Liseys Story

[BenBubb]

Hey i just wondered if there was anyone out there that enjoyed Liseys Story cause i know i did.
It was the second SK book i had read, first being cell, and thought both of them were amazing then i read Duma Key and thought wow! now im Hooked on him lol. Ive Just Started The DT series im half way through the the first and cant put it down!

[Matthew.Degnan]

you know SK said that the one he most enjoyed writing with Lisey's Story, i personally didn't enjoy it that much- once you read things like It and The Stand you'll start to realise whats wrong with Lisey's Story.

Matthew.

ps. welcome to the board :smile2:

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

Welcome to the MB, and keep posting!

I agree with you completely about Lisey - wonderful book IMO, and you've the most amazing journey in literature ahead of you in DT IMO, enjoy! (You will).

Long days and pleasant nights

[ariam]

Hey you! Well I was really touched by Lisey's way in a way I can't describe. Actually I admire Stephen King as an author since I've finished it! Good trip till you reach the end of DT SERIES. Enjoy..!:eek2:

[Srbo]

you know SK said that the one he most enjoyed writing with Lisey's Story, i personally didn't enjoy it that much- once you read things like It and The Stand you'll start to realise whats wrong with Lisey's Story.

Matthew.

ps. welcome to the board :smile2:

Ditto.

[BenBubb]

Ive read some of his older books too like Cujo, i kinda liked that not the best IMO, Delores Claibourne, some stories from the Skeleton Crew like the Mist, Eyes of the dragon, and what ever book the children of the corn is in lol i enjoyed most of them, Cujo did bore me by the end but it had its exciting points.

[crazycrashink]

I absolutely adored Lisey's Story!! I feel that the way he portrayed the characters was so tender that I couldn't help but fall in love with them. Especially Lisey who was at the same time so vulnerable and brave. Amazing!

[bopropadop]

Lisey's Story is one of my favorites for an examination of the human spirit and love. The older I get, the more I find myself appreciating a tale of this type. Duma Key, too.

And enjoy DT! What a great adventure you have ahead of you!

[boogerb53]

Most excellent story! I couldn't help imagining Mrs Uncle Stevie while I read it.

[tillyn]

Looking back i had said i didn't dislike the story but i wasn't crazy over it neither. I reread it and the second time around i enjoyed it a lot better. Still saddened by the loss of her husband, don't know how that would feel at this point my old man is still given her, so i hoping it's a long way away.

[betsymae]

I thoroughly enjoyed Lisey's Story!

[CowboyYojimbo]

I loved Lisey's story and it's now one of my all time favourites. It was very touching to read and I loved how well you knew the characters by the end and their relationship.

[SueC]

I enjoyed Lisey's Story too but as others have said, his previous works are so much better! Enjoy them all!

[Robbi]

I absolutely love it. Just finished it a few days ago and it is still with me. I wonder what other book could possibly follow it. The length and intensity of Lisey's grieving process is what makes it so powerful for me. Lisey's is a book that I had a hard time putting down, I literally would have to open it back up and continue. Excellent book.

[linkinjen2001]

i just finished lisey's story today. i was surprised by how much i liked the ending. it took me over a year to get through the book which is unlike me. usualy when i get a stephen king book im through it in just a few days. i read about halfway through it and kind of lost intrest and put it aside. lately i started thinking about it again and decided i would give it another chance so i sat down and read through the second half all at once. now i cant figure out why i didnt like it the first time around.

[Hagie]

I thought this was one of Kings best books...
The story is so touching, and the characters are very well described.

[devoted2nonebutI]

LOVED liseys story.. with the bool chases and all.. a very very touching haunted love story..

[Girl87]

I liked Liseys story. One of the best SK books. :smile2:

[pixiedaark]

Lisey's Story was a book I could not put down. I think this book is the best Stephen King has written since Bag of Bones! Definitely the best since the year 2000! This book combines scary horror with depth and feeling of what it is like to be in love in the real world. This book shows how much SK has grown in his writing style. In my opinion Lisey's Story can give It and the Stand a run for their money.

[worddance]

Lisey's Story is my favorite. The plotting and characterizations are so intricate--he takes you into flashbacks inside of flashbacks inside of flashbacks and you never lose your way--the novel itself becomes a bool hunt.

It's a touching love story that feels very personal and revealing.

Mary

[ally88]

Hi guys and gals.:smile2:
I enjoyed the strength of the relationships in Liseys story. Whether its the love of a couple, sisters or two brothers each character had the same endearing or irritating qualities of people in the real world. I found it easy to visualise them and their relationships.

The description of where people may go to when they have some kind of psychotic break was extremely well written and thought out...in fact i could imagine sitting by the water myself and being drawn in by the peace and quiet.

[Jax]

I loved Liseys Story. This is in the top five of my favorite books.

[onemanandhisdroid]

Lisey's Story was my first King novel in five years. It's a pretty fun read. And I'm glad that I didn't bother with any kind of rather indepth plot synopsis you tend to find at the very start of a book, or on Amazon. com, or on forums like these, or.. you might get the idea.

As such I didn't know much about this novel, except that it was about a widow mourning the loss of her husband, and a rather unnerving legacy. And this worked out nicely. Whilst two thirds of the novel leave you guessing, the final third is also a little Good, Old King to a fault. Oh, there's much to enjoy about Booya' Moon, a world consisting of some creepy places and inhabitants that have "H.P. Lovecraft" written all over them. However, resolutions aren't as clever as I thought they'd be.

There are times when King really fools around with his readers' expectations, such when Lisey witnesses heir catatonic sister speaking with the voice of her husband, and has memories of her husband being afraid of a thing he used to call his "Long Boy". At this point, King really has you guessing. Could the unnerving events around Lisey be a product of a mourning mind or something else entirelly? And what was that sickness that lead to her husband's death anyway? Maybe the "Long Boy" was all in his head.

In the end, this is still King's Maine however. Doors to other dimensions are everywhere, a metaphorical pool of inspiration and ideas acts very much like a healing pool. And monsters are of course monsters, fangs, claws, warts and all. It has been often argued that the climax of King's stories isn't their strong point. This may hold some truth - for some of his writing anyway. In Lisey's Story this is further exaggerated by the fact that there's three subplots running throughout. By the point at which it's time for Zak McCool to kiss his sorry ass goodbye, for instance, you might have well forgotten about him entirelly. Still the very last paragraphs of this book leave you with warm, cozy feeling. Lisey has finally come to terms with her husband's death, and a new life is about to begin.

[MartinEden]

When at the bookstore a few weeks ago, the owner came to me with a hard-back copy of a SK book. The cover had a flowery, multi-colored design, with the word "babyluv." Obviously, it was a copy of Lisey's Story, but very much unlike any I (or she) had seen before. King's name was not on it (except for the copyright page). Is this some kind of special edition of the novel King published? If so, how many copies of it were published?

[foster]

I thought it wasn't terrible but I still like his real horror. To me it was like he was trying to do something a little different but he kept going back to horror. Kinda of like a muscle spasm...he just couldn't help it.

[Cody44]

When at the bookstore a few weeks ago, the owner came to me with a hard-back copy of a SK book. The cover had a flowery, multi-colored design, with the word "babyluv." Obviously, it was a copy of Lisey's Story, but very much unlike any I (or she) had seen before. King's name was not on it (except for the copyright page). Is this some kind of special edition of the novel King published? If so, how many copies of it were published?

That is what the Hardcover edition looks like without its Dust Jacket.

[Prince of Darkness]

Hi,

One of my favorite Sai King novels, IMO.

It is long due for a re-read, along with Duma Key. Two of my favorites, behind DT, IT, and The Stand.

Everything seemed so real to me, and very long (and satisfying) for a one-day story. The best parts, for me, were those of Scott's childhood and his time in Boo'ya Moon.

Long days and pleasant nights

[Teddy Duchamp]

Hi!

Im embarrassed to say this especially reading that SK loved writing this book so much - but it was very much far from my favourite - and Ive read everything but the Dark Tower set.

I "wanted" to like it so much as I wait anxiously for each book to come out - but I found the "baby language" about the gunky stuff quite offputting. I did like the sections about her relationship with her sisters, found it very true to life.

I think the end sort of left me feeling a bit flat - if Im honest.

I hate saying that becuase I am such a fan of everything else!:oops:

[lil lisey 1127]

My nickname growing up was lisey so OBVIOUSLY i had to read it. This is perhaps my favorite sk and is definately in the top 5. The way he brings to life the love and tenderness is amazing, everytime i finish it I want more. Another book along these lines and is another of my favorites is Bag of Bones. I read it atleat twice a year, its my comfort novel =) lol

peace, love, and happy reading

[frangoldsmith]

I loved Liseys Story. I thought it was touching i shed a tear at the end. Scotts longboy unerved me tho! SOWISA

[cindystubbs]

I adored this book.
I think it is the truth in Stephen's life. It has the ring of truth to me, that this is his true life relationships, he to his wife, and she to her sisters.
I felt like I was reading a non-fiction book.
I was Breathless when Lisey's sis started talking like Lisey's dead hubby.
It was like a window into the unknown had been opened and it's dank cold air was blowing all over you.
Perhaps these things happen to everybody and people don't talk about them.
I myself had an encounter with a ghost, one I am not anxious to repeat!
So maybe these things do happen, I like to think that they do.
The description of the monster being "pale" went all over me and I knew exactly what Mr. King meant. The monster is death, the monster is ageing.
This monster cannot forever be overcome.
I myself have been reminded at the AW writing forum that to buy books is to vote for books with your dollars. No more shall I pester friends for books, I vow from now on to buy them! Let publishing not suffer in this bad economy-Buy Books, fair companions who know how important books or else you would not be here on this forum. Lisey's Story is the one I will buy for it is like amazing to me, amazingly great.

[deluxe]

I did'nt really get into it.

[blunthead]

Part of sK's true enjoyableness is in that he can write a book like Lisey's Story, and then like Misery, and then like Bag of Bones, and then like Needful Things, and then like The Gunslinger, and then like Duma Key, and be the author of them all!

Since you liked Lisey's Story, I recommend Insomnia, at some point.

[onlyewe]

I liked the story although it reminded me of Rose Madder in some respects. It was hard to get through some parts because I know what it is to lose a spouse suddenly and the descriptions of Scott after he was shot and in the hospital before dying wrenched my heart. The shorthand that develops between people who have been close for a long time is so very true - it becomes language that becomes every day but never mundane. It also reminded me of my own relationships with my sisters and how different it is with each one.

[doughboyblue]

I just finished Lisey's Story this week and I really loved it. There are very few SK books I haven't cared for, though. I don't really compare one book to another, I let each stand for itself. I don't think you could ever really compare, say The Green Mile to let's say Carrie. I feel some books definitely crossover, but others touch a completely different place within. Lisey is one of those. I wondered how autobiographical parts of it really are while I was reading it. I know he wrote it for Tabbi and drew on her relationship with her sisters, but there were other things that indicated a very personal writing. Hmm...

[Bluey Lunger]

didn't sk win the pulitzer for this one? some kind of award seems like. should have, if not.

[goatfarmer123]

I just recently finished Lisey's Story as well, and I loved it. My fiance does not do well with horror (he pretty much hides behind the couch if I'm watching a horror movie) and as such as been reluctant to read many of SK's books. This one though, he can read and see the character intricacies I'm always going on about without getting too freaked out. I liked how you couldn't really tell what was going on until the end- if the boys were just abused by a psychotic father or if it was all real, and if Scott was still around somehow. OH, but it broke my heart how Scott and Lisey didn't end up together at the end of the book. With all the flashbacks you felt like you knew them and how they worked together so well and it just hurts to see them still separated. I was hoping Scott would just come back. WHY COULDN'T HE JUST COME BACK?? :) Anywho. I think it's wonderful that SK doesn't just write horror- I mean all his stories seem to have an element of it but he can write relationships and characters that can upstage a dark hallway and that's just a testament to his skill.

[Moderator]

didn't sk win the pulitzer for this one? some kind of award seems like. should have, if not.


Many of us agree he should have, but Steve has not (yet :smile2:) won a Pulitzer prize.

[SebastiaanZ]

LS is not one of my favourites. I don't know why, but it wasn't a real pageturner for me, although I think the book's alright. I loved the predicessor, Cell.

[MLN0207]

Being a working mum and having a two year old around the house, I haven't had much time for reading the last couple of years.
Last week I started in Lisey's Story. This afternoon I finished it and I had to cry a little when I closed the book.
It's a beautiful book, not to be compared to It or The Stand. It's different but the same...it's just a King-book....it's beautiful....

[doughboyblue]

goatfarmer: that's hilarious! My husband can't do horror either! I had to talk him into going to see the Green Mile when it came out (which he loved), because he was afraid of getting scared to death! Ha!:biggrin2:

[TCat]

Absolutely loved Lisey's story. It did take a little while longer to get started in this story, but once I did, it overtook me just like all of Stephen King's other books. I was lucky and received Lisey's story as an Advanced Readers copy, so I read it 6 months before it was available to the public. It's not very often you see an Advanced Readers copy come out with Stephen King's name on it, so that was a very nice surprise. By the way, I got the copy because I work at a book store. I just wanted to throw that in there hoping that Mr. King might do a surprise book signing at my store sometime. . .hint hint.

[Roseasharn]

I really enjoyed this one. It might even be my favorite OUTSIDE of the DT series (as far as I'm concerned, very little in the way of anything as far as books are concerned comes close to DT) It did make me cry, though. And I don't really like that. :smile2:

[tillyn]

Just finished DT series, enjoy , what a ride you in for!!!

[EMARX]

I think that readers of L S, that are in long term relationships will most appreciate the subtleties in the novel. The language especially. King's themes, tone and language in his later work are a reflection of the time he lives in.

[mrsrodman]

I agree with EMARX. I wouldn't yet call my relationship "long-term" (certainly nowhere near as long as Scott and Lisey's 25 year marriage), but I think that having my relationship to reflect on and compare as I read the book really added another dimension. My husband and I have our own little in-jokes and "interior language" (not as varied and rich as in the novel, but neither of us are award-winning authors :-P), so I could really relate to and appreciate that aspect of the novel.

Also, as a college English major (and aspiring writer, although that remains a daydream right now) I really appreciated the use of language to convey emotion. I also liked the stream-of-consciousness style used throughout most of the book. The way the thoughts in parenthesis floated in and gently broke up Lisey's main stream of thought was an effective way to mimic real thought patterns. And the way sections ended in the past tense and immediately picked up in the next section in present tense was, I felt, an effective tool for transition.

Yes, I'm an English nerd, so sue me :smile2: Suffice it to say, I loved the book!

[Cognac]

what an odd trio to get you hooked! not that they arent great, cause they are. good move starting the dark tower. after those id start at the beginning, have fun!!

[RachelA]

Hey i just wondered if there was anyone out there that enjoyed Liseys Story cause i know i did.
It was the second SK book i had read, first being cell, and thought both of them were amazing then i read Duma Key and thought wow! now im Hooked on him lol. Ive Just Started The DT series im half way through the the first and cant put it down!


I read it last summer and loved it! It was the first SK i had read in a while...and i've been reading them for over 25 years. I actually looked all over the web for things people had posted about the story because i didn't want it to end.

[Chatterbox]

I didn't really like L S but I love that one quotation and I'm using it all the time, in German it's 'Die Realität ist Ralph' I would translate it like this, but I'm not sure if it's right 'reality is Ralph' it's about that dog going home after he got lost on a holiday^^

[Samantha_]

I didn't really like L S but I love that one quotation and I'm using it all the time, in German it's 'Die Realität ist Ralph' I would translate it like this, but I'm not sure if it's right 'reality is Ralph' it's about that dog going home after he got lost on a holiday^^

I like the quote, too. For me it's a few things... one applies when having a written conversation with someone. Sometimes I think-if I read this I wouldn't believe it either-but it's true so I'm going to say it.

The second applies to fiction... and it's why can't I write the story with this plot? Stranger things happen all the time and people believe... just watch the news. I think this is what the quote applied to in Lisey's Story

[Perse Jr.]

You know how sometime when you're reading a book, especially a King book, you feel as though the world you're reading about must exist, or you feel a connection you know nobody else could possibly feel? Well, Lisey's Story speaks so much on the level of loss of a loved one. In fact, there's one part, "...who would ever want to get close to another person if they knew how hard the letting-go part was?" Painfully true.

Want to hear something funny/cool/odd? Last weekend I was thinking I should finally look up "piebald" in the dictionary to get a better visual on the "long boy." Well, guess what? Sunday's word of the day email from M-W was PIEBALD!

[kevinrodgers90]

Lisey's Storywas amazing. I just finished reading this novel and I want to read it again. The Long Boy...what can I say...it scared me so much! This book is touted as a love story, which is most certainly is, but there are nightmares here as well. If they make a film version of this, I hope they remain true to the novel. Big thumbs up to Mr. King...thanks for Lisey's Storyand Duma Keyback-to-back!

[Samantha_]

My grandmother had a piebald (black and white speckled) tin pie pan.

I remember her giving me the edges of piecrust from a dessert she was making to allow me to create something to bake while she made dinner. Though, she would have called it supper ... the story jogged memories like that for me.

She's gone now; and part of Lisey's Story resonated with the pain of the loss and letting go of childhood that occurred when she passed on.

To be clear not the fear of the piebald, the symbolism of the pan, or any of the frightening aspects of the story.

It's just the rural setting and some of the writing took me back to time spent at my grandparents.

[JayneH]

I am still battling to finish this book. I pick it up and read then cant get into it. If a book doesnt grab me within the first chapter or two then I have to put it down. have tried a few times now and just cant get into it. Maybe I need to be in a different frame of mind for this one .... will keep on trying though - it wont beat me :laugh:

[Sammy-Baby]

When at the bookstore a few weeks ago, the owner came to me with a hard-back copy of a SK book. The cover had a flowery, multi-colored design, with the word "babyluv." Obviously, it was a copy of Lisey's Story, but very much unlike any I (or she) had seen before. King's name was not on it (except for the copyright page). Is this some kind of special edition of the novel King published? If so, how many copies of it were published?
Martin,
That's the same copy I have. I dunno if it's special or anything though.

[soc]

I particularly enjoyed his writing when he changed both scenes and time periods, yet continued with the sentence. Brilliance! The borther who goes crazy is awesome too, and the part when he's chained up under the house. Scary!

[Travisisdead]

Lisey's Story was one of the best character manifestations I've ever read. Not just from SK.
This book is so rich with the characters and other descriptions.
I have read The Stand, and Pet Semetary (my fave) and others, and did not have a problem with Lisey. But, then again, I'm 36 and am a softy heart. Maybe the previous posters didn't like Lisey too much just need to try again when they're old or have been through something terrible in their life? Maybe they already have, or they're already old, I don't know. I just think what you're going thru in your life when you read a book might have lots to do with how you view that book, and whether it might be great, or not so great. Did that make ANY sense?
know that

[pike747]

Hey i just wondered if there was anyone out there that enjoyed Liseys Story cause i know i did.
It was the second SK book i had read, first being cell, and thought both of them were amazing then i read Duma Key and thought wow! now im Hooked on him lol. Ive Just Started The DT series im half way through the the first and cant put it down!

I enjoyed it very much. I envy you for just beginning The Dark Tower series. Feel free to envy some of us for the excruciating wait between installments and for the collective constant reader's contribution to the tale ;~}

[jules17330]

Ditto.

I'm sorry to say that I'm having a devil of a time getting into this book. It's just so gosh-darn SLOW. I'm used to King's books having a kind of slow beginning, I know he's building to something, but I'm not connecting with this book. If anyone's read the book, can you tell me when the action picks up? Or does it even have any?

[dwalters]

I'm sorry to say that I'm having a devil of a time getting into this book. It's just so gosh-darn SLOW. I'm used to King's books having a kind of slow beginning, I know he's building to something, but I'm not connecting with this book. If anyone's read the book, can you tell me when the action picks up? Or does it even have any?

Well it's been a few weeks since your post so hopefully you've made some progress, but oh yes it certainly does pick up. It did take me a while to get into it as well, but there are some great scenes in this book you won't want to miss out on. Not to give too much away, but when the "real" bad gunky makes it's first surprise appearance, that was when the story really started gaining momentum for me. Good luck!

[clownshooter]

My favorite quote from the novel; "The exhausted mind is obsession's easiest prey!"

[fyrogenesis]

lol. same as me...