You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
It was ok, I thought it could have gone a little deeper into Scott's relationships. I didn't feel the emotions, the time line didn't feel longer than a few weeks at most. But I loved hearing King narrate the audio and I always love thinking about his books after I'm done.
I have come to expect high things from Stephen King. From the man who brought us such short stories like The Body, I expect LOTS. Especially from one taking place in Castle Rock.
Perhaps it was because I listened to the audio book read by the author. Perhaps it was because of the subject matter. Perhaps it was just because I want more characterizations and deeper sentiment in my stories. Perhaps it was because the ending was satisfying but really not in any explanatory way. But, I just slogged through this one. I was glad I had it on CD rather than listening on my phone while I run.
It's even really possible that I was turned off the entire story because of the initial portrayal of the lesbian and small town characters as caricatures. Or that the description of the 12k race (who has a 12k race?!?) was so clearly from the POV of someone who had never run a RACE in their lives. (If you want an excellent description of the mind of a racer during a race, read Once a Runner. Best running book ever.)
I just couldn't have cared less about any character here. I didn't feel sorry for Scott. I didn't feel happy or sad for Deidre and Missy about their restaurant. There just were no feels.
As I listen to more and more audio books, the reader MATTERS. Stephen King is an incredibly talented and creative author. (Sleeping Beauties was one of my faves in 2017.) He should not be reading his own novels for the audio books.
Perhaps it was because I listened to the audio book read by the author. Perhaps it was because of the subject matter. Perhaps it was just because I want more characterizations and deeper sentiment in my stories. Perhaps it was because the ending was satisfying but really not in any explanatory way. But, I just slogged through this one. I was glad I had it on CD rather than listening on my phone while I run.
It's even really possible that I was turned off the entire story because of the initial portrayal of the lesbian and small town characters as caricatures. Or that the description of the 12k race (who has a 12k race?!?) was so clearly from the POV of someone who had never run a RACE in their lives. (If you want an excellent description of the mind of a racer during a race, read Once a Runner. Best running book ever.)
I just couldn't have cared less about any character here. I didn't feel sorry for Scott. I didn't feel happy or sad for Deidre and Missy about their restaurant. There just were no feels.
As I listen to more and more audio books, the reader MATTERS. Stephen King is an incredibly talented and creative author. (Sleeping Beauties was one of my faves in 2017.) He should not be reading his own novels for the audio books.
Eh. It was a quick read, but there was none of the suspense (and certainly no horror) that makes King the master.
I think we cannot set aside the “woke aspect” (as some have said) because this “woke aspect” delivered a large part to the whole narrative. A Trumpist and homophobic infested town with zero interest of change (until Scott swooped in to save these women from their demise) speaks so much.
For me it is still a horror genre, losing weight without losing your form is a terrifying thought but I agree that it could have been improved or developed.
I liked and did not liked the ending. I love the imagery when Scott lit the fire but I think this zero concept is a symbolism of escape. How a person loses the accountability and guilt of what happened so easy and convenient. Losing the burden of sins of the town with Scott as a sacrifice but the burden of losing Scott will still weigh down Deidre and Missy.
But on the other hand, it can also be the natural occurrence of life and death process. Living weighs and grounds us to the physicality of life but in severing our ties with the physical, we are bound to be free. And so we explode.
Could have been better but it is what it is.
For me it is still a horror genre, losing weight without losing your form is a terrifying thought but I agree that it could have been improved or developed.
I liked and did not liked the ending. I love the imagery when Scott lit the fire but I think this zero concept is a symbolism of escape. How a person loses the accountability and guilt of what happened so easy and convenient. Losing the burden of sins of the town with Scott as a sacrifice but the burden of losing Scott will still weigh down Deidre and Missy.
But on the other hand, it can also be the natural occurrence of life and death process. Living weighs and grounds us to the physicality of life but in severing our ties with the physical, we are bound to be free. And so we explode.
Could have been better but it is what it is.
I picked this up at the library just to see how bad it truly was after I heard a lot of negative reviews. This book was just meh to me and I found most of the characters uninteresting. It wasn't anything special and it definitely did not deserve to win 2018's best horror book because there is nothing remotely relating to horror in this book besides the fact that it's made by Stephen King.
It was a great book until the end. The ending was sweet and all, but I was left wondering what caused his condition and why. It was still a fun, Stephen King read.
This was a good quick read. Nothing really stood out more or less than any other part but I loved it just the same.