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4.42 AVERAGE
4.42 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
At Cold Mountain Penitentiary, along the lonely stretch of cells known as the Green Mile, condemned killers await death strapped in 'Old Sparky'. However, the Green Mile has never seen anyone like John Coffey, sentenced for the rape and murder of two young girls. But is he the devil in human form, or is there something very, very different about him…? This is the story about what really happened, told by his warden many years later.
I haven’t read anything from Stephen King in a fair while, and this was a great one to whet the appetite again. I’ve heard only positive reviews about this one, and even about the film adaptation, and it’s fair to say it lived up to the hype.
It’s hard to write anything original about King as a storyteller, but this one fits all the classic tropes around his stories. It’s truly a ‘Classic King’ kind of book:
> Characters: The key cornerstone to any King book, but once again nailed here. So many are likeable, but in this book, particular attention goes to those that were truly horrific- Percy Wetmore, fair play, you’re a proper bellend.
> Plot: King is is labelled under the horror genre, but I think that’s unfair, and ‘The Green Mile’ does a great job of challenging that perspective. This one, whilst dabbling in the supernatural, was much more of a true, human-based story and did feel quieter, though no less memorable.
> The ending: A criticism I’ve often seen thrown at King is that his ability to nail an ending can be hit/miss. I haven’t read enough to truly form a reliable opinion on this, but from what I have read, I can see where this comment comes from. In this book? Not true. He nails the ending, in a beautiful combination of a bittersweet reflection of “what if?”
The only thing that prevents it from being 5 star were a few plot points that just didn’t quite work for me- Mr Jingles may be the MVP of mice, but his section was far too long. No spoilers, but this combined with the “after-effect” of our main characters’ interaction with John Coffey did seem a little pointless too.
TLDR: Stephen King can write. Capital W-write.
I haven’t read anything from Stephen King in a fair while, and this was a great one to whet the appetite again. I’ve heard only positive reviews about this one, and even about the film adaptation, and it’s fair to say it lived up to the hype.
It’s hard to write anything original about King as a storyteller, but this one fits all the classic tropes around his stories. It’s truly a ‘Classic King’ kind of book:
> Characters: The key cornerstone to any King book, but once again nailed here. So many are likeable, but in this book, particular attention goes to those that were truly horrific- Percy Wetmore, fair play, you’re a proper bellend.
> Plot: King is is labelled under the horror genre, but I think that’s unfair, and ‘The Green Mile’ does a great job of challenging that perspective. This one, whilst dabbling in the supernatural, was much more of a true, human-based story and did feel quieter, though no less memorable.
> The ending: A criticism I’ve often seen thrown at King is that his ability to nail an ending can be hit/miss. I haven’t read enough to truly form a reliable opinion on this, but from what I have read, I can see where this comment comes from. In this book? Not true. He nails the ending, in a beautiful combination of a bittersweet reflection of “what if?”
The only thing that prevents it from being 5 star were a few plot points that just didn’t quite work for me- Mr Jingles may be the MVP of mice, but his section was far too long. No spoilers, but this combined with the “after-effect” of our main characters’ interaction with John Coffey did seem a little pointless too.
TLDR: Stephen King can write. Capital W-write.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
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:
Yes
5 stars. Oof, that hurt but I knew it would since the film is heavy and emotional as well. I was in the mood for some Stephen King and this one has intrigued (and terrified me honestly) me for a long time and I’m glad that I’ve finally picked it up. The writing is absolutely superb, the characters are well rounded, developed, and complex. I loved the way the fantasy aspect was weaved gradually into the plot. It was seamlessly done. Love the way the story was told and while it was brutal and sad it is definitely worth the read. I need a lighter book now after this one.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated