Re-watched this last night so I wanted to share it all with you again…just to refresh your memories. Definitely a good watch but for 16 years and older as it is violent and gruesome. I also tell you to get tissues for the end 🙁
But watch and enjoy….and let me know what you think of it.
HOT OFF THE PRESS REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!
Summary
Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever.
Review
This was a really good and moving book! Like none of Steven King’s other novels.
I have read quite a few of his novels before like Misery, Carrie, and his short story, The Mist. This was absolutely nothing like then. It did not really have many hair-raising moments like there were in The Mist, as many stomach churning moments as in Misery, and as many strange moments as in Carrie. This was completely different and stands on its own.
I will say this now that it is a book for more mature readers (as in older teens and adults) as there is sexual content, explicit language, and some violence.
This book is about this college student, Devin, who wants to have a summer job and goes to work at Joyland, a local amusement park. It starts out great, as the best summer, but later his girlfriend, his first love, breaks up with him and he becomes depressed but with the help of the people at this amusement park, he get’s over it, partially. But then there is the story of the murder which really does not come into play until later in the novel. People have supposedly seen the ghost of the murdered girl on the horror ride and toward the end of the novel you learn more about the killer and eventually find out who he is. The end of the novel read more like a CSI episode with the analyzing of the pictures and information.
To be honest, I was kind of disappointed in the book. Since Steven King is known to be more of a horror writer, I was expecting some more hair-raising moments. Moments that would not let me sleep at night, like in The Mist. Unfortunately there really were none of those moments. Do not get me wrong. This was a fabulous book and if I didn’t know anything about Steven King, I would have loved it (even thought I still do), but since I was expecting more horror, I was kind of disappointed.
The characters in the novel were really developed well though. You got to see the many sides of Devin and got to see that he was depressed after the break-up. You also got to see how his character changed throughout the course of the novel. Then there was the little boy who you really got attached too and cried over later in the novel. You also got close to the murder and many of the other characters. You got to see how they felt and how they reacted to different situations which was really nice.
I also really liked how King developed and created the scenes, places, and atmosphere. You really felt like you were in a places where events happened and like you were in an old amusement park with the classic rides and the type of people that worked there. I was a little confused sometimes with the carny language because it was so different, but it wasn’t used that much and if it was it would be used for the same ride over and over and you would get what it was talking about.
I loved the cover of the novel. It carried on the carny theme. I was and am a little unsure as to who the woman is on the cover, but non the less, the cover still gives the old carny feel to the novel. I believe that the girl is supposed one of the girls that worked at the carnival and takes the pictures, but I am not sure if she is one of the characters in the novel. It also has those vibrant colors which are not natural colors, which really add to the effect of the cover.
Also on a side note, there were quite a lot of time jumps between present and when the story was told. It was a little confusing sometimes but it was an interesting effect.
Overall it was a very good novel, but if you are looking for more of a classic Steven King, one that makes your hair stand on end, this really isn’t the one you would be looking for. I still recommend that you read it because it was still an amazing novel and I think that most people would enjoy it. It is hot off the press since it only came out on June 4th of 2013. So go and pick it up at your local library or you will probably find it on display in the front of your local bookstore.
Image via Wikipedia
Summary
Paul Sheldon is the famous writer of the books Misery. But in the last book he killed her off. Unfortunately he had a bad accident and Annie Wilkes has rescued him. Unfortunately for him Annie Wilkes is his #1 fan. She will do any thing to get him to write her a book. A book dedicated and written to her. There are 2 things that make him write. One is a needle. Another is an ax. And if they don’t work as motivation, she can get really nasty.
Review
This was one of the scariest books I have ever read. It is also the most gruesome book I have ever read. The book was ok until about page 270. Then it got gruesome and there was a lot of blood. I wanted to read this book because I did not like R.L. Stine and I am reading Edgar Allen Poe at school so I wanted something in between. So I choose Stephen King. My mom said no to a lot of the books but she said OK (hesitantly) to this book. This is not a younger YA book at all. I would say no one should read this unless they are over the age of 18. This is definitely an ADULT book. Extremely scary and gruesome.
The characters in Misery were described really well. Annie was portrayed as a person with problems and I do not mean like something that makes you different from others. She looks the same (or is described to look normal) but her personality changes constantly. One minute she might be happy the next she might want to kill you. Then there was Paul Sheldon. He had an accident and could not move his legs because they had been completely shattered. He was described as a person who was fragile on the outside but inside he had some courage, no matter how small and insignificant it was. He was trying his hardest to survive his time with Annie Wilkes, but the whole time he was being kept prisoner with her, he was planning a way to escape. Towards the end of the book there was a considerable struggle between him and her. This showed that he was gaining his courage back. But every time that Annie lost her temper, Paul would feel really scared, and he should be considering the things she could do and did.
This book was written really well in my opinion. It was descriptive and it sucked you in. It sucked me in so much that when it got to the gruesome bit I jumped and started breathing heavily. My mom got worried by I told her it was just the book.
I think much older teen should read this book and I think they would probably enjoy it. Also it might be a book for males because of the violence. It seems boys get drawn towards that stuff. It is a definite read but beware about what I told you.
