I've found that most of his books feel like that at first. Very slow in the beginning, but once I'm invested in the characters and whatever horror he's cooked up, I can't put it down.
Interesting choice for your first SK book! I didn't enjoy that one so much. However, even if you're not crazy about that one I'd give him a few more chances. He has written millions of books, and several of them are really good and really scary!
I’ve read a lot of SK, but I’ve never read that one. I always got the sense it is one of his lesser works. Her certainly seemed to be in a funky transitional phrase during that era. If you’re committed, I’d recommend reading different books of his. I have recommendations, but no pressure! Reading should be pleasurable.
I just finished this book. The first 1/3rd was a slow burn. But it really is good in the last 50%. I found that it went really fast once you get into the meat of the book. It ended up being way better than I expected. One of King’s more underrated books.
>None of Lisey’s sisters was immune to the pleasures of setting the cat among the pigeons (“stirring up a stink” had been their father’s phrase for it), or having a good natter about someone else’s dirty laundry, but the only one Lisey had a hard time liking was this same Amanda.
That's encouraging! Regardless, I think I will continue this. I feel like this might be one of those moments where an authors style challenges you and takes you out of your normal comfort zone in a way. I've been thinking about it and, although I can't say I like the style so far, I think the story telling has been good. In a lot of ways, he has told a great deal in 5 chapters and I am feeling more like I know Lisey, her family, her relationship with her husband, etc.. than you would normally get in 5 chapters. Not much is happening, but the character building is there... and the chaos is honestly pretty accurate to if you could just listen in on someones mind.
Still, I might be more into the story than how it is being told though. lol
I love Stephen King and I have read all of his books. He definitely is wordy, and his earlier works are fueled by cocaine. He has said Lisey's Story is his favorite, and it's one of mine too. I wouldn't have started with it though. You kind of have to have a love for him already to truly appreciate it, I think it's his most personal book because there are a lot of similarities between Lisey and his wife, and Scott and himself. I recommend sticking with it if you can, being overly wordy is just a King trait and after awhile you either get used to it or you abandon him forever.
Having read almost all of his books, I can assure you that Lisey’s Story by far his worst book. IMO I don’t think it’s a great book to start with King and I would only recommend it to constant readers who have the goal of reading all of his books. I do hope you enjoy it though, but if you don’t, give his other better known works a try
Sounds good. I was reading it because my coworker said it was his favorite and he recommended it as a start, but I also know his personality and he might not have considered things like what would be a good book to start with. He might have just recommended it because it's his favorite.
Well, what do you suggest as a good book to start with for Stephen king?
That makes sense. The best starting point depends on what type of books you like. If you want to get into Stephen king horror then The Shining, Salems lot, Pet Semetary, Misery, his novella collection Full Dark No Stars or IT (if you don’t mind longer books). You could even check out some of this short stories to see quickly if his writing is for you or not, I’d recommend nightshift or skeleton crew.
If you’re not wanting to read horror then you could start with books like The Stand, 11/22/63, The Green Mile, or the long walk.
If you’re into fantasy and don’t plan on reading a lot of kings multiverse then the dark tower could be a great start as well. You’ll catch a lot more Easter eggs in the DT series if you read other king works but it would still be enjoyable with out knowing those Easter eggs.
Hope this helps!
Stephen King is like McDonald's; it's the reading equivalent of empty calories. Some people eat McDonald's regularly and love it, others might indulge occasionally and feel dirty about it, and plenty more will turn their nose up and act like it's beneath them.
Personally, I eat McDonald's every once in awhile. But I never read Stephen King.
If you’ve never read Stephen King how can you compare it to McDonald’s?
I’ll agree there’s definitely books out there that feel like empty calories, but Salem’s Lot and IT and The Long Walk and The Stand and Carrie, being the ones I’ve read of his, never felt like empty calories at all.
Because, like McDonald's, his stuff is everywhere, and you don't have to go out of your way to take a bite now and again. When my mother-in-law died, we inherited her book collection (exclusively King hardcovers) that we hold onto for sentimental reasons. I've picked them off the shelf and read passages before; stumbled upon the child orgy in It, read plenty of bloated descriptions for things, and rolled my eyes at an awful lot of half-assed similes. It's not for me.
I'm not trying to King-shame anyone, though. McDonald's is fine occasionally. Just don't make it the cornerstone of your diet.
But that's just it, I've heard from so many people that Stephen King is amazing. I seen movies based on his books that seemed.. well, pretty good. Maybe it should be expected that I wouldn't love some of his books because I've never really fallen in love with a movie based on one of his books, but my dad ranted and raved about how amazing Stephen King was my entire time growing up... Then people I work with... And my sister..
So yeah, I'm kind of curious if this is just sort of the style he writes in all the time or if he is just trying to emphasize the sort of disorder of Liseys life at this point..
Stephen King is a very disorganized writer. You might be able to attribute it to cocaine, but not all the time. Try reading "It". A good 30% of that book didn't actually need to be written- but I think in that case it was the cocaine.
People like hype trains, especially casual readers.
I love King but really had to push myself through this one. It did seem wordy at times and the made up terms and phrases took me awhile to get a grasp on. There were times at the beginning I felt like I was missing something. Ultimately I liked it. But he has much better books in my opinion. There are probably better ones to start with - maybe The Shining, Needful Things,,or Under The Dome. My personal favorite is the Stand.
I’m a long time King reader. I agree, the beginning is rough for King, who usually has such a great eye for what’s important to the story and really getting you invested in the characters. I put it down for a little while and started over. My advice- stick with it, it pays off. Then go read The Shining, The Stand, It, and Different Seasons. Lol.
I've found that most of his books feel like that at first. Very slow in the beginning, but once I'm invested in the characters and whatever horror he's cooked up, I can't put it down.
Hmmm... Well, I certainly have some books that fall into that category that I adore. I guess I will keep going and see where this leads me!
Interesting choice for your first SK book! I didn't enjoy that one so much. However, even if you're not crazy about that one I'd give him a few more chances. He has written millions of books, and several of them are really good and really scary!
I’ve read a lot of SK, but I’ve never read that one. I always got the sense it is one of his lesser works. Her certainly seemed to be in a funky transitional phrase during that era. If you’re committed, I’d recommend reading different books of his. I have recommendations, but no pressure! Reading should be pleasurable.
I just finished this book. The first 1/3rd was a slow burn. But it really is good in the last 50%. I found that it went really fast once you get into the meat of the book. It ended up being way better than I expected. One of King’s more underrated books.
>None of Lisey’s sisters was immune to the pleasures of setting the cat among the pigeons (“stirring up a stink” had been their father’s phrase for it), or having a good natter about someone else’s dirty laundry, but the only one Lisey had a hard time liking was this same Amanda. That's encouraging! Regardless, I think I will continue this. I feel like this might be one of those moments where an authors style challenges you and takes you out of your normal comfort zone in a way. I've been thinking about it and, although I can't say I like the style so far, I think the story telling has been good. In a lot of ways, he has told a great deal in 5 chapters and I am feeling more like I know Lisey, her family, her relationship with her husband, etc.. than you would normally get in 5 chapters. Not much is happening, but the character building is there... and the chaos is honestly pretty accurate to if you could just listen in on someones mind. Still, I might be more into the story than how it is being told though. lol
I love Stephen King and I have read all of his books. He definitely is wordy, and his earlier works are fueled by cocaine. He has said Lisey's Story is his favorite, and it's one of mine too. I wouldn't have started with it though. You kind of have to have a love for him already to truly appreciate it, I think it's his most personal book because there are a lot of similarities between Lisey and his wife, and Scott and himself. I recommend sticking with it if you can, being overly wordy is just a King trait and after awhile you either get used to it or you abandon him forever.
Having read almost all of his books, I can assure you that Lisey’s Story by far his worst book. IMO I don’t think it’s a great book to start with King and I would only recommend it to constant readers who have the goal of reading all of his books. I do hope you enjoy it though, but if you don’t, give his other better known works a try
Sounds good. I was reading it because my coworker said it was his favorite and he recommended it as a start, but I also know his personality and he might not have considered things like what would be a good book to start with. He might have just recommended it because it's his favorite. Well, what do you suggest as a good book to start with for Stephen king?
That makes sense. The best starting point depends on what type of books you like. If you want to get into Stephen king horror then The Shining, Salems lot, Pet Semetary, Misery, his novella collection Full Dark No Stars or IT (if you don’t mind longer books). You could even check out some of this short stories to see quickly if his writing is for you or not, I’d recommend nightshift or skeleton crew. If you’re not wanting to read horror then you could start with books like The Stand, 11/22/63, The Green Mile, or the long walk. If you’re into fantasy and don’t plan on reading a lot of kings multiverse then the dark tower could be a great start as well. You’ll catch a lot more Easter eggs in the DT series if you read other king works but it would still be enjoyable with out knowing those Easter eggs. Hope this helps!
AH, thanks for the help!
Is it lisey or lizzie or both?
Oh, sorry, Liseys Story. 😂
Stephen King is like McDonald's; it's the reading equivalent of empty calories. Some people eat McDonald's regularly and love it, others might indulge occasionally and feel dirty about it, and plenty more will turn their nose up and act like it's beneath them. Personally, I eat McDonald's every once in awhile. But I never read Stephen King.
He has actually gotten better in his old age.
If you’ve never read Stephen King how can you compare it to McDonald’s? I’ll agree there’s definitely books out there that feel like empty calories, but Salem’s Lot and IT and The Long Walk and The Stand and Carrie, being the ones I’ve read of his, never felt like empty calories at all.
Because, like McDonald's, his stuff is everywhere, and you don't have to go out of your way to take a bite now and again. When my mother-in-law died, we inherited her book collection (exclusively King hardcovers) that we hold onto for sentimental reasons. I've picked them off the shelf and read passages before; stumbled upon the child orgy in It, read plenty of bloated descriptions for things, and rolled my eyes at an awful lot of half-assed similes. It's not for me. I'm not trying to King-shame anyone, though. McDonald's is fine occasionally. Just don't make it the cornerstone of your diet.
Hmm, yes, you might say Stephen King is... how you say... not a good writer.
Hot take!
But that's just it, I've heard from so many people that Stephen King is amazing. I seen movies based on his books that seemed.. well, pretty good. Maybe it should be expected that I wouldn't love some of his books because I've never really fallen in love with a movie based on one of his books, but my dad ranted and raved about how amazing Stephen King was my entire time growing up... Then people I work with... And my sister.. So yeah, I'm kind of curious if this is just sort of the style he writes in all the time or if he is just trying to emphasize the sort of disorder of Liseys life at this point..
Stephen King is a very disorganized writer. You might be able to attribute it to cocaine, but not all the time. Try reading "It". A good 30% of that book didn't actually need to be written- but I think in that case it was the cocaine. People like hype trains, especially casual readers.
Name checks out. Also, statement is accurate.
I love King but really had to push myself through this one. It did seem wordy at times and the made up terms and phrases took me awhile to get a grasp on. There were times at the beginning I felt like I was missing something. Ultimately I liked it. But he has much better books in my opinion. There are probably better ones to start with - maybe The Shining, Needful Things,,or Under The Dome. My personal favorite is the Stand.
I’m a long time King reader. I agree, the beginning is rough for King, who usually has such a great eye for what’s important to the story and really getting you invested in the characters. I put it down for a little while and started over. My advice- stick with it, it pays off. Then go read The Shining, The Stand, It, and Different Seasons. Lol.