Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: I have read most of King's books. I can honestly say that this is the most boring book I have read by him. I haven't even finished it and I find myself feeling like I have homework whenever I pick it up (I have a thing about finishing any book I start). I also keep finding myself skipping paragraphs because they are soooo wordy (for lack of a better adjective :o)).
I hope he does better in the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Stephen King--at last--grows old
Review: We are told after many years turning out books at the rate of the late Agatha Christie and Isaac Asimov, that the master is retiring. And after reading this book, and hearing "Riding the Bullet," I believe him. It seems that having reached a presumably comfortable late middle-age and having had a brush with Death, that Mr. King is beginning to ponder the meaning of it all--or rather if there is a meaning.Those expecting a straight monster story will be disappointed. The titular character is more a symbol of the Mystery of Life (and dare I say it--existential angst [yech]) which the characters muse over. What is this thing? Who does it belong to? Is it Evil? Can these questions be answered? That is what this family of State Troopers (especially the Sargeant) sit on the smoking bench and talk about over ham sandwiches and iced tea. For an author who over the years has loudly denounced being pretentious and "literary" and exhalted telling a story. It's a mystery indeed that he has written a character based novel about a "Symbol" where nothing much happens as his swan-song. Oh well, to paraphrase the protagonist in "Riding the Bullet," read the book take your button and go.
Rating: 
Summary: ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Review: I have been a King fan all my life, but this book left me wondering if maybe it is time for King to retire. I forced myself to read 275 pages, hoping it would get better, but i realized that i really no longer cared what happened and i put the book down, never to be picked up again. The story just keeps repeating itself, a "lightquake" takes place, something is ejected out of the trunk, no one really knows what that something is, what it's purpose is, or where it came from, and you never discover the answers to any of these questions. This book may appeal to those who haven't read King from the beginning of his career, but for this "die-hard" classic King horror fan this book put me to sleep.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Your Typical King Novel
Review: I'm not sure this would ever have been published if someone other than King had written it. Mind you, that's not a bad thing. But this is not the usual King scarefest; it's one of his quieter works. There's no Major Menace, no Big Scary Something that is threatening the characters. The biggest issue is really a more ordinary one-- will a young man recover from the untimely loss of his father? There is the titular car-that-is-not-a-car that has periodically spit out otherworldly stuff, but nothing that has threatened life as we know it. It is a mystery, and one that King pointedly tells us he is not going to explain. But mostly this is a meditation about how an older generation salvages those who come after and how we live with the Big Black Something out in the shed and whether we allow its unknowable, almost random, issuance to dominate our lives, or not. It's a thoughtful work, very warm and human and skillfully structured. It's not particularly scary, but it does linger a bit on the psychic palate when it's done.
Rating:
Summary: What?
Review: What is this book about? About a third of the way through, I realized I didn't care. Its now on the shelf and I still don't care. It should be a writers job to keep us entertained at least halfway through a book, Buick 8 can't even do that...
Rating: 
Summary: Firing on all 8!
Review: I have been reading King now for several years. I flip-flop from old to new and back as books are released. I have enjoyed everything that he has written as he seems to write the same way as a character actor might play a part. Often a character actor will choose from a selection of hats when stepping into a character. If the actor plays two similar characters you might actually see him don a hat he has worn before. King writes in this way. It can be said that his books and writing can be grouped by the mood, style or "hat" King choose to write under.
From a Buick 8 is written in a much earlier style that much of his more recent work, however it has a sophistication that some earlier work lacks. There is a lesson that lies beneath, however it runs deeper and is much murkier. For those who enjoy a good creepy monster, you won't be disappointed. Another aspect I liked is how the chapters are broken into the perspectives of the participants. This is not necessarily a new path for the author but it really helps to draw you into the story. There is a certain intimacy as if you can see things through each of their eyes instead of just the third-person or a single individual.
I read this book in a weekend (I am a slow reader) and could not put it down. If you are a King fan, or if you like a scarry story, or you are a fantasy/sci-fi fan, I would highly recommend you pick up a copy of From A Buick 8. As for me, it will soon be taking its place on my shelf with the other venerable volumes that came before it. What shall come next is a matter of chance... or is it?
Rating:
Summary: From author Joy Lee Rutter (A Disturbing Presence)
Review: Where were the moviemakers when this one came out? "From a Buick 8" made me feel as though I was right there, in Pennsylvania, sitting near Shed B, drinking iced tea (I could almost taste it) and listening to Sandy tell his deceased comrade's son about the mysterious vintage car parked a few feet away. The book may seem a little slow at first, but it moves along nicely and the end is not a disappointment. There's something different about this book, from most of his others. Its setting is not in Maine. Althought I am a New Englander, I was not disappointed. His research into the area and his anecdote at the very end, which explains his choice of setting, made it quite interesting indeed. Don't miss this one!
Rating:
Summary: Classic King
Review: This book makes me want to read King again. After going weird for more than a few years, he has finally returned to his roots. Any fan of Carrie, Cujo, or the like will love this book.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book!
Review: This is classic Stephen King! Great story, interesting characters, good suspense, and best of all.. this book has heart. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
Summary: Solid Stephen King - A Great Ride, er, Read!
Review: From a Buick 8 was written in full (in his head) during a car trip home from Florida. Stephen stopped in Pennsylvania to get gas and an attendant actually came out. It was a full-service country gas station. Well, not aving any more pressing needs he walked around the corner to use the restroom. On his way out he noticed a gentle slope leading down to a still mostly frozen stream. It looked very pretty, so he decided to go down for a closer look. He slipped and had he not caught a root in the snow, he belives he would have slid into the stream and under the ice. He wondered how long it would be before they found his body. That incident was the germ that sparked this book. A guy pulls up to a gas station exactly like the one Stephen stopped at that day. He tells the attendant that the oil is fine and walks around the corner. No one ever sees the guy again. The car remains. The people involved in the story are solid characters. You can almost smell their cigarette smoke, and hear their voices. This book comes out of the gate with a weird chill, and just keeps delivering.
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