As an author I have always liked Stephen King, but this is the first time in a very long time that I have not been able to get into it as one may say. After 50+ pages I just could not continue. Perhaps it was me and not King, but no I will not try it another time. Pass on this one.

There is nothing I have ever read like Lisey's Story. The beginning is very confusing and all over the place (silly purple curtain) but when you stick with it, it will not disappoint. King has scared me off of hotels, small, supposedly quiet towns, and the woods. This novel cannot be described as a horror novel in my opinion. It is a love story filled with suspense. For once, King broke my heart.

If you have started reading this book and then put it down because you couldn't get into it: STOP. Read it. Stick with it. You're really missing out.

If you are interested in reading this book: do it. You will not regret that choice. When this book picks up, it really picks up.

All in all, this novel has fantastic characters, horrible antagonists, and a plot that keeps going until you can't help but wish it never ends.

This is the first Stephen King novel I have read, and I think it's going to be the last.

Lisey's Story is about the widow of a famous novelist, still dealing with the massive catalogue of books and papers left behind, two years after her husband's death. Faced with a deranged fan, the downward spiral of her sister's mental health and her own grief, Lisa begins to live her own story, intertwined with the darkness of her husband's past.

King's writing is always masterful and this novel is no exception - his descriptive sense, plot immediacy and emotional currents never fail to touch and amaze this reader. However, I found this particular novel to be too dark for my taste, in the sense that the evil was grounded in a horrible reality, not touched by fantasy like Carrie or Christine or Duma Key. Too much for me but maybe not for you so give it a try! At the very least, you'll enjoy marvelling at this prolific writer ... again.

I have been an avid King reader for years. Once in a while he writes a book that is so hard to get into. This was one of them. The baby talk between husband and wife, the many plots that seem to come out of nowhere, the made-up language...it was very scatter-brained. However, I've learned that King has a tendency to get you hooked in a round-a-bout way . By the time I had decided to put the book away for good, I couldn't. He'd done it again. Every plot starts to fit together and it turned into quite a page-turner. I was really sorry to see it end. BOOL to you King!

This was a fantastic book!! It is the first Stephen King I have read and I loved it... I normally only thought he wrote horror, I am on my way to reading many more of his books!!~

I couldn't finish this novel. This happens to me occasionnaly, even though I am very fond of King's work. I've disliked maybe 10% of his stuff, and this fell in that catedory. For me, it was a little too multi-plotted, and I didn't feel very invested in the characters. Let me say again that I'm a King fan, and I really wanted to like this book, but it just fell short of his unusually high standard. Like other reviewers, maybe I'll reread another story...perhaps Dead Zone, or From A Buick8, maybe The Regulators! Perhaps this book will gain appeal some time in the future, but not now. Sorry!

This story starts out slow but sucks you in slowly until you can't put it down!!! Highly recommended!

Avid readers of King know that he is capable of works that are both beautiful and touching (Hearts in Atlantis, The Green Mile) as well as works that are very 'ugly' in nature (Tommyknockers, The Dark Half, It). Lisey's Story has the best of both worlds packed together tightly like a snowball, and I mean that quite literally--I cringed and cried as I made my way through the pages of this book. (That King is able to elicit such reactions within the space of chapters is a testament that he is still on the top of his game.)

The language used here does take some time getting used to, as well as the 'internal dialogue' of Lisey (and I sympathize with the other reviewers of this book who found it annoying). My only advice is NOT to stress and fret over understanding everything at once. This book is 'a slow revelation' for the main character, and thus the same must be true for the reader as well (and while I do agree that visiting repressed memories-only to re-repress them with the main character-can be a task, all I can say is "Patience!")

What a beautifully written novel. King invents a whole new interesting and colourful language which his characters use so naturally. This novel moved me, forced my imagination to work really hard and also caused me to think in another dimension. It's not a horror, but instead a character study with guts.

I was disappointed by King's latest work. One of my favorite things about his novels is the way he delves deep into the minds of his characters. For example, in "IT", he brought all of the members of the Losers' Club to life. I found Lisey surprisingly flat.

I also found the 'secret language' between Scott and Lisey infuriatingly annoying and cutsy sounding. It actually made me a bit embarrassed.

A lot of the story was far fetched and unneccesarily disgusting (I know, I know, it IS Stephen King, but I mean in terms of this particular story and setting).

I'm happy for those of you who liked it, but this book wasn't for me. I'm going to go re-read "IT" now. ;)

I tried to find some sense and cohesion in the story but found it confusing and nonsensical. I was a King fan for many years. I loved "The Stand" and many of his early works. I have King novels in my library now that I've not been inspired to read but Lisey's Story looked to be classic. I could feel something for the characters and could even see where it was headed but there is too much junk and far too many bools. I was disappointed and abandoned the novel at the halfway mark. I seldom give up on a book no matter how bad.

Found this to be one of the poorest King books.

I was so disapointed with this book. I am the biggest Stephen King fan but this book just went on and on and on... Too many story lines. I was just happy to finish it and now on to another book.....something good hopefully. Don't bother with this one!
Norm

Vintage Stephen King, if you enjoyed Dark Tower & Secret Garden you'll enjoy this story.

This book floored me! I have never read a book this amazing before! It was such an adreniline rush page after page! It was fantastic. It kept me glued to every word like glue! I stayed up all night reading until the dawn. I was too scared not to finish it. The gore was neverending, and the suspense was tight. Not to mention it had many wonderful characters that you are sure to love. And its even got some humor in it. I loved this book. LOVED IT!!! Put it on your Christmas lists for all your loved ones this holiday season!!!