Feel free to post at your leisure.Ꮤow, I have a lot to say regarding what you just posted, but I'm getting very sleepy,we'll figure it out later!
I'm very interested to hear your thoughts ...
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Feel free to post at your leisure.Ꮤow, I have a lot to say regarding what you just posted, but I'm getting very sleepy,we'll figure it out later!
Thank you for saying that! I'll give it s shot tomorrow when my brain returns.
This comment applies to your comment on The Stand:I thought Tommyknockers started out strong but then lost momentum as the story went on...much like The Stand (blasphemy I know). I have a hard time staying interested in both at about the halfway point in the story. That first half of The Stand is phenomenal....when it shifts from the characters dealing with the onset of Captain Trips I am enthralled. When that part is over and the story shifts to the characters themselves and the mythical battle that follows, I lose interest.
Gard was an alcoholic, somewhat of a loser, and held strongly to many conspiracy theories but he was a loyal friend. I think he stacks up admirably among other protagonists with character deficiencies. Think of Edgar Freemantle losing an arm and struggling with anger issues, or Donna Trenton who was cheating on her husband yet the reader is asked to sympathize with her. I like flawed leading characters and Gard is no exception. This is not to say a protagonist has to be some sort of antihero (or morally ambiguous) but that they should be imperfect; a personality impairment more than a physical impairment.I really liked that despite his faults and weaknesses he selflessly helped his friend and redeemed himself in the process. We could split hairs over his real motivation but I see him as a true friend to Bobbi Anderson.
This comment applies to your comment on The Stand:
I can understand that; you liked the active apocalyptic momentum!
I grew very attached to the characters and the plot, not to mention the burning desire find out what happens in the end.
Same exactly for me. Couldn't read it year ago. Started and stopped. But I think I read it a couple years ago and was very surprised how much I enjoyed. It could've been tightened up a bit, but it was still a good story.When Tommyknockers came out I totally hated it. Left it for a looooooong time. I found a second hand copy in a charity shop and decided to give a second shot. Like others, I love Gard and felt a lot of sympathy for Bobbi and it was a fantastic ride. Kind of like UTD. Didn't like the ending. But unlike years ago I loved the first part.
Whew! Thought it was just me.Same exactly for me. Couldn't read it years ago. Started and stopped. But I think I read it a couple years ago and was very surprised how much I enjoyed. It could've been tightened up a bit, but it was still a good story.
Face palm time:Me like Tommyknockers big big.
I think you're probably right about their relationship. Good points. I actually don't think Gard was a wuss, just a self-loathing personality. I mean he passes out in the bathtub, on the beach, at Bobbi's house...he was a drunk and he knew it. Do we ever learn why he was so aimless and lost? I don't remember a definitive reason. The ending was disappointing (the last few pages), but these days I'm more forgiving of all the book's flaws.Nice Creed! So many intelligent comments here. I'm not a big fan of the book. But I liked Bobbi! She's such a misanthrope. Thank the big giant head that King did not (for once) decide to dredge up abuse or a screwed up ex to explain why she's that way. Bobbi was just weird! She was a pure loner. Gard was one of the few people she could take on anything like a day to day basis. I liked their relationship very much. Still, I did not care for Gard. He was less of an antihero, more of a wuss. Something in his utter weakness somehow brought out Bobbi's maternal side, and they each got something from the relationship. And he gave her Peter! The beagle.
It really took a while to get going. I thought about quitting or skipping ahead. But I soldiered on! I kept wondering, what would have happened if Bobbi had called the authorities? Would they have contained the situation or made things worse? Sent in has mat suited scientists? Armed guards? Dentists?! SK apparently said, "The Tommyknockers is an awful book. That was the last one I wrote before I cleaned up my act." I wouldn't say awful. But the ending was awful! Midway the book became very intriguing. Bobbi's sister was a real handful! Ruth McCausland was a fantastic character. And there were a lot of well defined peripheral characters here & there, making the book a good read. By the end I was getting into it, which made the sucky ending even worse. But generally, I enjoyed it.
I think you're probably right about their relationship. Good points. I actually don't think Gard was a wuss, just a self-loathing personality. I mean he passes out in the bathtub, on the beach, at Bobbi's house...he was a drunk and he knew it. Do we ever learn why he was so aimless and lost? I don't remember a definitive reason. The ending was disappointing (the last few pages), but these days I'm more forgiving of all the book's flaws.