You know how Stephen King will sometimes give us a big, epic, plot-driven story ("The Stand", for instance), but then conclude such a story with a fifteen or twenty page epilogue that's mostly about introspection, melancholy, poetic musings, and revealing flashbacks (as if the author feels the need to give us a more subtle landing after five hundred pages of bombast)? Well, anyway, "Lisey's Story" is like one of those epilogues stretched to an entire book length. It's actually not bad, and there's even a little "plot" in the form of a psycho stalking the title character, but you're mainly getting the author in that "epilogue" mode.

I actually listened to this book on unabridged audio, read beautifully by the actress Mare Winningham, so maybe that's why I'm being kind. But, honestly, as long as you know you're not getting a visceral, plot-driven story like "Cell" or the "Dark Tower" books, you'll likely enjoy this tale of a writer and his demons, and the wife who is subjected to it all.

Lisey's Story is a rich and tender story about true love, loss and the dark crevasses that childhood abuse can etch on the human psyche. This tale was a beautiful thing. I would love to see more stories like this one.

This is the worst King book I have ever read. The first part of this book to irritate me was the entire section devoted to describing the discomfort of Lisey's underwear. It was so overdone that instead of making the scene seem more "real" it drew my attention away from the story and made me wonder if King was perhaps trying too hard to capture the female voice. As I continued to read King continued to irritate me. All of the made up words became nauseating. So did the references to sex. I believe the reason I was so sickened by these passages was the combination of the cutesy factor coupled with the out of nowhere sex bits. It sort of gave me the uncomfortable feeling one gets if they imagine a middle aged couple making out heavily in public while baby talking each other. That aside, for every event to occur I had to wade through a ton of boring memories and internal dialogue. Then there was the character of Lisey herself who was duller than dull. I have the feeling that if I met Lisey in real life I would detest her, though it is hard to picture her in real life since she just seemed to lack some essential characteristics. She was more like something a man imagining a woman would create and less like a real woman. I have tried to figure out why Lisey comes across as such a one dimensional character used as a back drop to display the gem of her husband and I believe it is because everything she thinks or does contains a reference to him or a reaction to something he has said or says, has done or is doing. Despite the fact that she does some pretty feisty things she doesn't come across as feisty only as a slightly dimwitted woman who does what circumstances require while constantly putting herself down. King fails to flesh out his character and the result is that I didn't care what happened to her. I also found it irritating that King at the end of the book attempts to defend his editor by basically saying that any editor of an author who writes a lot of books is apt to be criticized for not editing enough and proclaims that his editor actually did do a lot of editing. While I suppose trying to defend his editor is admirable it would do King well instead of getting so defensive to consider that maybe the reason why so many of his books receive this criticism is because there is some merit in it and perhaps (gasp) adjust his own writing style accordingly.

Having just read Stephen King's brilliant and generous tour-de-force "On Writing," I decided to read one of his books. In my opinion,
"Lisey's Story" is too slow. And after we've slogged through 200+ pages that have demonstrated the widow's raw grief we are told that prior to the opening events of the book (two years after her husband's death) Lisey had come to the point of "doing just fine." This is what in film would be called a "continuity glitch." I had the impression that King had put down the writing for a time, and then picked it up and got fascinated with creating the basis for a metaphor about waiting for water to come out of a long-unused wetbar pipe.
Elements of the plot and language at times felt organic, and at others contrived. Less might have been more.

"Lisey's Story" does have elements of magic. Black magic. I read some bits of it while on the treadmill at the gym, and I found that I was simply unable to keep my pulse within its usual range. "Lisey's Story" is an effectively disturbing book.
All of this said, I marvel at King's imagination, at his extraordinary capacity for observation and description ("worn pink swooshes" on an old pair of girls' beloved cowboy boots), and at his ability to let a story tell itself.

Started out interesting, strange, the way a true King novel reads, it became so bizzare that I could not even enjoy it, I had maybe 150 pages to go and I could not make myself finish this. Maybe the diehards will make it through this tangled web of confusion, if so Kudos to you!!!

I am really amazed at the level of maturity King's writing has taken. A lot of people credit the hit and run accident, but I think it was inevitable. While The Shining will always be my favorite, I have loved a number of his books written in the last 10-12 years. But Lisey's Story is not one of them.

If you want a mature novel with a woman searching for meaning with a twinge of the supernatural, read Bag of Bones. I could not stop reading that book. His writing style was so fascinating. Lisey's Story is something that you have to slog through. His writing style is very annoying (I agree with the other reviewer) with all the childish (not "child-like") phrases and the story structure (searching for meaning with a subtext of how an writer creates something) he has done many times before.

King is the king of the "big structural elements" (remember when everything was centered on an Indian burial mound?) and the "writer doing his craft" subtext is done better in other books (The Dark Half, etc.). The appeal of King is that he can have that "writing 101" approach to structure but still pull it off with interesting characters, great prose, and wonderful twists. Lisey's Story has none of these just a woman mostly talking to herself about crap like "bools" (HINT: the book is a big "bool"). I have owned this book for over a year and am still not halfway done with it. I have put it down and picked it up a dozen times. I can only make it through 60-70 pages before I toss it down and pick up something else.

Ok...in the beginning of this book, I had a difficult time comprehending the writing...the thoughts going back and forth were a bit difficult to grasp. It was well worth holding on. The book was amazing.

I couldn't get enough of the book, and when I had to put it down to get in the car and run someplace I found myself in withdrawal. So I went to the library and grabbed the audio version. While in the house I'd read, while in the car I listened.

I love Stephen King and a couple of his recent books seemed a bit 'off' to me and left me disappointed. I feared he was running out of ideas...that the pool had gone dry. Lisey's Story is the old King...back fully, complete with diarrhea of the word processor and a story that can horrify you yet touch on the most intimate and personal human emotions at the same time.

BRAVO MR KING!

Woody Allen had a great true moment of self-criticism in his film "Stardust Memories" (1980) where he comes upon a couple of aliens who tell him:
"We enjoy your films! Particularly the early, funny ones."

The same is with Stephen King who got lost in himself somewhere in the early 1990s.

Lisey's Story is neither Christine nor The Shining. It's neither Pet Sematary nor Salem's Lot. Bluntly, it's more like a lot of blah blah blah tucked into 600 pages. Sometimes, you may get the creepy feeling that King let his comupter do most of the job by itself.

It won't hurt King to take a long break, relax and search for the roots of good writing. I think he can afford that.

As a long time reader of Stephen King's books, it took me two tries to get into this book. The story takes too long to get into the subplots and too much of the book occurs in Lisey's eccentric ramblings and memories. It should have been called "Lisey's Labyrinth".

Lisey's Story is a worthy addition to Stephen King canon. It's refreshingly unique very simply because the protagonist is a middle-aged woman, and the story is almost entirely told from Lisey's perspective. It's a bit odd hearing King narrate in a female voice, but he pulls it off, and it sounds honest and authentic.

I enjoyed the plot, which I found an interesting amalgam of King's "From a Buick 8" and "Insomnia", and Clive Barker's "Coldheart Canyon". Like some other reviewers, I found Lisey's and Scott's coded talk a bit overworked at times, but palatable.

I listened to Lisey's Story unabridged on CD narrated by Mare Winningham. Ms. Winningham gives a solid performance, well-suited for Lisey's earnestness and resiliency, and reasonably dynamic giving life to Scott Landon and the supporting characters.

Sorry to disagree with all the critics. This is my favorite single Stephen King novel, though in some parts of the Dark Tower series his imagination shines as brilliantly. The book seems to get off to a slow start, but I later appreciated the meandering pace as a way of heightening the anticipation and suspense. For me, the book was excellent because of the way King created vibrant, living images out of deeply personal human concerns that are invisible but affect us deeply. For instance: the "bad gunky" is that indefinable substance (or condition) that makes monsters out of fathers and mothers, siblings and friends. Weirdly, some "bad gunky" emerged in a personal relationship while reading the book. Then you have that ephemeral world of imagination (Boo'ya Moon), always beautiful, always captivating and soothing, but sometimes hypnotic in its power to entrance. I love the symbolism here, showing imagination as a real place with both healing and harmful elements. And finally, the passionate love between a woman and her man is deepest where pain and hurt are not ignored, but embraced. How can I not love a book that helps to flesh out these fascinating concepts?

I loved this book. I loved the characters, the language and the premise. I will admit that it was slow going the first chapter or so but I am so glad I didn't give up on it.

It is the kind of book that you'll want to read again when you are done to absorb what you may have missed the first time.

Great read.

This is allegedly King's bold experiment in a new prose style. Wrong. He began the looser style when he wrote DREAMCATCHER with a fountain pen. The style was novel and enjoyable then, but it's beginning to be an experiment in tedium.

Let me say for the record: It's a decent book, but I almost quit it a couple of times. The book doesn't really "start" for about 150 pages, and the choice to change editors (he decided to use a female instead of his usual--Chuck Verril) was, in my opinion, a mistake. The book is a bit schizophrenic. Additionally, the repetitious phrases and ideas are endless and in part attributable to the "new" prose style. Again, poor editing.

What bothered me most about this book was that it was supposedly King's first foray into romance, with blurb by Nicholas Sparks on the back cover. It's not a romance, however, and this attempt to market the book as "cross-genre" is pandering. The book is a supernatural love story in the vein of King's BAG OF BONES, but that doesn't make it a romance.

If you're a King fan and can tough out the first third of the novel, you'll like it. But it's not his best by a longshot.

This is allegedly King's bold experiment in a new prose style. Wrong. He began the looser style when he wrote DREAMCATCHER with a fountain pen. The style was novel and enjoyable then, but it's beginning to be an experiment in tedium.

Let me say for the record: It's a decent book, but I almost quit it a couple of times. The book doesn't really "start" for about 150 pages, and the choice to change editors (he decided to use a female instead of his usual--Chuck Verril) was, in my opinion, a mistake. The book is a bit schizophrenic. Additionally, the repetitious phrases and ideas are endless and in part attributable to the "new" prose style. Again, poor editing.

What bothered me most about this book was that it was supposedly King's first foray into romance, with blurb by Nicholas Sparks on the back cover. It's not a romance, however, and this attempt to market the book as "cross-genre" is pandering. The book is a supernatural love story, but that doesn't make it a romance novel.

If you're a King fan and can tough out the first third of the novel, you'll like it. But it's not his best by a longshot.

Stephen's books are usually pretty hit and miss with me. His saving grace, I think, is that he really is a good writer who is fantastic at conjuring authenticity. It's what makes his scary books so damn frightening; he's so good at projecting normalcy that the reactions of his protagonists to the freaky stuff that's happening in the story are just absolutely authentic-seeming. You buy into the character and the character's life all the way, so that when they're scared, you're scared too. When Stephen's got a real good idea in his teeth, he's great at ratcheting up the tension so that he wrings the maximum possible effect out of his storyline.

That's when he has a great idea, of course. The problem with him, I think, is that he sometimes writes books based on ideas that are really not so good (meaning not so scary), and when that's the case all his nice firm narration is just beside the point. If the central plot idea is dumb, it's not going to be scary for me no matter what. And I know writers have to earn their bread and butter, and the books I'm criticizing (whose titles I won't name) are probably all examples of that kind of earn-your-keep work.

I think this is one of Stephen's great books. I really do. Yes, I know the crazy idiomatic familyspeak Lisey uses turns people off, and that's a valid criticism, because hey, if you can't adjust to Lisey's voice you can't make your way through this book. That's true for pretty much every fictional novel told in the first person, from Sound and the Fury to David Copperfield.

But, if you can adjust, if you can understand that the reason Stephen chooses to tell his story this way is to bring you deeper into Lisey's mind, into her life, to make you think the way she thinks so that you can love her crazy sister Manda-bunny despite her weirdness and you can fall in love with Scott despite the inconsistencies in his personality. That attachment is essential to this book, because what this is is a book about grief, and you can't understand grief till you've lost a family member who might be weird and might be crazy and might give you hell, but somewhere underneath you love them anyway, and the last thing in the world you want is to have to say good-bye to them forever.

I was speaking earlier about how Stephen needs a great idea to write a truly good book. His greatest ideas, I think, take an ordinary human tragedy and filter it through some supernatural mechanism to explore the cracks and crevices of that tragedy through that supernatural means. He did it in The Shining, where really the story was about how alcoholism and addiction can alienate one from one's family and friends, channeled through the device of a haunted hotel. He does it again here, exploring the process of grief through Boo'ya Moon. It's not very scary in the way some readers might expect, and sure, it might be difficult to access because of the language, but it's a truly moving account of how Lisey puts her life together after her husband's death. In the last pages, Stephen pulls out all the narrative stops, and it's hard not to be deeply moved.

So, it's a good book. The only reason I haven't given it five stars is because, even though Stephen wrote some wonderful, moving, intense things in this book, he can never quite resist using a cheap trick or two, splashing the blood and gore around a tad more than he really needs to, and being a little more explicit than is strictly necessary. It's that touch of vulgarity, I think, that keeps even his best books from really deserving a five-star rating.

after reading all the negative reviews i felt it was necessary to give a positive one. i loved this book, i read it in 2 days, so it is certainly possible that it is able to keep one's attention easily. lisey and scott's story is incredibly poignant, the story of a life together with a little twist, brilliant. people keep complaining about the language used in the book, come on, give me a break. it is not that hard to follow and the language is the key to the story, it makes it what it is and i loved it, it was one of my favorite things about this novel. i think people need to stop comparing this to other king books because clearly it is not the same. i can understand why some die hard fans might be unable to digest lisey's story, but i think you have to appreciate it for what it is, it is not every other story he has ever written and frankly i think that is refreshing.

so yes, if you find it challenging to read something a little more complex, not so straightforward, then maybe you should skip this. but lisey's story is a great book and i think it is sad that just because it isn't the same predictable horror novel people are not giving it a chance.

While it wasn't much in the way of suspenseful, scary, or frightening, in the tradition of most of King's work, 'Lisey's Story' shines through King's wonderful attention to character development and emotion. He makes you like the characters, namely Lisey, as she battles grief over the loss of her husband.

I know a lot of fans will say they didn't enjoy it, and that's perfectly reasonable. King's writing style has greatly changed over the last decade or so, and this is a very different story than anything else he's written. For one thing, it's a romance, a genre King has done generally little with. But nonetheless, King shows his versatility when it comes to writing, and it made for a very good story. I'd have to say this is one of my favorites of King's work, and I've read pretty much everything by the man

Very good, and it's something I will probably read again.

SOWISA, babyluv.


I don't know why people don't like this book. If anyone can strap it on better than Scott, it would be Stephen.

What a great story this was. King still has a way with words, and he's brought it to a whole new level. He almost created a new language in this book, and I think it's amazing. That's what writing is all about, telling a story. And King hasn't forgotten how to do that. It's a story of love, loss, and the power of escape.

It was a bool, and a fine bool at that. And I think King deserves much more than an RC cola.

For about the last 25 years, Stephen King has been my favorite author. Usually, I devour his books within a week or so of their release. This one though, was a real struggle to get through. Not because it was a bad story or an unoriginal plot, but simply because there is SO much material in here that just doesn't add to the story.

Now, I am solidly in the school that more King is a good thing. After all, the unabridged version of "The Stand" is one of the best books ever. But the "more is more" philosophy just doesn't work here. In fact, I found myself liking Scott (one of the main characters) less with every word. And the sort of cutesy expressions King has Scott use in talking about his childhood get downright grating at times.

That said, when something is actually happening, the book gets quite good, and there are substantial chunks which are right up there with King's past page-turners. It's just that there is simply too much backstory here. Ironically, in the end notes, King jokes about how his editor really wanted to make this book shorter, but he just couldn't bear to take the advice. In this case, unfortunately, I think the editor was right.

Rarely if ever does King disappoint his readers. I read 200 pages of this novel until I finally couldn't take anymore of the eternally repetitous cutesy baby talk of Lisey's dead husband. It's just too drawn out and there is very little to grab this reader 200 pages into the book.
I think this is only Stephen King book I did not want to finish. He still remains my favorite writer however. It is also too much of a Romance novel for me. Give me chills and blood, not sappy sentimentalism. Your time will be better spent reading instead his (Richard Bachman)book "Blaze", which is as good as King gets(and that's pretty damn good). Blaze is a page-turner that will keep you up at night, in the grand King tradition.

Well, Stephen King got me in this one. He had me mad as hell concerning some of his characters positions on a few things. When Lisey unloaded the gun as they waited on the king of the Incucks I got so aggravated at this irrational fear of a device designed to save and defend life (or feed it in a hunting role) that I had to put the book down and walk away for a while. I have to congratulate him because this is his genius, being able to gradually suck you in that area of suspended disbelief in your mind where you are actually in the story, relating emotionally to the characters, though I must admit I find myself lately feeling preached at. I have not made up my mind as to whether that is fair or not.

I also find myself wondering to what degree this story opens a window into his mind. I have made no secret about my admiration for the writer and the man and my understanding as to why he holds certain public positions, but I find myself continuing to pony up the money for his fiction and works when others on his side of the political aisle receive no business from me. Why?

Because the man's story's are worth it. The idea of alternate `wheres,' no matter what monsters may ride there is a fantasy, a wish, an idea that gets me through the days and makes my evenings more bearable. As this planet increasingly is covered and oppressed by a layer of regulation, control, and oppression by governments and multinationals, the idea that someone can WISH or BELIEVE themselves into somewhere else...Booya Moon, or the Territories, or a great desert where wizards flee the righteous wrath of Peacemaker packing paladins is of great comfort.

Any night now, perhaps I will go to sleep and wake up in Booya Moon.

Slight preachiness aside, "Lisey's Story" is a good read and I recommend it highly.

Lisey's story is an amazing book. About a widower who used to be married to a best-selling horror author Scott Landon. Finally finding time to clean out the attic and collections of her late husband's work brings back memories of their life together. Although Scott was able to find a incredible and unstopable bond with his wife Lisey in his life, he was also a tortured soul that had many demons. Lisey must deal with consequences of these demons that her husband faced in his life. But, also deal with the mental break-down of one of her sisters, and the death threat of a madman if she does not hand over all Scott's memorabilia.

King brings the love that Lisey and her deceased husband still share even after death, while still making this novel terrifying. With the memories of her husband rehashing in her mind she is able to eventually visit a place that her husband was able to use his special powers to go to when times got tough. Lisey is able to connect deeper with her husband even after his death when she uses his special powers to bring herself to visit the place her husband had once visited so many times, and even had brought her too, Bo'ya Moon. With Scott still living within her, it is not Lisey's story but Scott's.

I was not able to put this book down most of the time. Although not one of Kings all time greats(IT, Dreamcatcher) it is an amazing book that will keep you interested till the very end. Also there is made up language that the Landon family used with eachother that sometimes is hard to understand, but made me personally feel closer to the characters and the struggles they were going through. I would suggest this terrific Stephen King novel to anyone who can withstand a horror book with alot of love tied in.

As someone who'd never read a Stephen King before, but was looking for a novel with the theme of a lost spouse, I enjoyed it a lot. Although it may not be for those who are fans of the usual Stephen King type of work. Tragic and heartfelt, rather than scary. Some of the made-up words were a little confusing, some wording even edging on annoying, until I got into the story. By the end, I was sad that it was over.

I rented the CD to listen while on the road. As a trucker I rent a lot of books and generally grab up any Stephen King reads because his books really help me chew up the miles on long hauls.

Like others have said...I too couldn't finish it. In fact after renting it for around $12 (Unabridged) I turned it back in after only getting part way through disk 4 of about a 12 disk set. I was both bored, and irritated with it. I was bored because by disk 4 it seemed to still getting started. When other King novels usually have me engrossed before the end of the first disk. I was irritated because of the over kill in these cute little phrases.

If I had just heard the disks without knowing who wrote the story I would have guessed it was some cheesy romance novel and would have dropped it within ten minutes. Since it was Stephen King I kept trudging on expecting a good story to formulate before very long, but it never did. Some like romance novels, but when I pick up Stephen King I expect to be entertained. This book up to disk 4 was just a rambling mush fest. This has such a strong female flavor of romance to it that I can't help wonder if it wasn't Stephen King's wife who wrote it, and they slapped his name on it for marketing.

I bought Lisey's Story because I have been reading King since Carrie was first published. Maybe I have outgrown him - outgrown the genre, but really, this was a snore right from the start. Because 'The King' wrote it, I gave it try after try, but just could not get interested in the main character - couldn't care about her (ongoing...and ongoing...) inner conflict or ramblings. Pass this one up or get it for your collection maybe. He's done much better work and I am hoping he does so again, but I haven't been happy with the latest offerings. I actually thought he was lending his name to some student writer - it was that bad.

I am a Stephen King fan, that's why I initially kept plugging away at this book, thinking it would eventually get better. But it never did. This book had it's own language, the "bool", the "bad gunky", etc., ENOUGH ALREADY!! It made the book seem downright CORNY. Also, it continually jumped from here to there, leaving the reader confused. I should have read the reviews on it first before I began reading it. At least I got it from the library and didn't waste my money by buying it.

I 1st began reading Stephen King when Carrie was 1st released over 30 years ago. He has been a favorite author of mine for all that time, and I've anticipated every new book and usually read them in a day or so.

Lisey's Story is a change of that tradition. Yes I looked forward to it. However it was the 1st book of King's that I had trouble getting into. There are several reasons for this.

1: The start of the book was very slow. It took my over a 1/3 of the book before it got interesting.

2: The writing style with all the internal dialog was smucking torturous to slog through.

3: The skipping around in time created a lot of confusion. Up until the last 3rd I thought that Scott had died when he was shot by Cole, not when he really did.

4: The story was predictable. Not something I expected from a SK book.

I bought the hardcover and by the time I finished it the paperback was out. that is hte 1st time that has ever happened with a Stephen King book for me.

Hopefully this is a one time occurance.

I cannot tell you how many times over the past year I have picked this book up and started reading just to quickly lose interest in it and put the book away for awhile. This book is 512 pages long and took a REALLY long time to get into the heart of the story. I was well over 200 pages into it before I finally started to get it. Wow, is this a weird one. I know that's not saying much since this author is well known for his off-the wall stories but this one is more odd that usual. The story centers on Lisey, an author's widow, who is being hounded by a psychopath who is after the unpublished writings of her late husband. That goes okay enough. What gets goofy is that Scott (the late husband) is able to escape this world and go to another one. Lisey also has a sister who is borderline who seems to be able to do it too. The story is long and just plan crazy. If this is the stuff that floats in Stephen King's head at night, I don't know how he sleeps! Phrases like "smucking" and "SOWISA" are so frequently used in this book that you find yourself using them yourself in the end. I would not rate this among King's better books and probably wouldn't recommend even dies hard fans read it.

"Lisey's Story" is a wonderful novel crafter by the maste of terror but he's not excalty all terror this time don't get me wrong theres still some horror in Liseys story, but this is more about Lisey, her descesed husband Scott and her sister's.

Lisey Landon was married to an author named Scott Landon everything was fine untill he was killed, but before Scott was killed he was in the hospital. Of course Lisey stayed there with him but Scott would sort of drift in and out litrely he would go to a place that was in his mind a place called Boo-Ya moon the only problem with Boo-Ya moon is the thing that lives there.

Now that Scott has passed Lisey has to go through all his old things all his old manuscripts you know things like that, She has to go through all these things with people always hounding her for interviews or asking for that one great unplusphed story by Scott Landon. This is a normal thing for Lisey untill a preticular nasty person comes along and he's serious about geting something of Scott Landons and he'll do anything even chasing Lisey into Boo-Ya Moon.

Lisey's story is a very intertaing read by a Great writer 5/5

As King matures he is writing stories that go beyond a thrill, Lisey's story is also a study of people and resilience. Highly recommended.

I enjoy all of Stephen King's books. I was awaiting it eagerly because of a part of it being printed in a previous book. While I read it, I kept expecting something horrible to happen. Just as happy it didn't. But the anticipation...was great.

I've been a King fan since I was in highschool, indeed I own around 30 of his paperbacks. Some have been amazing (The Stand, Pet Semetary, The Dark Tower, The Shining, IT etc.) others really great as well (Salem's Lot, Needful Things, The Dark Half, Cell etc.) and then others I just couldn't get into (Bag of Bones comes to mind). Lisey's story falls into the latter category for me.

I've been reading it on and off for a couple months now. I keep getting frustrated and reading something else (just finished reading "1984" again). The book's sitting right there on my nightstand looking at me, daring me to read it.

The problem is that I keep zoning out while reading it. Lisey's internal thoughts and the back and forth is just getting plain annoying. Enough of the smucking and bools already. It gets old. Fast.

I'm not sure if I'll finish reading it. I might just pop it on my shelf and read Nightmares and Dreamscapes again. Now THAT is a great collection!

I picked this one up when it first came out in paperback. After Cell, I was ready for another crazy ride. Unlike Cell however, I found it very hard to get into this one when I first started it in April. I put it down and moved on to other things. I came back to Lisey's Story in the days before the release of Duma Key, and it was like reading a different book from the first attempt. I thought this was a really great story and enjoyable read.

As far as King goes, this isn't his worst, and this isn't his best. It was engaging (I finished it within a few days), but I am beginning to find his dives into the working mind of the writer a bit tiresome. The little oddities between Lisey and Scott felt a little affected to me, although I did like how King linked Scott's fear of eating fruit at night to his death. Okay. An engaging read, but nothing earth-shaking.

I really really enjoyed the talent that went into this book. The characters are extremely deep and the emotions they feel are reflected back at you. It's quite impressive. I'll admit that the language gets a bit too cute some time and sometimes it comes off as King being a lil too cocky. Other than that, the story is amazing. It starts off reallyyyy slow, but leads up to one of the best climax's i've read. I liked the way that King made you fear the "long boy" in this story, but never really told you what it was until the end. Added a flare of mystery that gave the reader another reason to pursue to the end. All in all, great King book.

Mr. King did it again, this time with a romantic edge. Lisey is a strong, compelling,well-rounded character dealing with the loss of her Pulitzer prize winning husband, Scott Landon. When a stalker shows up demanding for Lisey to hand over Scott's paper's, the stuff really hits the fan. Lisey must follow Scott's last "bool" without letting any of the "bad-gunky" get in the way.

Boo'ya Moon is the cool, surreal setting where anything is possible. Its beauty is darkened by the laughers of Fairy Forest, and the ominous Long Boy.

I highly recommend this book, a wonderful blend of horror, suspence, and romance that will have you compulsively turning pages all night long.

This book is just plain boring. It drags and has not substance. King creates his own language (blood bools?) that I just plain do not want to understand.

The interesting thing about King is that he always has a good concept. However, he tends to destroy it with his writing style - which is just too convoluted. He needs to write succinctly or just give us all a rest.

Uggh - dont bother with this one. I actually would love my $$$ back.

I thought it was ME. I have tried to "get into" this book about four or five times and just keep giving up. Usually I get lost in Stephen King's novels; can't put them down. But this one goes ON and ON and ON. It's confusing to say the least. I don't even like Lisey anymore. Me thinks she thinks too much. I still have about 80% of the book to finish.

Yes folks! I've done it! I have read every single page of Lisey's Story by Stephen King, one of my favorite author... If you go through the reviews about this book, you will see that I'm not the only one who had a hard time finishing Lisey's Story. The book seems ENDLESS! The story is weird although the main idea of a writer's widow on a psychological quest about his husband demons is not completely silly. The first hundred pages are horrible, boring and hard to follow. Numerous flashbacks and a secret language between Lisey and her husband brings the reading to a high level of subtility. If this is your first "King" please do not rate the author on the basis of your appreciation of this book! Check for his early era writings, most of them are great reads and page-turners.

If the book would have been 300 pages shorter, maybe I would have given it 3-4 stars for writing quality and originality. But obiously King was taken away in a weird autobiographical phase !

I am a King fan but I felt the writing in this book was uneven. Part of the reason I am such a big fan is because I usually really like King's characters and find myself rooting for them even when they do things I don't like but I did not like Lisey until over halfway into the book. Also, the fantasy sequences were uninteresting and far too drawn out.

I had read every book by King up to the 2002. His offerings after that didn't excite me anymore. Was on vacation, the only book available, gave it a shot. It was ok, nothing like his early work. Entertaining but doesn't stick with you.

I just finished reading Lisey's story a few days back and have to say I was pleased with this book in the end. Unlike some of the other readers, I wasn't leary of buying Lisey's story because this was a love story or a romantic novel. I enjoy romance as much as suspense or fantasy so I was ready for any of the above as can and often does happen in King's novels.

Sure there was the strong love connection between Lisey and her late husband Scott but saying this is a love story is like saying the Shinning is a story about a family going on a vacation to watch over an abandoned hotel It is, but there's a little more to the story than that.

Lisey's Story is an intriguing tale filled with the elements of horror and the supernatural. Some of Kings ideas are a little 'Out there' but that is why I enjoy Stephen King. He can spark our imagination and bring a chill to our spine. If you are a King fan or not, I think you will enjoy this book as much as I did.

If you can get through the first fifty-or-so pages of this book, it will be worth your time. I no longer waste my time reading boring or hard-to-read books, but based on the great stories in Stephen King's past work, I thought I'd take a chance. Glad I did - after the first few chapters filled with REALLY annoying baby talk, the story picked up and became a vintage Stephen King otherwordly joyride.

I had a hard time at first staying with this story I put it down 3 times (not a good sign)I like books that grab me from the first few pages at least an most S.K. novels do,not so this story but I had it so stuck with it and I can say I am glad I did!!By page 200 he had me and I didn`t stop reading until I was done not his very best but I `m not sorry I bought it

I rather enjoyed this more simple of King's novels.
It was a pleasant read.

Long time King fan, enjoyed almost every book - at least finished them all. This one was so slow and laboreous, I couldn't even finish it. It I read the word "bool" again, I was going to scream (not in a good way). Stupidest made up word ever. Sorry, I just didn't like anything about this book and I couldn't spend any more time waiting for it to get better.

Ah Stephen.You sure no how to pull the heart strings as well as make the heart beat a hundred miles an hour because of gut renching fear.I love Lisey and her husband Scott.The book is a love story with horror and fantasy woven in

I am going to make this simple. This book is about love. If you did not like Bag of Bones you most likely not like this book. Lisley is struggling to cope with the unexpected death of her husband. In her struggle to cope she dealt a few hard knocks. Lisley often flashes back to earlier times in her marriage. There is a lot of depth in this novel. I know there are some avid fans who really did not like or get this book. If your married or in a long term relationship this book is not hard to understand. I found this book to be one of Sai King's finest works and I could not put it down. My suggestion if you loved Insomnia,Blaze or Bag of Bones then you will adore this book. This is not a romance novel, it is about unconditional love and loss. Bool ! The End!

Boring. Silly. As mentioned by other reviewers, the book is full of annoying baby-talk private language, but what other reviewers have failed to mention is that the meaning of the words are not clear...I can only assume that the definitions will be revealed before the end. And I mean this is on every page. The words Bool or Blood-bool are used constantly, with only the vaguest hints of what they might mean. I understand that we are getting a "glimpse" inside the private language of a personal relationship, but, please, Mr. King, give us some sense of bearing! I hardly ever put a book down without finishing it (I have finished some truly crappy books in my time), but this one is tempting me beyond belief. It it were written by another author, I would have thrown in the towel quite a while ago. Some of the reviews mentioned that the book gets better at the end, and as I mentioned in the title of this review, I will edit this review if that is the case (and if I am able to finish it). The premise held such promise. Boo on the execution so far.

Michael Chabon, you owe me ten dollars.

Boring. Silly. As mentioned by other reviewers, the book is full of annoying baby-talk private language, but what other reviewers have failed to mention is that the meaning of the words are not clear...I can only assume that the definitions will be revealed before the end. And I mean this is on every page. The words Bool or Blood-bool are used constantly, with only the vaguest hints of what they might mean. I understand that we are getting a "glimpse" inside the private language of a personal relationship, but, please, Mr. King, give us some sense of bearing! I hardly ever put a book down without finishing it (I have finished some truly crappy books in my time), but this one is tempting me beyond belief. It it were written by another author, I would have thrown in the towel quite a while ago. Some of the reviews mentioned that the book gets better at the end, and as I mentioned in the title of this review, I will edit this review if that is the case (and if I am able to finish it). The premise held such promise. Boo on the execution so far.