Hearts in Atlantis

Rating:
Summary: Great stuff- almost perfect
Review: As a Vietnam veteran who grew up in the exact timeframe of these stories I was greatly entertained by the five stories. I'm a long time King fan, and have read 95% of his work. The Dark Tower series are some of the books I've missed, and I guess the first story uses some of the plot lines of these books. I was very moved by the second story- it focused on the college scene during the war. Since I was in Danang at the time, my perspective was very different. King really hits home the essential trajedy of Vietnam. Wonderful kids were dying for some strange reasons. WE had leaders in Washington who would not let us win the war. As a combattent in the war, I resented some of the things said about us. When I returned I was shunned. I never expected to be congratulated, but as a 20 year old serving my country honorably, I guess I expected more. A great read, and a very good history of a war where good and bad were seperated by a very thin line.

Rating:
Summary: Hearts in Atlantis
Review: This rating is a comparison with King's earlier works. Compared with others in his bent, I boost the rating to 4 stars. I read several King novels in the late 70's and early 80's (heck, I read "The Stand" twice) but I after "Pet Cemetary" his books seemed to lose some imagination and power, so I stopped reading his work. The cover reviews of "Hearts in Atlantis" were glowing (aren't they all) but what really got me was that this was supposed to be unlike anything he had written before. Wrong -- No -- Not a chance -- same old thing. The first part was very good but, as usual, the crisp style and detail died by the middle of the read and I was left with a feeling of being cheated in the end.

Rating:
Summary: Not so great story; Terrible audiobook narration
Review: I'm not crazy about King's work in this book, but my real complaint is with Hurt's narration in the audiobook. (King and Hunt split narration duties. King narration work was wonderful as always.) Hunt's reading for large parts of this book sound almost as if he had been half-asleep or drunk. I thought the book was misrecorded at the wrong speed, but then I heard King's sections, and it seemed just fine. Hurt's "style" is more than distracting, and I regret this purchase. I do not recommend the audiobook version of Hearts In Atlantis.

Rating:
Summary: A high rank but not the tops from King.
Review: I am a huge King fan so this book was obviously a hit with me. I must say out of all his books this is not his best however in the top 10.

This book did kept me enthralled to the end. I loved the fact that the four basic characters kept coming through the various short stories within the book. King always likes to keep you thinking. I was a little disappointed in the ending... but it didn't stop me from being moved and pleased with the work he had done.

Rating:
Summary: The genius that is Stephen King
Review: Hearts in Atlantis is a continuation of the genius that is Stephen King. The expanding plot line reminiscent of "The Stand" works wonderfully in this new novel. The storytelling has never been better. Unlike some novels of this length there is no "padding". Every word is intricately woven into the story. I would personally love to see the storyboards and database constructs he uses when creating his masterpieces. Now on to "The Plant"!

Rating:
Summary: King At His Very Best
Review: Without a doubt Hearts in Atlantis is the best Stephen King Novel yet. The characters in the first two stories, Low Men in Yellow Coats and the Title Story - Hearts in Atlantis, are characters everyone can indentify with in some way. The stories are emotionally gripping and when you put the book down you keep on thinking about those characters and how you may have lived through similar experiences yourself. The way King intertwines the characters into all five stories is amazing. This book is fantastic I loved it.

Rating:
Summary: "Hearts" Afire
Review: The world needs another review of Stephen King's HEARTS IN ATLANTIS about as much as it needs another ozone hole, hokey sitcom, tire recall, or presidential candidate. After all, many fans and critics have already made up their mind about King's work: either he is a schlockmeister unworthy of comparisons to Edgar Allan Poe, or he is a twentieth century Charles Dickens. The opinions are set, and what I say will make little difference to anybody else.

This time, however, there is definite need to sing King's praises. It's not just because HEARTS IN ATLANTIS is good, although good it certainly is. And it's not just because King has managed, with this book, to rid himself of the title "literary boogeyman," although there are enough supernatural thrills and moments of nightmare surrealism to keep many fans sated. No, this time out King has outdone himself to produce his most heartfelt, and heartbreaking, work. A lazy reader might say that this is his best book since FOUR PAST MIDNIGHT or DIFFERENT SEASONS; he or she might even go as far back as SALEM'S LOT or THE SHINING in their assessment. I'll go them all one better: HEARTS IN ATLANTIS is Stephen King's best book. Period.

The book consists of four connected novellas (and one short story, a coda, really) dealing with coming of age in America during the 1960s, the Vietnam War and its aftermath on the American psyche. Each work stands alone, but they resonate when viewed as parts of a whole.

Horror fans will be most taken with "Low Men in Yellow Coats," the opening novella and the most overtly supernatural of the bunch. The year is 1960, and Ted Brautigan, a strange older gentleman, has taken up residence in the apartment above that of twelve-year-old Bobby Garfield and his mother. Bobby and Ted strike up a friendship, and Ted offers him a job: keep on the lookout for unsavory sorts ("low men") who might be looking for him. The story is a companion piece to King's "Dark Tower", but one may enjoy the story without familiarity with the series. King's characters are fully realized, making the themes of loss, the cost of friendship and growing up all the more poignant.

The characters in the title novella are also fully realized. Pete Riley is a freshman at the University of Maine in 1966, and he and his dorm mates have become obsessed with playing hearts. Vietnam has not yet exploded into the public consciousness, but it is on everybody's mind. He also falls for Carol Gerber, a fellow student (also Bobby Garfield's first love) and rising student activist. As he and Carol become more serious, the war begins to escalate, and Pete loses himself in the game. The game is symbolic of a generation's preoccupation with trivial pursuits in the face of reality. The themes of loss and growing up are present again, and again are complimented by the characters.

Following "Hearts" is "Blind Willie," the best story in the book. A seemingly normal man rides the train to his office and, after a series of transformations, becomes the title character, a homeless Vietnam vet who has lost his vision. The subject is redemption. Willie Shearman was a bully during his adolescence and committed acts of unspeakable violence in Vietnam; King suggests that he will also commit murder. He uses Blind Willie to pay penance for his wrongdoing. Here is one of King's most fascinating characters, so rich in detail that he threatens to leap from the page.

And then there is "Why We're In Vietnam," the novel's climax (if you decide to read the book as a novel). Here we meet an adult Sully-John, trapped on a freeway clogged with cars, who has visions of a Vietnamese woman murdered by his platoon. He contemplates his past in general and the war in particular, and meditates on how much he and his world have changed. In a flashback he reflects on the funeral and his conversation with his former lieutenant, whose words regarding his generation are less than kind. The lieutenant's speech, I'm sure, echoes King's sentiments about his own generation, but it never feels preachy. As if to hammer the point home, King engages in a moment of incredible surrealism when the detritus of his generation falls on the traffic jam: cellular phones, baby grand pianos, desks, chairs, catcher's mitts shower the freeway, smashing cars and crushing skulls. The symbolism may be obvious, but it is effective.

In the coda, "Heavenly Shades of Night Are Falling," we meet Bobby Garfield again, meditating on his own childhood as he attends the funeral of a friend. King ties up loose ends here, reuniting some characters, grieving for others. It is a satisfying closure.

After fifty books and a career spanning more than twenty-five years, most writers would be lucky just to match their earlier high points. To actually grow and improve, as King has done over the past couple of years, is an amazing feat. It makes one wonder what King might do in the years to come.

Rating:
Summary: Not typical King
Review: While this was far from my favorite King reading, I enjoyed the 5 stories that King combines in Hearts in Atlantis. It was quite different from the majority of his horror novels, comparable to such works as Shawshank Redemption, but perhaps that is what makes it so interesting. The story itself is slippery, quite cunning in fact, and I found myself unable to grasp it. Everytime I thought I had a handle on the events and could predict what would arise with the turn of a page, the story would take a turn and slide out of my hands. A wonderful book to take on vacation of for a weekend read.

Rating:
Summary: Getting better and keeping the edge
Review: Just when you think there's nothing distinctively different, and diverse coming from Mr. King, here comes Hearts In Atlantis. Of course, if you say this to Mr. King, he might disagree. But, the people reading his past books, and short stories might say this. I would say, Mr. King,You Really Are Astute. But, of course, what would you expect from the master!!!! elane sanks @ color-country.net

Rating:
Summary: Potent.
Review: King has always had a fascination with children and adolescents, and they show up in this book as well. Recently he's been interested in older characters and the process of dying, and we get a little bit of that here too. What adds impact to _Hearts in Atlantis_ is the way that certain events in the characters' childhoods reach out and shape the courses of their lives. Growing up in the 50s, living through the 60s and 70s, by the 90s some of them are dead, some are insane, and others appear to have finally conquered their demons.

Reading it I couldn't help thinking about the events from my youth that have shaped my life. In that sense, this book is a "true" story, or at least one that gets at the truth inside people.