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4.42 AVERAGE
4.42 AVERAGE
In my personal opinion, King is best at his most restrained. When I was thirteen I read Hearts in Atlantis, which became one of those books that shifts your world on its axis. It's not a horror, and I wouldn't call Rose Madder, another favorite of mine, a horror either. Nor is The Green Mile, and I think the only reason it isn't usurping Hearts in Atlantis as my favorite King book is nostalgia.
Like I said, I think King is best when he's restrained. The Green Mile strikes me as one of his mellower books in regards to his trademarks (scares, gore, desolation of any sort) and it absolutely benefits. It's a story of intense bittersweetness, with just enough darkness to make it a true King, while proving that his strength is in storytelling, and not just scary tales. Is my opinion influenced by having grown up watching the Tom Hanks movie? Absolutely. But this book goes far beyond what I expected.
I will admit, I didn't cry. I knew what was coming. But it's still make a mark on my heart. From the characters, to how he works so well within the historical setting, to the depiction of the south that feels strikingly natural despite coming from a man famous for living in Maine.
I'm not sure what I can say about The Green Mile, or why I love it so much, except that it hits that soft place in my chest reserves for books that fill me with an unexplainable yearning. Not quite bittersweetness, though it's there, and not nostalgia, though I have plenty for the movie. I recommend this highly for anyone who wants to read an often touching, at times intensely dark, and thoroughly human story by one of the great writers of our age.
Like I said, I think King is best when he's restrained. The Green Mile strikes me as one of his mellower books in regards to his trademarks (scares, gore, desolation of any sort) and it absolutely benefits. It's a story of intense bittersweetness, with just enough darkness to make it a true King, while proving that his strength is in storytelling, and not just scary tales. Is my opinion influenced by having grown up watching the Tom Hanks movie? Absolutely. But this book goes far beyond what I expected.
I will admit, I didn't cry. I knew what was coming. But it's still make a mark on my heart. From the characters, to how he works so well within the historical setting, to the depiction of the south that feels strikingly natural despite coming from a man famous for living in Maine.
I'm not sure what I can say about The Green Mile, or why I love it so much, except that it hits that soft place in my chest reserves for books that fill me with an unexplainable yearning. Not quite bittersweetness, though it's there, and not nostalgia, though I have plenty for the movie. I recommend this highly for anyone who wants to read an often touching, at times intensely dark, and thoroughly human story by one of the great writers of our age.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
reflective
sad
tense
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:
Yes
If storytelling is a machine for empathy, then The Green Mile is an underground generator powering the whole world. Even more sensational on a reread, it’s so bleakly evocative in a way King writes almost irresolutely against rather than his usual steering towards a doomed existence. A protest to heaven never quite reaching the source of our hopes. Incredibly powerful and spiritually tragic, The Green Mile reminds me the one I’m walking along is made better by stories like this accompanying my every step.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
Why do the best books always leave me so emotionally devastated?
I devoured this book, which is saying something for me because I have such a hard time keeping myself focused with Steven Kings writing style.
I was no stranger to Paul Edgecombs story when I began this book. I’ve been watching The Green Mile since I was a little girl and while I love the movie, I have it to blame for the fact that I cannot stomach execution scenes. Even when I watched the movie I muted the tv and sped past all of the deaths.
This is my second attempt at this book. I tried once years ago and couldn’t stomach the executions. I DNF’d just before Del’s death. I finally made it through and while I teared up and needed little breaks after the executions I can say it was worth the heartbreak in order to get the in depth details of the story that were left out of the movie.
One thing I really enjoyed were the glimpses into the other characters lives (really their deaths) after the events of the novel. Some lived longer, happier lives. While others met their tragic ends shortly after the events of the book.
I even enjoyed seeing the parallels between Percy and the cruel orderly who Paul interacts with at his nursing home.
Well worth the read.
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
what else is there to say but stunned silence. the only other stephen king book i've read is It, and i can say that it didn't prepare me in the slightest for what The Green Mile had in store. it was both beautiful and terrible; it held me in its clutches and refused to let go; its tragedy has soaked into my bones. such a difficult read, but its story compels you to reach the end no matter what. once these characters are in your life, you need to honor them, to keep going until you can't anymore.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No