Books to Read Poster No 44

 

This was Misery by Stephen King. I didn't enjoy it, but I'm not going to be too critical because it is a horror book and horror is a genre that has never really appealed to me. Which would be why I had never previously read any of King's  books - although I am aware that not all of them are horror stories in the way this one is. 

Style wise I found it a bit repetitive and bloated; how many times can you describe someone screaming with pain and not have it become less effective on the reader each time? Subject wise I found it - well, horrific. 

On the upside it had some interesting things to say about writing, and writers, and the drive to write what comes naturally versus the desire to please publishers and readers and earn money, about what rights, if any, readers have over writers and their books (absolutely none of course, although the demented reader in this book would obviously argue the other way. But she is crazy, so draw what inference you like from that. And King is very good at ratcheting up tension, I did find myself holding my breath or on the edge of my (metaphorical) seat a good few times. 

So,  not for me, but probably excellent of its kind.