The last few sentences.
"Lisey no longer had any idea if Scott had actually come to her or if she had only been fooling herself while in a semiwalking state, but of one thing she was quite sure: at some point during the night, Amanda had gone away again. This time maybe for good."Here is the discussion schedule for Lisey's Story. It's a long book so this is going to require alot of reading. I wonder if we can handle it?
Pages 1- 132 July 5
Pages 133-252- July 12
Pages 253-382 July 19
Pages 383-end July 26
quote:
How did you react to the structure of this book when you started reading? I'm talking about the back and forth, the stuff in italics, and the phrases that seemed like they came out of nowhere. Did this structure remind you of any other books you read previously?
I guess I can answer these first questions even if I don't finish the book.
I read the audiobook, so I don't know about the stuff in italics. The made up words and the repeating and repeating words like "bool" and "sowesa" and "incunc" and especially "smuck" irritated the hell out of me. It was hard to remember that there was a story going with so much crap in the way of actual story line and the characters!
Carly says it is good to discuss a book that you didn't like, but we'll see. So I am taking her advise, but don't let me discourage you from your reading or discussing! Holy crap! Are all Stephen King's books this full of meaningless words?
Lisey's Story
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Lisey's Story | |
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Stephen King |
|---|---|
| Country |  USA |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Fantasy, horror |
| Publisher | Scribner |
| Publication date | October 24, 2006 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 528 pages (Hardcover) 656 pages (Paperback) |
| ISBN | 978-0743289412 |
| Preceded by | Cell |
| Followed by | Duma Key |
Lisey's Story is a psychological horror novel by Stephen King. It was released on October 24, 2006.
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Plot summary
Lisey (pronounced Lee-See) Landon is the widow of an award winning novelist, Scott Landon. In the middle of cleaning out Scott's study, Lisey realizes that there's a great deal about Scott's past (and the past they shared together) that she has blocked out--and with the introduction of a crazy man named Dooley, Lisey must figure out what she's hidden from herself (and what Scott has planned for her) if she's to remain alive. The story is deeply psychological in nature, capturing every essence of the psyche of Lisey as she engages on her quest.
[edit] Connections to other works by King
Lisey's Story, like many of King's novels, takes place in Maine--in this case Castle Rock, a fictional town created by King.
Derry Home, the hospital in Derry, and Arcadia Mental Health, the mental hospital in Derry, are both mentioned in Lisey's Story. Derry is a major landmark in several of King's works (including It, Insomnia, Dreamcatcher and Bag of Bones), and is in close proximity to the main location of Lisey's Story.
Near the end of Lisey's Story, the reader discovers that Dooley was born in Shooter's Knob, Tennessee. In King's 1990 story "Secret Window, Secret Garden," Mort Rainey is confronted by a man named Shooter from Mississippi; he was named because of Mort's ex-wife's new lover - also from the South - who grew up in Shooter's Knob.
A poem written in college by Stephen King, quoted by Jack Torrance in Chapter 44 of The Shining ("The arguments against insanity fall through with a soft shurring sound, layer upon layer..."), is also recalled by Lisey Landon in this novel.
While driving to her sister Amanda's house, Lisey crosses Deep Cut Road, a major landmark in King's novel Dreamcatcher.
Lisey's sister Darla waives Lisey's offer of company on the drive back to see Amanda, saying that she has a Michael Noonan novel on audio cassette that she can listen to. Mike Noonan was the lead character of King's 1998 novel, Bag of Bones. Also, a man is mentioned wearing a Dark Score Lake souvenir shirt, Dark Score Lake being the setting of Bag of Bones.
Lisey compares her resurfacing memories to events happening "on some level of time's great tower," and also mentions "Gilead" (a location in the series) as a nearby town. The phrase "Bool! The end!" appears in "Wizard and Glass." Lisey's license plate number for her BMW is 5761RD. The numbers in the plate add up to 19, and RD are the initials of Roland Deschain.
An earlier version of the second chapter was published in McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories in which Scott Landon states "Discordia rises", a reference to the Crimson King's brand of evil. In the finished novel, however, the reference is absent.
When discussing treatment at a nearby hospital, the option of "Kingdom" is offered.
Lisey calls the police looking for Norris Ridgewick and insteads gets Andy Clutterbuck. Both of these characters played supporting roles in Needful Things. This reference is curious, considering that Andy Clutterbuck, an alcoholic widower, is said to have died (by drowning) two years after the events of "Needful Things." "Needful Things" takes place in the early 1990s.
[edit] Other Information
- King's use of the term 'gomer' is a reference to Samuel Shem's The House of God. According to a character in Lisey's Story, a gomer is a catatonic person; in The House of God, a gomer is used to describe a very ill hospital patient who frustrates the staff by being "too old to die." 'Gomer' is an acronym for Get Out of My Emergency Room.
- A short excerpt from the first chapter, in King's own handwriting, was included in his previous novel, Cell.
- King often references musicians and bands in his writing; in Lisey's Story, the pool is widened after his discovery of younger bands (which he has written about in his Entertainment Weekly article, The Pop of King). Here, Bright Eyes and My Chemical Romance are referenced--with Bright Eyes being alluded to as the preferred of people who take themselves too seriously.
1 comment:
Stumbled across this randomly:
I think you've missed the point.
The "Meaningless" words in the novel, essentially both a love story and a character study are there to illustrate the bond between Lisey and Scott Landon - when you're with someone a long time, be it in a relationship or a marriage, you develop your own language, little injokes and words that have different meanings.
Ask anyone who's been married a few years and they'll tell you.
Regardless of what's going on throughout the novel in terms of plot and events though, the whole story is essentially a study OF how two peoples lives are made up of these things - words, moments, memory, history, small seemingly insignificant things.
King writes two types of story- One, stories like this which centre around a very small group of characters, and two, more Dickensian pieces with many, many characters.
I'm not critiscising you or anything, I just think if you';re going to analyse a writer like Stephen King, characterisation might be what you're better focusing on.
Also, you can't really critique a novel based on an Audiobook - it just doesn't work.
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