Discussing the book... Spoilers

  • This message board permanently closed on June 30th, 2020 at 4PM EDT and is no longer accepting new members.

Spideyman

Uber Member
Jul 10, 2006
46,336
195,472
79
Just north of Duma Key
Did not like the beginning....we do not need SO backstory about every bloody character. What is the idea of having all the characters listed and explained at the beginning of the book? I do not get that. I have to say I am starting to enjoy it now. Our Place kinda makes me happy.
If memory serves,Under The Dome also had a list of characters in the beginning . Possibly 11/22/63 and Mr. Mercedes.
 

carrie's younger brother

Well-Known Member
Mar 8, 2012
5,428
25,651
NJ
Did not like the beginning....we do not need SO backstory about every bloody character. What is the idea of having all the characters listed and explained at the beginning of the book? I do not get that. I have to say I am starting to enjoy it now. Our Place kinda makes me happy.
It's called a dramatis personae and it is used as a quick reference for a work where there are a lot of characters. From Wikipedia:

"Outside the theatre medium, some novels also have a dramatis personæ at the beginning or end. This is most common in books with very large casts of characters."
 

do1you9love?

Happy to be here!
Feb 18, 2012
9,284
70,566
Virginia
Did not like the beginning....we do not need SO backstory about every bloody character. What is the idea of having all the characters listed and explained at the beginning of the book? I do not get that. I have to say I am starting to enjoy it now. Our Place kinda makes me happy.

It's called a dramatis personae and it is used as a quick reference for a work where there are a lot of characters. From Wikipedia:

"Outside the theatre medium, some novels also have a dramatis personæ at the beginning or end. This is most common in books with very large casts of characters."

I didn't know it had a fancy name but to me, I find it distracting. If there is not "dramatis personæ", I will happily read along and be just fine. If there is one, I come across a name and think, hmm, I should go back and look them up to see what ties they may have. :facepalm_smiley:

And Spidey is correct, of course! One was definitely in UTD.
 

Paddy C

All Hail The KING...
Sep 18, 2017
1,078
5,890
57
Drogheda, Ireland
What did y'all think about the ending?

I think Evie may have been an emissary from the leatherheads in Under the Dome. The test/experiment seems like something the leatherheads may have found fun.

Hmm, interesting...
there's also the 'link' with Moths and Monarch butterflies, now that I think of it

I thought the ending was pretty good compared to other endings I've read, to be honest.
 
Mar 12, 2010
6,538
29,004
Texas
Hmm, interesting...
there's also the 'link' with Moths and Monarch butterflies, now that I think of it

I thought the ending was pretty good compared to other endings I've read, to be honest.

I hadn't thought about that :) And also, unless I've forgotten...
neither the moths nor the butterflies played active roles - they were more like harbingers or omens.
 

Baby Blue

Resident Wise Ass
Aug 16, 2017
874
6,937
Seattle, WA
Well, I finally finished it. Meh. This one just didn't do it for me. I never felt hooked. I didn't have my usual anxiety when I put it down that I just HAD to get back to it to see what I was missing which is why this is the first time a Stephen King book took me more than a handful of days to finish. I mean, nearly 7 weeks?! Never! It was OK. I loved the concept and that Steven and Owen worked on it together (so sweet). Unfortunately, I think the process of rewriting each other's work stripped something important from it and there were just way too many characters to keep track of, as I've mentioned elsewhere.
 

carrie's younger brother

Well-Known Member
Mar 8, 2012
5,428
25,651
NJ
What did y'all think about the ending?

I think Evie may have been an emissary from the leatherheads in Under the Dome. The test/experiment seems like something the leatherheads may have found fun.
This is where my Catholic background (whether I like it or not) informs my thoughts. I think Evie was literally Eve from the Garden of Eden from the book Of Genesis in the Bible. God brought her back to teach men a lesson, just as she was instrumental in doing in the Garden all those eons ago. The Tree of course was like the tree in the Garden of Eden, complete with snake. I believe there was reference in the book to her being an eternal being and present at other times in history, but don't hold me to that as I can't think of anything specific as I write this.
 

Paddy C

All Hail The KING...
Sep 18, 2017
1,078
5,890
57
Drogheda, Ireland
This is where my Catholic background (whether I like it or not) informs my thoughts. I think Evie was literally Eve from the Garden of Eden from the book Of Genesis in the Bible. God brought her back to teach men a lesson, just as she was instrumental in doing in the Garden all those eons ago. The Tree of course was like the tree in the Garden of Eden, complete with snake. I believe there was reference in the book to her being an eternal being and present at other times in history, but don't hold me to that as I can't think of anything specific as I write this.

Right at the start of the book, when we first meet Eve, the Biblical Eve you mention was the one that sprang to my mind as well. I really like your take on the story btw
 
Mar 12, 2010
6,538
29,004
Texas
Thanks! From the first few pages it was clear to me that this was going to be an allegorical story.

You're probably right. I didn't get an allegorical vibe but, after hearing what the novel was about, I did get a bit of a fairytale vibe. My first thought was, It's going to take a heck of a lot of Prince Charmings :)

Later, I thought the story might be a 720 page fable - mostly because of the fox, somewhat because of the moral lesson. I gave up on that idea though because I couldn't guess what moral lesson SK and Owen might be trying to portray lol.

Moderator I'm really curious to know if SK and Owen meant for Sleeping Beauties to be allegorical. Would you pretty please ask them? :)
 

carrie's younger brother

Well-Known Member
Mar 8, 2012
5,428
25,651
NJ
You're probably right. I didn't get an allegorical vibe but, after hearing what the novel was about, I did get a bit of a fairytale vibe. My first thought was, It's going to take a heck of a lot of Prince Charmings :)

Later, I thought the story might be a 720 page fable - mostly because of the fox, somewhat because of the moral lesson. I gave up on that idea though because I couldn't guess what moral lesson SK and Owen might be trying to portray lol.

Moderator I'm really curious to know if SK and Owen meant for Sleeping Beauties to be allegorical. Would you pretty please ask them? :)
Fables are allegorical in that they each have a moral/deeper meaning. :)
 

Paddy C

All Hail The KING...
Sep 18, 2017
1,078
5,890
57
Drogheda, Ireland
You're probably right. I didn't get an allegorical vibe but, after hearing what the novel was about, I did get a bit of a fairytale vibe. My first thought was, It's going to take a heck of a lot of Prince Charmings :)

Later, I thought the story might be a 720 page fable - mostly because of the fox, somewhat because of the moral lesson. I gave up on that idea though because I couldn't guess what moral lesson SK and Owen might be trying to portray lol.

Moderator I'm really curious to know if SK and Owen meant for Sleeping Beauties to be allegorical. Would you pretty please ask them? :)

was that the World would turn to cr#p if Man was left to his own devices but with Woman as a calming, sensible influence the World is a much better place