Rating: 
Summary: A good read.
Review: Like most Stephen King books, Bag of Bones is one where you begin to read and lose track of time. It is totally engrossing and you find yourself caring more for the characters or hating them that much more. A good read.For an even better read, try The Green Mile or travel onto the path of the beam and tackle The Dark Tower.
Rating: 
Summary: An excellent initiation into the world of Stephen King!
Review: Wow! is the first word that comes to mind after just now having come to the end (sadly I have to say, as I was totally engrossed in this book!) of my very first Stephen King "read!". I have to say, Mr. King, that you have truly earned your reputation of "literary genius!" I had never read a Stpehen King book before, largely due to not having been "turned on" to the genre of thrillers....that is....until now!!!! I have viewed several of the movies based on his earlier works, including 'Christine', 'It', and 'The Stand', and had come away from those thinking that if all his writings were as "macabre" as that, it would just be too much morbidity for me! I can say I no longer hold that belief! Bag of Bones was a perfect blend of many aspects that we, as humans, by default, must deal with in our lives. Add to that, just enough of the supernatural and suspense indicative of Mr. King, and there you have it.....an excellent read! Just be careful about reading it before bedtime...I was almost too afraid to get out of my bed when done reading at night, to use the bathroom, and almost left the hall light on!!! Obviously, it was very easy to place yourself, as you read, into the "shoes" of Mike Noonan, and almost literally FEEL his pain! You couldn't help but wish for him to be happy and no longer lonely. Afterall, we all can identify with love, loss, and fear, can we not? Actually, you found yourself being able to "identify" with some aspect(s) of ALL the characters in this book, from Jo, who is Mike's wife, to even the "lady of the manor", Sara Tidwell, whose reasons for her "haunting" will be plain to see and understand in the end, and I guarantee it will be a total surprise, that deals with racisim, another reality of our human world. I can honestly say that deciding to read Bag of Bones has been a rewarding and educational experience for me, and I found myself wishing it wasn't ending! I will now be certain to obtain other works by Mr. King, as he has shown me his uncanny, if not unsurpassed, ability and talent to create characters, plots, and detail that will thoroughly captivate his readers from beginning to end. Pick up this book. Mr. King will not disappoint you! Uh...Mr. King? How 'bout a sequel?? :-)
Rating: 
Summary: Horrible!
Review: I usually can't put a Stephen King book down, this one I hard a hard time picking it back up. It was so boring! The whole first 1/2 of this book, could have been condensed into 1 small Chapter! He really drug it out - I hope this doesn't indicate a change in writing style, because if his next one is this boring I won't force myself through the whole thing, which is what I had to do with "Bag of Bones". I'm really disappointed, and I've always been a King fan.
Rating: 
Summary: It's "okay"...
Review: One question. If you have read King's early works (say, late 70s right through the 80s) isn't it just a shame to read the stuff he's written in the 90s? I am a huge King fan. I can say he's my favorite author. The Stand is my all time favorite book. The Shining, The Talisman, It, Pet Semetary, Salem's Lot...all BRILLIANT. But now, I really believe he's lost it. I suppose it's understandable. How can someone keep up the pace of unbelieveable quality that King was doing for a while there? I would imagine the freshness starts to get a bit stale. Bag of Bones had me a bit more optimistic because it's long, and unlike some people who are obsessed with bashing King for his longwindedness, I truly adore a huge novel to get into. This one didn't do much for me. Don't get me wrong, if you've NEVER read King (or read mostly his newer stuff), I believe you might like this. It's a pretty good, and interesting book. But I suffer from constantly comparing what he does to what he's DONE. I suppose that's not fair...after all, much of that older stuff is from 15 or 20 years ago...but still. I thought Insomnia was pretty dull. And while Bag of Bones was a bit more interesting than that, it just didn't have the magic that older King books have. It's like he's just not really into it anymore (or as passionate as he used to be.) I guess I'd rank this just below Desperation. That was a bit more exciting. Maybe the problem is, there are quite a few GHOST stories out there (Straub's "Ghost Story" being one of the best EVER, in my opinion), so it would be hard to write a new one that actually cuts through the clutter. I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO HAVE SEEN WHAT KING WOULD HAVE WRITTEN IF HE TRIED TO TACKLE THE GHOST THEME BACK IN HIS PRIME (Say, 1985.) Bag of Bones is a good book, worth the read for King and non-King fans, but boy does it make me appreciate classic King.
Rating:
Summary: Once I got into the book, I couldn't put it down.
Review: I was very impressed with Bag of Bones. I found it a little slow in the beginning, but once "Mike" moved to Sara Laughs I could not put the book down. My first King book I read was the Stand and I actually had feeling for the characters in that book. Bag of Bones made me feel emotions for all the characters as well. I enjoy all of Mr. King's storys, but some were very hard reading for me because of story interest. Bag of Bones seemed to be a new style of writing for him and I found it very refreshing. There was still all the great scarry stuff but a nice new twist in a story line. This will be a well read book in my library. I already have several people in line who want to borrow it.
Rating:
Summary: King is back to his old self again
Review: I have always been a big fan of Mr King and his novels over the years and although every book improves on the previous, this one has outdone all of them. The combination of horror and romance can only be carried off by Mr King and for this one he gets thunderous applause.
Rating: 
Summary: The usual blather ....
Review: An article in the NY Times business section today (11/9) expresses King's and his publishers disappointment how his books, although best sellers, spend less and less time on the Best Seller List. He's already been bumped from the number one spot by Clancy. And they wonder why? All he is doing is dishing out the usual blather, along with his typical "see through" techniques. I mean, what, after all is Bag of Bones about, except another writer in another town in Maine, another fair to middling ghost story. When SK gets around to writing something truly different, maybe his buying public will take notice and come back in the big numbers that he and his publisher are hoping for. This Bag of Bones, just aint it. Thankfully I didnt have to pay, I never buy SK anymore he doesnt need my bucks, I take my time waiting for the next available libraray copy, as I did this one. It wasnt worth the wait. Much as I admired SK's earlier works (I stopped buying after the ridiculous, sophomoric "Christine") and much as I wish him well, I honestly think he has sort of shot his load, and his best work is behind him. I am genuinely sorry that Bag of Bones didnt live up to my expectations.
Rating:
Summary: many a sleepless nights with this
Review: This book kept me on the edge of my seat for days on end. Stephen King surely is one of the best writers of our time. Although it wasn't as gripping as some other of his novels, it surely is a keeper for all times to come. I'd recommend this book to avid readers of Mr. King as well as first time King beginners. Keep up the good work Sparky.
Rating:
Summary: A Definite Hit
Review: Stephen King has outdone himself, again. This book is really enthralling. Mr. King builds such wonderful believable characters that you just don't want to put the book down. I just had to keep turning pages to see which ghosts were haunting him, what was going to happen to Kyra and her mother and most of all what was going to become of Noonan. I've always loved reading Stephen King and I believe I've read everything that that he's ever written. My older sons love reading S.K. also and we agree that this is right up there with his classics.
Rating:
Summary: Like fishing with barbless hooks
Review: As happy as I was to see a new title emerge from the mind of the master, I felt cheated at the end. Though Stephen King can bait his situations with his careful turn-of-phrase, I felt like every time I went for the hook, I got caught, pulled in the boat, laughed at, and tossed back in the lake untouched. After I turned page #400 I knew I had to stay in the woods until the last ghost was flushed out, even though I wanted to leave. Lots of great tricks in this book...I think maybe I'm outgrowing ghost stories. Or maybe they just have to be less 'commercial.'
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