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I wish so badly that I felt the same way about the 2nd half of The Stand as I do the 1st half. I love the1st half so much but the 2nd half just does not hold my interest at all. I don't know why. Maybe I don't care about the characters all that much, I'm not sure. Something just doesn't grab me once the "decimation of society from the virus" section ends and the group is banded together and are traveling. Can't figure out why.
I have read it all the way through one time. I have tried two more times since then and did not make it past the halfway point either time. It's frustrating because I feel like I am missing out of what so many others are seeing.
I think that the last half of The Stand is impressive because of its moral weight. I love how everything comes together, how the different characters are used. The first half is a little cheaper; it's entertaining, and of course incredibly well written, the story of how the virus killed the world. The second half, though...