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kathryn1018's review against another edition
5.0
This book will make you squirm while you're reading it.
tjt78's review against another edition
5.0
Another trigger warning on this one for Sexual Abuse and scenes of intense gore. Super traumatic story-telling, this one almost wrecks me. The horror part of it - the Space Cowboy - is SO creepy and terrifying, I literally crawl out of my skin thinking about it. This story guts me on many levels, almost painfully, and yet I enjoyed every minute.
canadiangrooves's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the start of this one better than the ending. It lost momentum for me and there was still about three chapters to go.
laurieather's review against another edition
4.0
Wanted to get a re-read in before the film version airs on Netflix.
sftballgrl823's review against another edition
3.0
This was not King's best work. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, but did not have the same feelings here. The molestation bit really had no place except to prolong the narrative and didn't even mesh well at all. I would've rathered this have been a short story. You can't win them all, I suppose.
heathergrayyy's review against another edition
4.0
While I completely understand why many people think this book could easily have been a novella, I absolutely adored it exactly as it was written. It’s more of a mystery than King’s usual style – Jessie is left handcuffed to a bed after her husband died unexpectedly and must unpack some dark history before she can make any progress to free herself. Gerald’s Game is definitely a slow burn, but the intertwining story lines between past, present and the Boogeyman kept me hooked. By the time I reached the three-quarter mark, I couldn’t put this book down and the ending was deeply satisfying.
shauny_32's review against another edition
1.0
Easily the worst King book I have read. Painful from start to finish. So many aspects annoyed me. The main character did nothing for me. If anything, she was annoying and I didn’t care what happened to her.
The writing is all over the place. In his previous book, Needful Things, King had an obsession with writing down all of the thoughts of the characters all of the time. I couldn’t stand it. Here, he takes it further and adds multiple voices in the head of the main character. The whole aspect is irritating from the moment it occurs.
Finally, the ending is also stupid. It’s infuriating how weak the conclusion is. I never want to think about it again. King said that the early nineties was a difficult time for him, that nothing “stuck”. Well, I’m inclined to agree. With the exception of The Wastelands, the decade has, at least so far, been pretty painful. I’m so glad I finished Gerald’s Game. I feel like I’ve survived a terrible ordeal. Anyway, I’m looking forward to my next King book, Dolores Claiborne
The writing is all over the place. In his previous book, Needful Things, King had an obsession with writing down all of the thoughts of the characters all of the time. I couldn’t stand it. Here, he takes it further and adds multiple voices in the head of the main character. The whole aspect is irritating from the moment it occurs.
Finally, the ending is also stupid. It’s infuriating how weak the conclusion is. I never want to think about it again. King said that the early nineties was a difficult time for him, that nothing “stuck”. Well, I’m inclined to agree. With the exception of The Wastelands, the decade has, at least so far, been pretty painful. I’m so glad I finished Gerald’s Game. I feel like I’ve survived a terrible ordeal. Anyway, I’m looking forward to my next King book, Dolores Claiborne
feral_era_fiction's review against another edition
2.0
Overall, this was not one of the Stephen King books I enjoyed most. But it definitely had some strong points. One passage totally freaked my shit out to the point where I recall actually reading the words through my fingers. One word: degloving. So freaking disturbing.
linearev's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
This was my first ‘real’ Stephen King book (not including elevation). I found it so incredibly drawn out and loooong. Partly, this came by since the description on the back, which originally drew me to the book, only really covered the first 40 pages.
From there we spend about 250 pages of her drinking a glass of water, thinking about friends and family, sleeping and meeting a dog. The extremely descriptive nature of the language in Stephen King books, made the descent into the story so incredibly slow I found it hard to pick up. The last 100 or so pages were where the story picked up. The eclipse, the escape and the aftermath are all covered here, and after the slow pace of the last 2/3 of this book, this last part kept me glued to the pages and biting my nails. Thus, I suppose there is a purpose to the madness, through I’m not sure I would count it as worth it. I may try another one, which is deemed more fast paced or with a regularly spaced plot.
From there we spend about 250 pages of her drinking a glass of water, thinking about friends and family, sleeping and meeting a dog. The extremely descriptive nature of the language in Stephen King books, made the descent into the story so incredibly slow I found it hard to pick up. The last 100 or so pages were where the story picked up. The eclipse, the escape and the aftermath are all covered here, and after the slow pace of the last 2/3 of this book, this last part kept me glued to the pages and biting my nails. Thus, I suppose there is a purpose to the madness, through I’m not sure I would count it as worth it. I may try another one, which is deemed more fast paced or with a regularly spaced plot.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Abandonment, and Sexual harassment
alexp5124's review against another edition
4.0
I found myself saying throughout this book “come on King you don’t have to write a 500 page book every time, get on with it” quite a lot. However, now that I’m finished I believe that this book was just what it needed to be. For this book to be almost 500 pages and set in one room with one person and still be able to bring a real fear to its readers is incredible. I felt the fear bubbling up inside as I was reading and I felt the hopelessness Jesse felt. King has a gift with words and is able paint the scene and not just what it looks like but what his characters are feeling in that exact terrifying moment. He is able to describe perfectly what true terror feels, looks, sounds, and smells like. He captures all of the senses. He is truly and master at his craft.