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kalldimma's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-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? No
5.0
brandidean's review against another edition
4.0
Had a little trouble getting started on this one ... All the inside jokes and secret language didn't make sense until it was explained later. But once I got going, it was a good read. Sad, but not depressing. A little creepy, but not gross. The bits written in dialect were kind of irritating, including the parts where Scott or Lisey was aping a Southern accent, and especially when Scott was regressing to his childhood (I always find that a little unbelievable). But overall I liked the characters, and I liked the idea that imagination is a real physical place some people can go to. I didn't like it as much as 11/22/63, but I liked it better than The Stand.
merlin_thewitch's review against another edition
2.0
I don’t know about this book. I liked bits and pieces and was eventually even a bit moved by some parts but I just hated the convoluted and repetitive writing style and the confusing and weird ending also did not help.
It took me many months to finish this and I debated giving up more than once so I just can’t give it more than two stars. S.K. acknowledgments at the end helped me understand the purpose of the whole book better and I understand that it is one of his most personal works but still.. I don’t really recommend it - especially not if you are new to Stephen King.
It took me many months to finish this and I debated giving up more than once so I just can’t give it more than two stars. S.K. acknowledgments at the end helped me understand the purpose of the whole book better and I understand that it is one of his most personal works but still.. I don’t really recommend it - especially not if you are new to Stephen King.
seren7's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
dsnowflack's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
All in all I enjoyed this but IDK how i really feel about it
A widow's dealing with grief. Took a long time to get started and some parts were confusing but I felt it described that haze of just getting by. Secret language between long married people, family secrets and their effects on today. Then it became a treasure hunt for lost memories with horror/stalker elements. Hints of Rose Madder here, iykyk.
A widow's dealing with grief. Took a long time to get started and some parts were confusing but I felt it described that haze of just getting by. Secret language between long married people, family secrets and their effects on today. Then it became a treasure hunt for lost memories with horror/stalker elements. Hints of Rose Madder here, iykyk.
fivebeermission's review against another edition
One of my goals is to read every book Stephen King has published, so I may come back to this one day. However, it is the only book of his that I've encountered that I have had to make myself read. I'm not sure what it is about this book but it's just a chore to get through. Maybe I will feel differently later.
jazzbert_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
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
5.0
I almost did 't read the book because it starts a bit confusing - well I am very happy I did.
It's such a good story, I love the way it unfolds slowly while the main character works through her grief by thinking about that past. I highly recommend reading it!
It's such a good story, I love the way it unfolds slowly while the main character works through her grief by thinking about that past. I highly recommend reading it!
sariene's review against another edition
3.0
It's been a long time since I was this disappointed with a Stephen King book. Don't get me wrong, it was a great story, but the execution was below the level I've come to expect from King.
I'm generally a fan of his work and usually don't mind how long-winded he is, but this time it felt like a lot of the book was just filler. It was too drawn out, with the suspense poorly cultivated so I didn't feel like it was going anywhere a lot of the time. It was like the literary equivalent of an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie: a lot of boring but punctuated by tasty bits of action and plot.
I also think King might have outdone himself this time with the cleverness. He seemed a lot more impressed than I was with the words he made up for Scott and Lisey's private language. The use of "sowisa" was especially gratuitous. At times it felt like he was using the nonsense words as an excuse to not say anything more interesting. It all wore a little thin by the end of the book.
The last really irritating thing was that Lisey isn't particularly likeable. If you're going to write a female lead (and by all means, do!), the least you can do is make her a stronger character than this. Come to think of it, there wasn't a single female character of any significance that wasn't given stereotypically "female" character flaws. You have the stuck up, bossy sister, the unstable mental case sister, etc. Then there's Lisey, who doesn't think she's smart or talented, who's happy with her only important role in life being to support her man, and isn't she lucky to have landed such a fabulous one?! There were plenty of eye-rolling examples of this, but I literally had to pause the audiobook and ask if I just heard that right when she complains about not having a man around anymore to explain to her how her cell phone works. I mean really, you can do better.
Overall, this is an example of a great author almost phoning it in, and putting out a mediocre book.
I'm generally a fan of his work and usually don't mind how long-winded he is, but this time it felt like a lot of the book was just filler. It was too drawn out, with the suspense poorly cultivated so I didn't feel like it was going anywhere a lot of the time. It was like the literary equivalent of an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie: a lot of boring but punctuated by tasty bits of action and plot.
I also think King might have outdone himself this time with the cleverness. He seemed a lot more impressed than I was with the words he made up for Scott and Lisey's private language. The use of "sowisa" was especially gratuitous. At times it felt like he was using the nonsense words as an excuse to not say anything more interesting. It all wore a little thin by the end of the book.
The last really irritating thing was that Lisey isn't particularly likeable. If you're going to write a female lead (and by all means, do!), the least you can do is make her a stronger character than this. Come to think of it, there wasn't a single female character of any significance that wasn't given stereotypically "female" character flaws. You have the stuck up, bossy sister, the unstable mental case sister, etc. Then there's Lisey, who doesn't think she's smart or talented, who's happy with her only important role in life being to support her man, and isn't she lucky to have landed such a fabulous one?! There were plenty of eye-rolling examples of this, but I literally had to pause the audiobook and ask if I just heard that right when she complains about not having a man around anymore to explain to her how her cell phone works. I mean really, you can do better.
Overall, this is an example of a great author almost phoning it in, and putting out a mediocre book.
vaudevillianveteran's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
bgleason's review against another edition
3.0
I have always enjoyed Stephen King due to the original ideas, smooth writing, and escapism I felt everytime I picked a book up. Lisey's Story was a little labouring for me. Not because of anything in particular but because there was something lacking in the execution. The story was good, the fantasy was great, but it didn't grab me like the early works. This was Stepehen King reflecting on a long and productive life. On the way things could be, on what may have happened along the way.It is all about the journey and inevitably the end that has to always come.