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Hearts In Atlantis (平装)
by Stephen King
| Category:
Horror fiction, Bestsellers, Original books |
| Market price: ¥ 108.00
MSL price:
¥ 98.00
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| Stock:
Pre-order item, lead time 3-7 weeks upon payment [ COD term does not apply to pre-order items ] |
MSL rating:
 Good for Gifts |
| MSL Pointer Review:
King's another effort writing about loss of innocence, struggles of conscience, and the Vietnam War. |
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AllReviews |
  1 2 Total 2 pages 15 items |
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Fernando Reyes (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-02 00:00>
I read all 756 pages in four sittings. I usually am not a fan of Stephen King, but I was impressed by this story. If you have seen the movie that is due out about nine days from this review, you need to realize that focus or point of the story is not Bobby Garfield nor Ted Brautigan, but the Vietnam War.
In reading the first part of the book, I suggest that you keep track of the following characters:Bobby Garfield, Carol Gerber, John Sullivan, William Shearman, and one character that is obsessed with the card game called hearts.
The Atlantis in the title refers to the legendary lost continent. Bobby in the first part explains the reference. In the second part a character named Pete explains the reference, again. I feel that you are better off reading those parts instead of being told what it says. You might consider the card game to be symbolic of the human heart or the hearts of mankind. I will give you that much.
There are five parts to the book. I have heard that the movie has parts 1 and 5 only, which will make it more about something magic-like rather than about war.
I also do not usually like to read about any war in fact or fiction, but something about the storytelling had me mesmerized. I had to know where this was going and how it was getting there.
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James Allio (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-02 00:00>
Stephen King continues to grow as a writer with this excellent 60s flashback with five interlocking stories rooted in incidents that occurred one confusing summer in 1960. King has been quietly tackling some very meaty subjects over the past five years (e.g, recovery in "Desperation/The Regulators") and his writing has begun to approach poetry in some passages ("Bag of Bones," "Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon"), while still delivering the chills and breakneck narrative flow his readers salivate for amidst the metaphysics. "Hearts in Atlantis" is one of his most ambitious efforts to date, dealing with the effects of the 1960s on the generation that came of age during the Vietnam War, seen through the eyes of five characters linked not only by that one summer but by Vietnam itself. The first story, more a novella really, "Low Men in Yellow Coats, is classic creepy Stephen King and is the most viscerally successful. The title story and "Why We're in Vietnam," while accurately capturing the flavor of the time, are less compelling. "Blind Willie," detailing one Vietnam vets' manner of coping with the past, is a real page-turner and eyebrow-raiser. It is, however, the brief final story, "Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling," that demonstrates King's genius and growth. It is so sweet, so poignant, so full of regret and wisdom, that it brought tears to my eyes. I have read all of Stephen King's books, and enjoyed every one. He continues to surprise, and "Hearts in Atlantis" is no exception.
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Cheri (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-02 00:00>
Hearts in Atlantis really surprised me. I had expected his traditional horror novel, but instead I read a book where the horror was more subtle and aimed at the heart. I honestly could not put this book down, and believe that even people who don't like Stephen King's earlier works will love this novel. I find it thrilling that he has brought in parts of his other great works into this one. In subtle ways, and not so subtle ways. It seems to me that he is building towards something, that all his works are coalescing into one statement, and I can't wait to read more.
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Eric Morana (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-02 00:00>
King is a very talented writer who knows how to tug the heartstrings as well as how to raise the hairs on the back of your neck. This time around, there's not much scaring going on, but rather an engaging tale of lives lived through some very crazy times in America.
I found the book to have a completely different format than what I've become accustomed to with King. There are dissimiliar time periods, points of view, and characters throughout the book. However, there are connections that hold the entire thing together and keep you wondering up until the very end.
I've read many of King's novels through the years, and this definitely ranks in the top ten (maybe top five) for me. With over 50 books to the author's credit, he shows no signs of slowing down or getting boring. You should definitely give this one a try.
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A reader (MSL quote), USA
<2007-02-02 00:00>
Think of Stephen king as a writer of the horror story. He indeed brings more to that table than any other author who has ever lived. This tome, however is not tale of horror. If you've never read the "other" Stephen King, avail yourself of the opprotunity to do so. Hearts proves King's worth as a consumate author. An there's a romantic side to the "horror king". This excerpt describes an 11 year old boy's first kiss: "They drew apart from each other a little... Yet he knew already that kissing Carol that day at the top of the ferris wheel was going to be the best part of that day. It was his first real kiss, too, and Bobby never forgot the feel of her lips pressing on his-dry and smooth and warmed by the sun. It was the kiss by which all others of his life would be judged and found wanting." Could anybody have painted a better word portrait? I fell in love myself with the little girl, Carol Gerber. I fell in love with the book. As others have opined, I thought at one time King had lost his touch. I took a chance with Hearts and I am the richer for doing so.
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1 2 Total 2 pages 15 items |
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