Lisey's Story - Stephen King

Advantages: I got it for half price.
Disadvantages: It was still too much.

...In nearly 18 months in my current job, I have taken lunch away from my desk only once, preferring instead to spend my free time surfing the web. The one exception was earlier this year when Stephen King's "Cell" was newly published and I was so eager to read it that I preferred the book to the internet. When "Lisey's Story" was published, I expected to do the same again. Instead the opposite was true; this time, the internet held a greater attraction than the next page of a new Stephen King novel, which doesn't happen very often. Not to me, at any rate. Lisey Landon is the widow of Scott Landon; a successful and award winning novelist. Finally, a couple of years after his death, Lisey decides it's time to clear out his study. As she expected, there are hundreds of memories of her husband in there. What she didn't expect is that her... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Reasonably solid conclusion
Disadvantages: Very bitty and confusing plot and characters

...Critics and 'Constant Readers' alike may well be surprised with Stephen King's latest offering, which has been described as his most personal and honest novel to date, but which is much harder to define in terms of genre and story than his other novels and consequently, quite hard to review. On the surface, 'Lisey's Story' is about a widow's recollections of her recently deceased husband, Scott, and the emotional journey she goes through to re-establish her place in the world and come to terms both with his absence and her demons about the past. Although she gets the title credit and is portrayed as her husband's saving grace, the real star of the piece is best-selling author Scott; a brilliant but troubled character whose horrific childhood is slowly revealed to us throughout the novel via Lisey's flashbacks and messages he leaves... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: It's A New Stephen King Novel
Disadvantages: It's My Least Favourite King Novel, Ever!

...It's been a big year for the King family (or is that franchise?), with Stephen himself producing his first mainstream novel in years with "Cell", followed by wife Tabitha's latest (and tawdry) attempt to break into the UK market with "Candles Burning" and then, towards the end of 2006, the master of horror's latest supernovel: "Lisey's Story." The rear cover of the novel is full of the usual sycophantic quotes (Nicholas Sparks states: "Lisey's Story is a wondrous novel of marriage, a love story steeped in strength and tenderness, and cast with the most vivid, touching and believable characters in recent literature) and the pre-launch press build-up had me chomping at the bit. I had Lisey's Story on pre-order from Amazon long before its actual publication date was due. I'm disappointed to admit, however, that when the book finally... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful