Discussing the book... Spoilers

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do1you9love?

Happy to be here!
Feb 18, 2012
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I promise myself that every time I read a new SK book I will chew slowly and savour it this time around, then...BOOM...I'm done! He just pulls you along with wanting to know what is going to happen next, and I cannot help myself. The mark of a true master. Maybe that's why his rereads are so good, because I missed half of the book first time around reading it too quickly.
I am so bad about this, that I have just finished the book and started it again. I'm already picking up on a few things I missed. I always get the big picture, there are usually just a few nuances here and there that I skimmed over.=D

This is exactly my problem with the book. The 50's way of thinking about the difference between men and women. 150 pages to go, i'll probably finish the book this weekend but it really is getting annoying. All the men in the book are egotistic alpha males or drunks or have agrression issues, and all the women are in some way a victim of men. It's 2017, who still thinks like that? That, and there is not one character i like and that i'm rooting for., the women are all really annoying with their complaining about men and the men in the book are even worse, there are so many ways the whole situation could be dealt with but it just isn't happening because no one is talking in any sensible way with each other, so it just keeps draggin on...

It still quite an achievement though, despite all my annoyences it's still a page turner. It rarely happens that i finish a massive book like this in little over a week... :)
Having grown up in the Appalachian area, I can tell you that it is quite a common, if unspoken, viewpoint, even today.

I totally agree, hard to believe Stephen King was even involved in this book. The absolute low point was the point where the policewoman (forgot her name) shoots the prisoner and then starts doubting herself whether she also would've shot her if the woman would've been a white woman. I kinda felt that the bazooka brothers were in the book to show us that only men are capable of such idiocy's, but who knows? I kinda failed to see the whole point of the book...
Oh yeah, men are bad and women are good...

The strong point of Stephen books are, for me at lest, the fact that i am always totally involved with the characters, no matter how unbelieveble the circumstances are, i sort of become the character, that was totally lacking in Sleeping Beauties.

On a side note, i could explain all this a lot better in Dutch, but except for one or two other members nobody here would know what the hell i'm talking about...:)

Still a fan though, but this book was a miss for me...:)
Here in the US, we are facing these types of thoughts every day. There are riots and protests around if we should we take down all Confederate statues or not? There are white supremacist groups holding rallies, while counter-protesters tell them to go home. There is a lot of tension around racism right now. Jodi Piccoult just published a book called Small, Great Things where a white, female public defender was defending a black, female nurse accused of murdering a white infant of a white supremacist. The public defender thought she wasn't racist but was forced to reconsider, during the process. Point being, this may not be a global issue, and I know that you are not from the US, but it most definitely is an issue here.
 

do1you9love?

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Feb 18, 2012
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So, as I said, I finished the book. I really enjoyed the story and will complete a re-read soon. There were lots of characters, but I never felt overwhelmed by their side stories, feeling that they all tied into the central thread. I was a little disappointed in Lila (the sheriff) and her treatment of Clint. I believe doowopgirl touched on that, but I can hope that she comes around as that part was a bit ambiguous at the end. Are all men bad and all women good? No. Do we need each other to function and keep the world moving? I think so.
 

RichardX

Well-Known Member
Sep 26, 2006
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I did wonder if
the guy who picks up Annie (?) (can't remember her exact name) when she is hitchhiking toward the end of the book might be the "Outsider" from the next book. Probably not but it would be sort of a nice tie in.
 

MarkS73

Well-Known Member
Nov 24, 2014
350
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I am so bad about this, that I have just finished the book and started it again. I'm already picking up on a few things I missed. I always get the big picture, there are usually just a few nuances here and there that I skimmed over.=D


Having grown up in the Appalachian area, I can tell you that it is quite a common, if unspoken, viewpoint, even today.


Here in the US, we are facing these types of thoughts every day. There are riots and protests around if we should we take down all Confederate statues or not? There are white supremacist groups holding rallies, while counter-protesters tell them to go home. There is a lot of tension around racism right now. Jodi Piccoult just published a book called Small, Great Things where a white, female public defender was defending a black, female nurse accused of murdering a white infant of a white supremacist. The public defender thought she wasn't racist but was forced to reconsider, during the process. Point being, this may not be a global issue, and I know that you are not from the US, but it most definitely is an issue here.

It's an issue in the Netherlands too and subject to a lot of debate in the media. My remark was more about the way the subject was touched upon in the book, not really subtle...
 

do1you9love?

Happy to be here!
Feb 18, 2012
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It's an issue in the Netherlands too and subject to a lot of debate in the media. My remark was more about the way the subject was touched upon in the book, not really subtle...
OK, fair enough. I just don't feel it's subtle in my real life either. As soon as you turn on the news, there it is. Not trying to pick on you, so please don't take it that way. Just showing another point of view.
 

MarkS73

Well-Known Member
Nov 24, 2014
350
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OK, fair enough. I just don't feel it's subtle in my real life either. As soon as you turn on the news, there it is. Not trying to pick on you, so please don't take it that way. Just showing another point of view.

I understand what you mean. I'm sitting here thinking how i can explain excatly what i mean in english but it just is'nt going to happen...:)
 

doowopgirl

very avid fan
Aug 7, 2009
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So, as I said, I finished the book. I really enjoyed the story and will complete a re-read soon. There were lots of characters, but I never felt overwhelmed by their side stories, feeling that they all tied into the central thread. I was a little disappointed in Lila (the sheriff) and her treatment of Clint. I believe doowopgirl touched on that, but I can hope that she comes around as that part was a bit ambiguous at the end. Are all men bad and all women good? No. Do we need each other to function and keep the world moving? I think so.
Thanks. I think men and women each have strong and weak points and we need to play them together to make a better us.
 

danie

I am whatever you say I am.
Feb 26, 2008
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I just finished the book and feel sad because I didn’t like it much at all. So many unnecessary characters, and I felt nothing for any of them. The parts that detailed the battle between the prison insiders and the town outsiders were painful to slog through—so many details about guns and people whose names I didn’t recognize. I admit I started skim reading when yet another list of names was doled out, and I had no idea who they were, and couldn’t care less.

The story seemed an okay premise, but was so drawn out with dry details, that right now, I couldn’t honestly tell you that I liked any part of it. As with Joe Hill’s The Fireman, I couldn’t wait to finish it so I could move on to a more enjoyable book. Reading a story for pleasure should never feel like work, and my time with Sleeping Beauties felt like a chore to be completed. I kept on with it, hoping it would get better, but it didn’t.
 

Grace82

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Oct 8, 2007
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I just finished the book and feel sad because I didn’t like it much at all. So many unnecessary characters, and I felt nothing for any of them. The parts that detailed the battle between the prison insiders and the town outsiders were painful to slog through—so many details about guns and people whose names I didn’t recognize. I admit I started skim reading when yet another list of names was doled out, and I had no idea who they were, and couldn’t care less.

The story seemed an okay premise, but was so drawn out with dry details, that right now, I couldn’t honestly tell you that I liked any part of it. As with Joe Hill’s The Fireman, I couldn’t wait to finish it so I could move on to a more enjoyable book. Reading a story for pleasure should never feel like work, and my time with Sleeping Beauties felt like a chore to be completed. I kept on with it, hoping it would get better, but it didn’t.

I completely agree! Not my favorite book. Very slow pacing, not enough action and the ending did not tie up any loose ends or address any of my lingering questions. As you noted, too many characters for me to actually care about what happened to them. Honestly, if I had to choose my favorite characters it would be Evie and the Fox. I cared not one bit for the Norcross family as a whole, I'm not even sure what the conflict was (I know what it was but its such a non-starter) between Clint and Lila and why it was even mentioned. There was no reasoning behind Evie's intentions, no explanation for the "other side". I don't see the battle between good vs evil that others are talking about, as in the end even those who were the antagonist have a shift in behavior that makes them understandable.
 

carrie's younger brother

Well-Known Member
Mar 8, 2012
5,428
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NJ
Just finished Sleeping Beauties. Loved it!
For a book that was barely on my radar and sounded dull from the outset, I am pleasantly surprised by how much I love it. For me, it's miles beyond Revival and Doctor Sleep. It's the first SK book I've truly enjoyed since Joyland. I had no problem keeping track of the characters (especially with the search function of my Kindle) and thought it was a great modern-day fable. And that is exactly what it is, a fable for today's world. As for the ending, no giant spiders or ants, so I was more than thrilled! :)

I guess my only question is how much did Owen King contribute as it is pure SK to me. Had I not known that Owen wrote parts of the book I never would have thought otherwise. Was he writing purposely in his father's style so as to make the book feel seamless? I have not read anything else by Owen King so I am not sure of his style.
 

Moderator

Ms. Mod
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Jul 10, 2006
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Just finished Sleeping Beauties. Loved it!
For a book that was barely on my radar and sounded dull from the outset, I am pleasantly surprised by how much I love it. For me, it's miles beyond Revival and Doctor Sleep. It's the first SK book I've truly enjoyed since Joyland. I had no problem keeping track of the characters (especially with the search function of my Kindle) and thought it was a great modern-day fable. And that is exactly what it is, a fable for today's world. As for the ending, no giant spiders or ants, so I was more than thrilled! :)

I guess my only question is how much did Owen King contribute as it is pure SK to me. Had I not known that Owen wrote parts of the book I never would have thought otherwise. Was he writing purposely in his father's style so as to make the book feel seamless? I have not read anything else by Owen King so I am not sure of his style.
It may have something to do with how they wrote the book so that the voices would blend. In each section, they would leave a space with instructions for what was to happen and then continue on writing that piece. The other one would have to fill in that hole. When they were editing, they each rewrote the other one's original material.
 

carrie's younger brother

Well-Known Member
Mar 8, 2012
5,428
25,651
NJ
It may have something to do with how they wrote the book so that the voices would blend. In each section, they would leave a space with instructions for what was to happen and then continue on writing that piece. The other one would have to fill in that hole. When they were editing, they each rewrote the other one's original material.
Makes sense now! Thanks.
 

Neesy

#1 fan (Annie Wilkes cousin) 1st cousin Mom's side
May 24, 2012
61,289
239,271
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Just finished Sleeping Beauties. Loved it!
For a book that was barely on my radar and sounded dull from the outset, I am pleasantly surprised by how much I love it. For me, it's miles beyond Revival and Doctor Sleep. It's the first SK book I've truly enjoyed since Joyland. I had no problem keeping track of the characters (especially with the search function of my Kindle) and thought it was a great modern-day fable. And that is exactly what it is, a fable for today's world. As for the ending, no giant spiders or ants, so I was more than thrilled! :)

I guess my only question is how much did Owen King contribute as it is pure SK to me. Had I not known that Owen wrote parts of the book I never would have thought otherwise. Was he writing purposely in his father's style so as to make the book feel seamless? I have not read anything else by Owen King so I am not sure of his style.
Glad you liked it! I was starting to worry after seeing the negative comments :icon_eek:

Please tell me what you thought of 11/22/63 (if you don't mind) - I know they're completely different styles but that was the book that brought me here :smile-new:
 

carrie's younger brother

Well-Known Member
Mar 8, 2012
5,428
25,651
NJ
Glad you liked it! I was starting to worry after seeing the negative comments :icon_eek:

Please tell me what you thought of 11/22/63 (if you don't mind) - I know they're completely different styles but that was the book that brought me here :smile-new:
I loved 11/22/63. (Well, except for the "poundcake.") So much that I refuse to watch the series even though others have said it was good. I'm just afraid on rereads that I won't be able to get that tool James Franco out of my head if I do watch it!
 

Paddy C

All Hail The KING...
Sep 18, 2017
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I loved 11/22/63. (Well, except for the "poundcake.") So much that I refuse to watch the series even though others have said it was good. I'm just afraid on rereads that I won't be able to get that tool James Franco out of my head if I do watch it!

I loved 11/22/63 as well but really liked the tv series, too, even 'that tool James Franco' was very good in it lol


As for Sleeping Beauties, I have about 120 pages to go and, honestly, I have no real problem with stereotypical characters as, in real life, they're all still out there too. It's been a good story so far, in my opinion.