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Chelsea (449 KP) rated The Bachman Books in Books

Sep 6, 2017  
The Bachman Books
The Bachman Books
Stephen King, Richard Bachman | 1985 | Fiction & Poetry, Horror, Science Fiction/Fantasy
8
8.4 (16 Ratings)
Book Rating
Intro, Why I was Bachman:
WARNING read this LAST! It has spoilers in it, but definitely read it after the books. Very interesting. Why would such a famous author decide to write as someone else and keep it a secret?

Rage:
The infamous story that has been pulled from shelves due to its supposed influence in the Columbine shootings... well, this was a pretty good story. Yes, there's shooting, but it's more about the lives of teenagers. This definitely did not make me want to go shoot up a school.

The Long Walk:
Can you walk at 4mph? Nonstop? For days on end? With no sleep because you are not allowed to go below 4mph? The Long Walk is about a yearly contest where 100 teenage boys VOLUNTEER to walk until there is only one left. Nonstop. If your speed drops below 4mph, you get a warning. If you can keep up the pace for 1 hour then the warning disappears. If you do not speed up after 30 secs, you get another warning. If you collect 3 warnings and slow again you are shot dead. If you are the last walker, you win whatever your heart desires. You are fed and allowed to carry what you think you will need, but you cannot stop. No one is allowed to interfere with a walker's progress, not even spectators. Of course the whole country is watching you, many from along the side of the road just waiting a chance to grab some discarded souvenir. If you have to poop? Yup that could be a souvenir too. Make it quick though so you don't rack up warnings! The guards have no mercy and will shoot you with zero emotion on their face.
This book is brutal. You ARE in the boy's shoes. Why is he there? How do they get SO MANY volunteers EVERY YEAR? So many that they turn away most? This isn't like the hunger games. The boys are not out to kill each other. The situation is just completely bizarre.
The only thing I didn't like about the book was the very end. The end wasn't an "ending" it just kind of lingers.. This wasn't enough of a problem for me to drop the rating though.



Roadwork:
I couldn't get into this one. It is about a man who is upset about needing to leave his home because of a new roadway.


The Running Man:
A slightly creepy and action-packed dystopian future story. A man signs up for a game show whose premise is all too real! Basically, he has to run for his life. Great story.
  
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The Chocolate Lady (94 KP) rated The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry in Books

Oct 5, 2020  
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Rachel Joyce | 2013 | Fiction & Poetry
8
7.9 (12 Ratings)
Book Rating
Despite the slightly Christian undertones, this is a truly touching story about an ordinary man who compounds his long suffering life by suddenly deciding to walk almost the length of Britain to see an old friend and colleague who is in the final stages of cancer.

Beautifully written and carefully filled with just the right amounts of flashbacks and foreshadowing, we follow Harold Fry and discover him as he discovers his own self. While "coming of age" isn't typically used for a story about a man his age (he's retired), it does seem to fit in this instance.

You can read my full review here. https://tcl-bookreviews.com/2013/08/02/a-trek-of-self-discovery/
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated The Family Upstairs in Books

Oct 24, 2019  
The Family Upstairs
The Family Upstairs
Lisa Jewell | 2019 | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
8
8.6 (9 Ratings)
Book Rating
Twenty-five years ago, a tragedy occurred at the large house at 16 Cheyne Walk. When the police arrived, they found three dead adults, an apparent suicide note, and, upstairs, a healthy ten-month-old baby. The neighbors spoke of other children who lived in the house, but there was no trace of them. The house is left in trust, and twenty-five years later, Libby Jones receives the letter she's been waiting for. In it, she learns about her birth parents and that she's inherited their home on Cheyne Walk: making her an instant millionaire. But others have been waiting for this day for years, too, and now Libby is about to learn more about her past and what happened so long ago at Cheyne Walk.


"Now she owns a house in Chelsea and the proportions of her existence have been blown apart."


In typical Lisa Jewell fashion, The Family Upstairs is a dark and twisted story of family secrets, and betrayal. It's told from the perspective of Libby, who inherits the house; Lucy, a mother in France struggling to find shelter and safety for herself and her two children; and Henry, who tells his story from the past, when he lived at Cheyne Walk.

As their three stories intertwine, we learn more about the horrors that happened at the house all those years ago, and how exactly Libby, Lucy, and Henry are tied together. It's an enthralling story and not easy to put down. It's dark, with plenty of twists and turns, and it certainly kept me guessing. There's lots of wondering who is who, and lots of awful things that happen to people. There were a lot of surprises at every turn. I was drawn to Libby, along with Lucy and her children, even if I sometimes wasn't sure if everyone was making the right decisions.

I was really into this book until the end, where the vagueness of the ending disappointed me a bit. But it's still an interesting thriller, no matter what: lots to keep you entertained, tons of dark and twisted bits, and plenty that kept me wondering right up to the end. 4 stars.