Book Review | Book Chatter

Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t been reading along with us, save this post for another day. There will be spoilers!

Before we started reading, we asked if you had any expectations for Doctor Sleep. Did you get what you were hoping for out of the book?

Unfortunately, no. I really wanted a continuation of Danny’s story and it was that, loosely but this story took on a life of its own and sort of went an entirely different way. It didn’t feel like a sequel and it lacked action. Seemed almost too safe at times which is not what I expect to feel when reading a King book. It was a bit of a snoozer towards the end and it seriously pains me to say that.

On a positive note, I do feel as if King had a firm grasp of Dan’s character but I can’t say the same for the other characters. Rose was just a shell of what she should have been and Abra ended up bugging the shit out of me at the end. Rose was comical in a way, and I don’t think that is how King intended her to come across. The hat and her little tirades were a bit much and I never felt her power or that she was a real threat to anyone.

Abra’s youthfulness got old after a while. She was a teenager by the end of the book and she was still acting like a small child. Didn’t feel believable. It’s harsh but I really didn’t care what happened to her.

I wanted more of Dan. His story was much more interesting to me.

Having finished the book, do you think having read The Shining is important for enjoying this one?

Doctor Sleep was technically the sequel to The Shining, but I don’t think you have to read The Shining to understand what is going on. Sure, it adds to the story but King does a good job of bringing a reader up-to-speed.

In one word, one phrase, one sentence, describe Doctor Sleep.

Plodding. As with most unpleasant things in life, facing your fears and your wrongdoings can be a tedious task and it felt that way while reading. I felt as if I was along for the ride and at times, it seemed like too much. Not too much like it was way too intense, because it wasn’t, but too much like… get it over with already. I saw the ending long before I read it, so the last few chapters took forever for me to get through.

Anything else you feel like discussing about the end of the book? Or, about the book as a whole?

Oh man, I thought the ending was on the weak side. The blood-tie that was revealed was not a surprise at all. I saw it coming and hoped with all hope that it would go a different route but nope, it didn’t.

I felt that Rose’s demise was really, really played down. So much so that I missed it! I had to flip back to see how it happened. I mean, how could I have missed it the first time? I am not sure but I did and then when I did find it, I was like… meh. No wonder I missed it.

I thought it was nifty how Dan was able to use the contents of his lock boxes. I was wondering about them and it seemed fitting for him to use the boxes the way he did. Plus, it was a nice way to give him the closure that he needed.

Was anyone else sad to see Crow Daddy go so soon? I was really liking him. He seemed a lot more complex than Rose and more in line with what I’ve come to expect from King.

That’s all I have to say for now. My review is going to be interesting, to say the least. I hope to get it written soon.

The Art of Fielding
By Chad Harbach
(Back Bay Books, Paperback, 9780316126670, May 2012, 544pp.)

The Short of It:

To say this debut novel is about baseball, would be a gross understatement.

The Rest Of It:

Henry Skrimshander is a quiet boy with one heck of an arm. Destined for greatness, he is invited to play baseball at Westish College but after one wild pitch and the injury that resulted from it, he becomes paralyzed with fear every time he steps onto the field. Also affected are the four people he’s gotten to know while playing ball. Guert Affenlight, the college president, his daughter Pella, and his teammates Owen Dunne and Mike Schwartz are all tangled up in Henry’s world as they struggle to find their place.

I received a review copy of this long before it was released for publication, but as gorgeous as that copy was, it did not survive when my daughter accidentally dumped a bottle of water onto it while in the car. And did I mention that she didn’t tell me about it until three days later when it was a pulpy mess? Yeah. I tried to dry it out but the pages were stuck together and then when I checked it out from the library, I had to return it unread because I never could find the right time to read it. I mean, it was about baseball right?

Yes, and no. The Art of Fielding centers around baseball, but there is more to the story than just playing ball. It wouldn’t surprise me if a lot of readers avoided this one because they thought they’d have to know a lot about the game to follow it (you don’t) or that it would be about manly men with attitudes and a bone to pick (it’s not). It’s a tender, sweet story about friendship and love and figuring out where you fit in. As Henry attempts to find his way, the others come along for the ride and figure out things about themselves that perhaps they’d never be forced to face had Henry not entered the scene.

I really enjoyed this one and reading it now, after it’s been out for so long, I have to say that it never felt like a debut novel to me. Harbach’s grasp of his characters is swift and self-assured and the writing is straight-forward and alive. It’s incredibly readable and I think that’s important to note given its length (500+ pages). It’s one of those feel-good novels that you seek out every now and then and we all need more of those. I highly recommend it.

Note from Ti: I also listened to a portion of this on audio and it was also very good.

Source: Sent to me by the publisher.
Disclosure: This post contains Indiebound affiliate links.

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