Helpful Score: 4
If you're looking for the old Stephen King, with lots of horror and gore, you're going to be disappointed. But I hadn't read any King for some time and I knew this was more of a crime/mystery. And surprisingly, I did enjoy this one!
Told from the viewpoint of a young boy/ make that young man - he tells his story about working at an amusement park during his summer break from school. He is determined to find the truth of a long ago murder there and carries us through that, as well as his friendships and his lost love.
The story flows well and holds your interest.
Told from the viewpoint of a young boy/ make that young man - he tells his story about working at an amusement park during his summer break from school. He is determined to find the truth of a long ago murder there and carries us through that, as well as his friendships and his lost love.
The story flows well and holds your interest.
Helpful Score: 4
Joyland is a college-era coming of age story, at a low-tech amusement park on the beach in New England. Along with a bit of supernatural murder mystery thrown in to give some spice to the story.
And I really liked it. You know that first half of a Stephen King book that you really like because the characters are so nifty and the world is so fresh and interesting? Yeah, this book is short enough that that's all there is.
I know Stephen King seems to love to write stories that never end, and reading them really makes you feel like they never end. This is *NOT THE CASE* with Joyland. King sticks to his strength here, and actually comes up with an ending when an ending is needed, rather than wandering off into the weeds and only finishing the book with a unsatisfying conclusion when the advance money runs out.
I'm rambling. *This* is good King. Let's hope he sticks with the shorter works moving forward.
5 of 5 stars.
And I really liked it. You know that first half of a Stephen King book that you really like because the characters are so nifty and the world is so fresh and interesting? Yeah, this book is short enough that that's all there is.
I know Stephen King seems to love to write stories that never end, and reading them really makes you feel like they never end. This is *NOT THE CASE* with Joyland. King sticks to his strength here, and actually comes up with an ending when an ending is needed, rather than wandering off into the weeds and only finishing the book with a unsatisfying conclusion when the advance money runs out.
I'm rambling. *This* is good King. Let's hope he sticks with the shorter works moving forward.
5 of 5 stars.
Helpful Score: 2
This was one of King's better examples of skilled storytelling in my opinion. I loved the characters. It is a tender, sweet story and while there is a ghost or two, it is not a scary story. There is a killer and bit of a mystery but I had the killer pegged early on. It is a fairly quick read and a nicely woven tale. I really enjoyed it.
Helpful Score: 1
This is the newest of Stephen King's books. It took me a little over three hours to devour this. It is the story of Devin, a 21 year old college kid besotted with his first love who has dumped him. He takes a summer job at a local carnival hoping to forget her, and instead stumbles upon a ghost story and a murder mystery. I can't say too much more without spoiling it; suffice it to say that this was a really good book. I've had issues with some of the endings of other Stephen King books seeming somewhat weak or contrived, but this one was spot-on
Helpful Score: 1
This was a good coming of age story, but i thought a little short. It did have good characters, fun plot , some emotional parts.
There is no doubt that Stephen King is a master storyteller, and has been for many decades now. Joyland is part horror story, part murder mystery, part coming of age tale. It is riveting, frightening and thrilling. No one can put you in a different time and place better than King.It is a quick read. It's too bad that with less than five pages to go, King throws in some of his political idealogy yet again.Not much, but just enough to make you go WTF, Stephen?
Excellent. I'd never read anything of Stephen King's until recently. The movies with his name attached didn't impress me, and his book titles and plot summaries didn't appeal to me. That's too bad because I realize now that I've missed out. This is some great writing. I was attracted to it by the Carny angle, but it was really an emotional roller coaster ride through a short time in a young man's life. I was briefly a carnival worker myself, for about as long as the protagonist is one in this novel. So, yeah, I was a little surprised at some of the carny terms King put in this, but he explained in the author's note at the end that he made many of them up. I don't think he had to make them up, there's plenty of carny lingo to go around, and he made it clear in the story itself that every carnival/roadshow has some of its own lingo, so it didn't really need explaining.
Anyhoo, I also usually don't go in for murder mysteries, but there have been some writers that really knock it out of the park: Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane, John D. MacDonald. And now I put Stephen King in that category. One of the best.
The attention to detail is extraordinary. And King is writing here and now, letting us know that his stories connect to the here and now, and he does it casually, using references to ideas and events all of us are familiar with, both in our childhoods and today. He's not a writer locked away outside of society, unaware of real life. I suppose that will eventually make his stories seem ancient and irrelevant to young readers fifty or a hundred years from now, but hey, I enjoy an old Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett novel as much as more contemporary novelists, so I don't think all of King's novels will ever be forgotten.
I really enjoyed Joyland. Kept me thinking, wondering, guessing, and loving the characters. Tugs at the heartstrings too, and not because that sells, but because that's life: you take the good with the bad and make the best of life as you can. Clichés, of course, but still good advice.
Anyhoo, I also usually don't go in for murder mysteries, but there have been some writers that really knock it out of the park: Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Mickey Spillane, John D. MacDonald. And now I put Stephen King in that category. One of the best.
The attention to detail is extraordinary. And King is writing here and now, letting us know that his stories connect to the here and now, and he does it casually, using references to ideas and events all of us are familiar with, both in our childhoods and today. He's not a writer locked away outside of society, unaware of real life. I suppose that will eventually make his stories seem ancient and irrelevant to young readers fifty or a hundred years from now, but hey, I enjoy an old Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett novel as much as more contemporary novelists, so I don't think all of King's novels will ever be forgotten.
I really enjoyed Joyland. Kept me thinking, wondering, guessing, and loving the characters. Tugs at the heartstrings too, and not because that sells, but because that's life: you take the good with the bad and make the best of life as you can. Clichés, of course, but still good advice.
Love this book! It's a quick read and a good old-fashioned crime novel that manages to stay fun in spite of the brutal murders. Even though it was published in 2013, it has a nice "noir" feel to it.
This is the second Stephen King novel I've read (the first being "Revival"). Like the other novel, this is an easy read with dots of humor that I appreciate. Overall the story is boringly slow with only small bits here and there that are important enough to remember. The story does have a decent twist at the end and the conclusion satisfactory, but the journey there could have used a fast pass. I liked the book but wouldn't widely recommend it as a top thriller, horror, or anything for that matter.
Once I started reading this book I couldn't put it down. King has a way of drawing you into the lives of the main characters and all of the people in his life. The mystery is solid; good twist keeps the plot moving. It has a little bit of the paranormal -- more of the psychic variety, and not over-the-top like some of his other books; a sweet part of the story.
Joyland is a very interesting read. I did not have a clue as to may have commited the murder. The book also gives the reader a close look at how a town-to-town carnival is actually run. Romance, murmur, sympathy - all combined to make this a quick read - ending much too soon! I would recommend this book to all Steven King readers.
I really liked the characters, but I almost always like King's characters and writing style. The story I thought ended rather quickly, and the mystery of the killer wasn't hinted at enough throughout the story. It seemed more like a coming of age story, with a murder thrown in.
I loved this book! I rarely love a book but this one had me hooked from beginning to end.
The story is told from the POV of Devin - a college student who takes a summer job at an amusement park. A young woman was murdered in the house of horrors and her killer was never found. Rumor has it that she haunts the ride on which she was killed and Devin takes an ever evolving interest in the case.
The story is really so much more than that but I think it's silly to tell the whole plot in a review! The characters in this story will suck you right in and you will feel like you know them personally. It's one of those books that I couldn't wait to finish but never wanted to end.
The story is told from the POV of Devin - a college student who takes a summer job at an amusement park. A young woman was murdered in the house of horrors and her killer was never found. Rumor has it that she haunts the ride on which she was killed and Devin takes an ever evolving interest in the case.
The story is really so much more than that but I think it's silly to tell the whole plot in a review! The characters in this story will suck you right in and you will feel like you know them personally. It's one of those books that I couldn't wait to finish but never wanted to end.
I just couldn't get into this book and gave up in the middle!
This book again confirms my belief that not only is SK a good horror writer, he's a good author, PERIOD.
If you are middle aged like me, this book will bring back the sights and sounds of third rate carnival/theme parks that were pretty common in the 40's through the 70's.
Joyland takes place in the early 70's and SK perfectly captures the time period.
I enjoyed this book immensely.
If you are middle aged like me, this book will bring back the sights and sounds of third rate carnival/theme parks that were pretty common in the 40's through the 70's.
Joyland takes place in the early 70's and SK perfectly captures the time period.
I enjoyed this book immensely.
Great story. Quick read. I would recommend to both Stephen King followers and non followers.
Excellent characterization and story line with just the right amount of suspense. How do you keep churning out such stellar work, Mr. King?
I'm a huge King fan from way back so I was so excited to get a chance to read this one! It was sort of an opposite for me, started off slow then got better and weirder until the end when it ended realistically. Usually his premise is very interesting and things sort of go off the rails and the endings are what I have the most trouble enjoying. Quick read, I finished it in a day staying up late because I couldn't put it down.
It might be a good book - I could not get through more than the first 2 chapters. Just not my cup o' tea.
I was a little disappointed in this book, not what I expected from Stephen King
A coming-of-age story with a murder in the background. This reminds me of the earlier Stephen King's excellent characters, spot-on dialog, and great world-building without any gore and only a tiny bit of supernatural shivers. And short! I was hesitant to pick this up given the lurid cover on my paperback copy, but once I did I was glad. It's a great story.
I enjoyed this King entry in the Hard-Case Crime series. It is sort of a throw back for King reminding me of some of his coming of age stories such as The Body. It takes place in a second-rate amusement park in 1973 North Carolina. I especially enjoyed King's descriptions of "carny" life including the language used and life within a carnival. The novel contains elements of the supernatural and an unsolved murder case but overall this was a great coming of age novel. I would compare this with some of King's earlier best work including The Green Mile and Carrie. Strong recommendation for this one!
Really enjoyed this book. Finished it in one sitting!
