jayneyh314's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Clayton Blaisdell hasn’t had an easy life; abused and almost killed by his Father, mistreated in the home he ends up in, nothing seems to go his way. He gets by in life running small time cons until he meets George. George uses Blaze’s brawn to his advantage and together they pull off many successful cons until George has an idea for “one last big job”; kidnapping the child of a wealthy family but before they can carry out the job George gets killed and Blaze is left alone trying to figure out how to stick with the plan.
I knew next to nothing about this other than my Dad had read it before me and said it was good and I knew it was one of King’s older ones that he had dusted off and published at a later date as he hadn’t been sure about it at the time and to be honest I’ve no idea why he left it so long! I loved it!
King acknowledges at the start that it was heavily influenced by “Of Mice and Men” and he sees it as a bit of a homage and that was clear to me pretty immediately, although I would say having one of the characters literally with the same name, George, was maybe a little on the nose!
I loved Blaze. He reminded me a lot of Tom Cullen from “The Stand”. He has the saddest back story and genuinely seems to just want to be loved. He’s clearly not a bad person but has ended up in plenty of bad situations.
King’s characterisation, as always, was absolute perfection and I was completely engrossed in Blaze’s life and rooting for him every step of the way.
Sometimes things stick out a little in King’s books and in this case he seemed weirdly obsessed with masturbation! There were several mentions and just seemed a little unnecessary to me.
This is a fairly short book, particularly by King’s standards, but it has pushed its way into my head and my heart and I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I was reading it and am still thinking about it now. Blaze’s life really got to me and I don’t say that often.
cindinaude's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
kylenorthington's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
good gracious what a tale. ive never rooted so hard for an on-paper villain. beautifully tragic. a story of loneliness and perseverance. clayton deserved so much better.
emmarj's review against another edition
3.0
Blaze is a very sympathetic criminal and I loved him but the story itself is just kind of meh. It didn't have the emotional oomph of something like The Green Mile. To be fair, Blaze is less than 400 pages though. It does feel a lot like The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon yet I wasn't as invested. Perhaps because I was reading it in huge gulps between Christmas events.
korybarsotti's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.75
robinhoodreads's review against another edition
3.0
I went into this blind and let me tell you, it was NOT what I expected. With the title and that it's Stephen King (writing as Richard Bachman), I just figured it was gonna be something like Firestarter. But boy was I wrong. Instead, we have the story of Blaze, a criminal with a lot of heart, that grips you and has you rooting for the bad guy in the end. There were two key things that really made me enjoy this book. The first is the aspect of George. Throughout the book, George, who was killed before the book starts, speaks to Blaze to help him out. But you're never fully sure if George is just in Blaze's head or if he's actually a ghost. A few times, you think, oh it's definitely in his head. But then George just happens to know something, something Blaze shouldn't really know, and you start to wonder if maybe George is still hanging out.
The other thing though was the flashbacks we get to Blaze's life. There are so many moments where we can see that if something had just been a little different for him, maybe he wouldn't have ended up committing a kidnapping. That if his father hadn't been abusive or if he'd made it out of the orphanage, maybe, just maybe, he could've led a normal life. Maybe he could've had a kid of his own and been a family man. Maybe he could've been loved. But instead, we see all these small moments that lead him to this last big plan, one that George planned for them before his death. It's hauntingly beautiful (see what I did there), and is a novel that leaves you just a little broken.
The other thing though was the flashbacks we get to Blaze's life. There are so many moments where we can see that if something had just been a little different for him, maybe he wouldn't have ended up committing a kidnapping. That if his father hadn't been abusive or if he'd made it out of the orphanage, maybe, just maybe, he could've led a normal life. Maybe he could've had a kid of his own and been a family man. Maybe he could've been loved. But instead, we see all these small moments that lead him to this last big plan, one that George planned for them before his death. It's hauntingly beautiful (see what I did there), and is a novel that leaves you just a little broken.
nickjonesreadsbooks's review against another edition
4.0
King does a fantastic job of building character in the story. As the book pushes to it's inevitable conclusion you can't help but cringe. I think this book will stay with me for a long time.
venusviolet's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
lynnedf's review against another edition
3.0
Stephen King keeps impressing me. It's say this is probably a 3.5 star read.
I enjoyed the pace of the story, the writing, and honestly, I know that Blaze is the "bad guy" but I really liked him. He showed tenderness and an overwhelming desire to be part of something. A really enjoyable read. Could have maybe been about 50 pages shorter - but don't ask me what to take out ... because I don't really know. But it could have been a little shorter and shaper.
Recommended.
I enjoyed the pace of the story, the writing, and honestly, I know that Blaze is the "bad guy" but I really liked him. He showed tenderness and an overwhelming desire to be part of something. A really enjoyable read. Could have maybe been about 50 pages shorter - but don't ask me what to take out ... because I don't really know. But it could have been a little shorter and shaper.
Recommended.