Lisey Debusher Landon lost her husband, Scott, two years ago, after a twenty-five-year marriage of the most profound and sometimes frightening inti...
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Apr 22, 2011
Becky
rated it: 
I've been reading a lot of "New" Stephen King lately, books that I've put off reading because I was afraid that they would not be as good as "Old" Stephen King. I wish I had not, because while "New" King is different, he is still The King.
I listened to it on audio, but kind of followed along in the book too, sort of. Mare Winningham did a good job reading, and after a while I got used to her voices, although I think that she added a bit too much to the More...
I listened to it on audio, but kind of followed along in the book too, sort of. Mare Winningham did a good job reading, and after a while I got used to her voices, although I think that she added a bit too much to the More...
14 comments
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(10 people liked it)
Dec 17, 2009
Debbie
rated it: 
It started out fairly well. Youngish widow going through her brilliant writer husband's papers...maybe it was a thinly veiled biography of King's wife Tabitha? Maybe it would be good.
Its initial promise wore thin after about the 70th time the word "smucking" appeared. After about the 5th time the main character called her sister "Manda Bunny", the promise was not only rubbed off the book, it was replaced with a bit of sandpaper that grated directly against your nerve More...
Its initial promise wore thin after about the 70th time the word "smucking" appeared. After about the 5th time the main character called her sister "Manda Bunny", the promise was not only rubbed off the book, it was replaced with a bit of sandpaper that grated directly against your nerve More...
5 comments
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(16 people liked it)
Apr 21, 2008
Helen (Helena/Nell)
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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8 comments
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(16 people liked it)
Feb 12, 2008
Donna
rated it:
This was a hard book to read, but I did enjoy it. I would give it 4 stars on story, but only 3-1/2 on the way the story is told. At times, the main character, Lisey, is revisiting 2 different major events in her past, while at the same dealing with a new, frightening situation that is currently happening. So I found myself struggling to keep up with "when" she was. Also, at one point Lisey mentions an old pinto car she used to have that she had to keep cranking the ignition to get
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Dec 16, 2009
Red Fields
rated it: 
This is the first King I'm reading in about 25 years.
ETA: I don't really like it much. I had it on my TBR list since it came out. I suppose I read a good review of it somewhere. I'm almost 100 pages in and feh. Not much has happened and while I don't dislike the protagonist I find her kind of vapid and not interesting. There is way too much made up language that is DUMB. So that doesn't leave much, IMO.
I'm stopping at page 320. I am not wasting any more of my time on th More...
ETA: I don't really like it much. I had it on my TBR list since it came out. I suppose I read a good review of it somewhere. I'm almost 100 pages in and feh. Not much has happened and while I don't dislike the protagonist I find her kind of vapid and not interesting. There is way too much made up language that is DUMB. So that doesn't leave much, IMO.
I'm stopping at page 320. I am not wasting any more of my time on th More...
Mar 25, 2008
Kevin
rated it:
A famous writer's widow can't get over his death. A seedy professor is trying to weasel her husband's papers out of her. When she puts him off, he ends up sicking a violent "persuader" on her. Meanwhile, one of her sisters is a mental case, prone to cutting and catatonic fits. Throw in another world you can only get to through imagination, where the water will heal you and everything else will kill you after dark, and the whole thing gets messy.
The problem here is that More...
The problem here is that More...
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(6 people liked it)
Feb 13, 2008
Tracy
rated it:
note to stephen king: 'smucking' is not a pleasant word. maybe it's something your grandma used to say, but it's awfully distracting. please don't let it threaten to ruin another decent book. and i had been fooled into thinking you finally got an non-brownnosing editor.
once finished:
okay, so this book had some moments, but overall, it's helped me figure out what is wrong w/stephen king. i skimmed about 200 pages because they were just repetition, repetition, repetition. More...
once finished:
okay, so this book had some moments, but overall, it's helped me figure out what is wrong w/stephen king. i skimmed about 200 pages because they were just repetition, repetition, repetition. More...
Aug 25, 2007
Natalie
rated it:
After the minor disappointment that was Blaze, I decided to pick up the copy of Lisey's Story that had been moldering on my bookshelf since we bought it during its debut week and promptly forgot about. This can be blamed on a combination of factors, the first being that I decided to allow my boyfriend to read it first, but after I finished it I couldn't help wondering why I hadn't started it earlier.
Lisey's Story treads the line between the slasher-horror novels that have made up the More...
Lisey's Story treads the line between the slasher-horror novels that have made up the More...
Dec 17, 2009
Res
rated it:
The one where Lisey's author husband seems to be sending her on a scavenger hunt from beyond the grave.
In his afterword, King specifically mentions how heavily his editor went at this story; he says he had first-year French compositions come back with less red ink on them. I don't care. It needed more. The first 200 pages could have been taken down to about 75, no exaggeration.
The book is basically about memory, and so I'm willing to accept that it's 50% flashback. But th More...
In his afterword, King specifically mentions how heavily his editor went at this story; he says he had first-year French compositions come back with less red ink on them. I don't care. It needed more. The first 200 pages could have been taken down to about 75, no exaggeration.
The book is basically about memory, and so I'm willing to accept that it's 50% flashback. But th More...
5 comments
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(5 people liked it)
Dec 16, 2009
Dean
rated it:
SOME SPOLIERS, NOTHING TOO SERIOUS
Garbage. Stephen King has apparently lost all of his previously considerable talent. This book reads like a mismash of about 4 of his other books (most notably coming to mind, the Stand, Rose Madder and the Dark Half) this book is absolute crap. Booya moon is boring and uninteresting (the place is pretty much a sissyfied version of the territories from the tailsman with a character actually mentioning the territories at one point), and contains an "ev More...
Garbage. Stephen King has apparently lost all of his previously considerable talent. This book reads like a mismash of about 4 of his other books (most notably coming to mind, the Stand, Rose Madder and the Dark Half) this book is absolute crap. Booya moon is boring and uninteresting (the place is pretty much a sissyfied version of the territories from the tailsman with a character actually mentioning the territories at one point), and contains an "ev More...
0 comments
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(4 people liked it)
Dec 17, 2009
Xysea
rated it:
this was boring. not engrossing at all. you could probably skip the first 100 pages and not miss anything. it's lazy writing and i found the relationship between the two main characters odd, stilted, to say the least. i thought it was terrible. i didn't finish it.
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 20, 2011
Zeek
rated it:
I gotta be honest with ya, I had a difficult time putting Lisey's Story down.
I believe Stephen King himself said that LS is his attempt at romance writing- (and I clearly am paraphrasing here!) The thing is, while it is a love story and there is indeed a happily ever after ending- though certainly not in true Cinderella fashion- this is not just a story about the love between a hero and heroine, or even man and wife, as Scott and Lisey Landon were for 25 years. No, this is also a lov More...
I believe Stephen King himself said that LS is his attempt at romance writing- (and I clearly am paraphrasing here!) The thing is, while it is a love story and there is indeed a happily ever after ending- though certainly not in true Cinderella fashion- this is not just a story about the love between a hero and heroine, or even man and wife, as Scott and Lisey Landon were for 25 years. No, this is also a lov More...
4 comments
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(5 people liked it)
Jul 03, 2011
Holly
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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0 comments
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(2 people liked it)
May 08, 2008
Yulia
rated it:
I truly wanted to like this book. I'd never read King's fiction before, but I did love his On Writing and I can tell how much he wants to be accepted by the literary establishment and this seemed his ticket out of the Steele-Patterson-Evanovich crew. He even got a female editor to make his female protagonist more credible. I keep on hearing how great his stories are and the select movies that I'd seen based on his writing suggest he does have much to offer ("Shawshank Redemption," "
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Oct 19, 2008
Mina
rated it:
As King grows older, his books seem to turn ever more emotionally overwhelming and wistful -and this one, particularly, very sweet. Lisey's Story has a thread of fundamental wrongness going through it that keeps the suspense going -the horror side of King's narrative is strong as ever, the descriptions of the physical hardships are engrossing and captivating in a level that makes you feel terribly uncomfortable, but there's another thread of horror, a very human, everyday thread, about love and
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0 comments
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(7 people liked it)
Nov 25, 2007
Kim
rated it:
I was hesitant to read Lisey's Story. I love Stephen King's older novels but his recent novels left me disappointed. I can now say I am glad I read Lisey's Story.
In a nutshell, the book is about Lisey Landon, widow of best selling author, Scott Landon. Two years after his untimely death she is finally cleaning out his office. She's also got a nutcase sister and a stalker after Scott's last manuscripts.
This book is different from traditional King horror novels in that it More...
In a nutshell, the book is about Lisey Landon, widow of best selling author, Scott Landon. Two years after his untimely death she is finally cleaning out his office. She's also got a nutcase sister and a stalker after Scott's last manuscripts.
This book is different from traditional King horror novels in that it More...
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(2 people liked it)
Aug 05, 2007
Michael
rated it:
It's not all that often that King strays from his horror roots that have made his so popular, but it does happen, Eyes Of The Dragon, On Writing, and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon, to name a few. Lisey's Story is King's latest contribution to that stack, and it's a considerable offer, though with some definite drawbacks.
King uses this story to focus on the relationship that a marriage creates, drawing greatly from his marriage to Tabitha. As he pulls on the reader's heartstrings and even More...
King uses this story to focus on the relationship that a marriage creates, drawing greatly from his marriage to Tabitha. As he pulls on the reader's heartstrings and even More...
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 04, 2008
Bonnie
rated it:
This book really surprised me. I tried to read it a few months ago and gave up after the first few chapters, but recently decided to give it another try. I'm glad I did. I still became frustrated on my second attempt for several reasons, namely my lack of familiarity with code words and phrases, the constant shifting between past memories and present reality, and teasing references to things that either have happened or will happen, which you don't find out about until later on. However, these e
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(1 person liked it)
Feb 28, 2010
Matt
rated it:
This book was very slow and disappointing. Not what I expected from Stephen King.
Publisher's Summary
Lisey Debusher Landon lost her husband, Scott, two years ago, after a 25-year marriage of the most profound and sometimes frightening intimacy. Scott was an award-winning, best-selling novelist, and a very complicated man. Early in their relationship, before they married, Lisey had to learn from him about books and blood and bools. Later, she understood that there was a place Scott went, a place More...
Publisher's Summary
Lisey Debusher Landon lost her husband, Scott, two years ago, after a 25-year marriage of the most profound and sometimes frightening intimacy. Scott was an award-winning, best-selling novelist, and a very complicated man. Early in their relationship, before they married, Lisey had to learn from him about books and blood and bools. Later, she understood that there was a place Scott went, a place More...
Feb 05, 2009
Jamieson
rated it:
As I read Lisey’s Story by Stephen King, I am reminded why I love King’s work so much. It is constantly changing, constantly evolving. Each book is a different experiment. Each book is a different tale; yet no two are the same.
King has gone beyond the horror genre with Lisey’s Story and written a, dare I say it, literary masterpiece. Its part horror, part love story, part tribute to a woman’s husband. It’s part creepshow, part romance and absolutely unclassifiable. King has written a More...
King has gone beyond the horror genre with Lisey’s Story and written a, dare I say it, literary masterpiece. Its part horror, part love story, part tribute to a woman’s husband. It’s part creepshow, part romance and absolutely unclassifiable. King has written a More...
Jan 24, 2009
Sarah
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 05, 2009
Rob
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Dec 29, 2011
Ellen
rated it:
A departure for Stephen King, but still in the 'Writers and the women who love them...and a bad seed' vein.
I see this as more of a story of a marriage with metaphors throughout for what couples agree to forget and the monsters they compromise on. It also is about the strong bonds of a lifelong partnership and acceptance of dark flaws and mistakes couples share as well as the shining gold medals that we show the world as a united force. It touches deeply on family, madness, insecur More...
I see this as more of a story of a marriage with metaphors throughout for what couples agree to forget and the monsters they compromise on. It also is about the strong bonds of a lifelong partnership and acceptance of dark flaws and mistakes couples share as well as the shining gold medals that we show the world as a united force. It touches deeply on family, madness, insecur More...
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(1 person liked it)
Dec 05, 2011
Debra
rated it:
The beginning is laborious reading but it sets the tone, although the build up is slow, for chapters to come. Sometimes thoughts and memories are repetitious, how does one argue against the inner workings of the mind? S.K. did it justice. The more Lisey remembers, the faster it goes.
Things start a-rollin' from Chapter 4, I find the technique of leaving the last sentence hanging and continuing in the next subchapter a real page-turner, wife and husband completing each other's thoughts almost. Di More...
Things start a-rollin' from Chapter 4, I find the technique of leaving the last sentence hanging and continuing in the next subchapter a real page-turner, wife and husband completing each other's thoughts almost. Di More...
Sep 06, 2011
Pliyo
rated it:
¿Por dónde empezar?
Para que la mayor parte de éste comentario sea para todos los públicos intentaré en un principio hablar sin desvelar partes de la trama pues, lo cierto es que es la primera vez que leo a Stephen King y me he llevado una grandisima sorpresa. La primera de todas por su prosa, pues no es algo a lo que esté acostumbrado, su estilo es rápido, sencillo pero muy cuidado y a la vez, jodidamente lleno de detalles, anécdotas y momentos. Él es capaz de hacer que un escenario cobre a More...
Para que la mayor parte de éste comentario sea para todos los públicos intentaré en un principio hablar sin desvelar partes de la trama pues, lo cierto es que es la primera vez que leo a Stephen King y me he llevado una grandisima sorpresa. La primera de todas por su prosa, pues no es algo a lo que esté acostumbrado, su estilo es rápido, sencillo pero muy cuidado y a la vez, jodidamente lleno de detalles, anécdotas y momentos. Él es capaz de hacer que un escenario cobre a More...
Aug 03, 2011
Julie
rated it:
When I picked up this highly recommended book, I was under the impression that the story was not horror which was alright with me. Some of King's best work has been non-horror. I've read just about everything he's written, so certainly, no one had to twist my arm.
The biggest criticism I have is that Lisey was such a non-character. The book would have been more aptly titled: "Scott's story, as told by Lisey." Lisey had no discernable personality, no apparent ambitions or interests. She More...
The biggest criticism I have is that Lisey was such a non-character. The book would have been more aptly titled: "Scott's story, as told by Lisey." Lisey had no discernable personality, no apparent ambitions or interests. She More...
Feb 28, 2011
Bob
rated it:
I was a somewhat gifted young student, breezing his way through grade 4, already a voracious reader, and quickly running out of interesting books in the school library. While waiting in line at the neighbourhood convenience store, Coke and Doritos in hand, I spotted this creepy, mangy, angry cat staring at me from the paperback rack. It was a book called Pet Semetary (which sounded really cool), by some guy named Stephen King (whom I'd never heard of), and it was thick enough to impress my teach
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Feb 18, 2011
Anthony
rated it:
I have to say, I enjoyed Lisey's Story. I think the story is strong enough that even if you took out the supernatural element, you'd still have a really good love story between a widow and the memories of her husband and the parts of her husband's life that were secret. The supernatural element is what makes it classic King, of course, but I think he could have pulled off the story without it and still made the story exciting.
What takes the most getting used to in the early stages of t More...
What takes the most getting used to in the early stages of t More...
Dec 16, 2010
Dlora
rated it:
I've given up reading Stephen King's books because I don't like horror. As he says, life is made up of dark and light, but he too often spends most of the time in the dark. However, this book was billed as more of a love story. It begins with the widow trying to clear out her husband's work study. "There is a lot they didn't tell you about death," Lisey muses, "and one of the biggies was how long it took the ones you loved most to die in your heart." In flashbacks, we see how
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