Reviewer's Foreword
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There is nothing quite as good as a decent, old-fashioned horror story to those that like me enjoy this genre. So before you think 'Oh no, not another Stephen King book review' allow me a chance to say why this ... Read review
Bag of Bones is partly inspired by Daphne du Maurier's classic Rebecca, but there's more ... more
than homage in this novel of horror and romance. Like du Maurier's Manderley, King's scary old place (on the shore of Maine's remote Dark Score Lake) is haunted...
Postage & Packaging: refer to website Availability: Check Site.
Bag of Bonesis partly inspired by Daphne du Maurier's classicRebecca, but there's more ... more
than homage in this novel of horror and romance. Like du Maurier's Manderley, King's scary old place (on the shore of Maine's remote Dark Score Lake) is haunted by...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Bag of Bonesis partly inspired by Daphne du Maurier's classicRebecca, but there's more ... more
than homage in this novel of horror and romance. Like du Maurier's Manderley, King's scary old place (on the shore of Maine's remote Dark Score Lake) is haunted by...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Bag of Bonesis partly inspired by Daphne du Maurier's classicRebecca, but there's more ... more
than homage in this novel of horror and romance. Like du Maurier's Manderley, King's scary old place (on the shore of Maine's remote Dark Score Lake) is haunted by...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: refer to website
Bag of Bones is partly inspired by Daphne du Maurier's classic Rebecca, but there's more ... more
than homage in this novel of horror and romance. Like du Maurier's Manderley, King's scary old place (on the shore of Maine's remote Dark Score Lake) is haunted ...
Postage & Packaging: refer to website Availability: Check Site.
Bag of Bones is partly inspired by Daphne du Maurier's classic Rebecca, but there's more ... more
than homage in this novel of horror and romance. Like du Maurier's Manderley, King's scary old place (on the shore of Maine's remote Dark Score Lake) is haunted...
Postage & Packaging: refer to website Availability: Check Site.
Bag of Bones is partly inspired by Daphne du Maurier's classic Rebecca, but there's more ... more
than homage in this novel of horror and romance. Like du Maurier's Manderley, King's scary old place (on the shore of Maine's remote Dark Score Lake) is haunted...
Postage & Packaging: refer to website Availability: Check Site.
Bag of Bonesis partly inspired by Daphne du Maurier's classicRebecca, but there's more ... more
than homage in this novel of horror and romance. Like duMaurier's Manderley, King's scary old place (on the shore of Maine's remote Dark Score Lake) is haunted by t...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Bag of Bonesis partly inspired by Daphne du Maurier's classicRebecca, but there's more ... more
than homage in this novel of horror and romance. Like du Maurier's Manderley, King's scary old place (on the shore of Maine's remote Dark Score Lake) is haunted by...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Bag of Bonesis partly inspired by Daphne du Maurier's classicRebecca, but there's more ... more
than homage in this novel of horror and romance. Like du Maurier's Manderley, King's scary old place (on the shore of Maine's remote Dark Score Lake) is haunted by the late lady of the manor. There are many gory ghosts afoot though: men, women, and wailing kids. The hero, a thriller novelist, stirs up hell's angry shades while investigating his wife's death. It turns out she either had a dark secret herself or was onto some dread scandal lurking in Dark Score Lake. As in King's previous book,Wizard and Glass, the fabric of reality is thin, and nosy narrators are in peril of plunging right out of this world and into a rather hostile otherworld.Bag of Bonesis a writer-haunted book, too. The spirits of Herman Melville and Ray Bradbury are deeply felt, and so are the tale's two romances (the hero muses on his marriage and falls for a young single mum with a marvellous psychic daughter). There is also good-humoured satire of the real bestseller book world--the hero complains that "the publicity process is like going to a sushi bar where you're the sushi." In its deep concerns with love, sprawling families, the writer's life, endangered children and good old-fashioned storytelling, the book resembles a John Irving novel. It is also absolutely classic Stephen King, packed with nifty turns of phrase, irreverent wit and lurid ghouls who grab you from beneath the bed while you cower under the covers. --Tim Appelo
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Bag of Bonesis partly inspired by Daphne du Maurier's classicRebecca, but there's more ... more
than homage in this novel of horror and romance. Like du Maurier's Manderley, King's scary old place (on the shore of Maine's remote Dark Score Lake) is haunted by the late lady of the manor. There are many gory ghosts afoot though: men, women, and wailing kids. The hero, a thriller novelist, stirs up hell's angry shades while investigating his wife's death. It turns out she either had a dark secret herself or was onto some dread scandal lurking in Dark Score Lake. As in King's previous book,Wizard and Glass, the fabric of reality is thin, and nosy narrators are in peril of plunging right out of this world and into a rather hostile otherworld.Bag of Bonesis a writer-haunted book, too. The spirits of Herman Melville and Ray Bradbury are deeply felt, and so are the tale's two romances (the hero muses on his marriage and falls for a young single mum with a marvellous psychic daughter). Thereis also good-humoured satire of the real bestseller book world--the hero complains that "the publicity process is like going to a sushi bar where you're the sushi." In its deep concerns with love, sprawling families, the writer's life, endangered children and good old-fashioned storytelling, the book resembles a John Irving novel. It is also absolutely classic Stephen King, packed with nifty turns of phrase, irreverent wit and lurid ghouls who grab you from beneath the bed while you cower under the covers. --Tim Appelo
Postage & Packaging:free Super Saver Delivery Availability:refer to website
There is nothing quite as good as a decent, old-fashioned horror story to those that like me enjoy this genre. So before you think 'Oh no, not another Stephen King book review' allow me a chance to say why this is one of his better novels.
I don't think there is any need to go into the author's background except to say that there is a class ... ...call it "working class" the Americans call it either "White trash" or "trailer trash".
Before I get some remarks about "racialism" I'm simply trying to point out that these euphemism's are still in existence today as the times when Stephen King was a young lad. "White Trash" were one step up from coloured people, "trailer trash" applied to those who could not afford a proper house. ... more
There is nothing quite as good as a decent, old-fashioned horror story to those that like me enjoy this genre. So before you think 'Oh no, not another Stephen King book review' allow me a chance to say why this is one of his better novels. I don't think there is any need to go into the author's background except to say that there is a class distinction in America much like our own British one. We call it "working class" the Americans call it either "White trash" or "trailer trash". Before I get some remarks about "racialism" I'm simply trying to point out that these euphemism's are still in existence today as the times when Stephen King was a young lad. "White Trash" were one step up from coloured people, "trailer trash" applied to those who could not afford a proper house. Stephen King's family were the former type that is why you will find such expressions in many of his books. He must have felt it keenly to use it so many times. This has some bearing on the book so hang in their with me for a while.
The Plot ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The year is 1994 and in Derry, Maine, Mike Noonan's wife Jo has recently died from a brain aneurysm while coming out of the local drugstore. Mike is a fairly successful writer but in the aftermath of his wife's death he finds he can no longer write. This is no ordinary writer's block but a severe panic attack every time he approaches his computer. Then the nightmares start all of them linked to a town on the Dark Score Lake where Mike and Jo had a retreat called" Sara Laughs" a substantial log cabin on the shores of the lake and also a home to locals and the "summer people".
Roughly around the months before Jo dies a young woman called Mary meets the son of a millionaire businessman, Max Devore who once had some attachment to the same place. In the space of a few weeks they get married, much to the annoyance of Max who wanted a much better bride for his beloved son Lance. Cutting him off without a penny to his name the young couple survive on what little earnings both can make until the birth of a baby girl Kyra forces them to live in a cheap trailer. Lance is killed a year later in a freak accident and "Mattie" struggles to bring Kyra up on her own.
This is the setting for a chain of events that will bring Mike together with Mattie and Kyra nearly four years later. In an attempt to face his nightmares Mike returns to the place where once he was happy with Jo, the only problem with their marriage was the lack of a child, the ultimate sorrow for Mike was finding out that Jo was newly pregnant when she died, but why did she keep it from him? All is not well in the house called Sara Laughs, a child weeps in the night, the fridge magnets start to spell out words and then Mike finds that Jo had been visiting the house without telling him while he was deep in writing a new book.
He first meets Kyra, a bright three-year-old child walking in the middle of a busy road, scooping her to safety in his arms Mary (Mattie) screeches to a halt with her battered car inches away from Mike's own. His initial thought of her as irresponsible mother changes when he finds out her background and the custody suit that Max is intent on winning despite the fact that he is far too old to care for such a young child. So the battle begins with Mike paying for a lawyer to fight for Mattie and her child. He also has to fight against the attraction he feels towards her despite an age-gap of nearly twenty years.
The poltergeist activities in the house take on a new meaning when Mike buys three sets of fridge magnets, two for his own house and one for Kyra, it seems that there are two presences in the house, one benign, one vengeful. Words appear "help her" and in the trailer Kyra too is picking up similar messages. Mike discovers that Jo had been researching the history of the area, in particular the events at the turn of the century when a band of talented coloured musicians once lived near to their house named after Sara the leading singer whose raw singing voice and her laughter charmed people from miles around. After over a year why did the group suddenly leave when they had built cabins there? Slowly Mike picks up rumours of a young coloured boy that died from blood poisoning after being trapped in a snare. Other rumours led to yet another young coloured boy being drowned in the lake. Then there are the stories that Jo found out, more cases of drowning this time over a period of time that spanned decades and involved certain families that had always lived in the area. Add to this the unusual name of Kia that Mike had chosen if the couple had a girl-child, the fact that Kyra called herself Ki and all the elements of suspense are there for the readers to find out for themselves.
Notes on the plot ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Stephen King's books are always page-turners but rarely has he juggled so many sub-plots without giving away the ending. He has that rare talent of building up the suspense until you long to find out the ending, it's one of the points that fans disagree on, some find the descriptions too long, others relish that slow build-up of tension that only few horror-writers can do so well. There is a lot of the supernatural in the book and some action sequences that are gripping, however, this is one of his more restrained books with very little of the gory bits that put readers off. There are some parts that are truly horrifying but this is no blood and gore story, neither is there the bad language that some find offensive. The horror is the kind that makes the reader glance over their shoulder and is not advisable to read late at night.
I've chosen this style rather than a lengthy summary. A good deal of the story concentrates on the subject of child custody, something that King did a good deal of research on. There is also romance of an enduring kind, which reaches out from beyond the grave. It's also another peek into small town mentality something that Stephen King does so well. Many of his books are set in or around the area of Maine where he lives with his family. For a large number of his fans this continuity helps to understand the American way of life that could prove difficult to understand in another setting.
Writing in the first person narrative is never an easy way to write a book as we see different characters only from the perspective of the speaker. We have to take the other characters on trust and hope the narrator is guiding us faithfully. There are characters in the book that we come to love or hate but the writing is so good that we get to see inside the narrator himself, warts and all. Despite some graphic scenes of violence the interaction between Mike and Kyra is the highlight of the book and the tenderness of such a fragile bond often had me near to tears, I wonder if King put the love of his own children into the soul of the Mike?
Summary ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I'm sure you have already guessed this is one of my favourite Stephen King books. It has something about it that stands out from some of his better-known books. Some may find it slow in parts and too raw in others but for me it brings the author to life in ways that his other books didn't quite reach. It scared me a lot in some parts, it also made me take a good look inside myself to acknowledge that dark side that all people have at some times in their lives. There is also a moral to the story but that would be giving too much away. Borrow it from the library, look in second-hand shops or seek it out on Amazon or E-bay, but read it and weep. Prices.
My copy is a hardback version that I bought when I belonged to a book club. I think I probably paid about £8 for it as I have a large collection of his books in hardback. Prices vary as usual from 1p to about £6.30 depending on whether you want to chance an auction or buy it outright. As normal both Amazon and E-bay offer the best deals. In the words of the Master himself, thank you, constant reader. Lisa.
Advantages: Wonderfully intricate plot, superb writing Disadvantages: Some might find it confusing
...all characters are just another bag of bones. I suppose he's right. I suppose at some point you've got to decide to leave those bones to rest and enjoy real life for a while. And as sorry as I am that this novel doesn't make promises for new novels that are just as good, I suppose King's right to retire on a high. ...
DoubleFantasy11 06.06.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bag of Bones - Stephen King
Advantages: Atmospheric and touching Disadvantages: A little slow but for a ghost story that's okay.
I seem to have been reading this novel for a long time, in all probability it has probably only taken me just over a week, a very busy week I might add. But to be honest I feel like me and this book have been intertwined a lot longer.
King, here, appears to be writing a traditional ghost story, there are screams in the night, the main character hears the mysterious sound of a child crying upon entering his property, there are periods of coldness ... ...by. Which would all point to a traditional ghost story, but with King there is usually more to it than that.
I'll give you a brief outline of the plot, but I'll not go into too much detail here as I don't want to spoil the read for those of you who decide that this sounds like your sort of thing.
Michael Noonan, a moderately-known writer is a widow. His wife dies, not in mysterious circumstances, but certainly with certain secrets in her possession. ...
kitty17 06.08.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bag of Bones - Stephen King
This book is really one of the better books out there. It sort of stinks as a whole that everybody doesn't love it.
Everybody should try and obtain this book.
I hope everybody who buys books, will please go out and spend their good money on this one.
This review used to be better. But I cannot write reviews for free.
Come and see my wonderful reviews at Epinions.
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Scapp70 27.05.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bag of Bones - Stephen King
Advantages: Good character portrayal Disadvantages: none so far
...goes something like this:-
Bag of bones is set around an author called Mike Noonan who's wife dies suddenly one day, whilst out buying a pregnancy testing kit (he didn't know she was pregnant). Mike then finds that he gets writers block and cannot face ever writing again. After a couple of years since his wife's death he goes to their summer retreat at 'Sara Laughs' where he meets a woman called Mattie and her young daughter Kyra. Shortly afterwards ... ...you want to find out what happens in the rest of the story, then you will have to go out any buy the book. 'Bag of bones' retails at around £6.99, which you will find is the average sort of price for Stephen King books. However, depending on where you buy the book from you may get it on a special offer as W H Smiths at present are doing an offer of any 2 paperback books for £10 (which I myself took up the offer today) and went and bought the complete ...
tazzy232 07.11.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bag of Bones - Stephen King
Advantages: An Amazing story Line where I could not put down in parts Disadvantages: Some parts were harder to read
I have to say first off that this book is not one of his best books, but also not one of his worst. I have to say I did read this book in about 2 days as there were some bits where I just could not put it down. The book by no means is short it is 660 pages long and most of them are of pure entertainment. The story is about a writer called Mike Noonan, in the story his wife sudden dies while running to help someone in a car crash. If this is not bad ... ...after trying for years of having a baby. Mike then starts to suffer from desperate writer's block and is drawn through many a hellish year until he decides to pack up and move to his summer home, Sara Laughs, which is situated in the beautiful state of Maine along the lake. The irony of this is, that this beautiful lakes side home has been haunting him in his dreams for months before he decided to move there. However, when Mike does make it back ...
Yankee_tam 07.02.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Bag of Bones - Stephen King
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Advantages: King's style, the characters, the overall writing of it. Disadvantages: Not 'The Best King Ever', some goriness, v. nasty dog demise.
for the paperback to get printed), others are battered 1984 editions that would have seen better days if they had acted as a small child’s stool to stand on while he brushed his teeth.
For some reason (probably my then-emerging and now-solid obsession with thrillers and romances), I forgot StephenKing for a while. Before ‘Buick’, which I finished yesterday, the last King novel I read was ‘Bag of Bones’, which I think was published around 1997 (could be wrong). I don’t quite know the reason for this pause, but I aim to fill the gap now, with a recently acquired stack of his latest stuff.
The reason I snapped up ‘Buick’ as soon as it came out was because at Christmas my sister gave me a copy of his only non-fiction work, the fabulous ‘On Writing’, in which King mentions the beginning of this project. ‘On Writing’ is half advice ...
Product Information for "Bag of Bones - Stephen King" »
Product details
Type
Fiction
Genre
Horror
Title
Bag of Bones
Author
Stephen King
ISBN
0340718196; 034071820X; 0340951427; 0684853507
Manufacturer's product description
When bestselling crime writer Mike Noonan's wife dies, he suffers from writer's block. Until he is drawn from Derry to his lakeside retreat, Sara Laughs - a house once inhabited by a famous singer. It's a community run by rich, tyrannical, wheelchair-bound Devore and his terrifying, skeletal female bookkeeper. Devore is hell-bent on getting custody of his grandchild. Three year old Kyra and her young mother, Mattie, turn to Mike for help - and Mike, besotted by Mattie, is powerless to resist. But there are others at Sara Laughs determined to prevent Mike's success - and Kyra can feel them too...
Compare Bag of Bones - Stephen King to other similar Horror Books »
Stephen King's claim to fame ; Superb atmosphere ; Sublime plot ; A vivid imagination that stretches all supernatural boundaries ; Probably responsible for some of the best horror films of the 70's and 80's
Some unessesary background in the first half ; Kubrik mucked up the story too much ; Could have been much more (*)
A nice gripping and readable novel ; A terrific tale of survival ; Very atmospheric ; The characters thoughts and feelings are projected well to the reader
Suddenly stops flowing towards the middle ; King can be slightly over obsequious towards the main character (*)
