Stephen King has said several times that "Lisey's Story" is the novel he is proudest of. It is dedicated to his wife Tabatha and contains various echoes of his real life. For example it is set in Maine. The married couple at its centre are a very successful novelist and his wife - Scott and Lisa (Lisey) Landon. And like King himself, Scott grew up in difficult circumstances with one sibling - an older brother.
But what did I think of this book?
My reaction is mixed. There were some gripping well-told episodes and the construction of the narrative was masterful but there were aspects of the book that left me squirming - including the invention of new words such as "smucking" to replace the casual swear word it rhymes with. Why?
Around half way through the novel, readers are introduced to a strange nether world known as "Boo'ya Moon" where strange beings exist in the night forest. But in the daytime, it is a land of sweet floral aromas where the dead and the living sit quietly by a lake. There the moon is always full. It is possible to cross between the real world and Boo'ya Moon as Lisey does a few times.
Instinctively, I find it very difficult to get along with or accept this kind of fantasising. Maybe it is a weakness in me but I am a big fan of realism and credibility and cannot get off on such flights of fancy. It's probably the reason why I was bored with "Lord of the Rings" and as for "Harry Potter" - totally yawn-worthy in my opinion. I can't see what all the fuss was about.
I am glad I read "Lisey's Story". It is only the second Stephen King novel I have ever read - the other was "Misery". I can't see me reading any more of his novels. After all there are so many great books out there in the world, shouting, "Read me!" and I am already in possession of several promising (and shorter!) books that still remain to be consumed.
Here's a small taste of "Lisey's Story". Through it, you can easily deduce what happened to Scott Landon a third of the way through the novel. But was he really gone?....
“Sometimes she'd go a whole day without thinking of him or missing him. Why not? She had quite a full life, and really, he'd often been hard to deal with and hard to live with. A project, the Yankee old-timers like her very own Dad might have said. And then sometimes a day would come, a gray one (or a sunny one) when she missed him so fiercely she felt empty, not a woman at all anymore but just a dead tree filled with cold November blow. She felt like that now, felt like hollering his name and hollering him home, and her heart turned sick with the thought of the years ahead and she wondered what good love was if it came to this, to even ten seconds of feeling like this.”
⦿
And here are three more holiday pictures taken by my lovely daughter, Frances with the aid of her smartphone. It appears that those damnable devices are useful for some things...
I was a huge Stephen King fan when he first came out with Carrie. I read his books from then on until I began to feel they were bloated beyond believe and thought perhaps he got paid by the word. Since then I've read few of his works though a couple peaked my interest.
ReplyDeleteI still have all the old books and those I like and have read a few times but the new ones don't beg me to read them.
I have only read 2 Stephen King books: "11/22/63" which I loved and actually read twice, and "The Shining" which I thought had far too many useless words that I didn't want to bother myself with. Didn't finish that one. Love your pics of the grandies.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any Stephen King stories. My kids have read all if them and some of them twice.
ReplyDeleteThe are such nice photos of your grandchildren, and good to see they are sensibly covered up against the strong sun.
ReplyDeleteThe three little ones at the sea wall with their sun hats and ice cream cones -- adorable!
ReplyDeleteGood to see the kiddies all wearing sunhats. I grew out of Stephen King long ago and gave away most of his books, keeping only Carrie, Firestarter, and The Talisman. I won't be buying this one, nor any other.
ReplyDeleteFirst and foremost, the three photographs are stunning. I especially love the last one. You can feel the love and joy emanating from it.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a fan of fantasy either. I prefer history books or at a push, a historical novel. It seems to me a waste of my time to engage with something unreal. Husband loves fantasy books especially Peter F Hamilton.
We are all different, aren't we. Live and let live.😁
Thanks for the book review - that saves me reading it and not enjoying it.
ReplyDeleteLovely photographs! I like the two younger grandchildren responding to the encouragement to 'Smile!' The one in the water is just gorgeous - and no misinterpretation, please.
Great pictures, especially the one of the three looking out to the Sea over the wall.
ReplyDeleteThe only Stephen King novel I ever read was Carrie, and that was maybe 30 or more years ago. I was still working at the library, and we bought stacks and stacks of all of his novels that came out during those years, because they were so much in demand from our readers. Even if we had ten of the same, there were waiting lists, and as soon as one was returned, people practically tore them out of our hands. Most of them were of the Horror genre, which has never appealed to me.
More nice photos.
ReplyDeleteI’ve read a few of King’s books. Quite enjoyed 11/22/63 - which was also a long one if I recall correctly.
My recent reading had been focussing in reading as many of the books eligible for this year’s Booker. It was announced yesterday afternoon and my pre reading paid off as I had read 12 of the 13. needless to say, last night I polished off the last one. Feeling very smug.
I thought 11/22/63 was one of the better time-travel stories I've read.
DeleteI liked that one too. Held my interest all the way through.
DeleteLike you, I am a big fan of realism. I have never really taken to science fiction, though there have been a few exceptions. I love the photos, especially the last one between father and son. Little kids are wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI like some of King's novels but he is in need of a harsh editor to cut the length down:)
ReplyDeleteI love the photo your daughter took on her smart phone.
I just don't read a book that long anymore and I'm not a fan of Stephen King novels - too scary for me. I love those photos of your grandkids. They are so colorful in their cute outfits and that last one with Ian and Zach is so sweet.
ReplyDeleteFar too long of a book, I wouldn't read it for that reason alone. The man lied to me when I bought my first "smartphone." He said in a week we won't be able to pry it out of you fingers, it was only about two days. Though most days, mine sits on the bedside table all day.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read Stephen King's early books as a teenager I found them uniformly good, up until the mid-'80s, I'd say. I'm not sure I've read any of them after "The Tommyknockers" (which I liked) and I'm not sure how I'd feel about them now, as an adult. My impression is that many of his recent books are overlong. He probably needs an editor but like many successful writers is loath to accept one.
ReplyDeleteLike you, a little fantasy goes a long way for me. I never could get into "The Lord of the Rings" either.
I would have worried if it had been 666 pages long. Never read Stephen King but had to find second hand books for my son at the Guild Hall, Bath. Don't like scary books. The children photos are lovely, especially the one of Ian and his son - sort of sad as well as they grow so quickly.
ReplyDeleteMy mum is a massive Stephen King fan but sadly she can't read them anymore as she can't concentrate properly with her parkinsons.
ReplyDelete