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A review by shanehawk
NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This was my first foray into the work and mind of Joe Hill. I've heard his name for years. I'm glad to have finally checked out his work.
What a whopper of a novel! It clocks in at just under 800 pages. I rarely read long novels as they usually lose their steam somewhere around the second act. Gave it a go solely because it was the first read of 2021 picked by my book club, the HOWL Society (howlsociety.com). We usually read novels within a week, but I'm glad we afforded ourselves two weeks to finish this bad boy. Sadly, I wasn't able to take part much in our discussions as the timing coincides with when I'm at my day job.
Okay, now for the novel itself:
Hill's writing is reminiscent of his father's. This can be good or bad depending on one's tastes. As I have read no other Hill works, I'll assume the others are like King's writing as well. NOS4A2 was kind of fascinating. I had a great time in the mini world Hill created. It enticed me to check out his other novels and stories. My next Hill read may be Full Throttle as that's the only other Hill currently on my shelf. My only complaint is he could have improved the pacing of such a large novel.
I'd like to add that I switched between the audiobook and paperback. Within my book club, I heard so many members praise the narrator. Lo-and-behold, she's a known actress, Kate Mulgrew, from television series like Star Trek: Voyager and Orange is the New Black. Her narration was simply fantastic and made me want to leave the paperback behind.
What a whopper of a novel! It clocks in at just under 800 pages. I rarely read long novels as they usually lose their steam somewhere around the second act. Gave it a go solely because it was the first read of 2021 picked by my book club, the HOWL Society (howlsociety.com). We usually read novels within a week, but I'm glad we afforded ourselves two weeks to finish this bad boy. Sadly, I wasn't able to take part much in our discussions as the timing coincides with when I'm at my day job.
Okay, now for the novel itself:
Hill's writing is reminiscent of his father's. This can be good or bad depending on one's tastes. As I have read no other Hill works, I'll assume the others are like King's writing as well. NOS4A2 was kind of fascinating. I had a great time in the mini world Hill created. It enticed me to check out his other novels and stories. My next Hill read may be Full Throttle as that's the only other Hill currently on my shelf. My only complaint is he could have improved the pacing of such a large novel.
I'd like to add that I switched between the audiobook and paperback. Within my book club, I heard so many members praise the narrator. Lo-and-behold, she's a known actress, Kate Mulgrew, from television series like Star Trek: Voyager and Orange is the New Black. Her narration was simply fantastic and made me want to leave the paperback behind.