Duma Key

Some strengths of Duma Key: Chararacters that became, at least to me, more real as friends than some people I know. Hard-won insight into what makes us human, how we deal with time, loss, fear of loss (Since when have you taken the chance to make friends with an 86 year old woman?), the mysterious tangle of creativity…. This all makes me want to, rather than a dead sort of word like \”literary,\” apply to King what someone, if I remember rightly, said about Ellington, \”He knew what music was for.\” King knows what a novel is for. Get involved. Come along. And finally, it includes a supernatural element that rather than making the story less powerful, merely paints it in King\’s chosen palette: vivid, disturbing, painful, tender, and essentially real where it matters most, and where perhaps it looms the most dangerous. *** John Slattery, the reading was brilliant. Your voice stood up, offered me a cool drink, and became Wireman to me. I\’ll miss you, my friend. Highest honors. ***Humble Response to a Few Reviews** It\’s been mentioned in some of these reviews that 1) the language was unnecessarily coarse and 2) that it started slow. First, the language is entirely appropriate to an adult novel where organic brain trauma is involved. The protagonist\’s verbal outbursts can be, unfortunately, all too accurate, and are intended (I believe) to frighten the reader as it does the characters involved–to offend one\’s sense of how things ought to be. In response to the second, I found the pace of his development added to my involvement in the story, and helped to add the kind of inevitablity, depth, and increasing momentum so present in the best of some of King\’s work. Also, I believe for the novel to work as well as it does, that we must see, really see, what happens there, and in that order.

Full disclosure; I\’m definitely a fan of Stephen King. That said, I felt there was something special about this book. The story seemed more personal, the relationships more genuine. The narration is exquisite. Also, this book has a more satisfying ending than you normally get from SK; I don\’t think endings have ever been his forte (for me SK has always been more about the journey than the destination), but this one was done really well. Written after his own car accident, this story about a man recovering from serious injury perfectly described the phenomenon of living with ever present pain – something I\’ve rarely found described accurately. All in all, a fantastic, thoughtful, spooky story told perfectly. I hope you enjoy it even half as much as I did.

I gave this weekend to Stephen King. Nothing accomplished except very long walks with dog and MP3 player. I would vote that this is his best book ever. The Florida Keys will never be the same, and I won\’t be buying any artwork soon!!!!You need to read/listen to this book. PS I really enjoyed the reader also.

Another great story from the amazing Stephen King, but very different. We have an interesting main character, a strange place and a fight with pain. This one seemed to me much personal than other works by this author and as I understand it he wrote it after his almost deadly car accident. John Slattery brings all the characters, places and events to life with his calm, relaxing voice.

Hard to believe that I\’ve been reading Stephen King for twenty-five years, but there it is. I started with \”Pet Sematary\” and have read 90% of what he\’s written since. Does that make me a King \”expert\”? A dubious distinction . . . Characterization is King\’s strong suit. Horror or fantasy or straight fiction — it doesn\’t matter. His characters stick with you. King\’s ability to make us identify with his stock every-day-sort-of-guy main character represents his greatest strength as a writer. You\’ll like Freemantle and Wireman. You could have a beer with them. (You\’ll recognize Freemantle from Mike Noonan in \”Bag of bones.\” Twins separated at birth, maybe?) You\’ll also recognize King\’s typical build-up. Normal guy in unusual circumstances finds himself confronted with ambiguous monster out to get him (and his family) for unknown reasons. The foreplay is always more exciting that the actual act. Just like in \”Dreamcatcher\”, King has trouble in this book moving from the heavily foreshadowed bogeyman to the real-life campaign to kill it. (Where do his monsters ever come from anyway? Do they ever have a history?) The exposition is quality, like something out of \”The Stand\” or \”Hearts in Atlantis\”, but the ending melts into cheesiness, like a chapter from \”Salem\’s Lot.\” As an English teacher, I have a running row with my colleagues about whether or not King writes literature or trash. My argument has always been that he writes both. Most people don\’t realize that he\’s behind \”The Shawshank Redemption\” or \”Stand by Me\”, or that his story \”The Man in Black\” won 1st place a few years back in \”The Best American Short Story.\” (Ok, maybe that was a marketing ploy. But any guy who churns out a book a year, at least, is using the \”win sometimes lose sometimes\” strategy.) In this book he wins and loses. Great characterization and build up, unsatisfying hackneyed ending.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member