It’s a great book, the story is amazing, that last part in Las Vegas blew me away. Did NOT see that coming. I’ve learned to not expect too much from King’s endings, but what happened in Vegas will never stop being amazing. Everything came together so perfectly.
The book up until the formation of the Free Zone was as tight and perfect as one could wish. But the Free Zone sorry to say is a drag. When the seven member committee gets together, I almost have to admit Harold Lauder has a point. Thankfully the baddies in Vegas more than make up for it. Every single baddie shined like a star from Lloyd Henreid and Trash to the mini-Elvis guy.
I’m far more conflicted about the so called “good” guys.
Take Nick Andros. So he f\*cks Julie whom he already suspected was not quite as old as she claimed to be, and then he physically assaults her over Pepto Bismal. Mind you even Lloyd Henreid the death row serial killer rat eating cannibal felon knew to stay away from Julie, while Nick not only slept with her but also threatened and abused her. And yes Julie’s a b\*tch and bully, so leave her in that town by herself, don’t talk to her. But to assault her after possibly committing statutory rape does not make what I call a good person.
And then Larry Underwood. He was abusive towards Rita, treated her as some kind of fuck toy. Woman was dying, had probably been dying for days, and all he could think about was somebody to f\*ck. This is after he shoots randomly in a dark tunnel and so wounding (and almost killing) her after verbally assaulting her over SHOES. Like if he was so smart and prepared, why didn’t he think to bring a flashlight? If he had been less of a psychotic jerk over SHOES, he and Rita could have walked back to the city, got her the right shoes and maybe he would have remembered to get some flashlights for the tunnel.
by quantcompandthings
16 Comments
Just finished it a week or so ago.
I thought Larry was a great character. Nick was my favorite. I thought it was about as accurate a representation of how real people would act in that situation as you could ask for.
Edit: Do they ever get called the “good” guys? Just because they get called to the old black woman in Nebraska, that doesn’t make them saints.
I need to reread it. Did you read the unabridged version?
It’s the kind of book that deals in shades of grey much more than absolutes. The fact that most (all?) of the “heros” have flaws is part of the message.
This review is so bizarre to me.
It’s like reading a review by Harold(no wonder you agree with him).
I think Frannie and Stuart are the only characters on the “good” side that didn’t have glaring character issues and questionable actions at some point. Oh, and that kid that was with Nadine – can’t remember his name.
It was a good book. Loaded with stuff to think and talk about. I felt like the buildup to reaching Mother Abigail was sold a little too hard considering she had nothing to do with the ending and never had some sort of showdown with the Man in Black.
Still enjoyed the hell out of it.
What exactly do you think Harold had a point about?
Best book I have ever read in my life..
I think Stu should have mentored Harald and helped him with Frannie. After all he gave his hand shake that he wasn’t interested in her.
I think you’re trying to hard to look at things through a modern lens. This book was published 45 years ago, and if you’re a young person it might be hard to understand that things really were different then.
How many times are we told “you ain’t no nice guy!” about Larry Underwood? I feel like he’s spending a lot of the book trying to make up for Rita, and while you don’t have to forgive him, remember, he made it to Vegas.
That’s the point of Larry’s story, he’s supposed to be a selfish dick and change over the course of the book. His time with Rita is a big turning point in his mindset.
It’s clear when reading certain chapters, if you pay attention closely, you can notice which chapters were written while high on cocaine and which weren’t. King is arguably the best body author. The body of his books are some of the best out there but the end was a lukewarm meh to me.
Harold is an incel lol and he acts like it the whole time.
Rita was easily the most annoying and pitiful character in the book. It was a mercy when she died, because she was living in a fantasy world.
Whoever likes this book should read Swan Song!
Not the first King story to showcase his ephebophilic tendencies.
Larry has the best arc of the book. He starts out a self-involved child and actively works to become a better person/improve himself throughout the story.
I’m halfway through and I love it so far.