This is the most frustrating King book I have ever read

[LittleRedKing]

I have been reading S. King for most of my life, there are very few titles that I am not familiar with.

For some reason this one is very aggravating to me; maybe it is because I have the kindle version and it is not laid out the same as a real novel, but every time I am really getting into the story it just stops. Then starts with a new story; the end of the first one about Bobby ended so abruptly and left so many unanswered questions that I read the next few pages before I even realized that story was over. Then it happened again; once I realized that the Low Men in Yellow Coats story was over and was wondering what the whole College+Hearts+Vietnam war was all about, that ended too.


I honestly don't understand what the author is going for here, this constant reader is left feeling frustrate and unfulfilled.

[Moderator]

It will come together by the time you finish. They are separate novellas tied together with a common theme.

[Timmy]

Yeah, Ms. Mod's right. But, I can relate. I struggled with it in the beginning too. Stick with it, totally worth it.

[omm poppa mow mow]

But I do like how blind willie is so much like the lady in under the dome, gobbless us all, begging for us all?

I really enjoyed it....as when I was a kid, we mocked our older brothers and sisters, much as Gene and Phineas mocked their older brothers and sisters, a la A Separate Peace by John Knowles.

And yes. They blew it.

[JohnDalglish]

It will come together by the time you finish. They are separate novellas tied together with a common theme.

Hi,

AWMMS, exactly

Have you read DT for the continued story of Ted Brautigan?

Long days and pleasant nights

[GNTLGNT]

Gotta hang with it. kinda like a knuckleball...

[Manxkitti]

I've tried reading Hearts In Atlantis several times, and had trouble getting into it too. But I had the same problem with The Stand, but finally read it - twice. I have it but haven't tried to read it again yet.

[LittleRedKing]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I have read DT, a couple of times actually and it is one of my all time favorite King stories. The references in the first story were a delight and I really enjoyed them. Ted was in DT? I honestly don;t recall that....but there were so many characters that sometimes it is hard to keep track.

Here is a question for those with a hard copy of this book; are there titles at the begging of each story? In my kindle version one just stops and the other starts so it is very jarring and disorienting. Maybe that is what has been throwing me off, now I have anxiety about what I am reading.

[omm poppa mow mow]

Yes...probably answered already, but there are titles.
1960 Low Men in Yellow Coats (1960: They had a stick sharpened at both ends)....[from Lord of the Flies?]
1983: Blind Willie (1983: Gobless us every one.)
1999: Why we're in Vietnam (when someone dies, you think about the past)
1999: Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling (1999: come on, you ba$tard, come on home.)

The Kindle takes some usage. I look forward to future generations. What I miss, is being able to turn back a few pages, or a bunch, like that...snap!...and knowing where you are. You get these weird numbers at the bottom of the page and I get this feeling, like a satellite is looking over my shoulder?

[dsurrett]

I view 'Hearts' as a series of two interrelated novellas, "Low Men in Yellow Coats" and "Hearts in Atlantis," followed by wrap-ups, like threads that bring together the parts of a tapestry. I point to the novella "Hearts" when people say King 'only writes horror.'
The novella "Hearts in Atlantis" is one of my favorite SK pieces, mostly because since I'm from the deeply conservative Deep South, King showed me a side to the Vietnam era I had never seen or heard before.
Hmm... maybe that's why John is now my favorite Beatle instead of Paul.