Joyland (Hard Case Crime)
A STUNNING NEW NOVEL FROM ONE OF THE BEST-SELLING AUTHORS OF ALL TIME! The #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever. "I love crime, I love mysteries, and I love ghosts. That combo made Hard Case Crime the perfect venue for this book, which is one of my favorites. I also loved the paperbacks I grew up with as a kid, and for that reason, we're going to hold off on e-publishing this one for the time being. Joyland will be coming out in paperback, and folks who want to read it will have to buy the actual book." - Stephen King
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Community Reviews
Not quite what I was expecting. Definitely one of my least favorite Stephen King's books.
The cover sells it way more like an horror book than it really is, that was kinda of a downer (never judge a book by its cover, right?)
What really bothers me is the fact that thought the whole book it felt like Devin was always on the best case scenario. He got the job, he was really good at it, his bosses liked him, his landlord was nice, he made friends, he was good with the kids, the woman who always gave the cold shoulder to everyone in the town opened her life for him, he saved the day, ans at the end even the one guy that didn't like him came back from the dead just to save him.
What was the one thing that didn't go right for Devin? His girlfriend who clearly didn't give a fuck about him since the beginning breaking up with him? I liked how he was in his early 20's in this story, just because I don't remember King writing many books about new adults, but the girlfriend thing being his main conflict really sucks.
It was way more of a dramatic romance than a ghost story or a thriller about finding the girl's murder, about half way through the book I could guess who'd done it. But I liked the amusement park vibe, the descriptions were really good and there was some really funny bits.
Maybe good if you're looking for a light read about college students working at summer jobs at weird carnivals in the 70's with a hint of paranormal mystery. That's all folks!
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