Rating: 
Summary: glimpse back into the 60's compelling for all readers
Review: Let me begin by saying I am sixteen years old. Obviously, I did not experience the sixties, so this novel had no chance from the beginning to strike a chord within me or launch a wave of nostalgia. However, as I'm sure other non-sixties readers have experienced, this novel neevrtheless transported me back into that era, particularly during the first two sections. Its keen character development and plots that were thought provoking, wildly funny, satirical, and just flat out fun to read all at once were at a level elevated even from King's usual grandeur.
The first section of the book, novel-length in its own right, details the experiences of twelve year Bobby Garfield living with his bitter single mother and his mysterious old friend, Ted Brautigan. Ted is a character similar to The Green Mile's John Caffey, in that he has mysterious mental powers that transform Bobby's life.
The true gem of this novel, however, is the long middle section entitled "Hearts in Atlantis". Though the name suggests some profound plot or content, it should be taken literally; the story is about college boys who become hooked playing hearts at the University of Maine while under the constant shadow of the Vietnam War and flunking their courses. There are many reasons why I love this section; mainly, it is just so much fun to read. The characters, from the obscene and sarcastic Ronnie to the wise voice of Nate become developed and fimiliar to the reader, to the point wherethe reader truly feels like part of the action. The plot is often hilarious, as conflicting attitudes and people within the dorm lose their collective mental sanity while playing the addictive game. however, there are also many throught provoking and meaningful scenes, especially those involving Stokley the cripple's opposing the war. The section is especially entertaining for Hearts enthusiasts, due to the countless references to nuances of the game.
Ultimately, Hearts in Atlantis is a strange novel that is a departure from the usual King theme of Horror. However, in this case I believe he came through beautifully; even the mini sections I didn;t mention in this review were good. Definitely pick it up or rent it if you get the chance; you don't have to be an avid reader, King fan, or survivor of the sixties to enjoy it thoroughly.
Rating: 
Summary: First Story Well Worth Reading; As for the Rest...
Review: It's easy to see why Stephen King has sold about 100 million billion books - the man can flat out write! The clever observations and turns of phrase were, unfortunately, the only things that kept me reading throughout this whole book.The long first story ("Low Men in Yellow Coats") is terrific, featuring two characters to really care about in Bobby Garfield and Ted Brautigan, along with some fun supernatural stuff (but not too much) and a good story. But after that, the stories slipped into a fog of VietNam, 1960s angst, and characters I couldn't get a feel for. Pete Riley was OK - King sure puts some great words in his characters' mouths. And I lost interest in Carol Gerber - too bad, because she started out so well. The final story (which is short) brings back Bobby Garfield in kind of a wrap-up segment but, by this time, I was ready to read something else. It's good craftsmanship; just too many stories trying to be woven together over too many years for this cast of characters.
Rating:
Summary: This book is good and bad
Review: I got hooked on the first story, where Bobby and Ted have their super natural adventure, and I was amazed at the writing. Emotions inside me where stirred with the conflict between Liz, Ted, and Bobby, and the first love between Bobby and Carol was uncomparable to any thing I have ever read, however after the first section it shifted. there were no more low-men, no more Ted and I found myself scanning threw the pages to make sense of WTF was going on. Eventually I read it all and understood. But it seems the premise / genre of the book shifted entirely. I cant say I was happy with the book after the first section.
Rating: 
Summary: Probably King's best
Review: I've been one of Stephen King's Constant Readers for fifteen years now. I was 12 when I caught the reading bug big-time (from a book called "Pet Sematary"), and have thankfully never been cured of it. Reading has probably been the greatest pleasure in my life, and Stephen King's been there with me like an old friend from the beginning. For years, my favorite book of his was "It." I just love the way Stephen King can so accurately and knowingly evoke the wonders of childhood, and make you so glad to be alive and to make you feel, from your own experiences, that you know exactly what he's talking about (even if you grew up in the '80s instead of in the '50s). He's got a terrific imagination and a great sense of story and skill for evoking very deep, stirring human feelings. I've read every book Stephen King has written, and though I've enjoyed many of his recent books, I've felt that most of them weren't on the par with his best writing (I would make the exceptions of the excellent "Green Mile" and the better parts of "The Dark Tower IV." That is why I was so pleasantly surprised when I picked up "Hearts in Atlantis." I repeatedly found myself setting the book down at the end of a chapter and saying aloud, "Damn, this is a good book." It really is. A wonderful book from a wonderful writer. If you've ever really loved a Stephen King book, don't think twice about getting this one. You'll be glad you did. If you don't read Stephen King, you should start with "Hearts in Atlantis." The first two of the five linked stories in the book are as good or better than anything he has ever written, and the other three are quite good, too.
Rating:
Summary: Need more stars for this one!
Review: I won't go into any more detail about the novel's plot here. The above synopsis does that quite well as do many of the reviews posted here. I will say, however, that this audiobook is one of the best I've ever heard.
I read HIA when it first came out and fell in love with the story. Bobby Garfield and Ted Brautigan are two of my favorite King characters. Not having the time to re-read this great novel, I decided to compromise and picked up the audio version. Wonderful! I enjoyed King's narration because he sort of seems like an old friend now. But Hurt's narration is award-winning. He adds such wonderful vocal elements to the characters depending on the situation. I was totally mesmerized by his rendition of these words. I'm so happy that I took a chance on these tapes, and this experience leaves me wanting more of these audiobooks.
Although the novel brings in elements from King's Dark Tower series, you don't have to be familiar with those stories to follow HIA. This is a stand-alone novel that pieces together four different stories told over time. I think anyone who likes good story-telling with imaginative prose and well-developed characters will appreciate this book. "Heavenly shades of night are falling, it's twilight time..."
Rating:
Summary: an excellent book
Review: this is a very interesting book and a pretty unique book from stephen King. I have read many books from him and why people consider him a horror writer is beyond me. This book is, nevertheless, verygood. I think that it does a very good job at transporting you to the time in which it takes place. the characters are very good and King's attention to detail in this book (which I have now come to expect) Is very enjoyable for me for reasons that I have no idea. It is very well written, anyway, and it is a very entertaining story, or set of stories, anyway. If you have seen the movie but have not yet read the book, this book is much better and is very different than the movie. Many things were taken out of the movie(for good reasons) and certain things were just changed, I'm assuming to make the movie more interesting, but I think that it failed. And certain things that were cut out of the movie I don't think should have been,(For instance, the part in which Bobby is nearly assraped by a perverted man in the park while feeding birds, which would have been a pretty interesting scene I think) Anyway, I 'm getting bit off topic right now,but I think that I've made my opinion clear enough.
Rating:
Summary: Unputdownable
Review: With a novel as rich, delightful, and fascinating-in one word unputdownable-as this, no matter how hard you try to write a thorough review about it, it's very likely that you will leave something out.
The story begins while the main characters, Bobby Garfield, Carol Gerber and John Sullivan, childhood friends growing up together in a small American town, are eagerly expecting the coming summer vacations, unaware that before the summer is over their lives are going to be changed forever. Spanning four decades, the novel shows us how, though the eyes of a wide group of characters, directly and indirectly related to Bobby, Carol and John (Sully) and through their own eyes, their lives unfold.
Stephen King's narrative all through the book is at his best. He incorporates supernatural elements using his mastery of the craft and creates characters so humanly natural that they feel to the reader like old college friends. The experiences of the main characers are so well balanced between the quotidian and the extraordiary, that I almost felt this was a true story about real people. The supporting characters are so interesting that one cannot help wanting to meet them face to face and know more about how their lives unfold. The places are so richly and vividly described, and the time periods so pictorially represented through fashions, ideologies, settings, and even music, that you actually feel the richness and evolution of American culture as you read, even if you didn't live through those times.
Of everything this novel has to offer, what I liked the most, without a doubt, is its spectacular, believable, satisfying and sweet ending.
This novel is charming, entertaining, surprising and fun, for both fans and non-fans of Stephen King, and for everyone who enjoys the twists and turns of life and the hidden connections between the lives of strangers. A must read.
Rating:
Summary: Starts great, BUT....
Review: Hearts in Atlantis is yet another tale from King's childhood involving the discovery of classic literature, innocence lost, and, of course, a twist of the bizarre. Haven't we been down this road before? Oh yeah, this book also has, umm, hippies. Hearts is divided into five "short" stories with the first one (over 200 pages, not exactly short, but miniscule in King terms) shining high above the rest. It's the story of young Bobby Garfield's relationship with the old man who just moved in upstairs. The new tennant, Ted Brautigan, encourages Bobby in reading books like Lord of the Flies and Of Mice and Men while helping him to understand Bob's troubled mother. Of course, Ted also sometimes floats off into space, trying to put up a telepathic shield against "low men in yellow coats" that are apparently hunting him across multiple dimensions. Ted and the low men are taken straight from King's Dark Tower universe and plunged into early 60's suburbia. If only the other tales were this good. The second story deals with college kids flunking out of the University of Maine due to a nasty addiction to the card game hearts. It is here that we start noticing that King is gradually dropping all of the supernatural and delving into three more stories based upon college protests, hippies, and Vietnam. If only King would have done without these cliches and just published "Low Men In Yellow Coats" by itself without bogging it down in Forrest Gump-ish antics.
Rating: 
Summary: King alienates his readers
Review: Fortunately, I had read the Dark Tower series before I read this book, but after I finished it, I thought to myself that King was really alienating anybody who hadn't. I've always thought it was ridiculous to interconnect novels that aren't part of the same series, because if Joe Reader picks up one of your novels, thinking that it's a stand-alone, he'll be sorely disappointed and confused when he learns that in order to understand it, he had to have read several books that are part of a separate series. Okay Dark Tower connection, followed by several hundred pages of dull college antics that serve to remind readers that King really has forgotten what it was like to be a college student.
Rating:
Summary: Stephen King: Experienced and Flawed, but good
Review: I initially picked up the hardcover of this novel off a B Dalton bookstore due to the ultra low, bargain price of 6.99 (as opposed to $20+), and the fact that it was a King novel definitely added a plus to that purchase. I quickly found out about the plot of the book online, including the fact that it was tied to the Dark Tower series. Such a fact made me excited and pushed me to read it. After finally finishing it two nights ago, I find myself both gratified and yet somewhat dissappointed. The first story "Low Men in Yellow Coats" is pure gold, and I can see why the film adapatation would pick this story in particular as its plot (although I still need to see it sometime). The relationships between Bobby Garfield, his mother Liz, his first love Carol, his friend Sully, and especially his close friendship with the old man Ted Brautigan make this story pull you in like a powerful magnet and not let you go until the end. At many points of the story, I felt myself emotionally attached to much of what went on, even losing my cool a bit from time to time (just a bit ;) ). The plot does well to tie into the Dark Tower series (of which I'm between books 4 and 5 at the moment), and yet keeps itself to what's ultimately important in "Low Men," in how Bobby handles the conflicts thrown at him. This story alone makes the book worth a read, especially for DT enthustiasts. Unfortunately, King put his best story first, and left the other four as a fizzle down to the end. It wasn't necessarily that I didn't enjoy the stories, it just felt like half the time King was dragging on and not going to the action quickly enough. It's not as if King is a slow author (incinuating a waste of words), but he can leave a reader thinking "why does this matter at all? Just go on!!" until he finally gets around to making a pretty good (though not amazing compared to Low Men) climax/end for each story. I would say I enjoyed "Blind Willie" the least, but the other three helped lead to a final ending/epilogue to the life of Bobby Garfield that would come in the final story. Ultimately, I give it three stars. It's damn well worth the read for the first story, and the other four still ask to be read as attached as they are to the first. Nonetheless, the way I had to force myself to get through the middle points of "Hearts in Atlantis" and drag through "Blind Willie" left me to decrease my rating of the book.
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