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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
This is Stephen King coming to grips with the 1960s and Vietnam, and it’s very nicely done. I mostly see it referred to as a collection of novellas and short stories, but you can also see it as a single novel, told chronologically, from 1960 to 1999, with characters connecting and reconnecting.
Low Men in Yellow Coats: This is a brilliant story (novel? novella? It’s in between) and haunting. I feel like it would make much less sense if you had not already read the entire Dark Tower series, and that connection increases the enjoyment. Nonetheless, it stands alone perfectly well. King is so good at evoking childhood in 1960, but also the reality of brutality that is just under the surface. It’s very different from the other stories, which are focused more on the Vietnam War and very little with the Dark Tower.
Hearts in Atlantis: the card game stuff got tiring pretty quickly. The story also had a weird Forrest Gump vibe about it (as does a lot of the book), with characters discovering the peace sign for the first time, being involved in Vietnam protests, and even one becoming famous later. Carol Gerber was the thread from the previous story, but her character did not develop much beyond showing her radicalizing. However, King is a master at creating the atmosphere of college in the 1960s.
Blind Willie: dark and weird, with a tormented character haunted by what he did to Carol as a child, but also by the war.
Why We’re in Vietnam: the character Sully is still trying to deal with the war in middle age. Like the last chapter, Carol is absent but often on his mind. It’s an effective and pretty harrowing story.
Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling: King nails the ending to this book. This brief story ties thing together, including a Dark Tower reference again.
Low Men in Yellow Coats: This is a brilliant story (novel? novella? It’s in between) and haunting. I feel like it would make much less sense if you had not already read the entire Dark Tower series, and that connection increases the enjoyment. Nonetheless, it stands alone perfectly well. King is so good at evoking childhood in 1960, but also the reality of brutality that is just under the surface. It’s very different from the other stories, which are focused more on the Vietnam War and very little with the Dark Tower.
Hearts in Atlantis: the card game stuff got tiring pretty quickly. The story also had a weird Forrest Gump vibe about it (as does a lot of the book), with characters discovering the peace sign for the first time, being involved in Vietnam protests, and even one becoming famous later. Carol Gerber was the thread from the previous story, but her character did not develop much beyond showing her radicalizing. However, King is a master at creating the atmosphere of college in the 1960s.
Blind Willie: dark and weird, with a tormented character haunted by what he did to Carol as a child, but also by the war.
Why We’re in Vietnam: the character Sully is still trying to deal with the war in middle age. Like the last chapter, Carol is absent but often on his mind. It’s an effective and pretty harrowing story.
Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling: King nails the ending to this book. This brief story ties thing together, including a Dark Tower reference again.
One of my husband's favorite King books, though not one of mine. This story follows several different characters throughout several parts of their lives and is actually very complicated and detailed. There is also the Dark Tower series connection that King fans will appreciate. As usual, the character development is superb and story is compelling. Overall though, I thought it had just too much going on and not enough satisfying conclusions for my taste.
By the way, the movie version (which is on the cover of this version of the book) is HORRIBLE and not anything like the book. Don't waste a second of your time on that crap.
By the way, the movie version (which is on the cover of this version of the book) is HORRIBLE and not anything like the book. Don't waste a second of your time on that crap.
Long Journey to the Dark Tower–Stop 17: Hearts in Atlantis
3 Stars, but could be 4+ Stars if you count only the first and last stories, which are the most Dark Tower connected
"Low Men in Yellow Coats" is easily one of the best things King has written. Then, he slaps Boomers on the wrists for being kind of shit. This goes on for three stories. Then, there's a great, if sentimental, final story that acts as an epilogue to “Low Men.” I could honestly do without about a third of this, but the first and last story are so great I was tempted to just give the whole thing four stars.
"Low Men in Yellow Coats" 4.5 Stars
King examines the childhood transition to adulthood to spectacular effect. Cycles of abuse spiral out into bad decisions and regret. Yes, I know people come to this for the Dark Tower stuff, and I’m reading this as part of a Dark Tower read, but this story is so much more than that. Honestly, the links to the wider King universe are some of the weakest stuff here. This is one of the essential King stories.
"Hearts in Atlantis" 2 Stars
This story draws some parallels between the Baby Boomer Generation as kids and the Millenial kids of the 1990s and 2000s. King points out some Boomer hypocrisy, but he’s really nice about his own generation. I wonder if he revisited this style of story if it would be more negative. Honestly, it’s for Boomers by a Boomer, so I didn’t get much out of this.
"Blind Willie" Half Star
I really didn’t care for this. The ideas were thin, and the characters were crap. Even the world was surreal, but in a convenient way for the story rather than anything interesting.
"Why We're in Vietnam" 2.5 Stars
Sully’s story… So we get a whole story from the point of view of the most boring character from the first story? Ugh. It’s funny that the character comments on how he hates The Deer Hunter because this story seems to be doing a worse job at portraying a similar phenomena. It’s not absolutely terrible, but the little rant about Boomer failings and snippets of characters from “Low Men” aren’t really enough to save this one.
"Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling" 4 Stars
This is super sentimental, but honestly, it’s the epilogue I needed for "Low Men in Yellow Coats." The previous stories are failed criticisms of a generation, but this goes back to broader feelings of nostalgia and looking back on childhood.
Dark Tower Relevance: The Low Men are fully introduced and several of the ideas from ”Everything’s Eventual” are expanded and fleshed out. Also, there’s a potential incarnation of Randall Flagg along with a mention of someone having the power to go dim that Flagg has in The Eyes of the Dragon. Hearts is actually a pretty essential part of the series.
Next Stop: The Plant, an unfinished e-novel experiment…
3 Stars, but could be 4+ Stars if you count only the first and last stories, which are the most Dark Tower connected
"Low Men in Yellow Coats" is easily one of the best things King has written. Then, he slaps Boomers on the wrists for being kind of shit. This goes on for three stories. Then, there's a great, if sentimental, final story that acts as an epilogue to “Low Men.” I could honestly do without about a third of this, but the first and last story are so great I was tempted to just give the whole thing four stars.
"Low Men in Yellow Coats" 4.5 Stars
King examines the childhood transition to adulthood to spectacular effect. Cycles of abuse spiral out into bad decisions and regret. Yes, I know people come to this for the Dark Tower stuff, and I’m reading this as part of a Dark Tower read, but this story is so much more than that. Honestly, the links to the wider King universe are some of the weakest stuff here. This is one of the essential King stories.
"Hearts in Atlantis" 2 Stars
This story draws some parallels between the Baby Boomer Generation as kids and the Millenial kids of the 1990s and 2000s. King points out some Boomer hypocrisy, but he’s really nice about his own generation. I wonder if he revisited this style of story if it would be more negative. Honestly, it’s for Boomers by a Boomer, so I didn’t get much out of this.
"Blind Willie" Half Star
I really didn’t care for this. The ideas were thin, and the characters were crap. Even the world was surreal, but in a convenient way for the story rather than anything interesting.
"Why We're in Vietnam" 2.5 Stars
Sully’s story… So we get a whole story from the point of view of the most boring character from the first story? Ugh. It’s funny that the character comments on how he hates The Deer Hunter because this story seems to be doing a worse job at portraying a similar phenomena. It’s not absolutely terrible, but the little rant about Boomer failings and snippets of characters from “Low Men” aren’t really enough to save this one.
"Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling" 4 Stars
This is super sentimental, but honestly, it’s the epilogue I needed for "Low Men in Yellow Coats." The previous stories are failed criticisms of a generation, but this goes back to broader feelings of nostalgia and looking back on childhood.
Dark Tower Relevance: The Low Men are fully introduced and several of the ideas from ”Everything’s Eventual” are expanded and fleshed out. Also, there’s a potential incarnation of Randall Flagg along with a mention of someone having the power to go dim that Flagg has in The Eyes of the Dragon. Hearts is actually a pretty essential part of the series.
Next Stop: The Plant, an unfinished e-novel experiment…
i was much more into the story of bobby/ted in the first third, and less interested as the other stories were added. perhaps this is one of those "you had to be there to get it" decade books.
As someone who hasn't read any of the Dark Tower series outside of the mentions in King's short stories it was interesting to have a reference pop up again. Coupled with the "The Little Sisters of Eluria" from 'Everything's Eventual' it's enough to pique my interest in the series.
And on that note, the first section of this book was probably the best. A great reflection on the ideals and struggles of adolescence with a hearty mix of emotion and the ties that bind us.
What followed was a slog of a read. It was nice to follow the threads of connection between the original three friends through the years but most of the time it was just a chore.
It seems as though I always struggle when King's work that veers from the supernatural or strange. He meanders around with unnecessary details and where it matters, leaves too much unsaid.
Another mediocre one for me.
And on that note, the first section of this book was probably the best. A great reflection on the ideals and struggles of adolescence with a hearty mix of emotion and the ties that bind us.
What followed was a slog of a read. It was nice to follow the threads of connection between the original three friends through the years but most of the time it was just a chore.
It seems as though I always struggle when King's work that veers from the supernatural or strange. He meanders around with unnecessary details and where it matters, leaves too much unsaid.
Another mediocre one for me.
"Low Men in Yellow Coats" is one of the best stories King's ever written, and would get a full 5/5 from me on its own. I found the whole thing overwhelming, even in spite of already being familiar enough with the film adaptation to know where things were (more or less) heading. The way it's connected to King's Dark Tower saga is genuinely thrilling and emotionally rich in ways I honestly didn't anticipate, and it made me anxious to revisit that whole book series all over again.
"Hearts in Atlantis" is nowhere near as strong, and spins its wheels for far too long before ultimately arriving at its conclusion. I understand what King's going for here, and I appreciate the way the stories begin long and grow shorter as they move forwards through time, but some of the length here feels a bit forced (which admittedly is not unusual for King). I'm probably looking at a 3/5 for this one.
"Blind Willie" explores an interesting idea, but it never quite landed for me and it honestly probably ended up being my least favorite story of the bunch overall. Something about the "part-time homelessness" angle of the narrative struck me as oddly exploitative and weirdly unsympathetic to its characters. Probably a 2.5/5 but I could be talked into rounding it up to a 3/5 to put it on par with its predecessor.
"Why We're in Vietnam" - A full 4/5 for this one, especially for the way King crafts a genuinely haunting and oddly beautiful death scene for its central character. At first, it seemed so heightened I was confused, but the final reveal clarifies everything and makes it all work.
"Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling" - 5/5, a beautiful and earned conclusion for a couple of characters I was surprised to discover I'd begun to care so much about. The final moments of the story serve as one of King's all-too-rare perfect endings.
Overall, the book reminds me more than a bit of "American Graffiti," and it's probably King's best (non-Dark Tower) work of the decade. Even including the Dark Tower series, I'd only rank "Wizard and Glass" ahead of this.
"Hearts in Atlantis" is nowhere near as strong, and spins its wheels for far too long before ultimately arriving at its conclusion. I understand what King's going for here, and I appreciate the way the stories begin long and grow shorter as they move forwards through time, but some of the length here feels a bit forced (which admittedly is not unusual for King). I'm probably looking at a 3/5 for this one.
"Blind Willie" explores an interesting idea, but it never quite landed for me and it honestly probably ended up being my least favorite story of the bunch overall. Something about the "part-time homelessness" angle of the narrative struck me as oddly exploitative and weirdly unsympathetic to its characters. Probably a 2.5/5 but I could be talked into rounding it up to a 3/5 to put it on par with its predecessor.
"Why We're in Vietnam" - A full 4/5 for this one, especially for the way King crafts a genuinely haunting and oddly beautiful death scene for its central character. At first, it seemed so heightened I was confused, but the final reveal clarifies everything and makes it all work.
"Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling" - 5/5, a beautiful and earned conclusion for a couple of characters I was surprised to discover I'd begun to care so much about. The final moments of the story serve as one of King's all-too-rare perfect endings.
Overall, the book reminds me more than a bit of "American Graffiti," and it's probably King's best (non-Dark Tower) work of the decade. Even including the Dark Tower series, I'd only rank "Wizard and Glass" ahead of this.
Took me three nights to read. A novella each the first two nights and I finished up the last three short stories tonight. Loved this a whole bunch!