Hearts In Atlantis | Stephen King | LOVE+PEACE=INFORMATION

Hearts In Atlantis | Stephen King | Yes, Stephen King really IS that good

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Hearts In Atlantis

	Hearts In Atlantis Stephen King Pocket, 2000 - 688 pages average customer review:based on 570 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

LOVE+PEACE=INFORMATION

This was one of the first Stephen King book I have read, I first read it back in 2002 and just got through with it agian. And it still moved me just as much as when I first read it. It's hard to explain just how it "moved" me, I'm not even sure if I know completly.

Now as you may have read in other reviews this is not like the old King books. This being the first King book I have read I always find my self comparing this to everything else he has written, I consider this a completly different side of King with some different subject matter, different writting style. You would really have to read the differnt styles for yourself to see which style you like(read The Shining then read this and you'll get the idea).

Okay, let me tell you a little bit about this book. First there are 5 stories that are interconnected. The first story, Low Men in Yellow Coats, tells about Bobby Garfield's childhood from 11 to 12 or 13(?). In this story is the new guy who moves in above Bobby and his moms apartment, and he's strange. And he's getting chased by "Low Men in Yellow Coats". This story really revolves around the dark tower universe(and dont worry its way better then how I just described it, the second best out of the 5).

The second story, Hearts in Atlantis, tells about a bunch of collage kids who get addicted to the game hearts. They find themselves with bad grades(because of the game) war protest(because of Vietnam) and friendship, love, hate and all that other stuff that collage kids get involved in. The only real connection with the first story is Carol Gerber who was Bobby's girlfriend. There are lots of other sutle connections but not as big as her. Another reason why this is My favorite King book.

The next 2 stories are Blind Willie and Why We're in Vietnam. Both are about People who grew up with Bobby, who went to Vietnam, and are now tyring to deal with "living"(if you could call it living) after the war. I found Blind Willie to be my least favorite story, it was just a strange story. Why We're in Vietnam is also strange but better then Blind Willie.

The last is Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling(the best out of the 5) is about how Bobby comes home to his hometown of Harwich, Connecticut. He comes looking for anwsers, memories of his childhood, old loves, or old friends. I loved this final story, it was such a great closing to this book of short stories as some call it(I consider this just one big novel though).

In closing, this book is great. I do hate when people compare this to old Stephen King, like I said before I like to think this as a new writting style for him. That is just my opinion, of course some will disagree. Most will agree however, that this is a good read.(You will find the title I used for this review in multiple places in the book. The meaning for it isn't really given in the book, but you can figure it out.)
Peace Kevin

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Yes, Stephen King really IS that good

HEARTS IN ATLANTIS by Stephen King
THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON by Stephen King

Two reviews in one? What up with that? Well, I read HEARTS IN ATLANTIS some time ago and, beyond "rah rah go read this," I said it exposed my inadequacies as a reviewer. How stupid was that? I'm going to try again.

I finished reading MY LIFE by Bill Clinton late one Tuesday afternoon, then immediately picked up THE MAN WHO LOVED TOM GORDON. I figured my old friend Stephen King could clear my exhausted mind. He immediately pulled me in, and I read it in a single sitting. It's gripping stuff. Incredibly realistic, insightful regarding human nature, and it'll scare your pants off. The Master is most definitely at the top of his game with this book. Ditto with ATLANTIS.

Authors, how do you feel when you spend months (years?) writing a book only to have some reader say he polished it off in a single evening? Actually, I think you oughta feel good. No writer, not even Isaac Asimov, could/can be sufficiently prolific to be the only one a reader ever needs. I think this is very cool, and I love working with fellow authors to promote this thing we do.

Okay, back to my book review. King was always great, right? But there came a point where a certain sameness crept in. It's hard to define, perhaps, but you know what I mean. I don't think he was having as much fun as he used to, and after a time, neither were we.

Then came ON WRITING, which I never run out of breath raving about, and now books like these. He's scaling back the supernatural, which never bothered me at all, because he's found even scarier things to write about. The Master has raised his game, and it's a joy to know I've got a big old pile of unread Stephen King novels downstairs. Expect more rave reviews.

Oh, and Stephen, if you're reading this, and you ever get the desire to raise your game yet again, just let me know. I'll go rent a truck and hit you with it. (It's a joke. Just like the idea that YOU subscribe to MY rag. I know you'd rather read DAVE'S RAG.)

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One of King's Best

Masterfully thought out & written. Not your usual supernatural, horror King story. Written in 4-5 completely different chapters there is some supernatural, but it begins as a story of some friends in childhood, follows them through the years & culminates with them as adults. Each chapter is completely different yet ties some characters in. At the end they are all tied together in some ways years later. It's ingenious in it's finale and I advise you set aside some time for reading. It's very difficult to put down. Once it grabs your interest, it just sucks you into the story. If you remember your childhood friends (we all do) you'll identify with the story

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One of King's best

I loved the book and bought the CD to listen to while on long drives. It's one of King's best restrained writings, with no stomch turning descriptions of blood and gore and very little off the wall, meaningless intrusion of aliens which characterize some of his other novels (Dreamcatcher, Regulators etc.) The only thing off-putting was the extremely poor diction of William Hurt. He routinely pronounced t's and d's as "tha," which may come across as laid back in a movie role, but in a reading sounds just plain sloppy. I would have given it five stars except for Hurt. I sincerely hope he is not used in readings again, at least until he receives some speech therapy.

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Disturbing

I like Stephen King's books. I have not read them all but I have put a serious dent in the King inventory and believe him to be one of the finest writers of our era. His popularity and prolific writing attests to his skill to spin a yarn.

Hearts in Atlantis disturbed me more than his other books (that are gory at times but are ultimately fantasy). It's to King's credit that I'm disturbed, and attests to his writing skill. I've witnessed much violence in my life in different countries and I'm intimately acquainted with human folly.

Ultimately I found the book hard to read precisely because King is such a good novelist. Do I recommend it? Sort of.

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