Leland Gaunt opens a new shop in Castle Rock called Needful Things. Anyone who enters his store finds the object of his or her lifelong dreams and ...
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Oct 27, 2011
Amber ~Geektastic~
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Stephen King’s approach to horror is much less about the supernatural than I think his reputation suggests. Before approaching his work back in high school, I was vaguely aware of books like Cujo, Pet Sematary, Christine and It (mostly due to their movie incarnations), and based on these, I assumed that King was all about the thrills and chills of the unexplained or just plain weird. It turns out the real horrors of his books are quite easy to explain, but no less frightening for this. Human na
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Jul 24, 2008
Jenn
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Beware of small little antique stores that appear in your town run by a man that makes you nervous. In a small town of Castle Rock where lots of weird things happen and where a number of stories are told, a tall, mysterious man sets up his shop called Needful Things and invites the locals to enter. His name is Leland Gaunt. He appears as a gentleman but under his taunt and dried skin he is made of pure evil. His customers really have nothing to buy from him but he is able to manipulate them into
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Aug 15, 2008
Jamie
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Ah, good ole' Stephen King. It's nice to know that he's always there with a ripping good yarn to give me a break from the steaks of heady non-fiction that I sometimes find myself in. Needful Things is the last of his stories set in the the town of Castle Rock and it follows a common pattern and set of themes that he has developed in other books: a malevolant force comes to a small community (most often in Maine) in order to wreak havok and is finally stopped by a noble hero, usually a law enforc
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Nov 24, 2011
Preeti
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As with most Stephen King books, the story starts out normally and gets weirder and weirder with each page.
The concept behind it is a powerful one - greed, and the lengths to which people will go just to get something that they think they need. The town's destruction starts out slowly, but picks up pace very quickly.
There's a lot of blood and gore involved - some may think it's almost unnecessary, but I think, why not? Stephen King goes to that great length to show the More...
The concept behind it is a powerful one - greed, and the lengths to which people will go just to get something that they think they need. The town's destruction starts out slowly, but picks up pace very quickly.
There's a lot of blood and gore involved - some may think it's almost unnecessary, but I think, why not? Stephen King goes to that great length to show the More...
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Mar 13, 2011
Needful Things is right: A new shop called "Needful Things" arrives in the small Maine town of Castle Rock (where King also set Cujo and the novella The Sun Dog). The owner is the mysteriouse and creepy Leland Gaunt. Eleven year old Brian Rusk was the first customer and he got exactly what he wanted - a very rare 1956 Sandy Kaufax baseball card signed, to Brian. Cyndi Rose Martin was next and she got exactly what she wanted too. In fact ALL of the residents of Castle Rock got exactly w
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Feb 13, 2009
Kate
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Dec 05, 2011
Bianca
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When I selected the book Needful Things, which had been sitting on my bookshelf for a couple of years (or five!) I thought to myself, ‘I can’t go wrong!’ as the book to get me back into being a bookworm and writing my personal reviews. But, unfortunately, I was wrong… I love a good book, and I like my horror stories.
Stephen King wrote some of the classics which were, in my opinion, Misery and, my all time favourite, The Shining.
One thing which really affected the joy of reading thi More...
Stephen King wrote some of the classics which were, in my opinion, Misery and, my all time favourite, The Shining.
One thing which really affected the joy of reading thi More...
Aug 09, 2011
procrastin8or
rated it: 
Despite that The Stand is my favourite King novel, Needful Things comes a very close second.
In some ways it is a much more intriguing story in that it deals with a much more base issue: human greed and the things people will do for personal gain.
Leland Gaunt arrives in Castle Rock, the setting for a good handful of King’s novels, opening up a bric-a-brac shop. The thing is with this shop is that it always seems to have the customer’s most secret desire and Gaunt never seems t More...
In some ways it is a much more intriguing story in that it deals with a much more base issue: human greed and the things people will do for personal gain.
Leland Gaunt arrives in Castle Rock, the setting for a good handful of King’s novels, opening up a bric-a-brac shop. The thing is with this shop is that it always seems to have the customer’s most secret desire and Gaunt never seems t More...
May 23, 2011
This. Book. Is. A. Masterpiece.
I loved when i read it a few years ago. Back then i was even more of a horror freak. I was hungry for it and king was my daily supplier. Needful things was awesome! Freakin amazing and i don't say that about a lot of books. I was a little frustrated by how long it took king to tell us what prices the residents of castle rock paid but this book was so good i couldn't even hold a grudge. Fitzpatrick! Kate! Noel! Casts! And above everybody else; author of once i More...
I loved when i read it a few years ago. Back then i was even more of a horror freak. I was hungry for it and king was my daily supplier. Needful things was awesome! Freakin amazing and i don't say that about a lot of books. I was a little frustrated by how long it took king to tell us what prices the residents of castle rock paid but this book was so good i couldn't even hold a grudge. Fitzpatrick! Kate! Noel! Casts! And above everybody else; author of once i More...
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Nov 28, 2010
Tanabrus
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Sep 27, 2010
Matt
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I remember reading this probably in middle school--6th or 7th grade maybe. I wasn't allowed to read Stephen King books, as my parents deemed them too violent and explicit for my burgeoning mind. I was spending a week with my grandparents, and as per their way, we went to the bookstore to get a book for the week. I picked out Needful Things. They looked at the book, and inquired if I was allowed to read it. They suggested I move to the classics section, but I was bent on getting this book.
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Sep 09, 2010
Sandra
rated it:
Never read Stephen King? Years ago I read On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, which is wonderfully written, informative and insightful. But, amazingly, this is my first Stephen King book of fiction.
Needful Things is about an old man, Leland Gaunt, who opens a store--called Needful Things--filled with curiosities in the small town of Castle Rock, Maine. Mr. Gaunt happens to have the very thing that each town person needs to fulfill his/her life...and at a price no person could refuse. More...
Needful Things is about an old man, Leland Gaunt, who opens a store--called Needful Things--filled with curiosities in the small town of Castle Rock, Maine. Mr. Gaunt happens to have the very thing that each town person needs to fulfill his/her life...and at a price no person could refuse. More...
Aug 25, 2010
Sally
rated it:
A sleepy ordinary town gets a new resident and a new shop. In satisfying their curiousity about the shop and its merchandise the towns people find themselves caught up in an ever spiralling course of malicious and mean acts that are apparently minor but have repurcussions of cataclysmic proportions (end of the world stuff).
One man remains untouched by the influence of Leland Gaunt the shop proprieter and though constantly one step behind events nevertheless manages to save the town f More...
One man remains untouched by the influence of Leland Gaunt the shop proprieter and though constantly one step behind events nevertheless manages to save the town f More...
Aug 05, 2010
Amanda
rated it:
I am never moving to Maine. Stephen King has officially instilled a phobia. Needful Things was one of those lightning-fast horror reads. You get caught up in the rhythm of Castle Rock and once things start going bad, they spiral out of control so quickly, you can't put the book down to recover and take a breather. I was waaay too paranoid when reading this at night and you'd think I'd know better by now than to let Mr. King give me nightmares. The true excellence of Needful Things really lies in
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Jul 05, 2010
Kathryn
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My first thought when reading this book was that it's "cheating" to trick people into selling their souls (sort of) by making them think that some piece of trash is really their heart's desire. But when you get right down to it, people's worst actions come from desiring or feeling something, and believing that it is now THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN THE UNIVERSE. And then using that to justify anything. What they originally wanted or felt never ends up being worth the pain they cause for
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Jun 23, 2010
Daniel
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Pride.
That is the moral of the story along with its warning: the consequences of pride. At first, it seems like a tale of greed and possession, but I have to heed that is, much like the storefront of Needful Things, a mere façade. The greed of keeping in tow what on possesses is the initial catalyst for the mayhem that ensues within the little town of Castle Rock, but it is the pride of defending one's self against those who offend that sends people to their deaths within this alleg More...
That is the moral of the story along with its warning: the consequences of pride. At first, it seems like a tale of greed and possession, but I have to heed that is, much like the storefront of Needful Things, a mere façade. The greed of keeping in tow what on possesses is the initial catalyst for the mayhem that ensues within the little town of Castle Rock, but it is the pride of defending one's self against those who offend that sends people to their deaths within this alleg More...
Apr 13, 2010
TJ
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Aug 14, 2010
Jason
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Jan 26, 2010
Lisa
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Another piece of masterful storytelling from Stephen King, in which Mr Leland Gaunt sets up shop in the small town of Castle Rock. His store, Needful Things, has everything your heart could desire and his prices are very reasonable - just whatever dollars you can afford and the performance of a 'harmless prank'. The pranks, however, kickstart a butterfly effect of malice and soon the many feuds and grudges that bubble away under the surface of small town life are brought to boiling point and bey
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Mar 18, 2011
Natalie
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While a good generalization of my taste in literature can be summed up in "If Stephen King took a crap on a piece of paper, the Praetor would love it" - this one sticks out in my mind as a genuine disappointment.
The story is engaging, pulling you in and making you read until sunrise, sleep, and reach for the book again. I was literally on the edge of my seat, tearing through the pages at light speed to discover the secrets behind the amazing Leland Gaunt and the unraveling ps More...
The story is engaging, pulling you in and making you read until sunrise, sleep, and reach for the book again. I was literally on the edge of my seat, tearing through the pages at light speed to discover the secrets behind the amazing Leland Gaunt and the unraveling ps More...
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Jun 01, 2010
Eddie
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I was barely able to put this book down until I finished it. It had some flaws, most of which tend to show up in a lot of Stephen King novels, but as a whole it shows why King deserves his reputation as a great writer.
First, let me praise before I condemn. King does great characters many of whom start off as ‘stock’ characters; such as the abusive, self important bully who appears in several of King’s stories, but he turns stock into real layering these characters with their own f More...
First, let me praise before I condemn. King does great characters many of whom start off as ‘stock’ characters; such as the abusive, self important bully who appears in several of King’s stories, but he turns stock into real layering these characters with their own f More...
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Jul 15, 2011
Gail
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Another little King masterpiece, this tale involves a store where you can buy anything you want. It proves the old adage, "Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Wonderfully creepy in the best King style, the book draws the reader into a story that seems to be fairly straightforward, but turns into something very different. A good effort from King and well worth a read for those who like a little scary with their story.
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Apr 05, 2011
Mark
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Needful things is as brilliant a piece of writing as you will ever find, for the first 600 pages. The small town world of Castle Rock is convincingly rendered, right down to the petty politics and squabbles inherent in a place where everyone knows everyone's business and grudges have had a lifetime to fester. The town's curiosity is piqued when a new shop named Needful Things announces its grand opening. The shop's owner, a new man in town, is a master at knowing what people want and striking de
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Aug 08, 2010
(´*•.¸ღBexღ¸.•*´)
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Needful Things, how should I say it, is not a bad novel. It is just different from some of Stephen King's other work. This book doesn't really deal with supernatural events and people with special powers and abilities. Needful Things, all in all, a very good novel with several shocks and twists but to me it was just a very enjoyable story with a clever beginning, middle, and end. When I mention shocks, I do not mean scares. This book is not at all scary but the unexpected turn of events or the r
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Sep 09, 2011
Cherie
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My ratings system is as follows. One star is GOOD. The book is entertaining, easy to read and you don't want to stop reading because something about the book is compelling you not to. Two stars is GREAT! This time the story is not only entertaining, but highly creative, unique, easy to read and hard to put down. Three stars is EXCELLENT. Here the book has all aspects of one and two stars, but now the book is thought and emotionally provoking. Four is AWESOME. This is the read that is not onl
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Oct 13, 2011
Edwin
rated it:
Very unbalanced brick-sized novel that chronicles the self-destruction of Castle Rock, King's mythic town in Maine, by a mix of supernatural forces and the baser instincts of human nature. For the first time I've seen, King's trademark elaborate characterization backfires on him, killing this one. Of course, he wants us to feel some sympathy towards the characters suddenly caught in their home town's collapse, but since this involves an entire town, there are so many characters jumping into this
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Jun 17, 2011
Adam
rated it:
The last Castle Rock tale.
As a finale to one of Stephen King's most iconic towns, this book doesn't disappoint. King makes sure Castle Rock goes out with the kind of bang it deserves. Plenty of thrills and chills to keep you entertained. Although, be warned that if you haven't read the other Castle Rock books, you will be meeting a lot of spoilers for books like Cujo and The Dark Half along the way.
The story starts when a new junk shop opens on Main Street. The kind of shop t More...
As a finale to one of Stephen King's most iconic towns, this book doesn't disappoint. King makes sure Castle Rock goes out with the kind of bang it deserves. Plenty of thrills and chills to keep you entertained. Although, be warned that if you haven't read the other Castle Rock books, you will be meeting a lot of spoilers for books like Cujo and The Dark Half along the way.
The story starts when a new junk shop opens on Main Street. The kind of shop t More...
Jun 02, 2009
Danna
rated it:
Good ol' Stephen King, always good for another easy read. He's written so much: sometimes crap, often good, sometimes pure gold. This here is in the good, as most of his Castle Rock stories are for me. I think he's at his best when the stories are character driven, and he really does understand small towns (naturally small New England towns best). I fell right into this and was entertained to the end, thinking all along that I'd read this before. Maybe I had (I've been reading King since I
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Dec 17, 2009
Jules
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I loved this book! The way the members of the Town were set against each other - pure genius! Leyland Gaunt is as scary as hell, and rightly so. Sees the return of some good old favourites - Alan Pangborn and the gang. This is a good one if you are not used to Stephen's more complex style of writing, lighter than usual.
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Dec 26, 2011
Heather
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