novelesque_life's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 STARS
"Hearts in Atlantis, King's newest fiction, is composed of five interconnected, sequential narratives, set in the years from 1960 to 1999. Each story is deeply rooted in the sixties, and each is haunted by the Vietnam War.
In Part One, "Low Men in Yellow Coats", eleven-year-old Bobby Garfield discovers a world of predatory malice in his own neighborhood. He also discovers that adults are sometimes not rescuers but at the heart of the terror.
In the title story, a bunch of college kids get hooked on a card game, discover the possibility of protest...and confront their own collective heart of darkness, where laughter may be no more than the thinly disguised cry of the beast.
In "Blind Willie" and "Why We're in Vietnam", two men who grew up with Bobby in suburban Connecticut try to fill the emptiness of the post-Vietnam era in an America which sometimes seems as hollow and as haunted as their own lives.
And in "Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling", this book's denouement, Bobby returns to his hometown where one final secret, the hope of redemption, and his heart's desire may await him." (From Amazon)
A thrilling novel that I cannot even describe - a great read.
"Hearts in Atlantis, King's newest fiction, is composed of five interconnected, sequential narratives, set in the years from 1960 to 1999. Each story is deeply rooted in the sixties, and each is haunted by the Vietnam War.
In Part One, "Low Men in Yellow Coats", eleven-year-old Bobby Garfield discovers a world of predatory malice in his own neighborhood. He also discovers that adults are sometimes not rescuers but at the heart of the terror.
In the title story, a bunch of college kids get hooked on a card game, discover the possibility of protest...and confront their own collective heart of darkness, where laughter may be no more than the thinly disguised cry of the beast.
In "Blind Willie" and "Why We're in Vietnam", two men who grew up with Bobby in suburban Connecticut try to fill the emptiness of the post-Vietnam era in an America which sometimes seems as hollow and as haunted as their own lives.
And in "Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling", this book's denouement, Bobby returns to his hometown where one final secret, the hope of redemption, and his heart's desire may await him." (From Amazon)
A thrilling novel that I cannot even describe - a great read.
scroggin_cooper's review against another edition
4.0
Low Men in Yellow Coats-5/5: A nice spooky read with some Dark Tower connections. The Low Men are cool villains and Ted and Bobby together are a great duo. Their cars are really cool and the way they snatch people is really weird. Ted being a breaker is an interesting concept and I hope he comes back in Dark Tower.
Hearts in Atlantis-3.5/5: Honestly, I think this might've been from the way I read. The way I read is by skimming the page and picking out keywords. I didn't really get much out of it, and the climax was pretty cool. Also, Fiegler's definitely Flagg, right?
Blind Willie-4/5: A truly depressing look into homeless veterans.
Why We're in Vietnam-4/5: As the resident guy who absolutely hates the Vietnam War, this was a pretty fun way of people hating it as much as I did.
Heavenly Shades are Falling-3/5: This honestly felt unnecessary. Maybe if it wasn't 10 pages, I would've liked it more.
Hearts in Atlantis-3.5/5: Honestly, I think this might've been from the way I read. The way I read is by skimming the page and picking out keywords. I didn't really get much out of it, and the climax was pretty cool. Also, Fiegler's definitely Flagg, right?
Blind Willie-4/5: A truly depressing look into homeless veterans.
Why We're in Vietnam-4/5: As the resident guy who absolutely hates the Vietnam War, this was a pretty fun way of people hating it as much as I did.
Heavenly Shades are Falling-3/5: This honestly felt unnecessary. Maybe if it wasn't 10 pages, I would've liked it more.
alexstyduhar's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tms98's review against another edition
4.0
Een verzameling aan kortverhalen van de hand van Stephen King, deze keer gaan ze over het thema van de Vietnam oorlog. De eerste twee kortverhalen (oftewel misschien 80% van het boek) zijn ongelofelijk mooi en geven de spirit van de jaren '60 zeer mooi weer. De drie volgende zijn niet slecht, maar halen het niveau van de eerste twee bijlange na niet. Al bij al toch een zeer mooie verzameling.
arnette19's review against another edition
5.0
NON È IL MOMENTO DI RILEGGERE LA SAGA DELLA TORRE NERA
NON È IL MOMENTO DI RILEGGERE LA SAGA DELLA TORRE NERA
NON È IL MOMENTO DI RILEGGERE LA SAGA DELLA TORRE NERA
NON È IL MOMENTO DI RILEGGERE LA SAGA DELLA TORRE NERA
NON È IL MOMENTO DI RILEGGERE LA SAGA DELLA TORRE NERA
...
Però piazzarmi Ted Brautigan e tutti quei riferimenti...
NON È IL MOMENTO DI RILEGGERE LA SAGA DELLA TORRE NERA
NON È IL MOMENTO DI RILEGGERE LA SAGA DELLA TORRE NERA
NON È IL MOMENTO DI RILEGGERE LA SAGA DELLA TORRE NERA
NON È IL MOMENTO DI RILEGGERE LA SAGA DELLA TORRE NERA
...
Però piazzarmi Ted Brautigan e tutti quei riferimenti...
jmtaylor1981's review against another edition
3.0
Not my favorite Stephen King but not the worst I've read either.
Hearts in Atlantis was written after (or during the recovery of) Stephen King's accident where he was hit by a van. It contains 5 novellas that are connected by certain characters in each story.
I had high hope for this book but it just didn't deliver. I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it. I will say, no one can write childhood like King...except maybe Bradbury.
Hearts in Atlantis was written after (or during the recovery of) Stephen King's accident where he was hit by a van. It contains 5 novellas that are connected by certain characters in each story.
I had high hope for this book but it just didn't deliver. I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it. I will say, no one can write childhood like King...except maybe Bradbury.
polyphonic_reads's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5