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schelibelli's review against another edition
3.0
I appreciated parts of this one, but he definitely lost me in parts.
xxfullmetalgirl22's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
4.5
It took me so long to read this book, I don't know why. This time I told myself I would get through it and I'm so glad I did. Lisey's journey was one of sorrow and horrifying intensity. It really is a love story one journey you won't regret embarking on. Great job on yet another one Stephen King.
dstaples's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoy reading, mostly as an escapist form of entertainment. I read about things that are so far from what I might experience that even the horrific stories feel safe because it's easy for me to separate fact from fiction. Lisey's Story was different. Sure, there were parts that I took purely as entertainment, but a great deal of Lisey's Story, to me at least, is dealing with the death of a loved one and learning how to mourn.
elanna76's review against another edition
3.0
**1/2
The first half star aknowledges the fact that I felt compelled to finish reading this book.
Another half star, after the only one this novel may deserve, comes from the well devised three-level flashback. It really makes you feel the eternity of feelings.
The last half star keeping this book on this side of total failure is my affection to Stephen King flawed yet hypnotic prose.
The lack of the remaining stars is due to the inconsistency between the way this novel starts an what it becomes after few chapters, to the nauseating sameness of the characters with most of Stephen King's characters in other books, to the lacklustre final, to the eternal repetition of the same explanatory platitudes about families' secret languages, to some interesting narrative threads simply ignored.
Why do people keep writing that Stephen King builds three-dimensional characters? They come in batches: Lisa is Fran is Rachel etc. She does not even have a job, no personality other than the Great Writer's Eternal Wife, she had no dreams, no projects, no aspirations at all before meeting Him.
Scott is every writer Stephen King has ever written about.
And so on.
The plot starts with an interesting idea: the point of view of a VIP's half-invisible partner.
MILD SPOILER AHEAD
Then it (surprise...) twists towards horror/fantastic/supernatural. It's a pity that all is already openly stated in the first third of the narration. If I had known it, I would not have spent a couple of afternoons glued to my armchair, going nowhere.
Finally, and this IS A SERIOUS SPOILER,
if Amanda follows Scott's same behaviours patterns of self-mutilation and refuge in her own world, one would think that something "bad-gunky", or at least some abuse, has to come out from her own family's past too. All in the plot prepares for that revelation, that's what I was waiting for, glued to my smucking armchair, and... nothing. Nothing-nothing. Amanda is simply nuts for her own personal reasons, that's it.
So disappointing. Instead, that mellow final with the Story Tree, safe at night, and the re-statement of the already known through 'Lisey's Story' in the story.
The first half star aknowledges the fact that I felt compelled to finish reading this book.
Another half star, after the only one this novel may deserve, comes from the well devised three-level flashback. It really makes you feel the eternity of feelings.
The last half star keeping this book on this side of total failure is my affection to Stephen King flawed yet hypnotic prose.
The lack of the remaining stars is due to the inconsistency between the way this novel starts an what it becomes after few chapters, to the nauseating sameness of the characters with most of Stephen King's characters in other books, to the lacklustre final, to the eternal repetition of the same explanatory platitudes about families' secret languages, to some interesting narrative threads simply ignored.
Why do people keep writing that Stephen King builds three-dimensional characters? They come in batches: Lisa is Fran is Rachel etc. She does not even have a job, no personality other than the Great Writer's Eternal Wife, she had no dreams, no projects, no aspirations at all before meeting Him.
Scott is every writer Stephen King has ever written about.
And so on.
The plot starts with an interesting idea: the point of view of a VIP's half-invisible partner.
MILD SPOILER AHEAD
Then it (surprise...) twists towards horror/fantastic/supernatural. It's a pity that all is already openly stated in the first third of the narration. If I had known it, I would not have spent a couple of afternoons glued to my armchair, going nowhere.
Finally, and this IS A SERIOUS SPOILER,
if Amanda follows Scott's same behaviours patterns of self-mutilation and refuge in her own world, one would think that something "bad-gunky", or at least some abuse, has to come out from her own family's past too. All in the plot prepares for that revelation, that's what I was waiting for, glued to my smucking armchair, and... nothing. Nothing-nothing. Amanda is simply nuts for her own personal reasons, that's it.
So disappointing. Instead, that mellow final with the Story Tree, safe at night, and the re-statement of the already known through 'Lisey's Story' in the story.
farr3636's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
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
4.5
tobin_elliott's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Well. Colour me surprised.
For almost twenty years, I've been counting this book as one of King's weakest, and could never understand why he always said it was his favourite. Truth be told, I have only an inkling now of why it's his favourite, and I think it's partially due to King imagining the heroics of the spouse of a famous author both during and after their life...maybe. I don't know.
But, I do believe I figured out what turned me off this book so much the first time around. It was two things, the first being that it took forever for the story to actually kick in, but that can happen in a King novel from time to time, so it's more of an annoyance than a turn-off.
No, the true turn-off for me—and it might have slapped me around a little harder than it should have on the first read—was the "secret language" between Lisey and Scott. All the terms Scott used, that King harped on a LOT toward the front of the book, but just didn't let go of and kept adding to even as the book was wrapping up. I remember much of the focus of the initial reviews talking about the charming language of a long marriage.
And yes, there is terms that become canon between two people who live together long enough, but there's too much shoved in here.
Still, shove that aside, and this is King's rewrite of BAG OF BONES from the perspective of the wife instead of the husband, mixed in with a twisting of ROSE MADDER. So, yes, he's still cannibalizing his earlier stuff for parts, but he's at least remixing them in new and different ways.
I found myself enjoying this one far more than expected. Again, being truthful, I was actually tempted to skip right over this one, especially after suffering through the dreadful CELL just before it, but I'm glad I read it again.
It's much better than I remember.
For almost twenty years, I've been counting this book as one of King's weakest, and could never understand why he always said it was his favourite. Truth be told, I have only an inkling now of why it's his favourite, and I think it's partially due to King imagining the heroics of the spouse of a famous author both during and after their life...maybe. I don't know.
But, I do believe I figured out what turned me off this book so much the first time around. It was two things, the first being that it took forever for the story to actually kick in, but that can happen in a King novel from time to time, so it's more of an annoyance than a turn-off.
No, the true turn-off for me—and it might have slapped me around a little harder than it should have on the first read—was the "secret language" between Lisey and Scott. All the terms Scott used, that King harped on a LOT toward the front of the book, but just didn't let go of and kept adding to even as the book was wrapping up. I remember much of the focus of the initial reviews talking about the charming language of a long marriage.
And yes, there is terms that become canon between two people who live together long enough, but there's too much shoved in here.
Still, shove that aside, and this is King's rewrite of BAG OF BONES from the perspective of the wife instead of the husband, mixed in with a twisting of ROSE MADDER. So, yes, he's still cannibalizing his earlier stuff for parts, but he's at least remixing them in new and different ways.
I found myself enjoying this one far more than expected. Again, being truthful, I was actually tempted to skip right over this one, especially after suffering through the dreadful CELL just before it, but I'm glad I read it again.
It's much better than I remember.
jporterfield99's review against another edition
3.0
Holy Catburger, Stephen King writes a strong female lead. Some of the fantasy-horror elements here fall flat, but the portrait of a woman experiencing grief and loss is very well done.
therese_nook68's review against another edition
2.0
I really don’t know how to feel about this book.
I was expecting the book to go one way, by the blurb that was given, it was going to sound like a love story with a Stephen King twist. But I found myself getting ripped out of the story often and some of the language and how Lisey thought didn’t make much sense. Nor did she really grow as a character.
I was expecting the book to go one way, by the blurb that was given, it was going to sound like a love story with a Stephen King twist. But I found myself getting ripped out of the story often and some of the language and how Lisey thought didn’t make much sense. Nor did she really grow as a character.
ashley_sodt's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first Stephen book. I didn't fall in love with the characters, but I thoroughly enjoyed his descriptive writing. It truly made me feel like I was watching a movie. Quite thrilling and captivating at moments. I enjoyed the soft moments as they were a good change in pace from the scary moments. There are all kinds of unique phrases and knick knacks throughout the book that gave the book a cohesive feel. I just thought this was creative IDKKKKK (I lol'ed on the first page when he described how Lisey was pronounced as I had been wondering this very thing for days.)