Joyland by Stephen Kin - 5 Stars and a <3

[Regina Lindsey]

Devin Jones, Jonesy, is sixty years old and reflecting on the year 1973; the year he experienced the quintessential loss of first love. "People think first love is sweet, and never sweeter than when that first bond snaps. You've heard a thousand pop and country sons that prove the point; some fool got his heart broke. Yet that first broken is always the most painful, the slowest to mend, and leaves the most visible scar. In order to assuage the pain he takes a job at Joyland, where they sell fun. His experience at Joyland not only helped helped him navigate the loss of the breakup, but it brought people into his life that would become life-long friends and show him "there are worse things than losing the girl." Of course, it is King. So, there are ghosts and a murder mystery.

This is my second King book. The first being 11/22/63. While I know King is known for his mastery of the horror genre, the things I enjoyed most about these two books were his character development and the relationships within the story. I loved every single one of the main characters, especially Mike. Jonesy seemed authentic both as a young man and as a sixty year old reflecting on his younger self and does so with subtle humor and a bit of nostalgia. It is a short book and I read it in one setting. But, what really resonated was the theme of dealing with pain, both physical and emotional. Many of the characters did so by shifting their focus to other people or activities. That's kind of a personal philosophy for me and I enjoyed seeing it reflected in the story.

"All I can say is what you already know: some days are treasure. Not many, but I think in almost every life there are a few. That was one of mine, and when I'm blue-when life comes down on me and everything looks tawdry and cheap, the way Joyland Avenue did on a rainy day - I go back to it, if only to remind myself that life isn't always a butcher's game. Sometimes the prizes are real. Sometimes they're precious."

I'm sure this will be a favorite of mine this year.

[Book Concierge]

Read The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon ....

[Rachel N.]

I'm glad you loved it. Another book of his which I think has really good character development is Duma Key. There are definitely supernatural elements to that story too but it's the characters I remember most.

[Ellen]

Yay!

[Anita]

Love Stephen King, but haven't read this one. I will! Please consider his On Writing. You won't regret it.