Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
Aside from The Shining, I didn't really get to know Stephen King as a writer until I started reading The Dark Tower series. Wizard and Glass was the first book of his I read that made me step back and appreciate that I was dealing with more than a [ridiculously] prolific horror writer. This book only solidifies the opinions I started forming then - that King is a versatile and talented author. As others have already said, part of the magic of this book is how authentically he presents the point of view of an adolescent boy, teetering on the verge of young adulthood. The complexity of the characters and their interwoven relationships is also pretty astonishing.
Heart-shaped rose petals...
I am reading volume 7 of The Dark Tower, but decided I had to stop and read this book, because of the cross-overs between the two stories. Turns out I enjoyed this on its own terms, especially the fever-dream of Hearts at its core. Then again, maybe the third floor dorm at the University of Maine has more in common with Damli House than at first appears.
I am reading volume 7 of The Dark Tower, but decided I had to stop and read this book, because of the cross-overs between the two stories. Turns out I enjoyed this on its own terms, especially the fever-dream of Hearts at its core. Then again, maybe the third floor dorm at the University of Maine has more in common with Damli House than at first appears.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Read back when it was first released.
Read again for the February 2024 meeting of the Stephen King book club.
Read again for the February 2024 meeting of the Stephen King book club.
https://theyearoftheking.tumblr.com/post/626183192590811136/book-forty-six-hearts-in-atlantis
Let's get one thing straight here: the movie version of this book is absolute crap. The book is creepy genius. They are two completely different works. So read the book and try to forget about the movie.
Let's get one thing straight here: the movie version of this book is absolute crap. The book is creepy genius. They are two completely different works. So read the book and try to forget about the movie.
Enjoyed the first story, didn’t like the hearts tale following it, though. It’s a weird one- good start, some bright spots in some other novellas, but it just doesn’t quite all fit together, imo. Too much is missing, just as I started caring about Bobby and the low men in yellow coats the majority of the remaining book focuses on other matters- some interesting, but that hearts story- not for me. Thought the ending was pretty solid though, and King’s Vietnam bits are interesting. Worth the read if you’re a huge King fan.
dark
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
For some reason, the house I bought contained two copies of this book.
The first and last stories were exquisite, but the story about Blind Willie did nothing for the rest of the story.
I really loved this book. (Or, technically, series of four interconnected novellas, but that's really just semantics.) It has a specific, strong, connection to the Dark Tower mythology in that Ted has apparently escaped from a mind-prison in Midworld where he is forced to work for the Crimson King as a "breaker", and therefore has yellow-coated "low men" chasing him down. But, that little plot detail taken out, the book stands up perfectly fine on its own, so don't let that stop you.
I think one of the reasons this story works so well is that the characters, especially the kid whose perspective we're usually witnessing, are so down-to-earth and ordinary that we feel the freakishness of everything that happens to them as if it's happening to us. That's great writing.
I think one of the reasons this story works so well is that the characters, especially the kid whose perspective we're usually witnessing, are so down-to-earth and ordinary that we feel the freakishness of everything that happens to them as if it's happening to us. That's great writing.