146 pages
English language
Published April 2, 2018
Although Scott Carey doesn't look any different, he's been steadily losing weight. There are a couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn't want to be poked and prodded. He mostly just wants someone else to know, and he trusts Doctor Bob Ellis. In the small town of Castle Rock, the setting of many of King's most iconic stories, Scott is engaged in a low grade - but escalating - battle with the lesbians next door whose dog regularly drops his business on Scott's lawn. One of the women is friendly; the other, cold as ice. Both are trying to launch a new restaurant, but the people of Castle Rock want no part of a gay married couple, and the place is in trouble. When Scott finally understands the prejudices they face - …
Although Scott Carey doesn't look any different, he's been steadily losing weight. There are a couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn't want to be poked and prodded. He mostly just wants someone else to know, and he trusts Doctor Bob Ellis. In the small town of Castle Rock, the setting of many of King's most iconic stories, Scott is engaged in a low grade - but escalating - battle with the lesbians next door whose dog regularly drops his business on Scott's lawn. One of the women is friendly; the other, cold as ice. Both are trying to launch a new restaurant, but the people of Castle Rock want no part of a gay married couple, and the place is in trouble. When Scott finally understands the prejudices they face - including his own - he tries to help. Unlikely alliances, the annual foot race, and the mystery of Scott's affliction bring out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others.
2.5 interesting premise but fails to fully deliver, with a story that feels somewhat lacking in depth and character development. It’s an okay read but doesn’t quite live up to the author’s usual standards.
Una storia leggera, in tutti i sensi. A tratti anche poetica, un ritaglio di esistenze che si incontrano e che ricavano l'una dall'altra qualcosa di buono.
I was so into the book, I listened to it in one day. He narrated his own book and I must say, I love his voice. I anticipate more from him in my future drives to and from work.
That was...weird. And I've pretty much read everything SK has ever written.
Not a bad weird, mind you. I would have liked another hundred or so pages with these characters.
But it just ended, and that was all (s)he wrote.
I was weirdly touched by both stories here, I think because I had no idea what to expect and because I learned so much about King from [b:On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft|10569|On Writing A Memoir of the Craft|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436735207i/10569.SY75.jpg|150292]. I think it's evident from his fiction work and his memoir that he's gone through many dark periods, but he isn't about having them.
On the primary story, Elevation: I understand finding the characters a little thin here, but I also felt like I could mostly round them out well enough in my imagination (except for Missy, oddly). I also felt like the mentions of Trump as a means of gesturing to the town's conservative nature detracted from the place, because that isn't necessary for a small town to be homophobic and broadly suspicious of outsiders, and it situates the protagonist's motivations in opposition to something needlessly. …
I was weirdly touched by both stories here, I think because I had no idea what to expect and because I learned so much about King from [b:On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft|10569|On Writing A Memoir of the Craft|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436735207i/10569.SY75.jpg|150292]. I think it's evident from his fiction work and his memoir that he's gone through many dark periods, but he isn't about having them.
On the primary story, Elevation: I understand finding the characters a little thin here, but I also felt like I could mostly round them out well enough in my imagination (except for Missy, oddly). I also felt like the mentions of Trump as a means of gesturing to the town's conservative nature detracted from the place, because that isn't necessary for a small town to be homophobic and broadly suspicious of outsiders, and it situates the protagonist's motivations in opposition to something needlessly.
That said: There are so many lovely little details, like the particular details of his affection for his cat; his interactions with other runners; his casual acknowledgment of how helpful it would be to send the money from his work to his ex-wife. Maybe it boils down to my identification with Carey, and being in his mind as he deals with his inexplicable condition. I believed entirely in King's portrait of Scott Carey, and it was nice to be credulous for a bit.
This and the second story, an admittedly tidy vignette, feel true to what I imagine King is thinking about lately, and the combination of those factors introduced a welcome tenderness today.
I was weirdly touched by both stories here, I think because I had no idea what to expect and because I learned so much about King from [b:On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft|10569|On Writing A Memoir of the Craft|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436735207i/10569.SY75.jpg|150292]. I think it's evident from his fiction work and his memoir that he's gone through many dark periods, but he isn't about having them.
On the primary story, Elevation: I understand finding the characters a little thin here, but I also felt like I could mostly round them out well enough in my imagination (except for Missy, oddly). I also felt like the mentions of Trump as a means of gesturing to the town's conservative nature detracted from the place, because that isn't necessary for a small town to be homophobic and broadly suspicious of outsiders, and it situates the protagonist's motivations in opposition to something needlessly. …
I was weirdly touched by both stories here, I think because I had no idea what to expect and because I learned so much about King from [b:On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft|10569|On Writing A Memoir of the Craft|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1436735207i/10569.SY75.jpg|150292]. I think it's evident from his fiction work and his memoir that he's gone through many dark periods, but he isn't about having them.
On the primary story, Elevation: I understand finding the characters a little thin here, but I also felt like I could mostly round them out well enough in my imagination (except for Missy, oddly). I also felt like the mentions of Trump as a means of gesturing to the town's conservative nature detracted from the place, because that isn't necessary for a small town to be homophobic and broadly suspicious of outsiders, and it situates the protagonist's motivations in opposition to something needlessly.
That said: There are so many lovely little details, like the particular details of his affection for his cat; his interactions with other runners; his casual acknowledgment of how helpful it would be to send the money from his work to his ex-wife. Maybe it boils down to my identification with Carey, and being in his mind as he deals with his inexplicable condition. I believed entirely in King's portrait of Scott Carey, and it was nice to be credulous for a bit.
This and the second story, an admittedly tidy vignette, feel true to what I imagine King is thinking about lately, and the combination of those factors introduced a welcome tenderness today.
Elevation itself was... Forgettable. But I really liked the shirt story Laurie that came after it. Narration was okay, not the greatest. A decent way to spend 4 hours though.
This felt like a short story rather than a novel. I feel like I blinked and it was over. The plot was kind of thin: man with a death sentence decides to use his remaining time to help a lesbian couple become accepted by their community. Shrug.
What a fun little novella. To anyone who can't realize this is an author using their publishing power to release a 'Dr. Who'/BBC-esque 'Holiday Special', yer over analyzing it.
👍🏾
Not really "horror" but I pretty much put all of King's books there. It was an okay concept, but one that definitely led itself to be short. I knew this was a short book to begin with, but I had no idea until I picked it up that it would be so small too. Not bad, but one you should only pick up if you're like me, and you need to own ALL of King's works in hardcover if possible. I wouldn't be surprised if this ended up in a King anthology at some point in the future...
