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The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

List Price: $7.99
Your Price: $7.19
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Not too Scary, but Wonderfully Told
Review: On one of my bookshelves, next to a series of large tomes by Stephen King, there now stands a small, 200-page book that looks out of place. Between Gerald's Game and Insomnia, King's new book is tucked away, seeming as if it doesn't belong there at all. Yet although The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is a departure from his normal method of storytelling, it is still vintage King.

The title character is Trisha McFarland, a nine year-old girl (but big for her age), daughter of divorced parents, and the glue that has been holding together her feuding mother and older brother. As they set out for a hike through the woods in Maine (where else?), Trisha stops for a moment to go off the trail in an effort to get away from the family bickering. Separated from her mother and brother, Trisha attempts to find her way back to the trail only to discover that she is completely lost.

With a stoic resolve that King manages to make completely believable, Trisha sets off on an adventure, trying to find her way home. Her only link to civilization is her Walkman radio, which she cares for with a reverence. As she listens to the Boston Red Sox game, she begins to fantasize that closing pitcher Tom "Flash" Gordon is talking to her.

As the hours turn to days, Trisha comes to the realization that something else is in the woods with her, too. She doesn't have a name for it, but she begins thinking of it as "the thing" in the woods and later knows it as The God of the Lost. Little by little, Trisha slips between reality and the dark place where King likes to play. She sees things in the night, feels the breath of it on her neck, but the reader is never sure if it's real or merely the imaginings of a young girl whose stress level is beyond the breaking point.

Soon the barrier between reality and hallucination is gone, and Tom Gordon becomes not just an idle fantasy to pass the time, but a "real" person helping her through this nightmare. Tom gives her the strength she needs and comes to her when everything is all but lost. Through it all, Trisha tries desperately to discover what she believes and what she can believe in.

King does a wonderful job of telling the story almost entirely from Trisha's point of view. He does cheat once or twice to tell the reader what is happening in the search for the missing girl, but these breaks are few and far between. The audience is stuck with Trisha, lost in the woods, and unsure if she will ever be saved.

While The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon often seems out of character for King. More than a horror novel, it is a tale of survival and humanity fighting against nature. But there are still moments that mirror his past work, too. This is not to say that he is repeating himself, but rather that fans will see that this is a a King novel after all.

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon may never be considered King's best (or best selling) novel, but it is intimate and inviting. There is no real horror, but it is a compelling tale wonderfully told.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A King is back
Review: First I can say that King has returned to the better stories. A girl, nine years old, loosing her way into another world, trying to survive, and `something' following her trying to get her, it can only be a King story. In my view it can become a story that easily fits in some like Robinson Crusoe and Lord of the Flies.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Disappointing...
Review: I have been a fan of Stephen King since Carrie came out; I thought, and still think, that The Shining is a masterpiece unequaled by any other horror author. However, I was terribly disappointed in this book. The story starts out with good information about the family nucleus, and as the story begins and the family starts their trek through the woods, I could really feel the emotions going through their minds, and the strong connection between the brother and sister. When the little girl disappears in the blink of an eye, I felt that this was the beginning of a very scary story, filled with lots of supernatural influence. Instead, I began to get bored because nothing much was happening; there were points when the story built and I felt that the moment was just around the corner when I would find King's sense of darkness and true horror, only to read on and say this is it? The plot of the story about a little lost girl all alone in the dark woods conjures up terror and unimaginable fear that I felt just didn't happen. I would say the book is an OK read, but definitely not up to King's usual standard of writing...

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I Felt What She Felt
Review: This is the story of a young girl lost in the woods. While I was reading this, I was actually THERE with her, or maybe I was her. King made me feel her emotions, her growing desperation, and her utter terror. While this is different from some of his previous books, the horror is still there - only this time in an all-too-believable realm. Recommended!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Definitely not his best
Review: This book was a refreshing alternative to King's usual horror story habits, and I'm glad to see that he's trying out new styles and genres. However, I was not all too enthralled with TGWLTG. It was well-written, descriptive, original and cute, but it lacked any interesting plot twists. I enjoyed it, but at times I was anxious for something different to happen and whenever I felt like something was going to take place, nothing ever did. Tricia McFarland was a sweetie-and-a-half, however, I was anything but impressed with this book as a work of literature.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good Read
Review: To the readers who came before me and said this book was boring, I must disagree. I think Stephen King's true talent lies in his ability to get inside a character's head and give a sometimes creepy, often hilarious account of what they are thinking. This is a great example of that talent. It's a simple story without a lot of flash, but I never found it boring. "A good read."

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: what the Blair Witch Project should have been
Review: Stephen King, through the mind of a young girl, gives a graphic picture of the terror one might feel alone and lost in the woods. I would think that anyone who enjoyed The Blair Witch Project would find this book appealing, because it fleshes out the feelings and emotions that were only hinted at in that movie. If your idea of a great Stephen King book is The Regulators, then you will probably want to pass on this one, but if you enjoyed his more thoughtful works, such as the recent Bag of Bones, The Stand, etc. then this should be a good read for you. I will admit, I was starting to worry that maybe my favorite author had lost some of his touch, but my faith has been restored. The things that scare us most are the things we create in our own minds, and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon chillingly exemplifies that.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: More Than a Baseball Book
Review: I'm not all that into baseball, but I think this book could be a horror to women that are mothers. I think it had it's scary points, such as her seeing this black eyed thing with great cocked ears like horns. The cast of characters was small and almost not even there. King thinks of things that really could happen in real life. He has changed his perspective and style of writing and has made a novel that doesn't scare someone until they go on themselves. This novel was very well written and made you see that a nine year old girl named Tricia, so vivid and even won against her worst fears. That is something not even something most adults can do.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Worst King book I've read
Review: I am a huge Stephen King fan. I have read several of his books and have loved them all. Then I came across this horrible dissapointment. The entire book is centered around one girl who I found extremely annoying. Stephen King has written so many great books, so don't waste your time with this one. Instead read Four Past Midnight or The Eyes of the Dragon...those were great books.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: If you want a King book that is short and not so sweet....
Review: ....then buy this book. This book is very good. It is short enough that it can be read in one or two days easy. After reading what all the little girl goes through in the woods I'm more thankful for what I've got than I ever have been.


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