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End of Watch
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End Of Watch
Betsy wrote: "I'm only at 40% but.... sorry to say, that it is not grabbing me = somewhat disappointed, I guess. Maybe my expectations were too high?I wonder, Kandice, what you "love' about it, but.... we'll h..."
I genuinely love the relationship between Bill and Holly. As we get further in the book I also enjoy reading the dynamic between Bill/Holly and Pete/Issy. There's a bit of jealousy, envy, fear and plain old dislike.
The "mystery" itself is not the best, but I read King for his characters as much as for his actual stories.
Just got my copy in the mail yesterday. I plan on starting it as soon as I'm done with the book I'm reading now, which I hope to finish this weekend.
Wow. Well, this wasn't what I expected. after 2 books of character building and stage setting, this is 430 pages of action. Not at all like a King book in my opinion. I, nonetheless, loved it! The suspense just keeps building and building until it explodes at the end. Who said King can't do a thriller?
Definitely the best of the three books of the Bill Hodges Trilogy; but, ultimately a mere footnote to King's career.Bringing Brady back gave the whole thing a shot of adrenaline; the parts of the novel detailing his actions and plans of revenge were outstanding. But the detective part of it was too slight and by the numbers to be really interesting. Hodges and Holly are simply boring now and Jerome has had a token-ish feel the whole way.
Hurrah for the poignant ending, tho. (I stated in my review of Mr. Mercedes that I felt King's colloquial 1st person narration might have suited the story better, but the ending reconciled me to the style King adopted.)
I just finished EoW and I'm wrecked. So many emotions...drained, stunned, relief. Mr. King touched on some very powerful social issues. Especially poignant for me as an African American, I could so relate to Barbara's feelings that no matter how educated, articulate, or assimilated we think we are, to some we will be thought of as less than. Danny and Abra are still my favorite SK characters but I simply love Bill, Holly, Jerome, and Barbara. Even Pete worked his way into my heart. There is such humanity and connection in these ordinary but wonderfully drawn characters.
Sk's writing has certainly evolved beyond supernatural monsters. Human monsters are far worse. Powerful story and eloquent ending. The film adaptation had better not be another major disappointment.
I haven't had the chance to go out and buy the book yet. I have three other's I need to finish up first...but with the comments above, I am already feeling disappointing!
I have bought this one just two days ago and iam a 100 hundred pages in. So far i like it. Better than finders keepers but out of the 3 i think mr mercedes will stay my favourite. I really like the character of holly. Bringing brady back is of coarse a great move and King going a little more his usual way is a big plus for me
Not certain how to mark this spoiler since it also involves Dreamcatcher...Does Brady's (view spoiler)? Not something I would likely notice if I hadn't just read Dreamcatcher last month :-)
I thought End Of Watch was better then Finders Keepers even though it was still a bit flawed. I did get a little emotional when I got to the end. Even with the series being up and down as a whole, I was always a fan of the characters.
I have been reading Stephen King since about 1976. End of Watch, like most of his books excels in character development... I never read the Dark Tower series, but have read all his others and the way he creates characters that are real is what makes his works so good..
I just finished End of Watch. I read all three books in the series and my reaction to the series as a whole is a bit meh for a King book(s). I don't hate them but they felt a bit different to me in a way I can't put my finger on. I am glad I read them but doubt they will be on my re-read list.
I agree about them being different. It took me until the end of the 2nd book to figure out that the 1st 2 were really just lead up until this last one, which is more like a SK book. For me anyway. Still, really good mystery stories.
I have to agree. Maybe end of Watch is not up there with kings best books story wise but the characters are among the best. He makes them so real it amazes me every time
Bill wrote: "I am about 1/3 into it and am thinking it could end up being the best of the 3. I was not a real fan of Finders Keepers, it was ok, but I am getting a little bored with novels where one of the main..."I'm in complete agreement with you. I loved Mr Mercedes, wasn't a big fan of Finders Keepers. It felt so left field to me. I love how this book is tying everything up with the main characters. I'm about 2/3 through.
I completed the book a few days ago and really enjoyed it. I hope you guys like it too. I think it's safe to say that this one's gonna be the favorite of the trilogy for many of us.
I felt I had to re-read Mr. Mercedes to better understand End of Watch. I'm about half way through MM and have to say I like it much better this time through. I liked End of Watch but had some misgivings about Brady which have been cleared up after another visit to his backstory. Four stars on each of them. I'll have a review of Watch and a rewrite of MM up in another week or so. If you want to take a look at my misguided review of Mercedes before I rewrite it it's at:https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Nick, you are stronger than I am -- I disliked MM and applaud you for re-reading it. I probably should given your change of heart, but I won't be bringing myself to do so. You should keep both reviews up and just add in the new content since I would like the see the contrast in your review then and now.
Funny how the opinions are already mixed -- best book in series v. worst book in series, etc. Never ceases to amaze me the varying reactions people have to literature.PS: Unless something radically changes in the last 5 hours of the audiobook (about 65% or so), I think I am firmly in the worst book camp (or as bad as MM). Though interesting to me that folks who liked FK seemed to not like EoW and vice-versa. Are you seeing that too?
I think of the three I liked FK the best.
Loved finders keepers but Brady had no role in it.
Finders Keepers is by far my fav. of the 3...but honestly it could have been a stand alone novel (except for the very end with Brady). End of Watch is weaker than the other 2 imo but now it's been a few days since I've read it I guess it was better than I first though.
The weakest one in the trilogy, Brady was much better in Mr. Mercedes. He was one of the better King villains with such an interesting past, I felt his character was butchered for continuity's sake. Mr. Mercedes told a better story with the exact same characters. The one place where End of Watch does trump its predecessor is the final showdown and the epilogue that followed.My thoughts on the book https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Leah wrote: " Though interesting to me that folks who liked FK seemed to not like EoW and vice-versa. Are you seeing that too? "
Have not noticed this earlier but agree I liked Finders Keepers but felt End of Watch was merely average.
well i just finished reading End of Watch and for me it was an amazing read. Still Mr. Mercedes is my fav out of the three but this one comes really really close. Ive said it before and ill say it again...Holly is my favourite character:) really nice ending to the series. I hope that King still has some classic scares to put out for us constant readers. Not that they are bad but his books seem to steer away from that for some time now. Anyway...5 stars for End of Watch from me:)
Jarek wrote: "well i just finished reading End of Watch and for me it was an amazing read. Still Mr. Mercedes is my fav out of the three but this one comes really really close. Ive said it before and ill say it ..."I agree completely. I liked Mr. Mercedes best and enjoyed Finders Keepers, but End of Watch was great. Nice to see some real humanity in King's beautifully-developed characters. Holly is great, but I identified more with the old det ret. There was enough spooky in this book to satisfy me. I don't miss the creepier stuff.
I read that some readers have said that they didn't like the beginning of End Watch because it was a re-hash of the man w/ the big gray car tearing through the Job Fair crowd like a mowing machine.I actually liked it b/c of the addition of Martine Stover, who was the most badly hurt survivor and her story of murder/suicide involving her mother. I thought that was a great way to introduce the (view spoiler)
RE the title: Heard that King wanted to call this book SUICIDE or PRINCE of SUICIDE, but it was wife Tabitha who suggestedEND of WATCH ( when a cop is ready to retire, which many times triggers depression).
Which is the better title, in your opinion?
Betsy wrote: "RE the title: Heard that King wanted to call this book SUICIDE or PRINCE of SUICIDE, but it was wife Tabitha who suggestedEND of WATCH... Which is the better title, in your opinion?"
End of Watch. We all knew what was coming.
Betsy wrote: "RE the title: Heard that King wanted to call this book SUICIDE or PRINCE of SUICIDE, but it was wife Tabitha who suggestedEND of WATCH ( when a cop is ready to retire, which many times triggers de..."
End of Watch sounds a lot better.
Betsy wrote: "I read that some readers have said that they didn't like the beginning of End Watch because it was a re-hash of the man w/ the big gray car tearing through the Job Fair crowd like a mowing machine...."I liked how he rehashed the job fair scene in each novel to connect the stories. I think it was a good idea that made the books better
I loved the relationship that slowly built between Bill and Holly in the three books. King's characters are always very "real".
"End of Watch" kind of gave the ending away....then again so did the obvious foreshadowing.
I agree w/ Dennis and Erin about End of Watch being the better title. For me, it took the focus away from Brady (Prince of Suicide) and placed it on Hodges, where I thought that it should be.
We all relate to certain characters for many different reasons; I see where many of you like Holly. I do too.1. I like that she thinks outside of the box and has uncanny intuitions.
2. It was she who knows that the Stover (view spoiler) Holly got into Mrs. Ellerton's computer: a. (view spoiler)
3. Holly spoke to their housekeeper and was told that the two women were " happy" w/ their lives, not suicidal.
4. It was Holly who saw the (view spoiler) She thought: what would these women do w/ a gadget like this?
5. I loved how Holly has grown from Book 1 to become Hodges' resourceful partner, feels comfortable making brief eye contact and Hodges can even touch her.
6. I thought that her feelings toward Pete's partner Isabelle were right on: "Isabelle thinks I'm crazy; she only sees what she wants to see and doesn't like those who see more." (which Holly does).
She's come a LONG way and I applaud her !
I agree that end of watch is a great title. Just finished reading it and doing a re-read of Mr. Mercedes. My 4-star review of End or Watch is posted at: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I'm going to revise my review of Mr. Mercedes and upgrade the book to 4 stars. I reread it mostly because I wanted to spend a little more time with Bill and Holly after reading End of Watch.
I'm hoping that now the July 4th holiday weekend is over, maybe we can get our discussion started. I have so many questions I'd like help with.Before Hodges actually got his test results and all we know is that he has this painful, steady ache in his stomach, did you think ulcer, like he did, or did you expect the news that he received?
Do you feel this health problem fit the story well?
Did you wonder why King chose (view spoiler) My husband died of this .
I had a feeling It was gonna be something terminal. I think the end was perfect for this story. A sense of closure. King seems to contemplate death a lot in his recent books I noticed.
Jarek wrote: "I had a feeling It was gonna be something terminal. I think the end was perfect for this story. A sense of closure. King seems to contemplate death a lot in his recent books I noticed."I agree, that king's recent books are more and more about death and even a series of specific death-related topics. Dr. Sleep (a happy death), Revival (life after death - worse case scenario), Bill Hodges Trilogy (death and suicide.)
Albo the bazaar of bad dreams deals with this. There's a good story there about if u have a chance to live your life again but not change a thing would you do it. For me...the reveal in revival was one of the creepiest things I read:)
Jarek wrote: "Albo the bazaar of bad dreams deals with this. There's a good story there about if u have a chance to live your life again but not change a thing would you do it. For me...the reveal in revival was..."Revival: Yes, creepy and distressing. I think there's a ray of hope buried in there somewhere, but it's hard to find.
Distressing is the word more fitting . you are correct Nick:)
Jarek, I agree that the end was perfect for the story. (view spoiler) and Hodges lasted 8 months = a good way to bring closure.I'm glad that King's end was satisfactory as so many times I have heard that this is where his writing falters.
Nick, As usual, you make interesting observations: the "happy death" in Dr. Sleep, live after death in Revival and in the trilogy "death and suicide". You think of things that enlighten.
Betsy I also think that kings endings are often lacking to say the least. Not always though as the Hodges trilogy is an example of
I feel like he chose pancreatic cancer because of the relatively short span of the disease when it’s fatal. It also occurred to me that King had Hodges die very purposefully. Perhaps he felt it would be too easy to write series entry after series entry instead of coming up with new novels. He can’t even go back and write novels in between those we already have because the time frame is so short. I bet there are a few short stories about this threesome down the pike, though.
Betsy wrote: "Jarek, I agree that the end was perfect for the story. [spoilers removed] and Hodges lasted 8 months = a good way to bring closure.I'm glad that King's end was satisfactory as so many times I have..."
Thanks, but my wife might disagree. She feels that I only think of things that cost too much.
Kandice wrote: "I feel like he chose pancreatic cancer because of the relatively short span of the disease when it’s fatal. It also occurred to me that King had Hodges die very purposefully. Perhaps he felt it wou..."I'd be grateful for some short stories about the Finders Keepers crew. Maybe even one after Bill... Holly solves a case on her own.
A scene I liked was between Brady and the new head nurse Scapelli who thinks Brady is avoiding the punishment he deserves. He knows that she doesn't like him , and he gives her "the finger". She then twists and pinches his nipple quite hard. His face is blank but the venetian blinds rattle. You just know that there will be some kind of revenge, right?What forces drive a man like Brady Hartswick besides revenge, I wonder?
Well he seemed to have taken pleasure in killing people. Some twisted need to inflict pain,death. I've read a lot about serial killers and what drives some of them is all kinds of nasty
Betsy wrote: "A scene I liked was between Brady and the new head nurse Scapelli who thinks Brady is avoiding the punishment he deserves. He knows that she doesn't like him , and he gives her "the finger". She th..."See, Betsy, there's my problem with Brady, what drives him to evil could be better stated. Clearly he's nuts, feels inferior because he's brilliant and can't get anywhere, feels frustrated because his creative ideas never amount to anything so he can't succeed the way HE expects and dear old MOM led him to believe he could. And speaking of Mom, that relationship twists his sexual instincts so he has no natural outlet for grown up love and affection and down to earth ambitions of a happy home life. Maybe some of that tips the scales in favor of the mass murder of little girls. But where does this pre-occupation with suicide come from? King just never brings all that to a head, although in Mr. Mercedes he explores and explains... almost too much.
I understand your "problem", Nick, b/c that was what made me continue to wonder.The only thing that I could find was ~ 66% when we're told that.... "Brady was fascinated with suicide at the age of 12 when he read about the Jonestown suicides and he said,
"I will be the Jim Jones of the 21st century."
With all the Zappits, he thought of teen suicides all over and then his comment, " How would you like that, Detective Hodges?" "Murder isn't control; murder is just murder.
SUICIDE IS CONTROL." Maybe that's our answer?
Stephen King Fans
Books mentioned in this topic
Raven: The Untold Story of the Rev. Jim Jones and His People (other topics)Dreamcatcher (other topics)
I wonder, Kandice, what you "love' about it, but.... we'll have to get into that later. How I wish that I loved it too !!