Elevation

Elevation by Stephen King. I had some time today and I had heard so many things about this book that I had to give it a chance. I didn't love it but I didn't hate it. We are visiting Castle Rock yet again with this one and I liked it. We're treated to a number of references, my favorite being the garage band that prepares for a gig by renaming themselves to Pennywise and the Clowns, but the odd things that happen to Scott, and more importantly, the way he deals with them... that's the heart of this story. I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Stephen King wrote this as a counterpoint to the endless parade of negativity that surrounds us more and more by the day. As an example of how we should be, rather than how we are. If he did, he knocked it out of the park. Not a long read, especially by his standards, but a rewarding one. I will say the only thing I am missing is that I needed or wanted an explanation to the weight loss.

2018 GoodReads choice award for horror! This was a quick 4 day read (for me) and really enjoyed it. Story takes place in Castle Rock (Many of King's books use that location). Great characters and surprise ending I won't disclose. This is my 1st award winning book for March, I try to read 2 each month and 2 Classics each month.

I really liked this short book. It is written in a Richard Bachman style and pretty quickly it brought me back 25-30 years to all the hours spent on my bed reading SK books during high school and college. Yes, as a constant reader I felt that this book has been a gift to me for being faithful for so long to SK. I'm always amazed of how many styles SK can write in and elevation is a pretty tight exercise. The book is short, the idea is simple but stays with you and the social aspect quite relevant without being preachy. Thank you Stevie for this good couple of days of elevation.

The only Stephen King I have read before (and the only books by him I have ever wanted to read) are the Dark Tower books, which I absolutely love. Elevation was quite a different experience for me. It is an interesting story and I enjoyed it, but Man! it feels just like a cozy mystery.

Rating: 3.6 leaves out of 5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 3.5/5
Story: 3.5/5
Writing: 3.5/5
Genre: Horror/Thriller/Fantasy/Fantasy
Type: Audiobook
Worth?: Yeah

I really liked this story and I was shocked to have felt so sad at the end. I don't know if I would call it horror, unless you realized the situation the main character was in had to be a horrific one, especially with the way it ended.

Going back and trying to fill in some reviews of books that I read just for fun. This is one of those! I'm a Stephen King addict, and I don't care who knows it. I also make no apologies for the fact that, despite the fact that this book isn't horror, I actually really loved it. If there's one thing that King is excellent at, it's writing characters that are vivid. I've yet to read one of his books where, whether I like the story ultimately or not, I don't feel deeply for whatever characters are inside of it. Scott Carey was no exception. This man, oh this man. He cracked my heart, and made it soar, and then smashed it into fifteen million pieces at the ending. This story is somehow so uplifting, and so terribly sad all at the same time.

To quote the cool kids, I had ALL THE FEELS. I loved it.

Nonsense

Stephen King was once one of my favorite up until “Tommyknockers,” at which point he became one of my least favorite authors.

“Elevation” falls low on the totem pole, in my opinion. The idea of a middle-aged man suddenly dropping pounds, but appearing to be the same size is good. Yet, the characters are so ham-fisted and lack in depth.

Scott Carey, the main character, let's go of bitterness about this divorce, squabbles with neighbors, and, eventually, this mortal coil as he becomes lighter and eventually floats away. This entire physical/emotional analogy was super forced. And, while I'm no fan of Trump and am a liberal in a relatively conservative town, the comparisons to today's political climate were bland.

So, unless you're trying to hit your Goodreads goal for the year, this is one to skip.

I enjoyed the story but was somewhat disappointed with the ending. Don't get me wrong, the ending was great and probably just about the only way it could have ended. I just really wanted Scott to make it and not go out in a literal blaze of glory. I'm also satisfied with the length. King has a tendency to draw stories out a little more than necessary sometimes so I'm glad he went with novella length here instead of needlessly padding the story.

It's nice to read a Stephen King book set in Castle Rock that is heartwarming for once. Does it feature a crazy premise? Absolutely. Does someone die? Of course. But the things we've come to know and love about Stephen King's works are used to create a beautiful and sweet tale.

Elevation follows a man who, despite the fact the is not physically losing weight, is rapidly losing weight. Confusing? Not when you read it. The best way I can describe Scott Carey's condition is that he is losing gravity. I don't want to give too much away, but I promise that this is a charming story, and it is beautifully written. But if you're reading this hoping for the dark and scary place that is Castle Rock, you'll have to turn to another book. There are a few nods - both a Cujo and It reference -to previous works, but I promise you, no horror.

Clocking in at fewer than 150 pages, this is a book you can polish off in one setting. And I promise that you'll be glad you took the time to read it. Enjoy!

Funny story, I was all excited to recommend this to people at work who were wondering what they hype was about Stephen King.

No monsters
Nothing scary
Important life lessons
Good ol' Stephen King prose
Oatmeal for brains got eaten by an alligator

Well, there goes that plan.

Seriously Stephen there were 5 minutes left, we could just be vague. sigh

However the first story revolves around acceptance of a lesbian couple and magic weight loss. 100% does not feel like virtue signaling. I was a little murky on why becoming BFFs was super important to the MC, but it felt very earned as the story brings its resolution.

I'm totally going to go fill the holes in my Stephen King reading. brb.

What can I say. It was short and sweet. There is something about King's writing style that just always pulls me in. It's simple but elegant in that simplicity. An enjoyable little novella.

3.5/5 stars