Rating: 
Summary: King Cheats his Readers
Review: Reportedly, King was heard coming up with the idea of this book (a girl who gets lost in the woods) on a Canadian interview during his BAG OF BONES book tour, using it as an example of how he writes...expanding on a simple idea. He also reportedly wrote this story in between stops on this book tour on his laptop. It shows. In a book about a girl getting lost in the woods, King never decides exactly how she gets lost, foreshadowing her as "stepping behind a stand of bushes" to take a pee, actually describing her getting lost by going off the path and down a hill and hanging on to a pine (no stand of bushes mentioned), after going a "little way" down a side path, and then later revising this "little way" down the side path as "50, 60, 70 paces" down that side path, in order to make it believable that she would get lost between the fork of two trails, which would be pretty impossible if she only went a "little way" down one path. Trisha, unlike almost anyone who has ever become lost, NEVER considers going back the way she came! At one point King, after giving Trisha the smarts to actually use landmarks to ensure that she is travelling in a straight line, apparently realized that she could easily use this sane, intelligent technique to send her in a straight line BACK THE WAY SHE CAME, and writes himself out of this difficulty by having Trisha run screaming like an idiot so that she can finally be believably lost. A major plot point is mentioned in Trisha's smashed Gameboy video game, a device which happens to run on AA batteeries like the Walkman that Trisha depends on for spiritual support, and the reader waits in vain for Trisha to discover the batteries in this device, as the ones in her Walkman slowly weaken, only to have it totally forgotten, and never mentioned again. The most disturbing part of the book lies in what seems to be King's personal antipathy towards women in general, whether they are little girls or adult women. King seems to relish torturing Trisha endlessly with bumps, scrapes, mosquitos, wasps, hunger, and has Trisha peculiarly focus on her own sexuality in a way that seems way too adult for 9 years old, having her think of herself as a stripteaser, imagine herself as an exercise video girl "flex those hips, move those buttocks", repeat sayings of her friend Pepsi "Utterly Sexual", and at one point is described, from the narrator view, as being "breastless" for absolutely no reason I could fathom. Does King think little nine year old girls SHOULD have breasts? An extremely disturbing and jarring moment is experienced when the story joltingly switches away from Trisha to describe the police search for her, and bizarrely comments on how, IF Trisha has been kidnapped by a child molesting murderer, that the police DON'T expect to find her panties. As in King's bizarre kiddy group sex scene in IT, this material reveals a rather unnerving side to King's thinking about children and sexuality that one hopes will not deepen into more blatant expression as he ages. His portrait of Trisha's mother is typically condemnatory, painting her as a hysterical witch who just doesn't understand how much little girls need their daddys, taking an apparent side with the alcoholic father, who Trisha loves, as being the more important relationship, condemning her mother for her divorcing of the man. This story was written on the fly, and apparently in response to Anne Rices release of a slim novella in hardback format, that made King realize he could get away with a similar slim novella to fulfil his contract obligations. If you haven't read any of King's earlier work, please try SALEM'S LOT, THE SHINING, CUJO, THE DEAD ZONE, PET SEMATARY, MISERY, THE LONG WALK, the original STAND (not the Uncut abomination which he added piles of goofy crap to), and perhaps IT. Anything from TOMMYKNOCKERS onward is pretty generally crap. THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON is just an example of King trying to make as much hay as he can while the sun still shines on his total lack of interest in storytelling anymmore, which he has admitted to through the fictional protagonist in BAG OF BONES, and hinted at in many interviews. Don't waste your money on THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON, and it's a good bet you should't waste you money on anything else he writes from this point forward. He's made it quite clear he doesn't care about quality, but will publish just about anything his brand name can be slapped on.
Rating: 
Summary: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
Review: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon was a very good book. I am not the type of person who likes to read a lot, and I could not put it down the entire time. The book was about a young girl, named Trisha, who lived with her brother and mother and rarely saw her father, because her parents were seperated. Her mother wanted to try to keep the family together, so she planned a camping trip with her kids. The brother and mother fought the entire time, and so Trisha could not stand it anymore and decided to take a walk in the forest, just to get away from things. She ended up walking to far into the woods and could not figure out how to get back to her family. You should read the book to find out how she survives, or if she even does. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants some "easy", yet enjoyable reading, that won't let you put the book down.
Rating: 
Summary: little girl lost
Review: Steve hits the mark with this quick read. If you don't know, it's about a little girl lost in the woods and having just been a little girl not too long ago, I can say this novel rings true.Great pacing, vivid description and nice touches. I don't want to get lost like that ever. Thumbs up!
Rating: 
Summary: Opens well, but gets lost somewhere along the way
Review: First, know that I am a longtime Stephen King fan -- you should be aware of the reviewer's biases, after all. I was particularly happy with Bag of Bones, which was the novel that came immediately before this one, and which seemed to mark a return to form for the author. This book started off very strongly, and managed to keep me interested in the plight of a girl who gets lost in the woods. King does a great job of building suspense as he reveals, well, that there's *something* in the woods with her. Something that shouldn't be there. So far, so good. Great character development, and great suspense. But, somewhere along the way (at around the half way point of the novel), the character stops developing and the threat fails to materialize. I am no longer spooked, and I am no longer interested. As we near the end of the story, there seems to be a rush toward the conclusion. While I don't want to spoil the ending, suffice it to say that the uncomplicated plot is mostly resolved through a deus ex machina. I give the novel a three star rating mostly because I still enjoyed the writing, even though I was ultimately disappointed in the story's conclusion. While fans of the author will still want to read this book, newcomers may wish to try Bag of Bones (a recent favorite), The Dead Zone (an amazing early novel) or Night Shift (a very satisfying collection of short stories).
Rating:
Summary: One of his best
Review: I just finished reading this book and I think it was one of his best. Not his best but one of his best. The Editorial Reviews says everything. You can just see this poor child lost in the woods and feel her pain and her fear. I was glad it was only 219 pages because I couldn't wait to find out what happered to her. I am not interested in baseball or know anything about it but I was glad that child had someone to keep her from going totally nuts. I raved about this book to other readers and talked them into reading it. Thank you Stephen for writing a book I could sit down and read in a couple of day.
Rating:
Summary: If only I would've picked something else..........
Review: Let me say this before I begin my review of this book. (Actually there are two things I'm going to say.) (1) It has been a few months since I've read this, so I may not remember it all. (2) It was the first Stephen King novel I have read. Okay, if you read that, you should be set for this particular review. And in that case, I'll start from the bottom and work my way up: if you didn't skip it, you found out that this was the first Stephen King book I've read. (However, since that time I've read many more....luckily.) This isn't the best he's ever done; I was expecting that, just something to keep me reading his work. The book got annoying at times. From what I remember, he mentioned bugs around her head at least 50 times...that got me a little annoyed at times. Plus, with one character wandering around the woods, there isn't much to talk to...you'll soon find that trees listen, but are quite quiet. So Trisha doesn't do a whole lot of talking, just walking...and falling. The book takes place in Maine, as most would expect. Considering he lives in Maine, it's proper for him to write about it. I don't mind a bit. But getting back to the point, a young girl, Trisha, wanders off in the woods while on a hike with her brother and mother. They're arguing abot something. (I think their father(?)) So instead of listening, she falls behind, but soon finds them out of sight. When she tries to cut through an unmarked path, she finds herself lost and alone...for the rest of the book, pretty much. While on her adventure she'd rather not be on, she listens to her radio, mainly the Boston Red Sox to hear them talk about her favorite player, Tom Gordon. She pretends that he is with her for protection, and basically he is the only thing she talks to throughout the book. I was surprised when the villian arrived...I just assumed it was the forest, but there was a spirit that showed up a bit late. (Maybe it got lost too.) It was described as having a head of a beehive. However, with its late arrival, I wasn't too impressed. I don't know what to really say about this book. Normally I find writing reviews incredibly easy, but this seems kind of tough. There isn't a whole lot to write...honestly. The book pretty slow, unlike some of his other books. I got bored of her always being in the woods, and wished that she would reach some sort of civilization before I starting going a little crazy with her. But she didn't...at least it was a short book. Personally I think the best part was when she bit off the head of a live fish, and reading that part made me realize that King was a pretty good writer despite this quite boring piece of work. This review may not be helpful for you. If I was reading it, I wouldn't get much out of it other than the guy didn't like the book. That's what I'm stating...I didn't enjoy it. It was boring and slow, and I tended to let my mind wander off. However, I read another book of his, loved it, then read another...I now find myself thinking, "Hey, everybody isn't perfect! Even Spielberg made Nineteen Forty-One!" If thinking that you never heard of that movie, don't feel embarrassed. It wasn't good despite hits like Saving Private Ryan and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, not to mention many others. So even if King has a bad day, give him some slack. He's still a great writer! (However, I suggest you read "The Running Man", "The Long Walk", "The Green Mile", and most everything else.)
Rating:
Summary: A Review of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
Review: Trisha McFarland is a 9-year-old girl who goes on a hike with her brother, Pete, and her mom, who is determined to spend the weekend with her kids. Trisha's parents recently divorced, and her brother is constantly feuding with his mom. In an attempt to avoid the spiteful quarrel between her brother and mother, Trisha steps off the trail to go to the bathroom. She falls behind and then tries to catch up by attempting a shortcut, but becomes lost in a wilderness maze full of peril and terror. Trisha's odyssey succeeds on several levels. She descends into hallucinations of her beloved Red Sox baseball pitcher Tom Gordon. For solace she tunes her Walkman to broadcasts of Boston Red Sox baseball games and follows the gritty performances of her hero. But when her radio's reception begins to fade, Trisha imagines that Tom Gordon is with her and protecting her from an enemy who has left a trail of slaughtered animals and mangled trees in the dense, dark woods. Although I have never been much of a Stephen King fan, I decided to read The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon because it seemed appealing and related to my English theme of survival. I must say that King does a remarkable job of showing how Trisha's anxiety over her situation slowly begins to escalate, and how the time alone in the woods begins to affect her mentally. He also does a wonderful job of making a complex, believable character out of a simple 9-year-old. Another pleasant aspect of the book is that it is very feminist, being that Trisha is the sole character throughout almost the whole story. She is determined and resourceful and easy to root for in her quest to survive. Unfortunately, though, the book leaves much to be desired. My dissatisfaction with the book began with the plot. It started out slow and monotonous, but with hopes it would pick up, I kept reading only to find that it indeed did not. The story simply goes on too long and begins to seem repetitive after awhile. Trisha continually falls down, runs the wrong way, etc. Another negative factor of the book is that King is characterized as the master of terror. Although I was hesitant about reading this book because I feared it would be too scary, when I finally decided it would be appropriate, I was expecting a thrill. Sadly enough, I was disappointed to find that there was almost no terror portrayed in the story. It was very difficult to relate to the story, and, because of its absurdity, I found the novel to become boring and strung-out. I have taken into consideration that I have not always been fond of King's style of writing; therefore, I may not be the best critic of his work. But having read many books in the past, I feel that this novel was not very well written or organized in a suspenseful, interesting manner. I must credit Stephen King for his attempts to create such a novel, but it was disheartening to find that he had to spoil what could have been a good story line.
Rating:
Summary: Not Typical King But Pretty Good
Review: This book was as I said in the title not typical King but not all that bad. The only thing that really bothered me with this book is the lack of dialogue and writing that would hold the reader throughout the whole book. The book is about young Trisha McFarland that gets lost in the woods fromher mother and brother. Bascially the book is a story of self survival and she does this by imagining that Tom Gordon, the relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, is with her. Using this and her radio, she finds the strength inside of her to go on. She finally makes it and has a final showdown with the "thing" that was scaring her. Although not horrible I wouldn't recommend it over any other King book.
Rating:
Summary: A Departure
Review: I thought this book represented a departure from standard Stephen King fare. I loved it. I thought that Tricia sorely pressed by her predicament had to make a choice between two visions of God, The Subaudible God of her father, a kind of deist interpretation of God. God as the clockmaker who made the world then left it behind, but maybe watches in a passive or disinterersted fashion. Or the God of Tom Gordon who cares and even intervenes - but only if you earn the "save" through your own courage and efforts. In the end Tricia chooses Tom Gordon's God and earns his support. When her parents visit in the hospital, the one thing she tries to communicate to her family (most importantly dad) is that she earned the "save". I think because she also hopes dad can be saved as well.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I don't know if this was exclusive in Germany, but the book was published in a plastic case, as if the book shouldn't touch air or whatever. I don't know what this means, but it was... yes, unecessary. After I've read the book, I thought about it again and thought, well, maybe they wanted to give you something more, to make the money worth. The book doesn't really. The story of a girl lost in the woods could be an interesting premise. When I read the premise before the book was pubished, I didn't jump because excitement and yelled: "What a wonderful idea." It is no revolutionary idea and the book isn't too. It's interesting to read how Trisha survives in the wood and it's exciting too. You really want to know what will happen. But after two thirds I thought, well how should this book end. Since King doesn't give us anything else than the girl in the wood, what will he do to finish his book? Well, what he does in the end ruined the book for me totally. It was surely the most hilarious end from King I've ever read. It has no sense, no meaning, no whatever. It leaves you with nothing, nothing to think about, or laugh or cry. Just nothing. I'm not against King writing serious novels (if you don't call horror serious), I always defended him, when someone said he's a horror-author. But books like this makes it hard for me to defend. King can do it much much much better and has done, but this one is thin, senseless and disappointing in the end. Enjoy it to the last ten pages, put it away and think about and ending yourself. Maybe this is more fun.
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