Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Utter Joy

I have always loved Stephen King, from the moment I picked up Carrie as a teenager, I was hooked on his stories. There have been a few duds, but for the most part his stories keep me enthralled, and usually quite scared.

The books I haven't read were the Dark Tower series, and perhaps I should give those a chance. One novel I loved was The Eyes of the Dragon, which falls into the YA category, but is a wonderful story if you haven't read it.

I just finished Joyland, and I have to say it was a true joy to read. I loved the characters; the protagonist, Jonesy, is a great lead, utterly believable, and his narration leads the story at the perfect pace. Bits of foreshadowing, expertly done, mark it as a novel by King.

It didn't scare me, nor is it meant to. It is a coming of age story...of a 21 year old, a love story, a ghost story, a human story. There are life lessons here, and some wonderful quotes about life as well.

They sell fun at Joyland, and sometimes fun is what is needed, particularly if you spend too much time immersed in the news, politics, tragedies, you need a bit of fun. Read Joyland, enjoy it, take a breath and revel in what many would say is a simple story, but it is one that leaves me feeling hopeful, and there are too many times when that concept is hard to hold on to.

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