, I don't know), and Blind Willie just kind of confused me. At this point in the book though, I was already appreciating some of the throughlines being set up between these stories. Like for one, despite never being the main character in any of the stories, I think Carol Gerber is the most important character overall throughout the collection. She's Bobby's best friend / first girlfriend in Low Men, is Peter's main love interest in college in Hearts in Atlantis, and she's the focal point of Willie Shearman's intense guilt in Blind Willie as he's one of the boys who beat her up when they were kids. She also shows up in the next two stories, which I enjoyed considerably more. She's in Why We're in Vietnam where Sully is the main character, and where he just does a lot of reminiscing in general (which includes Carol, as they dated in high school, and she became a radical anti-war leftist type while he was being deployed), and in Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling which is an absolutely beautiful epilogue where Bobby and Carol reunite years later, after Ted (who should long be dead at this point) sends Bobby a small letter in his old baseball glove with a message for the both of them.
And again, even though I didn't love every story here, I think it's conceptually one of the coolest King books out there. The way you get to watch the characters grow, see basically their entire lives from childhood to death, watch as the 60's slowly change into the 90's, and what that means for the people who experienced it. It's just really beautiful. I think it's kind of a perfect mixture of two of King's favorite things: one being bleak realism; that The Vietnam War was a massive failure, the counter-culture was never actually real, and that the people who spent their formative years in that time period never recovered, and maybe never deserved to recover from those things. And yet there's this really poignant air of nostalgia that King clearly feels in real life, and clearly informs so much of this collection. The second is wacky mind-bending time-breaking Dark Tower stuff. That despite all this, there is still magic in the world, nothing is known for sure, and real life is never as boring as it seems. Overall, the good definitely outweighs the bad here, and it's maybe one of the most on-brand things I've read from Stephen King so far. Maybe not my favorite story of his, but one that made me think and feel more than most.
I love that King plays around with forms and styles. This book contains 2 novellas and 3 short stories in chronological order, loosely connected by characters and events. Because of this, I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a better book to recommend to a first time King reader. While it’s not his most compelling work, you get all of his styles of writing without some of the fluff that drags down his longer works (looking at you Insomnia).
Favorite: “Low Men in Yellow Coats” (however “Hearts in Atlantis” came in a close second)
Least favorite: “Why We’re in Vietnam”
This book is like a bowl of chicken soup. It’s not the most incredible meal in the world, but it is good and dependable, and you know what you’re going to get. I have a feeling I’ll be revisiting this book in the future as a comfort read, much like chicken soup is a comfort food.
Favorite: “Low Men in Yellow Coats” (however “Hearts in Atlantis” came in a close second)
Least favorite: “Why We’re in Vietnam”
This book is like a bowl of chicken soup. It’s not the most incredible meal in the world, but it is good and dependable, and you know what you’re going to get. I have a feeling I’ll be revisiting this book in the future as a comfort read, much like chicken soup is a comfort food.
Really enjoyed the book. Didn't expect the book to go beyond the movie so much but did like the way it followed different characters from the first part into their later years. My least favorite one was Blind Willie.
I love this book. I’ve read it before and I dare say I’ll read it again. It’s a collection of five connected stories progressing through the years from 1960 through to 1999. Each have a connection to the Vietnam war and even though each story is quite distinct they form one narrative. Although they are a series of distinct stories you really need to have read the previous ones for them to makes sense. The only one that could be read in isolation to the others is the first one, “Low Men In Yellow Coats”
LOW MEN IN YELLOW COATS
This is my favourite Stephen King story. I can’t speak highly enough of it. This isn’t Stephen King horror territory. It’s a fantasy story but even then the fantasy elements are done with a fairly light touch. A young boy Bobby Garfield befriends an older man with psychic powers (a grandfather type figure and something King has done on a number of occasions but here he does it faultlessly). His home life is difficult, his Father is dead and he doesn’t get the affection he craves from his Mother. But his friendship with new neighbour Ted Brautigan brings Bobby to life. Ted is on the run from a mysterious group of people he simply calls “Low Men” and asks Bobby to look out for signs of them.
The relationship between Bobby and Ted is beautifully written, the bond is so real. The characters are believable. I just never wanted to leave them when the story ended. The story also deals with two of Bobbys friends Carol Gerber (who he shares his first kiss with on a Ferris wheel, and it’s the kiss that all others will be compared to and found wanting) and Sully John. King writes so well for this group of young friends at times his writing in this story is near poetic.
It's a coming of age story It’s beautiful, funny, sad, life affirming, heartbreaking. There’s love and betrayal and all so perfectly written. If you only ever read one Stephen King book read “Hearts In Atlantis” and if you only ever read one story read “Low Men In Yellow Coats” It’s truly a work of great beauty. I could read it again and again. I absolutely adore it. A well deserved 5 stars *****
HEARTS IN ATLANTIS
The title story can’t match up to it’s predecessor but that doesn’t mean it’s bad it’s just an impossible task to live up to it. Set in 1966, Peter Riley is a student at the University of Maine. He and his fellow students have been shielded from serving in the Vietnam war because of their student draft deferments but an addiction to a card game runs the risk of seriously effecting their studies. The connection to the first story isn’t at first clear but becomes apparent.
4 Stars ****
BLIND WILLE & WHY WE’RE IN VIETNAM
Two short stories that deal with characters from the first story and how they deal with their experiences of Vietnam and the guilt they feel. “Why We’re In Vietnam” has a rather surreal ending.
Two good short stories 4 stars each ****
HEAVENLY SHADES OF NIGHT ARE FALLING
The conclusion and the one that ties all the stories together. Bobby Garfield returns to his childhood home for the funeral of an old friend. This is a beautiful and brilliantly written denouement. King draws all the strands together perfectly. It’s often said that Stephen King struggles to write a good ending but this is perfect. I can’t fault it.
5 Stars *****
This is such a good collection. A brilliant read. King brings so many emotions out. There’s a theme involving William Golding’s “Lord Of The Flies” that runs throughout the stories and some nice parallels. The first story also has links to Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. I’ve not read that series yet but I did recognize some of the references (which I didn’t the first time I read it), I’m sure they will become more apparent when I read the series. Although no previous knowledge of The Dark Tower is needed to enjoy this collection. The average rating is 4.4 stars but I’ve not simply rounded it up to 5 as the first and last stories warrant the 5 stars in themselves. And I’ll say it again I can’t recommend “Low Men In Yellow Coats” highly enough. It’s simply perfect. Do yourself a favour and give it a read.
LOW MEN IN YELLOW COATS
This is my favourite Stephen King story. I can’t speak highly enough of it. This isn’t Stephen King horror territory. It’s a fantasy story but even then the fantasy elements are done with a fairly light touch. A young boy Bobby Garfield befriends an older man with psychic powers (a grandfather type figure and something King has done on a number of occasions but here he does it faultlessly). His home life is difficult, his Father is dead and he doesn’t get the affection he craves from his Mother. But his friendship with new neighbour Ted Brautigan brings Bobby to life. Ted is on the run from a mysterious group of people he simply calls “Low Men” and asks Bobby to look out for signs of them.
The relationship between Bobby and Ted is beautifully written, the bond is so real. The characters are believable. I just never wanted to leave them when the story ended. The story also deals with two of Bobbys friends Carol Gerber (who he shares his first kiss with on a Ferris wheel, and it’s the kiss that all others will be compared to and found wanting) and Sully John. King writes so well for this group of young friends at times his writing in this story is near poetic.
It's a coming of age story It’s beautiful, funny, sad, life affirming, heartbreaking. There’s love and betrayal and all so perfectly written. If you only ever read one Stephen King book read “Hearts In Atlantis” and if you only ever read one story read “Low Men In Yellow Coats” It’s truly a work of great beauty. I could read it again and again. I absolutely adore it. A well deserved 5 stars *****
HEARTS IN ATLANTIS
The title story can’t match up to it’s predecessor but that doesn’t mean it’s bad it’s just an impossible task to live up to it. Set in 1966, Peter Riley is a student at the University of Maine. He and his fellow students have been shielded from serving in the Vietnam war because of their student draft deferments but an addiction to a card game runs the risk of seriously effecting their studies. The connection to the first story isn’t at first clear but becomes apparent.
4 Stars ****
BLIND WILLE & WHY WE’RE IN VIETNAM
Two short stories that deal with characters from the first story and how they deal with their experiences of Vietnam and the guilt they feel. “Why We’re In Vietnam” has a rather surreal ending.
Two good short stories 4 stars each ****
HEAVENLY SHADES OF NIGHT ARE FALLING
The conclusion and the one that ties all the stories together. Bobby Garfield returns to his childhood home for the funeral of an old friend. This is a beautiful and brilliantly written denouement. King draws all the strands together perfectly. It’s often said that Stephen King struggles to write a good ending but this is perfect. I can’t fault it.
5 Stars *****
This is such a good collection. A brilliant read. King brings so many emotions out. There’s a theme involving William Golding’s “Lord Of The Flies” that runs throughout the stories and some nice parallels. The first story also has links to Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. I’ve not read that series yet but I did recognize some of the references (which I didn’t the first time I read it), I’m sure they will become more apparent when I read the series. Although no previous knowledge of The Dark Tower is needed to enjoy this collection. The average rating is 4.4 stars but I’ve not simply rounded it up to 5 as the first and last stories warrant the 5 stars in themselves. And I’ll say it again I can’t recommend “Low Men In Yellow Coats” highly enough. It’s simply perfect. Do yourself a favour and give it a read.
This is less on the horror side and the stories mostly deal with people who were in some way or the other connected in the past, "Atlantis". The time when the hippies started moving, soldiers fight in the jungles and finally everyone recovers (or do they?). The smaller novels seem at first glance to be separate but I liked how they showed us a glimpse of the lives of the people mentioned in the first one and how they have developed as human beings.
I've picked this up a half dozen times over the past year or so. I'm glad I finally read it. I think the best story was the first one, a few of them were less than stellar, but I loved the overall concept of the interconnected stories and following characters through different points of life. The end was perfect.