Lisey’s Story by Stephen King

[gilda_elise]

Lisey Debusher Landon lost her husband, Scott, two years ago, after a twenty-five-year marriage of the most profound and sometimes frightening intimacy. Scott was an award-winning, bestselling novelist and a very complicated man. Early in their relationship, before they married, Lisey had to learn from him about books and blood and bools. Later, she understood that there was a place Scott went -- a place that both terrified and healed him, that could eat him alive or give him the ideas he needed in order to live. Now it's Lisey's turn to face Scott's demons, Lisey's turn to go to Boo'ya Moon. What begins as a widow's effort to sort through the papers of her celebrated husband becomes a nearly fatal journey into the darkness he inhabited. Perhaps King's most personal and powerful novel, "Lisey's Story" is about the wellsprings of creativity, the temptations of madness, and the secret language of love.

Though it took longer than normal, this book finally hooked me in. It’s a horror story, but that’s not the true crux of the story. It’s more the story of grief after the lost of a beloved spouse. Every long-lived marriage has its highs and lows, but when that marriage is at the core of the couple’s lives, the loss can be devastating. But King is up to the task. Lisey’s Story is tender, passionate…and heart breaking. I was hoping for a happier ending, but this is King, who never gives us what we expect, or what is easy. But, so often, what is wonderful.




Mount TBR 2016 Book Links

Links are to more information regarding each book, not to the review.

1. Alexander's Lovers
2. The Border
3. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
4. Green Darkness
5. The Return of the Wolf to Yellowstone
6. Rise to Rebellion
7. Return to Sodom and Gomorrah
8. Through a Glass Darkly
9. Lisey's Story

Comments

[catalenamara.livejournal.com]

*Such* a good book. King is amazing.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Isn't he, though? There are have very few of his books that aren't absolute favorites. This one certainly is.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I love being introduced to books (hearing and knowing about them) which I wouldn't usually encounter so thank you for this review

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

You're very welcome. :-) I think people often overlook King's books because they think all he writes is horror. But while this book does have a horror element, it's very slight. But, like all his books, it's more a story of people. Who they are, and why they are the way they are.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

I must confess I always associate Stephen King with horror stories and that's the great thing about reviews, I've learnt something new.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I think most people associate Stephen King with horror, and, mostly, with good reason. But his books have always been more personal than that, a lot about the human condition, what makes us tick. Even his most horrifying books have a certain degree of that. Others, like The Dead Zone, are very much in that vein, with horror sort of taking a back seat. Can you guess that he's very much a favorite writer? *g*

[(Anonymous)]

Can you guess that he's very much a favorite writer?

Just a little! In my ignorance I think I probably placed him in the same category as James Herbert who I used to read a lot on the tube because it required little concentration, but I don't think I could read him now.

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Just a little!

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Is the Anonymous post yours? I'm going with the thought that it is. I've never read anything by James Herbert. Why don't you think you couldn't read him now?

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Sorry, yes the anonymous post was mine but I thought I'd lost it.

Why don't you think you couldn't read him now?

Well I suppose I could read one or two but I'm pretty old and these days find real life scary and unpleasant enough e.g. just looking at the news, without reinforcing that view via my reading! And I don't like late night reading which is scary so could never read something like The Rats again as in real life we've got enough of that kind of thing where I live.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

That makes sense. Most of my reading is done right before I go to sleep, too, But I don't know why, but, for me, horror is more an escape from the real horrors of this world, so it's never disturbed my sleep. Go figure.

Rats where you live? We used to have that problem in Phoenix. Roof rats had invaded the Valley, and we just happened to have several fruit trees in our backyard. Here, it's just squirrels, chipmunks and voles that we have to contend with. :-)

[shooting2kill.livejournal.com]

Roof rats? Oh no, I'm trying not to think of that.....

Rats where you live? We used to have that problem in Phoenix. Roof rats had invaded the Valley, and we just happened to have several fruit trees in our backyard.

I live just off a busy high street with lots of food places and the inevitable rubbish left in the alleys behind the shops. plus there's a sewer in the alleyway next to our house.

Here, it's just squirrels, chipmunks and voles that we have to contend with. :-)

I imagine they're a big pain in the neck but there's something about rats which seems particularly repugnant (and I should never have read 1984!).

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Yeah, rats have their own unique aura to them, don't they? Though I did own a white rat for awhile. Even though it was a female, we called her Algernon (speaking of reading books. *g*)

[caffyolay.livejournal.com]

Not an expert on Stephen King at all, I don't think I've read any of his novels but I have read quite a few short stories. One of those, The Mist (perhaps this is more of a novella), is possibly one of the scariest things I've ever read. We used to live in a house with a view of the hills by the sea and every now and then mist would come crawling down over them into the town and that story would come to mind. LOL

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

I love The Mist! I read it a long time ago (and a few times since.) I was so happy when they finally made it into a movie. Boy, was I ever in for a disappointment. I suppose I should have known. They rarely get horror right. But the story was certainly scary. And living by the sea! A perfect place to have a mist come crawling toward you. I can well imagine the story coming to mind every time it happened.