Reviews

Lisey's Story by Stephen King

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bassmanvoh's review against another edition

2.0

As a fan of Stephen King and his, more often than not, captivating storytelling, I eagerly delved into "Lisey's Story" with high expectations. Especially after hearing that the Apple TV show was decent, by a co-worker. The initial stages of the book held promise. Great character development, intriguing plot threads, and a compelling mystery were all laid out on the table for me. However, as the story progressed, my excitement fell, and I found myself thoroughly disappointed with the overall story.

The book loses its grip, leaving me feeling a bit lost and confused. While I appreciate stories that jump between different time periods, the execution here proved to be a bit cumbersome. The transitions between past and present lacked clarity, making it difficult to anticipate when and where the narrative would shift. Although this confusion eventually dissipates with continued reading, the initial encounters were disconcerting and hindered my engagement with the story.

Shockingly to me the book's length became a burden, as the monotony (big word, go me) and the absence of a gratifying ending overshadowed everything. Even the big moment, where the book was suppose to show the characters getting some justice, fell flat on it's face. Not a single second of amped up suspense. OOF.

While "Lisey's Story" may not be the most disappointing addition to King's extensive collection of writing, it certainly comes close. The initial intrigue and strong character development held promise, only to be squandered by a convoluted plot structure and a lack of purpose. I cannot deny King's exceptional way with words, but when the story itself fails to support his literary prowess, it leaves readers yearning for a more fulfilling and satisfying experience, it's like reading the dictionary without any definitions. Big words with no defined meaning.

thypos's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

mayormccheese's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

ramskick's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective tense slow-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

4.25

Stephen King is an author I’ve wanted to read for a while. He is an absolute legend for how strong and prolific his bibliography is, and many people I trust list him as one of their top writers. At the same time I’ve always been intimidated by him due to the sheer volume of his work. Luckily I was given this for free and thus I can now say that I’ve read a Stephen King novel.

I’m glad to have done it too! Lisey’s Story is just a really cool read. It goes from heart-warming to terrifying to tear jerking very seamlessly. One of the things I’ve always heard in terms of King’s writing is how good he is at writing characters. After reading this I can certainly see why. He has a really firm grasp on every main character here to the point that it feels like they actually exist. The strength of his characters allows the bizarre plot to progress in a compelling way. King’s use of imagery is also fantastic, particularly when describing the surreal world known as Boo’Ya Moon. It feels like something straight out of the Twilight Zone and I’m sure I’ll see it in my dreams (and nightmares) for weeks to come.

There are weaknesses to this book. The main thing is that King really exaggerates accents to the point that I’m not even sure what I’m reading. I don’t think this book needs all the accents. There are also points where King lingers a bit too long on certain scenes. This book is over 500 pages but it could have been 450 with minimal issues. I don’t think the book is poorly edited, I just think some plot points didn’t need to drag on as long as they did.

I don’t know if I’ll be making another trip to Castle Rock, but my first time there was a very good one.