A Good Marriage

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jarvi

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Jul 19, 2011
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A fantastic peek into a terrible situation. I was listening to the audiobook, so I didn't have any feeling for how much of the story was left.

I expected it to end after the conversation on the bed, with Darcy's trapped acceptance. That would have been a dark ending to the collection, hey? Then, I expected it to end at the funeral. I guess the ending with Ramsey serves to release Darcy from her remaining feelings of guilt and responsibility, but I'm not sure it was necessary. The most interesting part of it was actually learning the limitless depths of Bob's depravity in what he did to that little boy. And I thought he couldn't be more of a monster than he already was. I thought Darcy's decision to end Bob herself was an elegant solution to an incomprehensibly difficult situation. After all...an accident can be an unhappy woman's best friend.

I've been listening to a lot of audio books lately. My problem with the audio version of Full Dark, No Stars is the female narrator, Jessica Hecht. It didn't bother me too much during Big Driver, but it started driving me crazy throughout A Good Marriage. She tends to make every female voice sound air headed and weak. It's insane. I know Darcy, the main character, is a rational intelligent woman because of the way she puts the puzzle pieces together and because of the way she expresses herself internally. Then Hecht does Darcy's voice and it's super high pitched, slow, and over inflected. Then she started doing the same thing when reading Bob, just in a super low register. It's like as soon as the characters start talking they develop mental handicaps. I know that sounds awful, it's just what her reading of them sounds like. It got so I couldn't wait for the story to end. Not because of the story itself, but because of her unnatural delivery. Nobody sounds like that. So insincere.

There! I made it all the way through Full Dark. I was always a little wary of this collection because of it's promise of total darkness. But I enjoyed it a lot. Even though by the time I had made it to A Good Marriage, I had started having some pretty weird dreams. I totally blame the book. King has a way of getting under my skin and making me feel everything his characters are feeling. A very good collection of very bad situations.
 

Dana Jean

Dirty Pirate Hooker, The Return
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Apr 11, 2006
53,634
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...audiobooks serve their purpose well, but very few "narrators" can carry off a convincing "read"...it's why I stick with the printed word, and let the voices in my head do the entertaining...:shame:
Listening to a narrator can be difficult. You've come off one book with a narrator you "got used to" and have to start a new narrator. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Sometimes that has nothing to do with their talent at all! It is strictly how well they are teamed up with the work. I love books better because I read everything in that book. I read forewords and afterwords and contents pages and acknowledgements, I read about the typeface! I want to take it ALL in and you can't do that with an audio. But, as you said GNT, they serve their purpose and fill the need when the situation calls for them because of a person's circumstance at the moment.
 

fljoe0

Cantre Member
Apr 5, 2008
15,859
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A fantastic peek into a terrible situation. I was listening to the audiobook, so I didn't have any feeling for how much of the story was left.

I expected it to end after the conversation on the bed, with Darcy's trapped acceptance. That would have been a dark ending to the collection, hey? Then, I expected it to end at the funeral. I guess the ending with Ramsey serves to release Darcy from her remaining feelings of guilt and responsibility, but I'm not sure it was necessary. The most interesting part of it was actually learning the limitless depths of Bob's depravity in what he did to that little boy. And I thought he couldn't be more of a monster than he already was. I thought Darcy's decision to end Bob herself was an elegant solution to an incomprehensibly difficult situation. After all...an accident can be an unhappy woman's best friend.

I've been listening to a lot of audio books lately. My problem with the audio version of Full Dark, No Stars is the female narrator, Jessica Hecht. It didn't bother me too much during Big Driver, but it started driving me crazy throughout A Good Marriage. She tends to make every female voice sound air headed and weak. It's insane. I know Darcy, the main character, is a rational intelligent woman because of the way she puts the puzzle pieces together and because of the way she expresses herself internally. Then Hecht does Darcy's voice and it's super high pitched, slow, and over inflected. Then she started doing the same thing when reading Bob, just in a super low register. It's like as soon as the characters start talking they develop mental handicaps. I know that sounds awful, it's just what her reading of them sounds like. It got so I couldn't wait for the story to end. Not because of the story itself, but because of her unnatural delivery. Nobody sounds like that. So insincere.

There! I made it all the way through Full Dark. I was always a little wary of this collection because of it's promise of total darkness. But I enjoyed it a lot. Even though by the time I had made it to A Good Marriage, I had started having some pretty weird dreams. I totally blame the book. King has a way of getting under my skin and making me feel everything his characters are feeling. A very good collection of very bad situations.

I agree with you about the narrator. I didn't like her as much in Good Marriage" as "Big Driver." Remember in Big Driver after the female character (can't remember the character name) gets choked and she developed that raspy voice? That voice sounds like the one the narrator also uses for the male characters.

This audiobook was my second time through (I've read the actual book once) and I still think this is my favorite of the novella collections. Full Dark is a spot on description.
 

OKKingFan

Well-Known Member
Jun 15, 2013
138
371
Oklahoma
This was another good one in a collection full of them. Makes you wonder how many serial killers have some sort of rationalization to their actions.
It also occurred to me all four of these stories have one recurring theme: women being taken advantage of, or killed in some cases.
Some fought back, some couldn't.
 

HollyGolightly

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Sep 6, 2013
9,660
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Heart of the South
Friends, A Good Marriage has me shaken. I took the kids and some friends skating today - I decided not to trouble my knee by skating, so I took Full Dark, No Stars to read. I've only read Big Driver, and that troubled me - I had to put the collection aside for a while.

So I got everybody in their skates, got them drinks and chips and dared them to speak to me for 2 hours. I still have to finish the very last part
the retired cop has shown up at Darcy's
. I will tonight, but I had to talk to someone about this now.

There wasn't a Foreward in this, so I skipped ahead to the Afterward and read SK's piece. It helped. But man, evil is abundant, no doubt. And evil that can cloak itself in normalcy is horrifying. SK says
".....I know that most people are essentially good. I know that I am.
It's you I'm not entirely sure of. "
. Chills.
 

FlakeNoir

Original Kiwi© SKMB®
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Apr 11, 2006
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New Zealand
Friends, A Good Marriage has me shaken. I took the kids and some friends skating today - I decided not to trouble my knee by skating, so I took Full Dark, No Stars to read. I've only read Big Driver, and that troubled me - I had to put the collection aside for a while.

So I got everybody in their skates, got them drinks and chips and dared them to speak to me for 2 hours. I still have to finish the very last part
the retired cop has shown up at Darcy's
. I will tonight, but I had to talk to someone about this now.

There wasn't a Foreward in this, so I skipped ahead to the Afterward and read SK's piece. It helped. But man, evil is abundant, no doubt. And evil that can cloak itself in normalcy is horrifying. SK says
".....I know that most people are essentially good. I know that I am.
It's you I'm not entirely sure of. "
. Chills.
I really struggled with the stories in this collection, I'm pretty sure Marsha had to almost talk me out from the corner of my room.
Beautifully written, but just a bit too real in places for me.
 

HollyGolightly

Well-Known Member
Sep 6, 2013
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Heart of the South
I really struggled with the stories in this collection, I'm pretty sure Marsha had to almost talk me out from the corner of my room.
Beautifully written, but just a bit too real in places for me.
So true Flake - happy to hear I'm in good company. It's always been this "real" kind of stuff that scares me deeply. The things that really happen in our world, and it's so very troubling. But of course, SK does a great job telling it. I got through this one last night. It'll be a while before I can take reading another one from this collection. Fortunately there's lots more SK to choose from.
 

Sunlight Gardener

Well-Known Member
Jul 22, 2013
375
1,273
It's funny how people are different like that. The "real world" scenarios involving actual people like the ones in Full Dark, No Stars, do not scare me at all. I enjoy them a lot and they can disturb me at times certainly, but the supernatural stuff is what scares me. My wife is just like you guys, the realistic stuff scares her the most too. Everyone's wiring is different upstairs and I think it's interesting.
 

FlakeNoir

Original Kiwi© SKMB®
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Apr 11, 2006
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It's funny how people are different like that. The "real world" scenarios involving actual people like the ones in Full Dark, No Stars, do not scare me at all. I enjoy them a lot and they can disturb me at times certainly, but the supernatural stuff is what scares me. My wife is just like you guys, the realistic stuff scares her the most too. Everyone's wiring is different upstairs and I think it's interesting.
I think sometimes differing life experiences might play into this...? And sometimes it is just harder to be a woman in the real world.
 

HollyGolightly

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Sep 6, 2013
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Heart of the South
I think sometimes differing life experiences might play into this...? And sometimes it is just harder to be a woman in the real world.
I think you're on to something there, Flake. And just like Darcy, my first thoughts would be protecting everybody.
the kids, the rest of the world, even if it means I might have to die
. My first husband was a bit crazy and teetered on the edge of insanity - I was lucky to get out quickly. If you've ever known someone who can show one face to the world and really be a totally different person, you know what I mean.
 

FlakeNoir

Original Kiwi© SKMB®
Moderator
Apr 11, 2006
44,082
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I think you're on to something there, Flake. And just like Darcy, my first thoughts would be protecting everybody.
the kids, the rest of the world, even if it means I might have to die
. My first husband was a bit crazy and teetered on the edge of insanity - I was lucky to get out quickly. If you've ever known someone who can show one face to the world and really be a totally different person, you know what I mean.
I do know what you mean... and you're so brave and I'm happy for your bravery and safety. xox
 

Timothy A

Member
Apr 26, 2014
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The whole book was very dark. But I loved the stories.king always seem to make great writings. Such a talent he has. My emotions change with everything he writes. What an adventure.
The novellas certainly matched the title, that's for sure. I read a great deal of the book on a flight from Hawaii traveling back to Dallas in the middle of the night. As sad it was to be leaving Hawaii (I will return, even if as a homeless person!), the book made it much easier.
 

Timothy A

Member
Apr 26, 2014
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Listening to a narrator can be difficult. You've come off one book with a narrator you "got used to" and have to start a new narrator. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. Sometimes that has nothing to do with their talent at all! It is strictly how well they are teamed up with the work. I love books better because I read everything in that book. I read forewords and afterwords and contents pages and acknowledgements, I read about the typeface! I want to take it ALL in and you can't do that with an audio. But, as you said GNT, they serve their purpose and fill the need when the situation calls for them because of a person's circumstance at the moment.

I know there is probably a thread discussing books vs. audiobooks but I couldn't find it, so I thought I would comment here. If there is a more appropriate thread, I apologize.

I really don't like audiobooks, with no offense intended to those who do. For some reason, ever since I learned to read I have hated to be read to. In school, during presentations at work, etc., I feel somewhat insulted when someone reads to me. Now would I enjoy hearing Mr. King read L.T.'s Theory of Pets? Of course. But reading helps me escape the day to day drudgery of life in a way an audiobook could not. If I am in my car I am listening to music or sports radio.

Hope that makes sense!