Hearts in Atlantis: New Fiction

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Summary: William Hurt made this book.
Review: I have never heard a book read so well. He brought it alive, both the beginning and the end. The entire work left me with a feeling of sadness and how life "really isn't fair". How life is a short ride, affected by much tragedy. I very much enjoyed it.

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Summary: IT IS NO BAG OF BONES
Review: OK LETS BE HONEST HERE, WHERE WOULD WE BE WITHOUT STEPHEN KING. HE IS ONE OF THE FIRST, IF NOT THE FIRST, WRITER OF THE POP CULTURE ERA! WHETHER WE LIKE HIM OR HATE HIM HE HAS CHANGED STORYTELLING AS WE KNOW IT! I THINK IT IS FOR THE BEST. WHETHER YOU ARE 20 OR 50 YOU CAN RELATE TO THE STORY IN ONE WAY OR THE OTHER. HE BRIDGES GAPS BETWEEN ERAS AND FOR THAT WE SHOULD BE THANKFUL! THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT STEPHEN KING IS THE BEST WRITER AROUND (HE HAS THE RECORDS TO PROVE IT) HOWEVER SOMETIMES THE STORY IS NOT WORTH TELLING. THAT HAPPENS TO BE THE CASE IN THIS BOOK. STORY 1 I THOUGHT WAS FANTASTIC, BUT THEN I ASKED MYSELF WAS IT REALLY A NECESSARY PART OF THIS PARTICULAR BOOK. IM WILLING TO LET IT SLIDE, BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE WE ARE INTRODUCED TO ALL THE CHARACTERS IN THE FOLLOWING STORIES. THE 2ND STORY WAS ALSO VERY GOOD, BUT A LITTLE TO MUCH TALK OF THE GAME OF HEARTS (VERY MUCH LIKE THE MOVIE ROUNDERS). I THOUGHT THE 3RD STORY WAS TERRIBLE--AND YOU JUST HAVE TO READ IT TO UNDERSTAND IT. I JUST DIDNT REALLY CARE ABOUT THIS CHARACTER. THE 4TH STORY WAS REALLY GOOD AND COULD HAVE BEEN EXCELLENT, EXCEPT FOR A LITTLE SILLINESS, AND SOMETHING THAT WAS UNEXPLAINED. I REALLY WISH THE WHOLE BOOK WAS MORE LIKE STORY 4, HE REALLY GETS A HOLD OF SOMETHING HERE AND SOMEHOW LETS IT GO. THE FIFTH STORY WASNT REALLY A STORY BUT CLOSURE TO THE STORY AND I LIKED IT. THIS BOOK IS EXCELLENTLY WRITTEN AND FLOWS VERY SMOOTHLY AND READS FAST. I WOULD DEFINITELY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK BECAUSE ITS FOCUS IS VERY MUCH A PART OF OUR HISTORY, CULTURE, VALUES, MORES, AND WAY OF LIFE.

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Summary: DEPRESSING, ALL OVER THE MAP
Review: I like Stephen King but I couldn't recommend this book to anyone. The first part is alright but it really leaves you hanging. I don't know if S.K. was trying to write "The Great American Novel" but he sure did jump around a lot. You will not come out of this book with a good feeling. King's short stories are great. When I finish them I wish that there was one more in the book. Hearts in Atlantis is one weird compilation.

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Summary: Steve's Best!!
Review: Yes, I agree with most reviewers: Low Men in Yellow Coats was wonderful, chapter entitled Hearts in Atlantis a little boring, but the rest superb! If you're struggling through Chapter 2, do not despair. It gets better (a lot). Never has a Stephen King book taken me through emotional highs and lows like this. I relived the '60's and it was an enlightening journey back. The horror of that war is still upon us. Carol Gerber says that Ted Brautigan "knows how to push the right buttons." So does Stephen King, my friend, so does Stephen King. Love you, man. Wanda

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Summary: Excellent
Review: This book made me wish I hadn't already read all of SK's books so I could start from the beginning and read them all for the first time. The only thing I want to read after a SK book is another SK book.

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Summary: An amazing piece of literature
Review: Having lost my faith is King over the last few snoozy novels, I regained it back (and then some) after spending an intense day with this book. As a literature teacher, I have read some of the all time classics and some of the all time losers and this rates closer to a classic than anything else I have read by King. The characters were interestingly vibrant and the events that affected them were also hauntingly real. Having been born in 1968, I don't remember the era he recalls so affectionately in the first story, but that didn't dampen the sense of tragedy I felt as I watched the specter of the Vietnam War destroy these characters to whom I became so attached very quickly. The first story, with its supernatural edge, is a brilliant way to attact us and hook us on the lives of these kids who grow up to appear in the other stories. It was like seeing an old friend any time one of the kids from Harwich turned up in one of the other stories. This is a masterfull work; however, I am certain King's die-hard horror fans will be disappointed. Sometimes real life is more horrible than any monster lurking in the closet-which may just be the scariest thing King has ever had us consider. I highly recommend this book.

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Summary: If you were in college in the late 60's....
Review: This is what it felt like watching the clock tick down. Skip all but the title story - they're like the plastic peanuts you get with a valuable shipment. Not even THAT worthy...

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Summary: It brought me back to the way I felt about the war.
Review: Bobby Garfield made me feel good about how he handled the events in Low Men in Yellow coats.What a brve kid. The story also made me love to hate his mother Liz.

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Summary: One of, if not, the best he's ever written
Review: Stephen King fans seem to be divided into two camps -- those who only want to read horror -- and those who appreciate his storytelling ability. Boy, can he write. These stories, especially the first two, are remarkable and as good as anything I've ever read. With "The Green Mile," "Bag of Bones" and now this book, he has won me over all over again. After being so terribly disappointed with some of his later works, he certainly redeems himself with this collection.

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Summary: Absolutely fantastic, one of his best works to date
Review: This book, although not what you might consider a typical King work, is one of the best, most thought provoking novels he has ever written. It was like taking a trip back in time. The story line was not only wonderful, but he manages to capture the turbulance of the time and the opposing views of the war. He hits all sides of the equation with this one. The characters are so vivid and the imagery to great to put into words. I couldn't put this book down. I have read everything he has ever written and although I also love the horror, this was just as good if not better because it was so real. Thanks for a fabulous book Mr. King, I will definately read it again.