Boy's Life

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Summary: A book to bring back memories.
Review: This was one of the best books I have EVER read. It is basically a tale of what it was like to be a boy. The imagination of a child knows no bounds. How do we ever lose the ability to believe nothing is impossible? Stephen King and Stand By Me had better move over. This is truly a book I could read again and again and again. I really believe this book deserves a rating even higher than a 10, but the system doesn't go that high

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Summary: EVERYTHING happens in this book!
Review: This book is great. I love how it has so many little stories within the "big" story. When you discuss it with someone else who has read it, it sounds like you are talking about several books, rather than just one. EVERYTHING happens in this book. But it still holds together as a great story...it doesn't come across as fragmented. It's a mystery, a horror story, a coming of age story, and of course, what's a good book that doesn't have good triumph over evil? The characters are just quirky enough to be beleivable. I've read it twice, and I'm sure I will be reading it again. I loved it

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Summary: Absolutely the best!
Review: I read this book for the first time about 5 years ago and I have reread it at least one time every year since then. I have purchased it numerous times and given it away as a gift. This book is the story of a young boy growing up in the South where life was safe and untouchable from the evil of the outside world. That's what you think. This young boy's life brings us into the world of love, respect, fear, terror and humor, but most of all of feeling safe in our own world. There is a beginning, middle and end to this book and if I had a wish, it would be that every one in the world could read this book

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Summary: FUN!
Review: Magic and fun, this book captures a little bit of all our childhood memories. A couple of chapters didn't seem to fit , but overall a magical reading experience

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Summary: A must read.
Review: Simply put. This one of the best books I have read in a long,long time. If you like murder,mystery,horror and adventure you need to add this to your list. It will make you laugh and make you cry. and send chills up your spine at the same time.Robert R McCammon is going to the top of my list for books to read.

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Summary: Wonder and Innocence!
Review: Never have I read a book which gave me such a sense of wonder and innocence. I don't know how a grown man achieved this. Robert McCammon has managed to capture exactly the feeling of awakening filled with innocence and adventure that precedes the painful self consciousness of puberty. Through a mixture of fantasy, mystery and memory, he takes you on an adventure that will leave you golden eyed for days

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Summary: A story and place you will not soon forget, or want to.
Review: I read Boy's Life last Christmas in 2 days flat surrounded by my entire family and the incredible stress that often accompanies them. I took few breaks and they were restricted to food and the bathroom only. I could not have been more anti-social, but it is the author's fault for writing such an endearing and wonderfully gripping story about a boy and the uniqueness of childhood. The book is not just about the boy, but about his relationships with his father, his friends, and the people who live in a small southern town. After the first 5-7 pages, I was completely engrossed and transported to a different time and place. My sisters and brothers and parents implored me to stop reading and take a break to ski, walk, sleep, SOMETHING! But I was held firmly by the author's magically interwoven plots and characters. When I finished Boy's Life I felt as though I had lost a close friend and I have revisited the book several times since. Many have compared this book to A Prayer for Owen Meany in terms of the impact it had on them, but Boy's Life is my clear winner in this category. I have recommended it and given it to many friends and loved-ones. I encourage you to read it if you have ever believed in the true magic of childhood or if you are needing a reminder of it.

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Summary: Pure, delightful enchantment!
Review: It's 1964, a time of racism and turmoil. Zephyr, Alabama, is a small town, but it's caught up in the events of the world, too. There's no escaping reality, as one boy, Cory Mackenson, is about to find out.

It begins when Cory and his father witness a car disappearing into a lake rumored to be bottomless. Cory's father dives in, and before the car goes completely under, he witnesses something terrifying: a man, handcuffed to the wheel, with copper wire around his throat. Murdered.

But summer is coming. A summer filled with wonder, mystery, magic, and tragedy. It is a summer where Cody will realize that magic can really happen; where he will witnesses a creature that should've been extinct millions of years ago; where he will discover the power and love of family, and the unbreakable bond of friendship; where he will know terror as no one ever has.

Robert R. McCammon's writing is not always consistent. Some of his novels, such as "Mystery Walk," have been almost unreadable; others, such as "Stinger" and "Swan Song," have been enjoyable but forgettable; others, such as "Wolf's Hour," have been masterpieces. "Boy's Life" belongs in this latter category.

A comparison to Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine" is unavoidable; however, McCammon manages to throw something into his tale that even Bradbury could not: suspense. This is a suspense novel, set aound a young boy and his quest for the truth, no matter what the cost.

"Boy's Life" is completely enchanting and thoroughly unforgettable. It is a novel for fans of any literay genre. It is, plain and simple, a masterpiece.

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Summary: Still Holds Up After a Decade!
Review: I first read "Boy's Life" when it was first published over 10 years ago. I was still a young'un in college and could really relate to Cory's tale of childhood chills & thrills. I always thought "Boy's Life" was McCammon's best novel. I have often thought of this book and now with a son of my own I wanted to re-read "Boy's Life" and to capture again it's magic of youth and boyhood fantasy. I was worried though, because I began wondering if when I read again, a book that I remember so fondly, would I still view it the same and would it still have the same impact on me? I would have hated to find "Boy's Life" was something I had outgrown, or found the memory of the story and the story itself we completely different. The great news is that "Boy's Life" is still fantastic and is simply one of the greatest coming of age stories available. The magic and mystery of the novel are wonderful, and I found myself caught up once again in the goings on in the town of Zephyr. If you haven't read "Boy's Life" or were hesitant based on it being written by a "horror" writer, give this wonderful novel a chance. It is unlike anything McCammon has written, and most likely, even coming out of his semi-retirement, will remain unlike anything he will write. Also, if you have read this novel and enjoyed it, make sure you pick up Dan Simmons' "Summer of Night". "Summer of Night" is stronger in the horror department, but the feel and flow of the book is very similar to "Boy's Life".

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Summary: I love this book!
Review: Once in a while you find a rare book which stays in your mind long after your finished it. Boy's Life is just that. The story is simply beautiful and still captures my heart and imagination after reading it the second time, 10 years later. McCammon is famous for his horrors. But in Boy's Life, Mc Cammon has written a brilliant story filled with sensitivity, humanity and emotional depth. It is about a 11 year old boy coming of age. Narrated in the endearing young boy's, Cory's, voice, Boy's Life captures what is meant to be a child once, when the world is still magical and filled with wonders, when a bicycle is a boy's steed, friendship is permanent, a dog is one's best friend and even "flying" is possible. And Boy's Life has its moments of poignancy when Cory has to deal with his best friends' death, evil when and where he least expects and bigotry in his young world. Boy's Life just tugs at my heart as it glows with warmth and comfort when parental love overcome the fears of growing up and always there to rely on in a child's life. Boy's Life is truly a treasure and I promise myself to read this gem again in another 5-10 years time.