King's Lisey's Story [Archive] - Absolute Write Water Cooler

Flapdoodle

10-28-2006, 03:27 AM

Anyone read King's latest departure from horror? Some critics claim it's better than Stand by Me, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile.

That's some heft company for any novel.

Odd you should mention this - I've just been watching a UK Culture show called Newsnight Review in which a panel of artists/authors/politicians/etc review the week's cultural events - whether that be stage shows, films, books, etc.

They reviewed Lisey's Story and didn't pan it.
They stamped on it, ridiculed it, read some of the terrible prose and sniggered at King's attempt to become literary, commented on the "folksy" cliched characters, the clunky use of child abuse and self harm, way it patronizes the main character, etc.

Perhaps the most telling comment was from Paul Morley (Musician and writer) who commented that the fantasy stuff was there just because it has to be there, and that it seems like King's getting bored with his own readership...

They were quite baffled by the endless quotes and references to other literary works, though...

One of the panel - a Member of Parliament - commented that it was the worst book he'd ever read, and read out a passage that was terrible. They also compared King to a "spoof" comedy UK author called Garth Marenghi.

Of course, it'll sell like hotcakes.

SpookyWriter

10-28-2006, 03:31 AM

Flapdoodle

10-28-2006, 03:43 AM

Hi Flap, would their criticsm be because King is an American writer or do you feel they were sincere? I hadn't read his latest material because I've been into Barker lately and haven't had time or interest with King's last couple of books.

Thanks

No, Newsnight Review wouldn't slate something because it's from the US. There are 4 reviewers plus the chair of the panel, and they sort of informally discuss what's under review. With LS they were unanimous that it was a terrible book, and a couple of them quoted some lines to show how badly written it was.

As the panel's quite diverse, you generally get a bit of squabbling and disagreement, but with this book they all let rip.

You can see the repeat on the BBC's website, apparently:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/review/6092360.stm#king

Go and read the text at the bottom - it'll be up from Saturday afternoon GMT.

Liam Jackson

10-28-2006, 03:48 AM

Hi Flap, would their criticsm be because King is an American writer or do you feel they were sincere? I hadn't read his latest material because I've been into Barker lately and haven't had time or interest with King's last couple of books.

Thanks

He get's whacked everytime he steps out of the horror venue. I'm not sure anyone can say he's "turning literary" unless they've never bothered to read The Body which later evolved into the film, Stand By Me, or Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption)
The guy seems to have sufficient talent to write up or down as the spirit moves him.

Flap- As an aside, was King ever embraced by the UK's critic elites? I know he has a strong UK fan base, but I'm wondering if the Brit reviewers consider him anything more than a "genre hack."

jbal

10-28-2006, 03:50 AM

Liam-you forgot Dolores Claiborne.

Martin-you still like Koontz though, right?

Liam Jackson

10-28-2006, 03:52 AM

Liam-you forgot Dolores Claiborne.

I did indeed.

Flapdoodle

10-28-2006, 04:12 AM

He get's whacked everytime he steps out of the horror venue. I'm not sure anyone can say he's "turning literary" unless they've never bothered to read The Body which later evolved into the film, Stand By Me, or Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption)
The guy seems to have sufficient talent to write up or down as the spirit moves him.

Flap- As an aside, was King ever embraced by the UK's critic elites? I know he has a strong UK fan base, but I'm wondering if the Brit reviewers consider him anything more than a "genre hack."

I think that was the point of the review - it wasn't a step outside the horror genre, and one reviewer even commented that it only got slightly interesting when the horror stuff started.

Not sure about the elite. I don't read book reviews. Newsnight review isn't particularly elitist - they reviewed the new Dirty Dancing stage play as well (Mixed reviews) and the panel are generally from a fairly diverse background.

What I don't understand is this point about the quotes and references to literary work - what's that about? I know King likes to pepper his stuff with song lyrics and stuff... Is there really a reading list?

Liam Jackson

10-28-2006, 06:27 AM

I think that was the point of the review - it wasn't a step outside the horror genre, and one reviewer even commented that it only got slightly interesting when the horror stuff started.

Not sure about the elite. I don't read book reviews. Newsnight review isn't particularly elitist - they reviewed the new Dirty Dancing stage play as well (Mixed reviews) and the panel are generally from a fairly diverse background.

What I don't understand is this point about the quotes and references to literary work - what's that about? I know King likes to pepper his stuff with song lyrics and stuff... Is there really a reading list?

My interest in Lisey's Story started with an article on the Yahoo home page. I followed several links in which jouranlists/reviewers commented that Lisey's story wasn't horror at all, but a tragic romance. A couple of writers mentioned that it would be interesting to see how King managed this "new" entrance into the literary realm, i.e. could he cross the bridge from genre writer to mainstream literary. I thought that was an odd comment, considering the acclaim he received for some of his mainstream work, particularly those mentioned in my earlier post.

I frequently purge the history on my computer, and I can't recall the writers, but I believe the gentlemen who raised the most issues about King's "new departure" was a staffer for the primary Seattle newspaper.

Jbal- Speaking of Koontz, I just finished with Odd Thomas. The ending was a bit predictable, but damn, what writing.

Flapdoodle

10-28-2006, 08:55 PM

My interest in Lisey's Story started with an article on the Yahoo home page. I followed several links in which jouranlists/reviewers commented that Lisey's story wasn't horror at all, but a tragic romance. A couple of writer's mentioned that it would be interesting to see how King managed this "new" entrance into the literary realm, i.e. could he cross the bridge from genre writer to mainstream literary. I thought that was an odd comment, considering the acclaim he received for some of his mainstream work, particularly those mentioned in my earlier post.

I frequently purge the history on my computer, and I can't recall the writers, but I believe the gentlemen who raised the most issues about King's "new departure" was a staffer for the primary Seattle newspaper.

Jbal- Speaking of Koontz, I just finished with Odd Thomas. The ending was a bit predictable, but damn, what writing.

I picked it up in a bookstore today, but didn't buy it, even though it was half price - read the first chapter in the store, but it just doesn't look very good, to be honest, and I generally don't like books about authors.

I did pick up the latest Ian Rankin Rebus book, though. I don't generally read detective fiction, but the Rebus stuff is very good indeed.

Flapdoodle

10-29-2006, 01:40 AM

There's a positive review in one of the broadsheet newspaper today (Saturday's Guardian). It comments that the prose/word usage is almost enough to spoil it, but the reviewers considers it one of King's best.

Rabe

10-29-2006, 07:03 AM

I've picked up the book mainly because I know I'm going to buy it sooner or later and at the big Mega Discount Store I'd spend less and feel better about it. I've just not been very happy with the last four King books (the last two Dark Tower novels - though I do defend the actual ending - Colorado Kid (which is NOT an actual story but an opening to one) and The Cell - which harkens back to the good old days of horror when creators would let the audience imagine the ending, but this one just didn't do that very well).

I'm currently reading "Golden Fool" by Robin Hobb but Lisey's Story is next up on my list.

As for 'literary' King I think a LOT of books have been overlooked. A few:

It
The Stand
Misery
Bag of Bones (one of my all time favorites)
Firestarter
Gerald's Game
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
The Long Walk
Rage
and maybe Rose Madder.

I think King is a lot more literary than he is genre. After all, why decline to allow someone's 'literary' qualities shine through becuase he writes in a 'genre' field?

I recall my English 101 prof long time ago giving us a quote attributed to King when his friends would say "when are you going to write something serious" his response would be "when are you going to take seriously what I write?"

I agree with that.

Rabe...

JumpingJack

10-29-2006, 10:41 PM

I'm certainly not disapointed so far, apart from, as usual, being let down by reviewers who just cant hack it. I am yet to find a reviewer who is consistently worth listening to.

DeniseK

10-30-2006, 02:45 AM

I started it today and I'm on around page 30, and yeah, I'm hooked. I can tell it's going to be good, the atmosphere has been established, I just wish he'd stop saying "smucking!" over and over! That's the kind of stuff that has turned me off the last few books of his I've tried to read, he throws oddball stuff in there that seems like he's trying to be clever, or saying, he, smuck you, I am Stephen King, I can make up my own words, strapping it on you! I am trying to read the book without thinking about who wrote it, but if he keeps this up, I'll lose interest, and I really don't want to, like I said, I'm hooked and I want to keep reading.

Jackie Coupe

10-30-2006, 01:39 PM

I have ordered my copy, I didn't like 'Cell' all too well but as I have read King for over half my life and he has given me many great horrors and memories I feel I owe him a shot. I might not end up liking that either but its got to be read before comment I believe.

:tongue

Del

11-02-2006, 03:44 AM

Colorado Kid (which is NOT an actual story but an opening to one)

I considered sending my copy to him with a note requesting that he finish it.

Bag of Bones (one of my all time favorites)

Agreed.

Gerald's Game

I had to put this one down. Personal issues.

When I like King I like him a lot. When I don't like King, I don't like him a lot.

Rabe

11-02-2006, 08:56 AM

I considered sending my copy to him with a note requesting that he finish it.

Maybe we could circulate a petition?

And as for Gerald's Game. It's the one other book I've had the longest discussions/arguments about. The other being a little known Hebrew manual called "The Bible" or something like that.

Rabe...

bsolah

11-02-2006, 11:53 AM

I saw it at Borders today, but didn't buy it - I'm too busy reading Will Elliot's 'The Pilo Family Circus.'

The book looks like something new for King, a deeper kind of story with his same gritty style. I'll be reading it soon enough.

Marlowe

11-02-2006, 06:33 PM

Del

11-02-2006, 08:32 PM

I didn't like it very much at all. Aside from personal reasons mentioned in another forum here, the book was just sloppy; there were very good bits (Lisey's relationship with her dead husband was well-handled), but the fantasy elements were plain silly, and the "psycho-stalker" was terribly half-assed. The last hundred or so pages, aside from a few nice character moments, were a slog.

I liked Colorado Kid as it is. And you certainly can't expect him to "finish" it; "finishing" it would basically negate its existence. My only real criticism was that the whole "worshipping the mystery" bit was already dealt with in From a Buick 8, and Colorado Kid didn't add anything new. Still, it had a nice spooky vibe I rather liked, and it was over quick.

My copy of In a Buick 8 has been sitting with the bookmark in it for about a year.

This demonstrates how diverse readers are and that you can't tell a writer they are doing it wrong. Someone appreciates them.

In the postscript in Colorado Kid, King states that he knows many will feel the way I did (Well, he didn't use me as an example :) ) but that he wrote it the way he wanted and felt it needed to be. I don't agree with his decision but I applaud him.

Flapdoodle

11-03-2006, 03:58 AM

My copy of In a Buick 8 has been sitting with the bookmark in it for about a year.

This demonstrates how diverse readers are and that you can't tell a writer they are doing it wrong. Someone appreciates them.

In the postscript in Colorado Kid, King states that he knows many will feel the way I did (Well, he didn't use me as an example :) ) but that he wrote it the way he wanted and felt it needed to be. I don't agree with his decision but I applaud him.

Ditto. Nice premise, but any intrigue was totally lost after 100 dreadful pages of... well, nothing.

What's Colorado Kid?

Jamesaritchie

11-03-2006, 07:41 AM

Anyone read King's latest departure from horror? Some critics claim it's better than Stand by Me, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Green Mile.

That's some heft company for any novel.

In all honesty, this is the first King book I haven't liked in a long, long time. It's a half-arsed novel, in my opion. It isn't horror, it isn't literary, and it isn't fantasy. It's as if King couldn't decide what he wanted it to be, so made it nothing solid.

Now, comments on King trying to be literary come from pure ignorance. King has been writing non-horror literary fiction for quite a few years, and he's always done an excellent job of it. But I think Lisey's Story was an experiment that failed simply because King tried to make it all things, and it ended by being no thing.

Jamesaritchie

11-03-2006, 07:45 AM

I thought The Green Mile was lousy- great ending, waaaaay too much crap to get there. So far this one is better than that, at least.

I disagree completely. I thought the novel was wonderful from page one on. Some of the best I've ever read. It was one of those books I loved so much I kept reading slower and slower, not wanting to get to the end.

Marlowe

11-03-2006, 09:28 PM

I disagree completely. I thought the novel was wonderful from page one on. Some of the best I've ever read. It was one of those books I loved so much I kept reading slower and slower, not wanting to get to the end.

Well, I wanted to like it, and maybe "lousy" is going a bit far; but I just found it very unsuited for the serial format, and quite sluggish. It's been a while since I last read it, though, and perhaps I should give it another chance. (I did dearly love the ending, at least.)

Flapdoodle

11-04-2006, 04:00 PM

In all honesty, this is the first King book I haven't liked in a long, long time. It's a half-arsed novel, in my opion. It isn't horror, it isn't literary, and it isn't fantasy. It's as if King couldn't decide what he wanted it to be, so made it nothing solid.

Now, comments on King trying to be literary come from pure ignorance. King has been writing non-horror literary fiction for quite a few years, and he's always done an excellent job of it. But I think Lisey's Story was an experiment that failed simply because King tried to make it all things, and it ended by being no thing.

Your comments sound much like the review on the UK culture show I saw.

I thought Road Work, a non horror, was very good indeed - it's incredible how such a simple premise could make such a good story. It

The only thing that let it down was the cliched "mafia" character - it read like something from a comic book. The stuff with the main character was excellently done, the only time I've read King and started thinking that there's something quite deep going on.

It didn't descend into horror or any silly fantasy, either. Then again, wasn't it one his Bachman books? [The copy I bought was King.]

Jamesaritchie

11-05-2006, 06:38 AM

Well, I wanted to like it, and maybe "lousy" is going a bit far; but I just found it very unsuited for the serial format, and quite sluggish. It's been a while since I last read it, though, and perhaps I should give it another chance. (I did dearly love the ending, at least.)

Odd, but when I first saw reviews of The Green Mile, it sounded unsuited for a serial format to me, as well, so I waited until the standalone version was published before I read it. Then I read it in one night. Maybe this made the difference?

bsolah

11-05-2006, 06:49 AM

I loved The Green Mile, and I'd say it's my favourite King, or maybe second behind It.

Jcomp

11-08-2006, 07:10 PM

I devoured Green Mile. The only thing I didn't like about it was that I burned through each serial in about an hour after buying it & had to wait all that time for the next book to come out. Loved it though.

shawkins

11-08-2006, 11:38 PM

very mild spoilers

I finished Lissey's Story the other day. I thought it had some very evocative imagery (e.g. the reflections in the whisky glass toward the end). I also admired the way he made up a word (bool!) and then set about constructing a meaning for it.

On the other hand, I'm getting a bit tired of his late-career tendency to have the bad guys be nut jobs who just show up on the protagonist's doorstep. I recognize that that's probably a side effect of 1) his being famous and not having to worry about the bank account and 2) having multiple real-life experiences with nut jobs who just show up on his doorstep. Nonetheless, I think that particular schtick getting a little old. I miss the Stephen King who still remembered poverty.

It's probably also worth mentioning that he made extensive use of not-especially-well-ordered flashbacks without sacrificing comprehensibility (much). That's a nice trick, from a technical standpoint. I'm not sure there's many who could have pulled it off.

WriterInChains

11-24-2006, 11:19 PM

snipped . . .

It isn't horror, it isn't literary, and it isn't fantasy. It's as if King couldn't
decide what he wanted it to be, so made it nothing solid.

snipped . . .

This is why I love it -- it's not trying to be anything; it just is. A good story, about a marriage. I love the feeling that if I squint just right I can see it all happening to someone down the street or across town. I really hope nobody tries to make a movie out of this one.

I can see why some people won't like it, just had to add my $0.02. :)

Outlaw

11-25-2006, 06:25 PM

My interest in Lisey's Story started with an article on the Yahoo home page. I followed several links in which jouranlists/reviewers commented that Lisey's story wasn't horror at all, but a tragic romance. A couple of writers mentioned that it would be interesting to see how King managed this "new" entrance into the literary realm, i.e. could he cross the bridge from genre writer to mainstream literary. I thought that was an odd comment, considering the acclaim he received for some of his mainstream work, particularly those mentioned in my earlier post.

I frequently purge the history on my computer, and I can't recall the writers, but I believe the gentlemen who raised the most issues about King's "new departure" was a staffer for the primary Seattle newspaper.

Jbal- Speaking of Koontz, I just finished with Odd Thomas. The ending was a bit predictable, but damn, what writing.

Sorry, I was perusing this to get a feel for King's latest works, when I happened upon your reference to 'Odd Thomas'. Your right, what a great story and writing style. I typically dislike first person stories, but Koontz pulled it off extremely well.

As for the discussing regarding his lastest story...I'll have to keep my mouth shut as I have yet to read it. BUT, don't worry, I'll read it at least once, as I'll read anything the man writes! Heck, he could pen a story on a piece of used toliet paper and I'd read it....carefully to be sure, but I'd read it.

Kerry

Marlowe

11-25-2006, 08:19 PM

A good story, about a marriage.

Yeah, that was the bit about it I liked. The goofy stuff with Boo'ya Moon? Not so much. Also, the psycho character was a total waste of time- but the marriage stuff was quite lovely.

WriterInChains

11-25-2006, 08:33 PM

Yeah, that was the bit about it I liked. The goofy stuff with Boo'ya Moon? Not so much. Also, the psycho character was a total waste of time- but the marriage stuff was quite lovely.
IMO, Lisey's handling of Dooley was a good bookend to the story (chronologically speaking) and gave her the ability to close the door on her marriage and move on with her life. Maybe it seemed over the top to some, but I thought it worked. Before she had to strap it on for the last time she'd basically forgotten her own power; she'd intentionally forgotten it and needed a reason to get it back - I doubt she would've otherwise, she seemed very comfortable with her grief. My own marriage only lasted 14 years, but I identified with that struggle to get your feet back underneath you and feel strong again. It's a Stephen King book -- she wasn't going to regain her sense of personal power by volunteering at the local church. I love it that he writes things I wouldn't have, over-the-top and all. :)

Rabe

11-26-2006, 08:01 AM

One of the criticisms I'm seeing of the book that I think is unfair is about the 'nutjob'.

The problem is that the antagonist of the book isn't Dooley at all. He's just there. Which is something that gets me a lot about a lot of stories that people don't understand. They think because he did something 'bad' that he must be the bad guy and that he should have a bigger or more menacing role in the novel.

Kind of like how the retarded guy in "Gerald's Game" isn't the antagonist of that *that* book but the protagonist herself.

No, I think in this case the antagonist wasn't Dooley but rather the 'nutjob' she married. And herself.

I see criticisms like this and cringe because I know it's what makes agents say no to my horror novel, which isn't so much about the horror of the bad guy running around but the horror of what the main character is doing to himself and his wife. But people don't *get* that because we're so conditioned - it would seem - to think that the antagonist must always be the 'bad guy'. Instead of having the protagonist also be their own worst enemy.

Rabe...
...who thought the middle parts of Lisey's Story wasn't so hot but the ending was - and went out to find "Cheeseburger Pie" Hamburger Helper after finishing the book

Kevin Yarbrough

11-27-2006, 08:35 PM

I thought Lisey's Story was O.K. The story had a lot of potential but King fell just a little short of the gate with it. I didn't feel for Lisey like I did some of his other characters and the Dooley was just a cut and paste bad guy. There was no substance to his character.

If King had wanted to make this story really good he should have made the bad guy supernatural. He could have brought out Scott's tall boy out of Boo ya Moon to try and kill Lisey for Scott's new mss. that tells all of his secrets.

I liked it but it fell a bit short for me, which seems to be the par for King her lately. Cell did the same as well From a Buick 8, Colorado Kid just sucked, Everything Eventual was not as good as his other collections, and the Girl who loved Tom Gordon was pointless.

Since his switch to Simon&Schuster he started out strong with Bag of Bones and Dreamcatcher and Black House but then began to fall short of the mark. He needs to get back to his roots, horror, for awhile otherwise I might just have to find a new favorite author. I would pick Bentley Little for this coveted spot but he always lets me down, he writes a good story but the climax always suck. It's like paying for a prostitute only to find out she isn't good in bed. Simon Clarke is moving up on my list though so he might knock King out of that highly attained spot.

Marlowe

11-28-2006, 10:32 PM

I don't have a problem with Dooley not being the central threat of the book. I do have a problem with the extremely half-assed development of him; it's sloppy writing to have all this extraordinary fantasy stuff on the one hand, and just have a psycho who's completely unconnected to it wandering around the periphery. Just because Dooley isn't the focus doesn't mean he can be made of cardboard- it felt like King just photocopied a character from a Dean Koontz novel and shuffled the pages in. For the book to work, he should've been a little more connected to Lisey and Scott's secrets- as it is, he's basically a deus ex machina variant, in that he shows up to give Lisey the impetus she needs to fix herself.

I think this could've been fixed with some more rewriting, honestly.

Kevin Yarbrough

11-29-2006, 12:15 AM

I agree with Marlowe, this story could have been so much better. If King wanted a normal, human psycho for his threat then he should have made Dooley at least know about Scott's secret and wanted Lisey to take him there. Me, if this would have been my story, I would have made Dooley Scotts brother, back from the grave only he can't get back to Booya Moon and he is dying slowly. I also would have had him be the one that made Scott go back there and forced him to eat.

But that is just me, I'm not King.

WriterInChains

11-29-2006, 05:31 AM

I feel like I read a completely different book than some of you guys did. Maybe because this is the Horror area? Not sure . . .

To me, Dooley was a minor character at best, a catalyst who got all his ideas from the original crazy who shot Scott; the "antagonist" wasn't even the long boy, like Lisey thought for their whole married life; the "antagonist," IMO, was the fact that Scott killed his father when he was 10.

Lisey's Story is closer to Shawshank Redemption than Cujo. LS wasn't what I expected, but I think that's why I loved it so much. Ewwww, I just realized I sound just like the guys I know who liked the Metallica CD I call "Pots & Pans"!:tongue

Marlowe

11-29-2006, 07:45 AM

I don't disagree at all that Dooley was a minor character- my complaint is that's clumsy to have such an unnatural subject enter into a narrative which already focuses on another, completely unrelated unnatural subject. I mean, it's awfully freakin' convenient that Dooley just happens to show up when Lisey needs external pressure to solve her internal problems. I think the story actually could've worked (and worked better) without him entirely.

Kevin Yarbrough

11-29-2006, 08:49 AM

I think the antagonist was Lisey herself. She didn't want to deal with her problems with Scott, her sisiters, and her life. The tall boy, Dooley and even Scott himself was just the kindling used for her to deal with her problems.

The story was good but it could have been so much better.

WriterInChains

11-29-2006, 09:06 AM

OK, I think I get what you guys are saying now. I'm new at the whole "book club" thing so thanks for bearing with me. It's one thing to dissect a book with friends or my daughter, but this is a different. And cool! I'll be sad when I lose my high-speed connection and go back to mostly lurking, but I'll get a lot more writing done. :)

Kelly Raine

12-02-2006, 01:15 AM

I picked up a copy and read a few chapters of it. I thought it was weird, and slightly annoying with the flashbacks about their marriage and then the current crazy sister activities. It was kinda inspiring writing-wise, the way she described what a dedicated writer her husband was. Made me want to sit down and write.

Jamesaritchie

12-02-2006, 02:17 AM

I liked it but it fell a bit short for me, which seems to be the par for King her lately. Cell did the same as well From a Buick 8, Colorado Kid just sucked, Everything Eventual was not as good as his other collections, and the Girl who loved Tom Gordon was pointless.

Much of this is a matter of taste. I liked Cell, and thought The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon one of King's better novels. I also loved Everything's Eventual. In some ways, it's my favorite collection.

Buick 8 was just so-so for me, and Colorado Kid was, in my opinion, another experimental novel that went wrong. But it was enough of an experiment that I give King credit for trying something very different.

I do think King is really trying to experiment with new things, trying to leave the "room" he sees himself living in. I think he failed badly with LS, but beyond this, I think he's really done much of his best writing in the last ten years.

bsolah

12-02-2006, 02:57 AM

I think the thing is, people are comparing King's newer stuff to his classics. I don't think he'll be going back to that level of writing.

His new stuff is still eons better than most other writers on the market, it's just not 'King.'

jbal

12-02-2006, 04:48 AM

I think he's gotten better as he's gone along, although not necessarily in the outright horror area. Some of my least favorite King books are Carrie, Cujo, etc.

bsolah

12-02-2006, 07:11 AM

It's true that some of his non-horror works have been exceptional. As I said earlier in this thread, The Green Mile is my all-time favourite novel.

RLB

12-02-2006, 08:05 AM

I just finished the book... not my favorite Stephen King, but a good read, I thought. As someone above noted, I thought he did an excellent job handling the tense changes and flashbacks.

SPOILER

For a while in the middle I was having trouble concentrating on the narrative because my brain was screaming "Quit lying on the floor reminiscing and seek medical attention for your mutilated breast!" (I was grateful that King allowed Lisey to escape the book with both boobs intact)

However, after watching King go on Good Morning America and promote it as a love story, I was a little sad that the manuscript at the end wound up being Scott's patricide confession. I mean, if I think I'm reading a love story (a twisted Stephen King love story, but still) I do not want the protag's last ever communication from her dead lover to be a "Here's How I killed My Father" essay.

Yes, I know it helped her understand and love Scott all the more and gave her the answer to how to not get pulled from her own world blah blah blah...

Call me old fashioned I guess.

Jamesaritchie

12-03-2006, 12:45 AM

Jackie Coupe

12-13-2006, 03:49 PM

I'm struggling with the 'Kinginese'. I usually tear through books but I've had this one on the go for weeks now.
I will finish it. A far cry from the King I love. I won't say I hate it, thats an awfully strong emotion to have about a writer I have followed for years.
Dislike perhaps.
That fits.
Maybe its just not to my taste?

bsolah

12-14-2006, 01:39 PM

I bought it on the weekend and only just started reading it. I'm liking it so far. It's not the same as classic King, but I'll have to finish it to give you the full verdict.

Carrie Ann Eggert

12-19-2006, 10:12 AM

I've read it and I liken it to this: When you first get introduced to the family of someone you're dating/seeing there are all kinds of inside jokes you just don't get. Then peice by peice they become part of your life...for better or worse. Soon you start joining in on the jokes and they start to join in on yours as both families start to interact.
It's a joining of language at it's most basic. We all do it...not just to belong...but to connect ourselves to others in a way that cannot be shared by just anybody...it becomes earned.
I liked this story for a dozen reasons but mostly because I understand what Mr. King is doing. His love of language and how it's used and scewed and made very personal is all over this novel. It's in every "bool" and "SOWISA baby".
I have to admit. When I first started out reading it I was confused...but that's just how we feel when we start out with a fresh partner isn't it? And just like being partnered we gain intimacy with each meeting...meshing in the end like chain mail; sturdy, interwoven, and inpenetrable.
Wanna know something funny...I can't get his words outta my head. Guess I'm part of the family now.

Cassie:)

Jackie Coupe

01-02-2007, 02:26 PM

Got about 80 pages left to go. Even the side trip to Boo'ya moon hasn't held my interest I'm afraid.
I'll be going straight to 'Rats' after this by James Herbet to take the edge off.

BlueTexas

01-20-2007, 05:05 AM

I, too, feel like I read a different book than a lot of what's described. I flat-out loved Lisey's Story. At one point, near the climax, when the flashbacks were a memory within a memory within an event, I was just amazed. I didn't skip a beat there and that's a tough trick.

I agree with everyone who disliked Dooley - he reminded me very much of the bad guy (John something?) in the story Secret Window. But I also thought his role was necessary - as some of you have said, to bring about Lisey's own transformation.

I also agree that Lisey was her own antagonist. I really disliked her at times, but wasn't that the point?

What fascinated me was the idea of the pool on Boo'ya Moon - I felt that was King speaking directly to us about creativity, his own process, and the things he admired. I'm surprised no one else has really mentioned this.

seun

04-11-2007, 03:15 PM

bsolah

04-11-2007, 03:41 PM

I'm about half way through this and plodding along very slowly. It's not the writing, the made up words like some people have said. I quite like the writing and language in LS, but where's the story?

You can be the most articulate writer in the world but if you're not telling me a good story where stuff happens then it's a bit hard to keep going. I'm not going to put it down as I've been tempted to do this with King books before and glad I didn't. Nevertheless, my habit of reading multiple books at once seems to keep me sane.

Jamesaritchie

04-11-2007, 06:01 PM

LS, for me, was piss-poor. It seemed King was trying too hard to fit fantasy/horror alongside something more grounded in reality. And the made-up words...my God. If I ever read the word smuck again, I may have to hurt myself.

King has been overlooked and misjudged for much of his career. LS, sadly, just didn't work.

The made-up words weren't a problem for me. I think really good writer coin new words on a regular basis. The mishmash of the story trying to be too many things is what lost me.

And King didn't coin the word "smuck." It's been around quite awhile. It simply hasn't made the regular dictionaries yet. My guess is that it will, if it remains as widely used as it currently is.

seun

04-12-2007, 01:57 PM

Fair enough. Perhaps it would be fairer of me to say the overuse of smuck, for example, is what put me off. I just found it far too cutesy. Using such terms was a nice way of showing us just how intimate their marriage was but I think he went overboard on it. For me, it ended up irritating.