Ooshie Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 I loved Stephen King's earlier books, and read most of them several times; I think the first I didn't enjoy was Misery and that put me right off him until recently, when I read Duma Key and enjoyed it. I bought Under the Dome but haven't started it yet, and I will buy Full Dark, No Stars once it is out in paperback. I have read quite a few of the books between Misery and Duma Key but, apart from Needful Things, was sadly disappointed in all of them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 (edited) The Children's Book by A.S. Byatt Description from Amazon: When children’s book author Olive Wellwood’s oldest son discovers a runaway named Philip sketching in the basement of a museum, she takes him into the storybook world of her family and friends. But the joyful bacchanals Olive hosts at her rambling country house—and the separate, private books she writes for each of her seven children—conceal more treachery and darkness than Philip has ever imagined. The Wellwoods’ personal struggles and hidden desires unravel against a breathtaking backdrop of the cliff-lined shores of England to Paris, Munich, and the trenches of the Somme, as the Edwardian period dissolves into World War I and Europe’s golden era comes to an end. My thoughts: The story started off slowly for me, as there were so many characters to introduce. But once I got to know them, I was so caught up in their world that the book was difficult to put down. I will be the first to admit I don't know much about the Edwardian period, but I didn't need to know that much, as the vivid descriptions made me feel as if I were living there myself. The characters were so well-drawn I felt they were my neighbors and closest friends. Although the book can sometimes seem plotless and meandering, there is one major theme that resounds throughout and it hits home within the final pages. At first, I thought the ending was rushed and unfinished. But on further reflection, I realized it was the thematic clincher that was needed. The story could be interpreted as a tragedy, but not one that doesn't have a hint of hope. The only negative for me was that the author could sometimes be overly descriptive, but someone else may appreciate that. Therefore, this one will get my highest rating. One I must read again. My rating: 6/6 stars Edited January 23, 2011 by Pixie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Thanks for the review Pixie, I'm intrigued about the ending so I'll be moving it up the list Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Thanks for that Pixie, you have clinched a deal many years in the considering...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted January 25, 2011 Author Share Posted January 25, 2011 (edited) You are welcome, kidsmum and bookjumper. I hope you both enjoy it as much as I did. By the way, I very rarely give a book my highest rating, so it really was that good. Now onto my next review. The Gunslinger by Stephen King Description from Amazon: Filled with ominous landscapes and macabre menace, Stephen King's latest mass market novel features The Gunslinger, a haunting figure in combat with The Man in Black in an epic battle of good versus evil. A spellbinding tale that is both grippingly realistic and eerily dreamlike. My thoughts: This was a re-read for me, and after all of these years between readings, I must the say book does not hold up well. While the story does move along quickly, and there are lots of mysteries that beg to be untangled, the characters are flat at best, and offensively unreal at worst. Every female in this book is a needy 'lady of the night' or worse. I realize Stephen King was young when he penned this one, but it makes me wonder about his own relations with the opposite sex at that age. A needy 'lady of the night' could be an interesting character, if the author had the ability to get inside of her mind. It is quiet obvious, at least at the time King wrote this, that he hadn't a clue. In any case, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Funny, I first read this book as a teenager, and his depictions of females was something I had not remembered at all. It wasn't completely awful, so I will go on to the next book soon. My rating: 3/6 Edited January 25, 2011 by Pixie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted January 28, 2011 Author Share Posted January 28, 2011 The Shack by Wm. Paul Young Description from Amazon: Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter, Missy, has been abducted during a family vacation and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness, Mack receives a suspicious note, apparently from God, inviting him back to that shack for a weekend. Against his better judgment he arrives as the shack on a wintry afternoon and walk back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever. In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question, Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain? The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him. You'll want everyone you know to read this book. My thoughts: I found this book extremely amusing, as the author contradicts himself in almost every chapter. I guess there was some character development, but it was pretty shallow. It was quite obvious the point of the book was for the author to preach his religious beliefs, which is not an issue for me in and of itself, but I have seen it done more eloquently and logically than this. Sorry, but I can't give this one a high rating. I am still laughing over how ridiculous it is. My rating: 2/6 stars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Every female in this book is a needy 'lady of the night' or worse. I realize Stephen King was young when he penned this one, but it makes me wonder about his own relations with the opposite sex at that age. A needy 'lady of the night' could be an interesting character, if the author had the ability to get inside of her mind. It is quiet obvious, at least at the time King wrote this, that he hadn't a clue. In any case, it left a bad taste in my mouth. Funny, I first read this book as a teenager, and his depictions of females was something I had not remembered at all.Have you ever read Carrie (King's first), Pixie? 'cos that owns a lot of its status as one of my favourite books ever to just how well King had managed to capture a tortured female soul in all its beauty, frailty and fury. I haven't read the Gunslinger yet but knowing from Carrie that even at a young age he could write women if he want to, all I can think of maybe is that character building wasn't central to what he was trying to achieve in that particular instance (yes, I know it should always be central but... you know what I mean)? ]It was quite obvious the point of the book was for the author to preach his religious beliefs, which is not an issue for me in and of itself, but I have seen it done more eloquently and logically than this. Sorry, but I can't give this one a high rating. I am still laughing over how ridiculous it is.[/i]*adds to mental ToAvoid list* thanks for the heads up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted January 29, 2011 Author Share Posted January 29, 2011 Have you ever read Carrie (King's first), Pixie? 'cos that owns a lot of its status as one of my favourite books ever to just how well King had managed to capture a tortured female soul in all its beauty, frailty and fury. I haven't read the Gunslinger yet but knowing from Carrie that even at a young age he could write women if he want to, all I can think of maybe is that character building wasn't central to what he was trying to achieve in that particular instance (yes, I know it should always be central but... you know what I mean)? Yes, I have read Carrie and a number of other early works by King. I know he can develop realistic, compelling female characters. I just don't know what he was thinking in The Gunslinger. I read Carrie when I was a teenager, and I must say that I was her in high school (minus the telekinesis). I am not joking. I was that much of an outcast. I did understand and relate to every emotion she went through. Anyway, what I didn't like about the book was that Carrie never got the chance to move on into adulthood. I have, and it makes me sad that she was never allowed to move beyond her pain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 I read Carrie when I was a teenager, and I must say that I was her in high school (minus the telekinesis). I am not joking. I was that much of an outcast. I did understand and relate to every emotion she went through. Anyway, what I didn't like about the book was that Carrie never got the chance to move on into adulthood. I have, and it makes me sad that she was never allowed to move beyond her pain.Ditto all of that I'm not ashamed to say I allowed myself a little of vicarious living through her eyes at the end, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King Description from Amazon: The Man in Black is dead, and Roland is about to be hurled into 20th-century America, occupying the mind of a man running cocaine on the New York/Bermuda shuttle. A brilliant work of dark fantasy inspired by Browning's romantic poem, "Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came". My quick thoughts: It was better than the first, but I am still not that fond of the characters. I will continue with the series. My rating: 4/6 stars The Cream of the Jest: A Comedy of Evasion by James Branch Cabell Description from Amazon: Today, some recognize Cabell as one of the first contemporary writers from the South. Like his friend and fellow Richmond writer Ellen Glasgow, Cabell was not afraid to satirize what he saw as the South's contradictions. Others, noting Cabell's unique blending of classic myths and legends with his own imagination, consider him a pioneer of fantasy writing. The Cream of the Jest is an absurdist, aesthetic heroic fantasy, one of the finest and central works of heroic fantasy as a distinct genre. My quick thoughts: This was my third book by this author, the other two were Figures of Earth and Jurgen. I love his blend of fantasy, philosophy, and humor. He sometimes uses sly word puns that I don't always get, but that's okay. Most of his books take place in the fictional land of Poictesme, but they don't have to be read in any particular order. Highly recommended if this type of fantasy floats your boat. My rating: 5/6 stars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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