Bag of Bones

Rating:
Summary: One of King's Best
Review: I have been a fan of King for only about five years, so I don't consider myself TOTALLY biased when I write reviews for his books. Still, despite this, I have read twenty-five King novels, including the amazing "On Writing"--one of my personal favorites. And though I wasn't a reader when "Carrie" was originally published, I have seen some of King's best, and some of his worst. "Bag of Bones" ranks near the top.

There is an incredible amount of maturity in this novel, which made "From A Buick 8" disappointing, in a way. In "Bag of Bones", King tells a truly frightful ghost story, interwoven with a love-story that never even begins to border on cheesy. He relies on few--if any--cliches when it comes to Mike Noonan's flowering relationship with Mattie Devore, making it all the more realistic. It seems as though King enjoys writing simple, in-your-face horror, but every now and again he wows us with one hell of a deep, meaningful novel such as "Bag of Bones." (Only "The Green Mile" and "Hearts in Atlantis" seem to compare.)

Before sitting down to read this novel, "'Salem's Lot" was my undisputed favorite when it came to the King of Horror. But now I'm not so sure. If people say that King has lost his touch, that the magic is gone, I need not say anything--I just point them in the direction of this book. Any new fan of King, past fan of King, present fan of King will enjoy this...even his most critical readers will find flaws difficult.

Rating this lower than five stars just wouldn't be right. In fact, I don't know how many other books I've ever given such a generous rating...maybe two or three. Along with this book, I recommend those I've previously mentioned, along with "The Stand" and "The Shining"--yeah, the latter may have been a great horror MOVIE, but wait until you read the book. They just don't compare.

Rating:
Summary: Absorbing, Complex, and Creeped Me Out
Review: I am new to Stephen King, only having read Dreamcatcher and The Gunslinger before Bag of Bones.

One thing for sure about Mr. King: He always makes me want to turn that page. And more so than the other two books, Bag of Bones sent chills up my spine.

B.O.B. is considerably richer in detail, language, storyline (rather complex), and character development. Except for a place or two, the story is devoid of gore, which is fine with me, as the most satisfying aspects of his writing is his sensitivity towards life and his characters. Even in Dreamcatcher, where the gross and gruesome stuff is in your face, I found his characters and sense of humor to be the elements of the story that I remember the most.

The book is partly a ghost story, which caused me to have real doubts about wanting to read it, as ghost stores generally leave me bored. I was wrong. It's ghostly elements were creepy enough but never hackneyed nor predictable.

Bag of Bones has a timeless quality about it, like Carrie.

Finally, if permitted by Amazon, I would have given 4.5 stars for Bag of Bones instead of 4. I respectfully hold back 1/2 star because on occasion King's writing lapses a bit, not up to par with the rest of the novel.

But I'm only nitpicking here, plus I want to give my true opinions of the book.

Read Bag of Bones. You'll enjoy more than one sleepness night from being unable to put the down, and being creeped out--as it should be.

David in PA -- aka Wolfy

Rating:
Summary: Bag of BORES!!
Review: I was anxious to read Bag of Bones after reading the wonderful reviews everyone on amazon was giving it. Saying it was a masterpiece, one of King's best, much like The Stand and The Shining, and truly haunting. The only question I have is...did I read the same Bag of Bones as everyone else did?
The book began good but the style that was so totally un-SK was very hard to adjust to. I don't think I fully adjusted to the style of the book until Chapter 12! It was so frustrating to get used to the style that many times I considered stopping just for that reason.
After you get used to the style, SK bores you will 20-some page chapters full of useless info;plus throws in some made up history to bore and let down the reader. The point that is trying to be made in each chapter could have easily been made in less pages. While reading, many times I wondered if SK had the same editor he had for previous novels since the chapters were so lengthy and I found many grammatical errors such as misused commas and run on sentences and many, many fragments.
The story is ok. At times it's a little hard to believe and unrealistic. And then just when SK really gets you into the legal action of the custody fight he ends it so simply that I was seriously let down.
I don't know how anyone could have found this book to be haunting. There were some parts that were a little spooky but not haunting. And plus afterwards when you finish the book you'll laugh not only at yourself but at SK for making the manifestations stupid pointless characters that really I wasn't interested in.
The characters were ok. At times, Mike, Ki, and Mattie were a little much. I have to agree with one reviewer who said King really has trouble grasping age concepts. Sometimes Ki thinks way too high for a three year old even if she has supernatural abilities.
Overall this book was ok. I don't suggest it over any of the other books I've read of SK's (except maybe The Dark Half). This book would have been ok if King would have just kept to the ghost story and not brought in all this legal and history [stuff].

Rating:
Summary: This book is no dust-catcher.
Review: Stephen King's Bag of Bones held my interest from it's beginning, which features the darkened humor of a widower and fascinating tidbits concerning the novelist's market, to it's middle, a ghost story with unseen knocking and dreams of white ghosts without faces, and it's ending, which turned into a romance and then finished with a bizarre and paranormal ending.

The plot concerns a novelist who, ever since the death of his beloved spouse, Johanna, clenches up everytime he tries to write on his computer. Michael Noonan, the author in question, lives for years after his wife's death with only crossword puzzles and charities to take up his time. Without wife or writing, Mike begins to suffer dreams, all of them centering on his summer house, where he finished many of his novels and which holds the best memories of his wife, Sara Laughs.

Mike goes back to Sara Laughs and encounters paranormal activity there that somehow links to his wife, he later discovers. He also finds out that the area where the summer home is located (Dark Score Lake or TR-90)is currently under pressure by a ruthless millionaire who wants his daughter's child, which the latter won't let him have for her own reasons. Mike is drawn into the struggle of millionaire and single mother and he soon grows attached to them, the first people since his wife's death.

This King novel is excellent. It contains cameos from his previous books, such as Ralph Roberts from Insomnia, the names of William Denbrough (IT) and Thaddeus Beaumont (Dark Half), and of course Derry, Castle Rock and Dark Score. He connects his fictional characters with real (names mentioned include John Grisham and Tom Clancy)and creates his own world. He goes with first-person narrative, which is not a mistake because he does it quite well. The book is over 700 pages, but I had no trouble reading them all.

Overall, a bizarre read that is much different than regular King. For anyone who does not normally like King's topics, this novel should satisfy you. He goes beyond his normal horror and writes a romantic and eerie tale about a man and his own inner ghosts, and how he must save himself from them while also helping in a child-custody battle and dealing with a millionaire who is comparable, method-wise, to the old and scarred Mason Verger of the novel Hannibal. A spectacular read and one that is bound to not gather dust from sitting on a bed-side table too long.

Rating:
Summary: Slow at first, but turns out to be a good ghost story
Review: If your looking for a good ghost story, Bag of Bones is definately a good read. However, it is overly long. Stephen King gets too caught up in details at the beginning of the book and it takes nearly 1/3 of the book until you get to the real story. I've always found that Stephen King can be a bit winded, especially in this book where he'll use chapters upon chapters to describe a sceane that took place in less than 5 mintues.

After you make it through the part where Noonan loses his wife, reflects upon it, reflects upon it some more, and still can't seem to get past that piece of candy he found in her purse, he packs up for their house in Maine and the hauntings begin.

There is also an element of mystery about the book. It seems Noonan's deceased wife Jo was up to something at their Sara Smiles vacation home. Then there's the legal thriller he managed to stick in the story that really doesn't go anywhere but it does have an exciting climax. And of course there's the love interest element. It seems this book has everything. I'd have given it 5 stars if it hadn't been for King's long windedness.

Rating:
Summary: normally i like/love king, but........
Review: this book is about hauntings. a woman with a young girl is haunted by her heritage. a rich ancestor trying to take custody of the child. a writer whose wife is dead, becomes involved. mysterious happenings indicate supernatural hauntings. i thought this was a horror novel. it was not. and as a drama book it wasn't that interesting either. to be King, this was strangely uninteresting. the plot wasn't silly, but it didn't grab me. i wasn't really taken by the characters either.

Rating:
Summary: Bag of Wind
Review: King writes on and on about the same things, I guess his fans are happy. Same script, weird folks in a small Maine town, guess their secret? At least this time the supernatural involved was not a space spider. He claims this novel kept him up at night. Doing what??

Rating:
Summary: Different, but Still Just as Good
Review: Although unlike anything King has ever written, this novel sits at the top of the list as one of my favorites. It is haunting and touching all at once and written in such a literary way that it gives the reader a heartache and a headache at the same time. But it is a headache that you do not want to go away. And as you read more, you realize that the heartache was already there. King not only writes about the things that we fear, he writes about the feelings that we fear, as well. And regardless of our fears, he shows us what we do not want to see and makes us feel what we have been trying to avoid. This is the genious of King.

Rating:
Summary: King - Bag Of Bones
Review: I feel slightly silly adding to the already enormous amount of reviews but perhaps my feelings about King and his work may lend a different point of view.

I've not yet been bitten by the King bug so many people seem to be stricken with. I've read a few King novels - mainly earlier (and shorter) ones - but I've never fallen head over heels for his work. Until, perhaps, Bag of Bones.

I was informed by my wife, a King fan, that Bag of Bones is somewhat atypical but did showcase his writing talent. And I agree. You get what you're promised - a haunted love story, according to the back flap of my copy. The novel is often slow yet the writing is magnificent. King's first person narration is enough to keep you plowing through even the most tedious chapters. His humor shines through and he paints a picture of small town life that's believable and appealing.

So now I'm thinking that, despite having read some previous novels, I may have finally discovered King.

Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: I loved reading "Bag of Bones." Although scary at times, the story is much more than just a horror story. The way he presents the characters makes you fall in love with them, instead of simply having them lead you through the story. Unlike most books, you actually CARE what happends to the main character, best-selling novelist Mike Noonan, who is still trying to deal with the sudden death of his wife, Jo. His grief causes him to develop writer's block, and he can't even look at a blank computer screen without having a panic attack. After having recurring dreams about Sara Laughs, the house on the lake that he and his wife would visit in the summertime, Mike goes to the house to confront his fears. He finds the place haunted, both with ghosts and memories of his dead wife.

During his stay, a chance meeting with single mother Mattie Devore and her three-year-old daughter, Kyra, turns his life around. As he helps Mattie fight for custody of her daughter against her rich, elderly father-in-law, Max Devore, he finds himself falling in love with both of them and slowly regaining the life that he lost after Jo's death. However, secrets about Sara Laughs and its haunting past start to unravel, and Mike finds that coming to the lake had given him more than he bargained for. The sudden return of his writing ability, along with ghostly visitors and haunting experiences, make "Bag of Bones" a lot more than just a haunting love story.

This book is great all the way through, and King has a way of keeping you in suspense even when nothing particularly thrilling is happening. However, the ending is slightly disappointing (I won't say how, because that will give it away), but it still leaves you feeling satisfied and slightly chilled. A must-have for King fans, and a great read for everyone else as well!