53 books
—
6 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Roadwork” as Want to Read:
Roadwork
by
#1 bestselling master of suspense...
King's other half can be even creepier.
They're tearing down Bart Dawes's home, leveling his memories, and destroying his past, all for a new highway extension. Funny what that kind of progress can do to a man. Scary, too. ...more
King's other half can be even creepier.
They're tearing down Bart Dawes's home, leveling his memories, and destroying his past, all for a new highway extension. Funny what that kind of progress can do to a man. Scary, too. ...more
Get A Copy
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Roadwork
Jan 08, 2013
Matthew
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
2019,
stephen-king,
least-favorite,
read-more-than-once,
action-thriller,
2014,
audio,
own,
library,
hoopla
Update - 8/25/2019 - Re-read
First read: 2 stars
Second read: 3.5 stars
This is probably the shortest time between reads for a King book I have ever done. Also, it is the first time I have Re-read a book where the first time I read it was also tracked on Goodreads.
I tried to give this one an extra special chance this time. King had been quoted as saying this was his favorite of the Bachman Books. I really wanted to go into it and discover that my first experience was completely wrong. Unfortunately ...more
First read: 2 stars
Second read: 3.5 stars
This is probably the shortest time between reads for a King book I have ever done. Also, it is the first time I have Re-read a book where the first time I read it was also tracked on Goodreads.
I tried to give this one an extra special chance this time. King had been quoted as saying this was his favorite of the Bachman Books. I really wanted to go into it and discover that my first experience was completely wrong. Unfortunately ...more
A new stretch of interstate is being build and Bart Dawes' house is right in its path. He has until January 20th to find a new place for he and his wife to live and also a new location for the Blue Ribbon, the industrial laundry where he has been employed for twenty years. What will happen if he doesn't?
I wasn't very old when the original four Bachman books were released but I can't imagine this one did very well before King outted himself. It doesn't really have a lot going on. Bart Dawes is c ...more
I wasn't very old when the original four Bachman books were released but I can't imagine this one did very well before King outted himself. It doesn't really have a lot going on. Bart Dawes is c ...more
Another classic Bachman/King. The protagonist slowly is loosing his mind since bureaucracy and felt harassment get him out of job and family. A very realistic read. I still remember clearly The Rolling Stone record 'Let it Bleed' that was constantly played by Barton Dawes on his way to madness. You feel for this character as you have him very lively before your mental eye. One of the strongest character studies Bachman/King ever did. Very strong book. Absolutely recommended!
...more
Stephen King writing as Richard Bachman reminds me of Philip K Dick’s mainstream, non- SF stories. The style and tone of Confessions of a Crap Artist and Humpty Dumpty in Oakland with some scare the freaky deaky out of you is how this comes across.
Actually, I also thought about the 1993 Joel Schumacher film Falling Down, starring Michael Douglas. Both stories center around a good protagonist who has had enough. They thought they were living the American Dream but that dream has a dark underside ...more
Actually, I also thought about the 1993 Joel Schumacher film Falling Down, starring Michael Douglas. Both stories center around a good protagonist who has had enough. They thought they were living the American Dream but that dream has a dark underside ...more
"I know something else as well: there's a place in most of us where the rain is pretty much constant, the shadows are always long, and the woods are full of monsters."
Roadwork tells the story of Bart Dawes, a man suffering from grief following the death of his young son. To add to his woes, he is to lose both his workplace and home as a consequence of the extension of a nearby interstate highway.
Let me give you a little background into my history with the Bachman books... before Roadwork, I had ...more
Roadwork tells the story of Bart Dawes, a man suffering from grief following the death of his young son. To add to his woes, he is to lose both his workplace and home as a consequence of the extension of a nearby interstate highway.
Let me give you a little background into my history with the Bachman books... before Roadwork, I had ...more
My feelings are really smack dab in the middle on this book. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it either. I thought some parts were interesting but for the most part, I found it quite pointless if I'm being completely honest. It seemed like something that should have been a short story but was stretched needlessly into a full length novel.
Normally I always love King/Bachman's characters but they left a lot to be desired in this story. I had a hard time finding anything to like about any of the ...more
Normally I always love King/Bachman's characters but they left a lot to be desired in this story. I had a hard time finding anything to like about any of the ...more
Well then. As much as it pains me to do this, I calls 'em like I sees 'em, and this was an effort in futility on just about all fronts.
Now I know, I know, the Bachman books are depressing and dark and bleak and grim. I know all that. I expected it, and was even looking forward to it. But this... This was almost painfully tedious to get through. It was so pointless. So futile.
I've read all of the Bachman books, and they've all been dark and grim and whatnot... but they've all had a point. I did ...more
Now I know, I know, the Bachman books are depressing and dark and bleak and grim. I know all that. I expected it, and was even looking forward to it. But this... This was almost painfully tedious to get through. It was so pointless. So futile.
I've read all of the Bachman books, and they've all been dark and grim and whatnot... but they've all had a point. I did ...more
Stephen King, considered "roadwork" one of his not so good novels. I want to disagree with His majesty . Lots of readers thought that it would have been a fine short story, but it failed as a novel. I object to that. For me, "it" and "the stand" would be better if they were "less" ,but "roadwork" is exactly the right size.Because it is real life. In 300 or so pages, it holds the full extension of human vulnerability and despair, in front of painfull fate ,grievous blows of life and the system's
...more
"It came to him that one of the surest signs of insanity was a man all alone, laughing in the middle of silence, on an empty street filled with empty houses."
I think that sentence pretty much sums up this book very well..it's about a man who never healed properly from the death of his young son and he is slowly falling apart. Then when other outside stresses are put on him, like the city wanting to tear down his house for the extension of a highway, he slowly sinks into madness.. reading this bo ...more
I think that sentence pretty much sums up this book very well..it's about a man who never healed properly from the death of his young son and he is slowly falling apart. Then when other outside stresses are put on him, like the city wanting to tear down his house for the extension of a highway, he slowly sinks into madness.. reading this bo ...more
1.5 stars
DNF @ 22%
Sorry to say, but this just didn't do it for me. We follow a man called Barton Dawes who slowly slips into madness as he fights the bureaucracy that is trying to destroy his house and beloved workplace in order to make a road. This was boring as hell.
Honestly, I don't really want to talk about this so here are all the things that I didn't enjoy:
- the narration was confusing af
- I don't care about the characters at all
- The writing felt as if it was suffocating me... don't know ...more
DNF @ 22%
Sorry to say, but this just didn't do it for me. We follow a man called Barton Dawes who slowly slips into madness as he fights the bureaucracy that is trying to destroy his house and beloved workplace in order to make a road. This was boring as hell.
Honestly, I don't really want to talk about this so here are all the things that I didn't enjoy:
- the narration was confusing af
- I don't care about the characters at all
- The writing felt as if it was suffocating me... don't know ...more
Stephen King novella, aka Richard Bachman, that was not the kind of story I enjoy. It wasn't for me. Stephen King writing as Richard does not bare fruit I enjoy.
...more
Revisit, this time in audio. Still very good. Completely forgot it's almost a Christmas story.
...more
Aug 27, 2016
Cody | CodysBookshelf
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
favorites,
stephen-king
Roadwork - Stephen King, Richard Bachman
It's amazing what a difference a few years can make. When I was first getting into Stephen King's work, I had no idea where to start. I will never forget finding myself in a small used bookstore in Decatur, Alabama, perusing a bookshelf filled with worn King paperbacks and being shocked that a man could write so much. I picked titles at random, trying to remember what books my friend (a huge King fan at the time) had recommended to me days before this trip ...more
It's amazing what a difference a few years can make. When I was first getting into Stephen King's work, I had no idea where to start. I will never forget finding myself in a small used bookstore in Decatur, Alabama, perusing a bookshelf filled with worn King paperbacks and being shocked that a man could write so much. I picked titles at random, trying to remember what books my friend (a huge King fan at the time) had recommended to me days before this trip ...more
Aug 20, 2007
Dan
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Misoneists and midlife crisis sufferers.
I read this after reading The Long Walk and couldn't get into it at all to begin with. I found it a little bit dull and difficult to relate to. But as the story progressed I became absolutely engrossed in it, it really becomes difficult to put down. It's incredibly sad at times, but can often be humorous and very suspenseful.
This is a straight novel, no supernatural elements a la' king. In short, its a tale of one man standing in the way of progress, clutching onto the remains of the past with w ...more
This is a straight novel, no supernatural elements a la' king. In short, its a tale of one man standing in the way of progress, clutching onto the remains of the past with w ...more
This is a book about loss. It’s as simple as that. Bert Dawes lost his son Charlie to a brain tumor. He loved his son very much, so much that his wife, Mary, has to admit that theirs was a special connection. Hell, Burt still talks to the kid and somehow imagines Charlie talks back to him.
Now the city is handing Bert another loss. They want Bert to leave a home jam-packed with memories and mementos, the site of so many happy hours with his wife and son, and a neighborhood equally filled with a ...more
Now the city is handing Bert another loss. They want Bert to leave a home jam-packed with memories and mementos, the site of so many happy hours with his wife and son, and a neighborhood equally filled with a ...more
Jan 09, 2015
Ruth Turner
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
stephen-king-revisited
Audiobook – Narrated by G Valmont Thomas – Dreadful narration.
This is the first audiobook narrated by Thomas that I’ve listened to and it will probably be my last.
His reading voice is beautiful and if he’d stuck to that I would have thoroughly enjoyed it. But he didn’t.
His character voices were just awful. It was like watching a puppet show. At least that’s the image that kept popping into my head. I couldn’t finish listening to it.
***
Ebook:
Bleak and depressing as the Bachman books tend to be. ...more
This one is more like 3.5 stars. A perfect example of psychological horror. There are no monsters in this book except the ones in Bart Dawes own brain. The best part of the book was the way that Mr. King was able to make the highway extension feel like a character.
This story was written in 1981, I'm not sure if it would even have been published in a post 9-11 American society, at least not by a major publisher. ...more
This story was written in 1981, I'm not sure if it would even have been published in a post 9-11 American society, at least not by a major publisher. ...more
1.5 stars. Move aside Rage and Gerald’s Game, new least fave King coming through!
I can’t even be bothered to write a review for this, it was just crap. Main character drew no sympathy from me, he was distasteful and absolutely fixated on vaginas. I swear every other word was ‘vagina’. And it was dull. That’s all you’re getting from me folks.
The reason it’s not a 1 is the possible Dark Tower connection.
I can’t even be bothered to write a review for this, it was just crap. Main character drew no sympathy from me, he was distasteful and absolutely fixated on vaginas. I swear every other word was ‘vagina’. And it was dull. That’s all you’re getting from me folks.
The reason it’s not a 1 is the possible Dark Tower connection.
Playlist
Roadwork
On the Border - Al Stewart
I Left My Heart in San Francisco (Dinah Washington)
Alfie (Dionne Warwick)
Dirty Water - The Standells
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
Mantovani (Greensleeves)
Green Door - Gisele MacKenzie
Stranger in Paradise - Gisele MacKenzie
Kitty Carlisle (Women)
Dave Van Ronk (Fixin’ to Die)
Gary Davis (Death Don’t Have no Mercy)
Tom Rush (If Your Man Gets Busted)
Tom Paxton (I’m the Man That Built Bridges)
Spider John Koerner (Rattlesnake)
Gimme Shelter - The Rollin ...more
I wasn't sure about this one but by the end I did like Bart and over all enjoyed this book. it's kinda heart breaking :(
...more
There isn’t much I could say about Bachman’s “Roadwork” that hasn’t already been said. This is part of my long term plan to (re)read all of Stephen King’s books more or less in order of publication. For me, this was a first time read.
I found this a very hard book to get through. First of all, very little action happens until the end of this 320 page book. It is really more of a character sketch of Barton Dawes. Personally, I tend to find such novels a little more tiring to get through, even whe ...more
I found this a very hard book to get through. First of all, very little action happens until the end of this 320 page book. It is really more of a character sketch of Barton Dawes. Personally, I tend to find such novels a little more tiring to get through, even whe ...more
Mar 14, 2020
Neha Singh
rated it
it was ok
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
horror,
read-in-2020
***2 Stars***
The Roadwork is one of Stephen King’s books, which he wrote under the pen name of Richard Bachman in the 80s. Here we are following ‘Barton Dawes’ who soon is going to lose his house and workplace due to this highway construction by the government. And he has few weeks to wrap up and move his and his wife’s lives away from his old place. But he is not ready and takes some drastic and sad steps to prevent this from happening. And we follow him as his mental and emotional health downg ...more
The Roadwork is one of Stephen King’s books, which he wrote under the pen name of Richard Bachman in the 80s. Here we are following ‘Barton Dawes’ who soon is going to lose his house and workplace due to this highway construction by the government. And he has few weeks to wrap up and move his and his wife’s lives away from his old place. But he is not ready and takes some drastic and sad steps to prevent this from happening. And we follow him as his mental and emotional health downg ...more
Sep 18, 2017
Trey
added it
2 stars for the story.
One extra, for Bart Dawes.
Sad portrait of a character desperately trying to come to terms with an imposing external reality and slowly losing grip of his internal reality. Throughout the story, I came to like Bart, the main character whose elbowed off the stage of his work and social life like a has-been actor. It's just too bad I had to shove and push my way through over-description to really appreciate him.
I'm sure the suspense in the story had more impact back when it fi ...more
One extra, for Bart Dawes.
Sad portrait of a character desperately trying to come to terms with an imposing external reality and slowly losing grip of his internal reality. Throughout the story, I came to like Bart, the main character whose elbowed off the stage of his work and social life like a has-been actor. It's just too bad I had to shove and push my way through over-description to really appreciate him.
I'm sure the suspense in the story had more impact back when it fi ...more
3.5 stars
Another great surprise in re-reading Stephen King was Roadwork, which I must confess that I did not remember a lot of details about. First: it was a whole lot easier to connect to the pained Barton Dawes now than when I was 19 (even if it was quite a shock discovering that the disillusioned man with crumbling marriage, crumbling physique and crumbling life is 40(!) - I had him at about 60 in my head, but on the other hand, what's the difference between 40 and 60 when you're 19?). Anyway, it's qu
...more
Wow. This is a Stephen King (I mean Bachman) story unlike any other. The main character stands out from any character I’ve ever read in a fiction. If you’ve never read Roadwork I can tell you that most likely you will either love it or hate it. You will either care about this character or you won’t and if you don’t...well you’ll probably want to move on quickly and pick up IT or The Shining to get this book out of your memory.
I was immediately drawn into this character’s misery and paranoia. It ...more
I was immediately drawn into this character’s misery and paranoia. It ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
So incredibly boring. I really didn't care about this at all, and only finished it because I'm aiming to be a Stephen King completionist. Oh well, at least it's finally off my TBR!
...more
**The Stephen King Goodreads Discussion Group is doing a re-read of his works from the beginning to the end. It’s been a long time since I have really immersed myself in Uncle Stevie’s world, but a rate of a book a month, I am all in. My goal is to read and review each one with as much honesty and reflection that I can give. **
Background – “Roadwork” was originally published as a paperback original in 1981 under Stephen King’s pseudonym, Richard Bachman. It is a shorter length book. My paperbac ...more
Background – “Roadwork” was originally published as a paperback original in 1981 under Stephen King’s pseudonym, Richard Bachman. It is a shorter length book. My paperbac ...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish Readers: Carretera maldita [Febrero 2020] | 5 | 147 | Jun 16, 2020 02:05AM | |
| Stephen King Fans: ʀᴏᴀᴅᴡᴏʀᴋ | 3 | 23 | Mar 09, 2019 10:24AM | |
| STEPHEN KING PROJECT: ROADWORK [SPOILERS] | 2 | 26 | Apr 09, 2018 05:34PM | |
| STEPHEN KING PROJECT: ROADWORK [NO SPOILERS] | 1 | 20 | Feb 26, 2018 02:02AM | |
| Madison Mega-Mara...: # 44 Roadwork by Richard Bachman | 1 | 2 | Aug 22, 2017 07:21AM | |
| Letras Macabras: Carretera Maldita, de Stephen King | 16 | 116 | Aug 16, 2017 10:16AM |
Readers also enjoyed
This is a Stephen King pseudonym.
At the beginning of Stephen King's career, the general view among publishers was that an author was limited to one book per year, since publishing more would be unacceptable to the public. King therefore wanted to write under another name, in order to increase his publication without over-saturating the market for the King "brand". He convinced his publisher, Signe ...more
At the beginning of Stephen King's career, the general view among publishers was that an author was limited to one book per year, since publishing more would be unacceptable to the public. King therefore wanted to write under another name, in order to increase his publication without over-saturating the market for the King "brand". He convinced his publisher, Signe ...more
News & Interviews
According to some historians, the month of April is actually named after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, by way of the Romans....
42 likes · 25 comments
3 trivia questions
More quizzes & trivia...
“Deep emotions had been excavated from his dry, middle-echelon executive’s soul like the relics of a dark religion from an archaeological dig. He knew what it was to be alive.”
—
43 likes
“You can’t always understand something just because you did it.”
—
43 likes
More quotes…
