Group Read - End of Watch Final Comments Spoilers welcome

[Ann]

Have you finished the book? This thread is for comments through the end of the book. Spoilers welcome.

[Dawn]

I thought it was a great ending to the series. Jumping back and forth to Taking us step by step as

[Dawn]

Eh, hate that you can't edit on the iPad! What I was trying to say, I liked how King went back and forth in time so we could see how Brady's powers and plan developed after we knew bits and pieces of what happened. My biggest fear was that he'd be able to continue living by jumping into someone else's mind. Glad it wasn't so easy to do. It was a sad but fitting ending for Bill, Holly and Jerome.

[Ann]

Dawn: I agree, and thought the way the story was put together was genius: beginning with the flashback to Mr Mercedes and seeing the carnage at the job fair through the eyes of an EMT crew that started it all and interweaving Brady's coming into consciousness and taking control with help from Dr B and Freddi around the narrative with Bill, Holly, Barbara and then Jerome.
As I read about the incidents around Brady I kept thinking how could he do this, but trusted SK to take us there, and he certainly did!
It was a sad ending. It seemed inevitable, and the final scenes were gut wrenching yet a fitting and "best case scenario" for our heroes.

[Ann]

The thoughts that stick with me are many ;
- a curiosity about the drug that Dr B was testing in Brady and a bit of unease that experiments like that, unmonitored and with no good intent go on all the time, and
- that Stephen King brings an insight into pain, addiction, obsession and -- in this and the other two Bill Hodges books of aging and dying.
Bill's progression as he retires from a job he loved, becomes depressed, finds new life in a new team of associates and a new purpose in supporting and encouraging them; his denial of an ominous pain, struggles to exist with a diagnosis, and strength in fighting to the end are real and feel real and while painful are part of life and should be considered in our own daily lives interacting with people.

[Anne]

Sorry if I'm a bit negative but I sort of walked away from the book at one point and picked it up again about a week later. I think it was simply because I wasn't enjoying it as much as I wanted to do. The pace was quick and I sometimes felt that this was to the detriment of character development. I'd accepted the book wasn't going to be what I expected (and wanted) but the economical style didn't soften the blow. In the previous book, I liked how King made me engage with Brady - should I pity this screwed-up victim as well as despise the atrocities he caused? This divided feeling about the character was missing in the third book. In fact, I don't think he had much depth at all. Another thing that bothered me was the end. 'Seven months later' (I think it was). I felt that King had gone for walk after finishing it and decided to come back to it and add this on. I know it's a device, he provides us with a sense of normality and degree contentment with the characters before bringing it to its natural conclusion. Yet, I also felt that King didn't want to write another book with Hodges. I can't see how King would be trapped into writing a trilogy but at the same time I'm not sure how far he enjoyed writing this book. Something was missing.

[Melodie]

I really liked it and found it a fitting end to the trilogy. I agree, Ann, that I often find myself wondering about drug experiments that go on with those that are unaware. Brady may have been a victim of his mother, as a child and even as a man, but I don't care what your circumstances are, NOTHING justifies the things he tried to do. I am not a proponent of the "victim" mentality that society tries to foist upon us. We all have a mind of our own and free will. Should a person choose to do the types of things that Brady did, it's because you're a sociopath and an asshole, not because you had a crappy childhood. I know too many people who had horrendous upbringings and are fantastic people. People like Bill Hodges have that figured out, which is what made Bill such a strong character for me and one who will stick with me.

[Ann]

No apology necessary Anne! Sometimes we are simply not wowed by a book that isn't what we expected. We certainly can't say the Stephen King doesn't write series type books (Dark Tower and the recurring themes underneath so many of his books) but he may have even said he didn't see himself writing a continuous series about a detective. Neither did J.K. Rowling with Cormoran Strike, but that veers off topic.
Anyway I do think King was ready to leave Bill Hodges and move on; but also think that was in itself an important focus of the story, aging, illness, dying. I hate to not have any more stories of the trio to read about, and yes Brady in this last book was not a fleshed out opponent, he was more of a "presence or a feeling" and somewhat even "the thing that goes bump in the night that you can't even see" - for me, just what I expected from Stephen King coupled with the great detectives we grew to love and will miss.

Anne wrote: "Sorry if I'm a bit negative but I sort of walked away from the book at one point and picked it up again about a week later. I think it was simply because I wasn't enjoying it as much as I wanted to..."

[Anne]

Ann wrote: "No apology necessary Anne! Sometimes we are simply not wowed by a book that isn't what we expected. We certainly can't say the Stephen King doesn't write series type books (Dark Tower and the recur..."

Thanks, Ann. Yeah, I'm not going to be giving up on King anytime soon:)

[Dawn]

Anne, you're very good at explaining where the book let you down. I often read a book and enjoy, and then its not until later as it sinks in, I realize that wait, that wasn't as good as I thought. For me, Brady was a brain dead experiment. I didn't expect much depth from him and accepted his evilness; although perhaps I'm letting King off the hook, because Brady had enough brain to know who and why he wanted to target Hodges.

Anne wrote: "Sorry if I'm a bit negative but I sort of walked away from the book at one point and picked it up again about a week later. I think it was simply because I wasn't enjoying it as much as I wanted to..."

[Anne]

Thanks Dawn and I know what you mean. Did you enjoy the book?

[Dawn]

Anne wrote: "Thanks Dawn and I know what you mean. Did you enjoy the book?"

I did enjoy it. Finders Keepers was my least favorite of the series, so I was happy to have the focus return to the original trio.

[Carol/Bonadie]

Dawn wrote: " My biggest fear was that he'd be able to continue living by jumping into someone else's mind. ..."

Dawn, I had that same fear. For some reason I was especially afraid that he would jump into the mind of one of the Finders Keepers crew, like Jerome.

[Carol/Bonadie]

Anne wrote: "Sorry if I'm a bit negative but I sort of walked away from the book at one point and picked it up again about a week later. I think it was simply because I wasn't enjoying it as much as I wanted to..."

Interesting comments, Anne. I can see how this book could have been disappointing, looking at it from your perspective.

[Jack]

I liked it, the characters and the comradery are such a nice touch. Great highlight on suicide and the way it grabs people in at weak moments. Im glad bill got his closure and reconnected with his daughter at the end.

Holly was a brilliant character and the fear she would go off the rails was part of bills reasons to fight on. I like that king gave that closure with hollys character at the end too.

What a character brady was, it was surreal how evil he was and the frightening ability to project his mind into others. I thought there was a good depth to his character as his recovery was highlighted and how he took over each of his stooges. His obsession with revenge and suicide made him such a good villian. I was so scared he was going to jump into bill and get his revenge.

Im happy it ended with this book, and could not see it stretching out further. King did well to resurrect brady for a finale like this to close the series out. it couldve been a lot worse i think if it went on as a series with more stories like in finders keepers to keep it going.

[Ann]

Jack: I was extremely nervous that Brady would jump into another person, ezpecially into Bill or Jerome. Any vulnerable victim hurt by Brady was a hit against Bill.
Jack wrote: "I liked it, the characters and the comradery are such a nice touch. Great highlight on suicide and the way it grabs people in at weak moments .....
(Brady)
I thought there was a good depth to his character as his recovery was highlighted and how he took over each of his stooges. His obsession with revenge and suicide made him such a good villian. I was so scared he was going to jump into bill and get his revenge."

[Carol/Bonadie]

Jack wrote: "I liked it, the characters and the comradery are such a nice touch. Great highlight on suicide and the way it grabs people in at weak moments. Im glad bill got his closure and reconnected with his ..."

Good comments, Jack. I agree with you on all of them, especially that the series ended there, even though I will miss Bill and the gang.