Fairy Tale
Master storyteller Stephen King goes into the deepest well of his imagination in this #1 New York Times bestselling and spellbinding novel about a young man who inherits the keys to a parallel world where good and evil are at war, and the stakes could not be higher—for that world or ours.
Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a horrific accident when he was seven, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. When Charlie is seventeen, he meets a dog named Radar and her aging master, Howard Bowditch, a recluse in a big house at the top of a big hill, with a locked shed in the backyard. Sometimes strange sounds emerge from that shed.
Charlie starts doing jobs for Mr. Bowditch and loses his heart to Radar. Then, when Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a cassette tape telling a story no one would believe. What Bowditch knows, and has kept secret all his long life, is that inside the shed is a portal to another world.
Charlie Reade looks like a regular high school kid, great at baseball and football, a decent student. But he carries a heavy load. His mom was killed in a horrific accident when he was seven, and grief drove his dad to drink. Charlie learned how to take care of himself—and his dad. When Charlie is seventeen, he meets a dog named Radar and her aging master, Howard Bowditch, a recluse in a big house at the top of a big hill, with a locked shed in the backyard. Sometimes strange sounds emerge from that shed.
Charlie starts doing jobs for Mr. Bowditch and loses his heart to Radar. Then, when Bowditch dies, he leaves Charlie a cassette tape telling a story no one would believe. What Bowditch knows, and has kept secret all his long life, is that inside the shed is a portal to another world.
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Readers say *Fairy Tale* by Stephen King delivers rich world-building and a heartfelt boy-and-dog bond, with engaging characters and King’s signature ...
Charlie Reade is such an amazing character. There is something innately likeable about him the minute he steps onto the page. Whether it's his kindness, his logic, his determination, his charm, he is a character you will immediately love. He gives you someone to root for, someone to be your champion on this wild adventure.
As the narrative begins, you may be thinking this isn't very "Stephen Kingish," but give it a minute. The Shed. Radar. The truth about Mr. Bowditch. The giant bugs. And suddenly -- BAM! -- you're smack in the middle of King's world. This is the beauty of King's writing -- the way he takes you on a journey with imagination like no other. Admittedly, like most King novels, this is going to be a world building, character building, plot building trajectory that moves like molasses in winter...but, hang in there. Once we step through the shed, life gets pretty interesting. Without giving too much away, just know that everything you want in the fairy tale genre is there -- lore, danger, love -- and in ways that make your heart smile (even when some characters can't...that's all I'll say here).
His title, "Fairy Tale" is so subtly apt. The narrative of Charlie's journey after all that happens to him in the "real world" plots a classic genre against modern odds. The two are regularly in conflict throughout the book, and only in the best way. But, Charlie is only part of why I enjoyed the read. Let's get to the best part:
Radar the dog. The dog. I loved Radar. I will never forget Radar. Radar will live in my memory for all of eternity because he just a good ol' dog. And you can't beat a good dog. Most of Charlie's charm is connected to Radar, the dog he's willing to risk his life to save.
There are elements of typical fairy tales embedded in this: lumberjacks, gnomes, princesses, and talking horses, but the real story is the love a boy has for a dog, and that's a story worth telling.
This one gets a solid:
★★★
It could have been four, but there were many times I felt like the plot was standing still. Also trademark King, but probably one his quirks I don't like. I need the narrative to keep turning pages.
You'll run the gambit of emotions with this one. A good read. And if you're new to King, a decent first step into his writing world.
#happyreading
As the narrative begins, you may be thinking this isn't very "Stephen Kingish," but give it a minute. The Shed. Radar. The truth about Mr. Bowditch. The giant bugs. And suddenly -- BAM! -- you're smack in the middle of King's world. This is the beauty of King's writing -- the way he takes you on a journey with imagination like no other. Admittedly, like most King novels, this is going to be a world building, character building, plot building trajectory that moves like molasses in winter...but, hang in there. Once we step through the shed, life gets pretty interesting. Without giving too much away, just know that everything you want in the fairy tale genre is there -- lore, danger, love -- and in ways that make your heart smile (even when some characters can't...that's all I'll say here).
His title, "Fairy Tale" is so subtly apt. The narrative of Charlie's journey after all that happens to him in the "real world" plots a classic genre against modern odds. The two are regularly in conflict throughout the book, and only in the best way. But, Charlie is only part of why I enjoyed the read. Let's get to the best part:
Radar the dog. The dog. I loved Radar. I will never forget Radar. Radar will live in my memory for all of eternity because he just a good ol' dog. And you can't beat a good dog. Most of Charlie's charm is connected to Radar, the dog he's willing to risk his life to save.
There are elements of typical fairy tales embedded in this: lumberjacks, gnomes, princesses, and talking horses, but the real story is the love a boy has for a dog, and that's a story worth telling.
This one gets a solid:
★★★
It could have been four, but there were many times I felt like the plot was standing still. Also trademark King, but probably one his quirks I don't like. I need the narrative to keep turning pages.
You'll run the gambit of emotions with this one. A good read. And if you're new to King, a decent first step into his writing world.
#happyreading
This book was too long and drawn out. Absolutely boring. The scenes that needed to be longer, were cut short and the scenes that didn’t matter, were drawn out. I mean how many pages of what the tapestries and hallways looked like can a reader tolerate? 1200 pages for this? Ugh. Had to read this because it was a book club selection. Was a waste of time and to top it off, I even had to pay for it since it wasn’t available on kindle unlimited. Really put me in a reading slump for a while.
I enjoyed this book. Definitely has the tone of a Stephen King novel, but truly is a fantasy fairy tale as intended. He did a good job of weaving in what makes his style so unique but giving the story what it needed to become an epic fantasy. His world-building was pretty fascinating and a little dark. I probably could have done without the premise of the book being written by the protagonist as a memoir of sorts, but it did add an extra layer to the story. Overall, I would recommend it. It might be my new Stephen King favorite...
Actually enjoyed the story prior to the main story. Slow Burner Steve, but I loved it . I enjoyed the humor, and it was a great audiobook. The voices actor, Seth Numrich, did amazing .I hope there's a continuous storyline to this book. Well done.
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