Hearts in Atlantis: New Fiction

Rating:
Summary: Thanks Stephen, now I don't have to read Harry Potter!!
Review: I don't know, maybe it's me, but Bag of Bones never really sucked me in the way his books usually do. Tom Gordon was interesting, but nothing in it made me want to run out and thrust it under the noses of my friends, yelling at them to read it NOW. Hearts in Atlantis, though... Yeah. No spoilers, no long-winded rants in this review. Do they even make soap boxes these days? The Harry Potter crack is crap; I must respect anyone who can earn a living off writing books... So take heart (bad, bad pun) guys, this book is worth your money. Five stars, easy...

Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking in every way.
Review: I love reading King. From his finest (The Stand, The Dark Tower series, Bag of Bones) to his, well, clunkiest (The TommyKnockers, Christine). They all contain the greatest sense of drama, most intriguing use of description and other things that english majors mull over. But for me nothing beats the way he gets you into a characters head. Brilliant. And that is something he accomplishes so damn well in "Hearts in Atlantis." Well, at least in "Low Men...". I just got the book this afternoon and finished the first story an hour ago (its now 11:38 p.m.). Its the kind of story that after you finish you makes you put the book down, catch your breath and then feel thankful for having been given to read. I marvel at Kings skill and thank him writing these spell-binding stories for us to read. May he recover from his accident completely. Thankyou Mr. King.

Rating:
Summary: KING AT HIS BEST
Review: This book is one of Kings Best. I was worried after the release of Storm of the Century and The Girl who Loved Tom Gordon; however, in this book King returns more brillant than ever before. This is a excellent book, and King does an incredible job tying the stories together. Congratulations Mr. King: You have done it again!! GO out and by this book today, you will love it.

Rating:
Summary: The stories come together like a complete novel.
Review: In each story Stephen King gives a little bit of himself as well insight into each character.The main character could be any person growing up in the era of the Vietnam war. We all have our ways of dealing with grief, Bobbys mother was young and had a hard time because there was no one to turn to, to say everything is going to be alright.

Rating:
Summary: read the excerpt
Review: I have to tell you the truth.I only read the excerpt of this book but it was enough to give me hope that stephen king's wisened and matured style evidenced in the great"bag of bones" may finally transform into the level of acclaimed literature, not just yesterday's best seller.I always knew he had it in him;there are hints of serious literature in many of his novels especially in characters'internal emotions that are so close to home sometimes it's scary.When did he write this book,surely not recently? Hope you are having a speedy recovery,mr.King.

Rating:
Summary: Occasionally interesting but too disjointed for my taste.
Review: The book started out quickly and captured my interest, particularly since I grew up in the '50-'60 era, but shifted gears to other, less intersting sub-stories. The book/stories lacked cohesion and I found myself skipping paragraphs looking for something to keep my interest. Not one of Stephen King's best efforts.

Rating:
Summary: King's coming of age
Review: With his new book, King proves he's perhaps America's best popular storyteller. Often his best work has been devoid of supernatural elements, or just using them as an added color to his palette. His strengh is characterization and the narrative drive that only the greatest writers have. His insights into suburban America, into the minds and hearts of the ordinary folk is unparalleled, ironically blowing off the map most of the pretentious, fashionable fodder that is ritually pushed as the flavor of the month by the publishing gatekeepers of cool. The scarier thing about King's fiction is that , if he had had to break his career in the 90's, he would have never been published. The same goes for most of the great popular writers in America today. Luckily, he way beyond the grasp of the shallow, self-important yuppie creeps sitting on editorial and executive posts today. This book has tales about real people, real pain, real fear and real hearts. It tells them with wit, brains and soul. He belongs to that great tradition of Thomas Harris or the early Mario Puzo: a popular writer creating good literature for all. A great writer, and a great book. Let's hope Mr.King gets better soon after his accident and returns to the beat. We may not know it, or even like to aknowledge it, but in these days, we need him. Bravo.

Rating:
Summary: VANTASTIC, BABY! THIS OLD SOUL LOVED IT!
Review: I read this 512 page book in 44 minutes while I was on the can. It really is wonderful, and so am I. King says "Don't let the bed bugs bite" and I won't. Not as long as the emperor is around with his greekstick. I love the America.

Rating:
Summary: If You Liked the Movie, Read (or Listen to) the Book!
Review: Yes, I am from that "flower power" era, & I have been reading King since "Carrie." His writing has grown as I have over the years. This book is my favorite--so far. I haven't liked many movie versions of King's books, but I do like Anthony Hopkins, so that's why I went to see the movie. It was excellent, so I took out the audiobook from the public library, & it was EVEN BETTER. I suppose it's that old nostalgia creeping up on me, but it made me cry more than once. Reminiscent of "Stand By Me," which I also thoroughly enjoyed. I thought William Hurt was an odd match (as the reader), but he really grew on me after awhile. (Incidentally, authors should always hire professional readers to record their books. I personally do not care for Stephen King's voice; it detracts from my enjoyment of the story.) The other segments, about the card game in college etc, interested me only to the extent that they related to the first story. Also, I wonder how accurate was the depiction of the Viet Nam war. I've known more than a few vets, & perhaps King's was a little too stereotyped... Anyway, this book made me want to read more about Ted, Bobby, the Low Men, et al.

Rating:
Summary: Great King read
Review: Everything who has read King knows his writing is flowing and easy to read. This book is NOT a horror story! It is a great coming of age/relationship story of a young boy and an old guy. Actually, it is three stories in one book but they all relate to each other in the end. The Film which was made was based on the first story mainly. I liked it, read it in less than 3 days and also enjoyed the movie.