Joyland
discussion
Questions, thoughts, comments?
Stepheny wrote: "Terry wrote: "- I was at the beach recently with my family and saw a light blue "Cinderella band" laying all by itself on an empty seat at a food concession and nobody knew why it freaked me out (!..."I LOVE IT!!!
Stepheny, I try to avoid the storm drain near my house but my dog always seems drawn to IT!!
Haha! Glad to know it's not just me!
I agree with Heather, I loved the book, it was different than many Stephen King books. The book should make a great movie. If it winds up as a good to great movie, this book will find even more readers.
I really enjoyed it. A lot. And for once, I honestly wished that it had been longer because I liked the characters and story SO much. :-)
I got bored throughout. Not a big amusement park guy. Going into detail about the fur was boring to me. Good story, but nothing flashy. Plus the supernatural wasn't exactly a wower
I really enjoyed this book and agree it was different from most of SK books.
Maximus wrote: "Orsayor wrote: "Sheri wrote: "I read the entire book and never figured out what "It's not white" meant. Does anyone know? It's driving me nuts. Why wouldn't Stephen King explain it in the end?"..."
If that was the case and if Mike could see things then why didn't he just tell Dev that Lane was the culprit straight up?
Leon, psychics are generally believed to possess periphery visions. They're unable to pinpoint precise persons, places, or things.
Tom wrote: "It was exactly what I expected out of King - don't go into it expecting anything. Just go along for the fun of the ride and let King get you to the end. He never disappoints. This has a great endin..." Perfectly stated, Tom. I enjoyed this book a great deal and wasn't disappointed in any way. No, it's not some 1,000-page far-reaching epic, but it's a perfectly told story in my opinion.
Joyland is one of my favorite Stephen King books! I love Tom's comment, also, and you are right, Vince. "It's a perfectly told story."
I didn't think it was a bad read. A very realistic coming-of-age novel with a bit of a twist.
It was a good but slow read, and, in the end, it did not disappoint me. But the thing is... I thought Joyland was supposed to be a crime, whodunnit type of story. Was it? Sort of. But also it was a ghost story with some elements of horror. King seemed unsure of how to write a good crime story and had to divert to his familiar territory.
Am i the only person who was disappointed in this book? I'm a huge King fan, but this one just seemed short of feeling. I didn't connect with any of the characters, and it's all the more disheartening because this is the kind of story King usually writes so well.As for the "it's not white" line -- yes, he's talking about the killer's hair. And that's another sore point for me. Is he seriously saying that for YEARS, a guy who works out of doors in the heat and rain and washing rides, etc. has been using TEMPORARY hair color, the kind that washes out? That's just plain stupid.
I was disappointed. Sigh.
It took me a bit to get into it but once I did I really enjoyed it. 5 stars
I also really enjoyed it, 5 stars
This was my very first Stephen King book and I loved it. I was expecting a very violent and creepy story, creepy as in the supernatural, ghosts hanging out in amusement parks way. Even though I got something completely different from such expectations I had no problem whatsoever with it.
Josue wrote: "This was my very first Stephen King book and I loved it. I was expecting a very violent and creepy story, creepy as in the supernatural, ghosts hanging out in amusement parks way. Even though I got..."I felt the same way - everyone else seems to think it is great, but I was disappointed. I'm waiting for his new book to come out at the end of September.
I think "The Shining" was one of his best works and this is the sequel.
If you have read a lot of Stephen King you know to expect more than this. It could have been better, and his story telling talents are far superior than this effort.
Mark wrote: "If you have read a lot of Stephen King you know to expect more than this. It could have been better, and his story telling talents are far superior than this effort."
Really? I've read all but 5 of his books (novels and non-fiction) and found this to be one of his best. Going by your shelf, what you call "a lot" I call "barely begun". :)
Really? I've read all but 5 of his books (novels and non-fiction) and found this to be one of his best. Going by your shelf, what you call "a lot" I call "barely begun". :)
I enjoyed the book, even with its slow start. As Mick mentioned earlier on this thread, the film rights for "Joyland" were already picked up. With its shorter length and straight-forward storyline, I believe this book should (hopefully) transrer very well to movie format while still retaining the novel's charm.
I enjoyed the book. It's different from his usual fare but I have enjoyed all of his stories.
King has made his reputation as a horror writer, but IMO, he is at his best when he is writing about small-town America. And, cover aside (as other commentators have mentioned), this is a coming-of-age story set in small-town America. I have read a dozen or so of his novels, and this one is one of my favourites.
I liked Joyland - it wasn't typical Stephen King - but it was a fun summer read and I was able to sleep after finishing it!!!
You can read my review elsewhere. Meh, he has done better. This could have worked much better at half the length, focusing on the eerie stuff:
This was an enjoyable Stephen King novel for sure, though it never really grabbed me in a way that made it hard to put down. In fact it sat idle for upwards of a week or more at times. I'd read more than twenty or so pages and be interested, but the next time a smaller amount of pages wasn't enough to keep the fire going. It's the kind of book that can be great fun if read through in one or two sittings.
I have a question; on page 277 he recounts the week, and says: "Then, on Thursday afternoon, Fred Dean had come to see me and his visit had nothing to do with Lane Hardy's death.Except I thought it did.
What does that mean?? Thanks!
The thing that really made the book pop for me is that I read it while traveling through Wilmington, NC and visiting a boardwalk there - a completely serendipitous event and not planned. I love both of King's Hard Case Crime books. If you haven't read The Colorado Kid, give it a try, too.
So, early in the book it says that Devin eventually marries Annie. He narrates the book as an older man remembering these events of his 21st year. Do we ever get confirmation that he and Annie had a long life together?
Debbie wrote: "So, early in the book it says that Devin eventually marries Annie. He narrates the book as an older man remembering these events of his 21st year. Do we ever get confirmation that he and Annie had..."
You may be misremembering, Debbie. I don't remember Devin saying anything like that. And I have a decent memory for King's stuff. :)
You may be misremembering, Debbie. I don't remember Devin saying anything like that. And I have a decent memory for King's stuff. :)
I experienced the book in audio, otherwise I swear I would be flipping pages to find it!! I feel like it is somewhere in the beginning before he has any interaction with Annie or Mike, he is walking to Joyland on the beach and mentions seeing them. Then he says something like: "little did I know that within eight months I would marry that woman and.... something"
Well, it is entirely possible that I misunderstood, but....
I agree Heather, I also did not think it was your normal Stephen King book. I enjoyed it very much.
Debbie wrote: "I experienced the book in audio, otherwise I swear I would be flipping pages to find it!!
I feel like it is somewhere in the beginning before he has any interaction with Annie or Mike, he is walk..."
I'll have a look and let you know. :)
I feel like it is somewhere in the beginning before he has any interaction with Annie or Mike, he is walk..."
I'll have a look and let you know. :)
IT'S NOT WHITE.It's not white could refer to two other things. Dev and Mike were discussing the afterlife (or maybe it was Annie) but one of them didn't believe in the afterlife, no Pearly Gates, just darkness. I think it might have been Mike referring to the darkness after death - it's not white.
My other thought on that, was how Mike described Fred's ghost coming to his room at night. He said it was not like a billowing white sheet or gauzy-transparent figure, it was just like a real person. I think it could have referred to this too.
Stepheny wrote: "Terry wrote: "- I was at the beach recently with my family and saw a light blue "Cinderella band" laying all by itself on an empty seat at a food concession and nobody knew why it freaked me out (!..."ME TOO!
Sean wrote: "I got bored throughout. Not a big amusement park guy. Going into detail about the fur was boring to me. Good story, but nothing flashy. Plus the supernatural wasn't exactly a wower"I agree. I can't believe people have given it 4 or 5 stars. Really not one of his best.
J. wrote: "Am i the only person who was disappointed in this book? I'm a huge King fan, but this one just seemed short of feeling. I didn't connect with any of the characters, and it's all the more dishearten..."No you are not the only person disappointed with this book. There are a couple of us. :) I thought it was boring and lacked creativity and imagination. Definately not one of his better books.
Joel wrote: "i was expecting something different but i enjoyed it, finished it 2 days"I absolutely agree. I too thought it may be different and more of a 'crime' novel. However, it was pretty standard Stephen King territory with a crime thrown into the mix. Nonetheless I did enjoy reading it. I found it very absorbing and, like you, got through it in just a few days.
finished it in a day It was a good book.
I really enjoyed this book! Granted it wasn't his typical horror story, it reminded me of some of his short story collections, except longer. I would definitely read more of this type, but also can't wait for his next regular novel!
Jessica have you read Dr. Sleep. It is amazing. It is the recent release of the sequel to the Shining. I gave it 5 stars and have the my complete review here on goodreads.
I second Dr Sleep. An excellent book. I actually enjoyed it MORE than The Shining.
I've been a Stephen King fan since I was a kid and this was definitely different from his usual fare. I really liked it though, there was something almost sweet about it that I really liked.
This was my first King novel and it was okay, I thought that it was really slow paced the first 50 pages were good you had a introduction to the haunted ride, the murder and characters but after that it dragged out for the next 70 pages nothing really happened or significantly stood out for me during these 70 pages and it made me want to give the book up and read something else.It only started to pick up for me when Tom saw Linda's ghost and and Annie and Mike were introduced but the book wasn't very thrilling and left me unsatisfied.
Maybe this just wasn't the King book for me!
Debbie wrote: "I experienced the book in audio, otherwise I swear I would be flipping pages to find it!! I feel like it is somewhere in the beginning before he has any interaction with Annie or Mike, he is walk..."
Actually, he marries a woman that he meets at a coffee shop. My doubt is if it is Jennifer o not.
One of the worst book I have ever read.
This is Steven King writing a book that takes us back to summer and a boy becoming a man with a carnival and its mix of wonderful characters. It's a love story, a mystery a ghost story. I think a homage to what he remembers about summer when he was growing up, when I was growing up. I love the way he writes and like one reader said it is like "Green Mile." I had to pitch this book twice to get my Book Club to read it. They were so worried it was "Horror." Can't wait for their reactions to just the fabulous writing.It is "Joyland." King can do it all!
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hahaa! THat is awesome! LOL Everyone thinks I am weird because I take a wide berth around storm drains because of SK's IT. lol I totlaly understand!