Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
5th out of 11 books
—
5 voters
Candles Burning
An extraordinary southern saga begun by Michael McDowell and finished after his death by Tabitha King.
Known for his chilling Blackwater series, author Michael McDowell left behind the unfinished manuscript for Candles Burning upon his death in 1999. In the spirit of the ghost stories that Michael loved, Tabitha King has taken up where he left off, weaving a Southern goth...more
Known for his chilling Blackwater series, author Michael McDowell left behind the unfinished manuscript for Candles Burning upon his death in 1999. In the spirit of the ghost stories that Michael loved, Tabitha King has taken up where he left off, weaving a Southern goth...more
Hardcover, 432 pages
Published
June 6th 2006
by Berkley Hardcover
(first published May 6th 2006)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
796)
I thought this book would scare the crap out of me. The manuscript was found in McDowell's effects after he died. Apparently, I was too scared to read any of his work before. His genre is horror and while I will delve into the occasional Stephen King, somehow this guys work scared me. I picked up this book at a library book sale. I thought D would enjoy it, but somehow it worked it's way into my hands.
And I loved it.
Written from the perspective of Calley Carroll Dakin, the unfortunate daughter...more
And I loved it.
Written from the perspective of Calley Carroll Dakin, the unfortunate daughter...more
This book is coauthored by Tabitha King (Steven King's wife) and Michael McDowell who left the unfinished manuscript upon his death in 1999. The narrator is a 7 year old girl who has suddenly lost her father to a horrific murder dismemberment when the family was attending a convention in New Orleans. There are multiple character storylines threaded through the book - Callie's Southern Belle mother who steps into the barely acted role of grieving widow that dotes on her son and ignores Callie; Ca...more
I read some of Tabitha King's novels as a teenager and really enjoyed them. This novel is quite different from her earlier work, which is understandable considering that the manuscript was written by another author.
Reading the book was something like a rollercoaster: from great expectations at the beginning to slow motion with only a few twists and loops in between. At the beginning I was sure I'd love this story, but my enthusiam was slowed down somewhere in the middle, where the story dragged...more
Reading the book was something like a rollercoaster: from great expectations at the beginning to slow motion with only a few twists and loops in between. At the beginning I was sure I'd love this story, but my enthusiam was slowed down somewhere in the middle, where the story dragged...more
Tabitha King is Stephen King's wife.
I've read most (if not all) of Michael McDowell's books and especially loved his Blackwater series. He definitely knows how to write creepy stuff.
I really enjoyed this book of his finished after his death by Tabitha King (Stephen King's wife). It was subtle and insidious!
I've read most (if not all) of Michael McDowell's books and especially loved his Blackwater series. He definitely knows how to write creepy stuff.
I really enjoyed this book of his finished after his death by Tabitha King (Stephen King's wife). It was subtle and insidious!
Candles Burning is a beautifully written Southern Gothic novel. As with most Southern Gothic novels, you take the least direct path from start to finish. So if you like a plot-driven novel, pass this one by. But if you want to spend a lot of time immersed in atmosphere and the psyche, this is a good book to do it with.
The plot is very simple: (1) Calley Dakin's daddy is brutally murdered and (2)everyone treats Calley like a misfit, and she'd like to know why. The POV is all Calley's but sometim...more
The plot is very simple: (1) Calley Dakin's daddy is brutally murdered and (2)everyone treats Calley like a misfit, and she'd like to know why. The POV is all Calley's but sometim...more
i enjoyed this story. Calley brings to mind huck finn, in pigtails. she hears things. was reading the sundial by shirley jackson and was reminded of this one...michael mcdowell is another i need to add to the pile to read. read one other by tabitha king, the trap...
here's a quote or two from the story i liked:
yeah, and so y...more
here's a quote or two from the story i liked:
to this day i have found no reason to believe that the human soul, duplicitous to is core, suddenly becomes truthful just because it comes to be divorced from a corporeal form
yeah, and so y...more
So far I'm batting a thousand w/ being unable to finish this author's books.
The thing I really dislike is that she starts a character out all nice and friendly then, halfway through the book, the character turns almost evil.
It's almost like the author's thinking "They won't read it if I start my characters this way, but they won't be able to put it down if they're halfway through, so I'll just introduce the TRUE characteristics halfway through the book."
I don't know if that's what she's REALLY t...more
The thing I really dislike is that she starts a character out all nice and friendly then, halfway through the book, the character turns almost evil.
It's almost like the author's thinking "They won't read it if I start my characters this way, but they won't be able to put it down if they're halfway through, so I'll just introduce the TRUE characteristics halfway through the book."
I don't know if that's what she's REALLY t...more
This was a good book, but it's fairly obvious where Mr. McDowell stopped writing and Ms. King started. I have a feeling that this was not the ending that Mr. McDowell envisioned, but I think she did a good job of finishing the book. It was an interesting story, but I found that there were a few things that weren't explored quite enough or developed to the point where I could understand what the writer was trying to convey. But it did keep me interested, so I would give it a 4 out of 5. Horror is...more
Note: I usually burn through a book within a couple of days. This one took me nearly 3 months, in fits and starts, between other reading. It just wasn't a good fit.
-----------------------------
Candles Burning was completed by Tabitha King (wife of Stephen King, and a good writer in her own right), from a partial manuscript by Michael McDowell (author of a number of other mystery/Gothic/horror novels, and the screenwriter for Beetlejuice.) In some ways it reminds me of both Pat Conroy's The Princ...more
-----------------------------
Candles Burning was completed by Tabitha King (wife of Stephen King, and a good writer in her own right), from a partial manuscript by Michael McDowell (author of a number of other mystery/Gothic/horror novels, and the screenwriter for Beetlejuice.) In some ways it reminds me of both Pat Conroy's The Princ...more
I wanted more ghosts. That's the truth, plain and simple. Perhaps it's a seasonal thing. If scary stories are too intense for you, you shouldn't have to worry. This is more atmosphere and character than spooky.
In any event, this was a satisfying, albeit uneven, read. I don't know where McDowell left off and King picked it up, but the tone of the book is inconsistent. Calliope (and what a great name, no?) suffers abuse at damn near everyone's hands (maybe not so much the ghosts) . . . more psycho...more
In any event, this was a satisfying, albeit uneven, read. I don't know where McDowell left off and King picked it up, but the tone of the book is inconsistent. Calliope (and what a great name, no?) suffers abuse at damn near everyone's hands (maybe not so much the ghosts) . . . more psycho...more
A great Southern Gothic novel, particularly since it was largely written from a non-southerner. The main character, Calliope, reminded me a great deal of Scout from "To Kill a Mockingbird." I would've have given the book five stars, but, in my opinion, there was a big build-up to a very small ending.
Ms. King (the wife of Stephen King) finished this work after her friend, Michael McDowell, died. It would be interesting to know where McDowell's writing ended and King's began.
Ms. King (the wife of Stephen King) finished this work after her friend, Michael McDowell, died. It would be interesting to know where McDowell's writing ended and King's began.
Calliope Dakin’s father was butchered in New Orleans in 1958. After a short time at her grandmother’s home, her mother flees with Calley to Pensacola Beach, Florida where they live in a boarding house and where Calley grows up. Calley has special senses that are slowly revealed as the story continues. It is a good mix of coming of age, family secrets, and ghosts.
I can only describe my reaction to this book as non-plussed. It had the dreamy quality of a Gothic horror, but it felt consistently undeveloped, right up to the very end. While I find myself still contemplating the plot, it's more of a "What the hell was all that about?" than a "That was exceptionally creepy."
ok first off this book starts out kind of slow. but picks up very fast. and then its very hard to put down. its starts out that the little girls father is murdered, and goes from there. sometimes you want to cry, then you want to say oh gosh what. or ewww but. all and all. i great book. :)
Boring, I just really didn't enjoy the story at all. Well drawn out but unlikeable characters.
Ford surprised me at the end, but that was it. As others said, there were not nearly enough ghosts, and why must Calley learn everything all at once at the end and wihtout any help from these ghosts that she claims to hear so often?
Ford surprised me at the end, but that was it. As others said, there were not nearly enough ghosts, and why must Calley learn everything all at once at the end and wihtout any help from these ghosts that she claims to hear so often?
Very very disappointing. Michael Mcdowell is one of my favorite authors. I have read and re-read most of his books. This book felt so disjointed and Mrs. King's lack of skill was so clear. It was easy for a fan to pick out what was her ideas vs. the original manuscript.
I love the way they built up the characters and nice twist at the end. I totally loved reading this book and sad that I've finished it, because it was a good story.
I almost put it down at the beginning, because there's a really gory detailed murder. I enjoy scary and I can handle some gory details, but this was more than I cared to read, I'm not going to spoil it for other readers with more details. I will say that I'm so glad I kept reading through to the end. That was the only part of the boo...more
I almost put it down at the beginning, because there's a really gory detailed murder. I enjoy scary and I can handle some gory details, but this was more than I cared to read, I'm not going to spoil it for other readers with more details. I will say that I'm so glad I kept reading through to the end. That was the only part of the boo...more
I have only read one other book from McDowell and King. I enjoyed this book and will now read everything both have written. At times the book was confusing and the last portions lacked the depth of the beginning. all in all though the characters were rich, endearing, and you can't help cheering Calley on.
My first Tabitha King and a real joy to read/listen to, as I got the audio. The reader,Carrington McDuffie dipped me in the Alabama vowel slurry with brilliant adaptation of the characters. Just fun.
So this book started out so good and just went downhill from there. I would say more than half the book was really good but then progressed in the wrong direction for me.
Tabitha King is Stephen King's wife. I read her book, Pearl, years ago. I can't remember it now, but I liked it. This novel is a collaboration, although the other author, Michael McDowell, died before he finished it. So Tabitha King picked up what he had and finished it.
I'm not sure why I'm still reading this book. It took 300 pages for anything to happen and THAT wasn't very exciting. Now I've come too far to quit.
This could have been a good book. Awesome hints were dropped, which kept me readi...more
I'm not sure why I'm still reading this book. It took 300 pages for anything to happen and THAT wasn't very exciting. Now I've come too far to quit.
This could have been a good book. Awesome hints were dropped, which kept me readi...more
"Southern gothic tale of murder, guilt, innocence, corruption, and survival, in the voices of the living and the dead, read well in a lovely southern drawl."
Kind of a creepy book. Told from the perspective of Cally Dakin from age 7 through her adult life, but always told in the voice of an adult even when her base of knowledge is child-like. The novel follows the story of her father's mysterious and brutal murder by two women with no motivation for the murder. Cally's whole life is spent listening to the voices of dead people who she can somehow hear as her "gift" and trying to figure out what happened to her father and how various people in her lif...more
This was HORRIBLE. I kept waiting for it to get better and it never did. I should've trusted my instinct and ditched this one about a chapter in.
Jul 26, 2011
Robbin Blow
added it
I didn't love this one either. Tabitha King picked up the writing of this book after McDowell died. She is a better writer than this.
Really great book. Suspensful and nostalgic without being overly sentimental. King creates a place and time that is atmospheric and gothic.
I thought Mrs. King did a wonderful job of finishing this novel, that Mr. McDowell had started before his passing.
I thought the beginning was dragging, and seeing all the poor reviews i wasn't really encouraged to finish it, but it picked up half way through... I would have liked it to be a little bit more ghosty.. It was an ok read.
I was so disappointed in this book! "Tale of gothic horror" my $@!!. It was well-written, and mildly interesting, but the synopsis is COMPLETELY misleading. Yes, the girl's dad gets murdered, and yes, it leads her into an abnormal situation, and she does think about it from time to time, but...really not the focal point of the book. And it wasn't creepy, and it wasn't chilling, and it just wasn't scary at all. Plus, the ending felt like the author didn't know what to do and just kinda slapped so...more
Complex, textured & freaky. Tabitha King did an excellent job maintaining not only McDowell's writing style but the integrity of his story as well. I liked that things didn't work out exactly as I hoped or expected, as it kept the off-balance feeling that permeated the entire story. L-O-V-E-D listening to the the story! The narrator did a fantastic job with all of the characters, voicing them appropriately and creating a distinctive & memorable audio experience. This is not Tabitha King'...more
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Tabitha King (née Tabitha Jane Spruce) is an American author, the wife of author Stephen King and the mother of authors Joe Hill and Owen King (her daughter is Naomi King).
Tabitha King was born Tabitha Jane-Frances Spruce in Old Town, Maine. She was born to Raymond George and Sarah Jane White Spruce and is one of eight children.
Her primary education took place at St. Mary’s Grammar in Old Town, fr...more
More about Tabitha King...
Tabitha King was born Tabitha Jane-Frances Spruce in Old Town, Maine. She was born to Raymond George and Sarah Jane White Spruce and is one of eight children.
Her primary education took place at St. Mary’s Grammar in Old Town, fr...more
Share This Book
1 trivia question
More quizzes & trivia...
Jul 24, 2012 11:43pm