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Not what I expected

Reviewed: 12-21-19

This book is filled with cannibalism, murder, violence, abuse, incest, with no redemption. What was I thinking? The four star reviews threw me off. It was, however, free. The performance was actually pretty good, but giving more stars would make my rating higher.

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1 person found this helpful

So disappointing

Reviewed: 05-28-18

As a lifetime King fan, I was so very disappointed to listen to this book. The positive reviews perplex me. The minimal storyline is now formulaic for King - there is a monster and an unlikely group of misfits band together to overcome it. Frequent allusions to popular culture fill out the rest of the book. It is a very slow slog to the end. Go back and reread or listen again to King's early novels instead.

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128 people found this helpful

Scary and disturbing

Reviewed: 03-02-16

What did you love best about Desperation?

This is what I most want from Stephen King - a book that really scared me (at least the first part) that is well written and has no more than a touch of the supernatural. I did not the book five stars because it was a bit too preachy for me. I don't understand why there is so much religion in the book, but I am impressed that King seems to know the Bible. So, "God is love and is cruel" seems to be the message.

What other book might you compare Desperation to and why?

"Desperation" has a plot similar to many of King's books, wherein a sacrifice of a major character is required for redemption. As for the preachy religion part, I much preferred "Revival", where loss of faith is dealt with in a more interesting way.

Have you listened to any of Stephen King’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

King is an excellent narrator in every recording I have ever listened to.

Who was the most memorable character of Desperation and why?

I am still thinking about the boy, David, who seems to have a direct line to God. He is eleven years old in the story. He "makes a deal" with God to save his friend, and in the book he believes he has been sent to end a supernatural threat through his own sacrifice. His religious training has come from reading the Bible on his own, and having been tutored by an alcoholic minister. What are we to make of this? He seems to work miracles himself. But Johnnie seems to be able to work miracles, or at least supernatural sleight of hand, too. If I were ever to meet Stephen King I would ask him to explain this all to me.

Any additional comments?

Mr. King, could you write a sequel to this book and tell us what happens next?

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3 people found this helpful

Gothic novel mishmash

Reviewed: 12-14-15

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No, I would NOT recommend this novel to a friend. I chose it because of other reviews that called it "beautiful", because it was "long-listed" for the Man Booker Prize, and I finished it only so I could legitimately write a review of it. It is a very long book full of graphic violence and sex without redemption at the end. The main character, Jude, suffers unimaginably as a young child, and despite the unconditional love that surrounds him he is unable to come to terms with past events. Geez, what lesson are we to take from this? Is this some Calvinist view of the world - that Jude was predetermined to suffer and that nothing would change that? For any parent with a child challenged by life events, or health issues, or mental issues, this is the worst possible message.

The story is a bizarre fantasy of success stories for a few graduates from a small college. Really? A college quad room begets a world class litigator, an artist with shows at the Whitney, an architect traveling the world to design museums, and a movie star. Their college friends are also very successful artists. They all have a zillion dollars at the end and travel the world together. Why on earth did Jude even go there when he knew the evil Brother Luke did?

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

What I like most was the descriptions of the art created by the artists in the story: melting lard sculptures, etc. I also liked Harold's comments about the relief a parent feels when a child dies - that it is a parent's worst fear, and when it finally happens, you don't have to be afraid of that.

What does Oliver Wyman bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrator uses a little boy voice for Jude throughout; that added someone I would not have.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

Well, maybe - a movie would have to condense the very long book into a much shorter story, which would be a huge improvement.

Any additional comments?

At first I saw an analogy to a Jane Eyre-like story; a difficult childhood, a flight through the woods, finding happiness and losing it, etc. But there is redemption at the end of Jane Eyre- she finds true love, but at a price. Jude finds true love, but it does not redeem him. And just what are we to make of that?

I will not be likely to read another book by this author.

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Needs an editor

Reviewed: 06-12-15

Would you try another book from Stephen King and/or Will Patton?

Yes, of course. Will Patton is an amazing narrator, and King is a brilliant author.

If you’ve listened to books by Stephen King before, how does this one compare?

This is not "Carrie", or "The Shining", or "the Stand" or "The Shawshank Redemption." It is too long with too many loose ends. The theme of a reader obsessed with a character was well explored in "Misery" - why do it again? King brings back characters and plot elements developed in "Mr. Mercedes", which make little sense here if you haven't read the other book. And what's with the extraneous supernatural business in the hospital? For the next book? I have loved King's writing since I first read "Carrie" in 1974. That I read each and every new book of his as it comes out does not make me another Morrie - but perhaps does make me another Pete.

Have you listened to any of Will Patton’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

He is amazing. He should narrate every book I listen to.

Did Finders Keepers inspire you to do anything?

It make me long for vintage King.

Any additional comments?

King is a brilliant author, and that brilliance is not lacking in this work. My favorite vignette - a character with Asperger's discussing Jonah Hill's work.

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4 people found this helpful

For college freshmen?

Reviewed: 05-05-15

What disappointed you about Food: A Cultural Culinary History?

This is a very general overview of world history with some discussion of food by a very opinionated lecturer. This is so unscholarly that if my college student son sat through this course I would gravely question the quality of his education. The level of "discussion" is about right for an 18 yr old with absolutely no sophistication about the world or food. Are there such kids? In his college course, what on earth would the exams look like? In 5th grade my son learned more about cooking in ancient Rome than I learned from this course.

Would you ever listen to anything by The Great Courses again?

Maybe.

Would you be willing to try another one of Professor Ken Albala’s performances?

No.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I did learn that apparently pie crusts were not always meant to be eaten.

Any additional comments?

The author's fear mongering comments about GMOs were irresponsible.

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2 people found this helpful

Jumped the shark

Reviewed: 03-09-14

What was most disappointing about Anne Emery’s story?

So disappointed to see interesting characters end up in a plot involving Nazis, stolen necklaces, etc. The charm of Book 1 of the series was lost here.

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Not her best work

Reviewed: 03-27-12

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I'm a huge Anne Lamott fan, loved

What could Anne Lamott and Sam Lamott have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

There just wasn't much to the story. Her son got a woman pregnant, they fought all the time, Anne loved the baby so much and worries all the time. And, she is so very involved in her church. And, she goes on vacation, which sounds like filler for the book. It would have been more interesting to have some short stories, each of which focused on one topic, like the trip to India, or the baby's birth, or her son becoming a father, allowing for more story development.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Anne Lamott and Sam Lamott ?

Sam was a pretty good narrator, but Anne was not. She simply sounded like she was reading from a text.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

I did come to care about Amy, Sam, and Jax, and wished there had been an epilog to tell me what happened next. Did they stay together? I also found the words and advice of her spiritual leaders delightful to hear.

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4 people found this helpful

Fabulous, complicated story

Reviewed: 08-13-10

I loved the complicated structure and the intertwined story lines. I would have liked this to go on forever.

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Gee Tony, lighten up!

Reviewed: 08-13-10

I loved "Kitchen Confidential," but this book is whiny, and the profanity is just repetitive and boring now, not shocking. I would have liked to have heard more about his young daughter, who seems to bring out a more human side of him. I won't be reading another of his books.

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3 people found this helpful