Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Gallery Books (2008), Edition: Reprint, 624 pages
Description
The lake's depths claim a car and a corpse. Cory and his father begin searching for the truth of this death. Cory's life explodes into a kaleidoscope of clues and puzzles. As he searches for a killer he learns more about the meaning of life, and death.
Media reviews
From Library Journal
In 1964, 12-year-old Cory Mackenson lives with his parents in Zephyr, Alabama. It is a sleepy, comfortable town. Cory is helping with his father's milk route one morning when a car plunges into the lake before their eyes. His father dives in after the car and finds a dead man
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handcuffed to the steering wheel. Their world no longer seems so innocent: a vicious killer hides among apparently friendly neighbors. Other, equally unsettling transmogrifications occur: a friend's father becomes a shambling bully under the influence of moonshine, decent men metamorphose into Klan bigots, "responsible" adults flee when faced with danger for the first time. With the aid of unexpected allies, Cory faces hair-raising dangers as he seeks to find the secret of the dead man in the lake. McCammon writes an exciting adventure story. He also gives us an affecting tale of a young man growing out of childhood in a troubled place and time. Recommended. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member weener
This book was sentimental and riddled with cliches, but I still enjoyed reading it. It was sort of an odd mixture of suspense, magical realism, and coming of age.
Back in the glorious 1960s, when men were milkmen, women spent much of their time baking, and children said "Yes, sir" to their elders,
The remainder of the book is split between Cory's attempts to solve the mystery of the man in the lake, and darkly amusing vignettes involving the monster that lives in the river, the escape of a demonic monkey who craps everywhere, boys and their bicycles, the guy who walks around town naked, a zombie dog, the Ku Klux Klan, going to the carnival, etc.
It contains a typical example of the tiresome cliche of the Magical Negro in Moon Man and the Lady, two magical Negroes who live on the Negro side of town. There was always a deus ex machina who would save the day when someone was in trouble, sometimes in the form of a magical Negro. Predictably, everything was wrapped up tight in the end, the bad guys were in prison, the magical Negroes triumph over the KKK, and Cory and his friends go on to become productive members of society.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading this, but it's time to go back to real books.
Back in the glorious 1960s, when men were milkmen, women spent much of their time baking, and children said "Yes, sir" to their elders,
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a young boy came of age in the small town of Zephyr, Alabama. The story begins when 12-year old Cory Mackenson and his father (a milkman) were driving around on his milk route when a car careens out of the forest in front of them and crashes into the lake. Cory's father jumps into the lake in a rescue attempt, but finds that the "driver" is dead, naked, strangled, and handcuffed to the steering wheel. The remainder of the book is split between Cory's attempts to solve the mystery of the man in the lake, and darkly amusing vignettes involving the monster that lives in the river, the escape of a demonic monkey who craps everywhere, boys and their bicycles, the guy who walks around town naked, a zombie dog, the Ku Klux Klan, going to the carnival, etc.
It contains a typical example of the tiresome cliche of the Magical Negro in Moon Man and the Lady, two magical Negroes who live on the Negro side of town. There was always a deus ex machina who would save the day when someone was in trouble, sometimes in the form of a magical Negro. Predictably, everything was wrapped up tight in the end, the bad guys were in prison, the magical Negroes triumph over the KKK, and Cory and his friends go on to become productive members of society.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading this, but it's time to go back to real books.
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LibraryThing member sirfurboy
This book opens with Cory Mackenson and his father witnessing a murder made to look like a car accident whilst they are on a milk round. This eventful start though (graphically depicted on the cover of my copy of the book) really does not even begin to hint at the content of this book.
Yes that
There is conflict in the story. Some of it is racial conflict, other is just about bullying, and power, and what money can buy you and what it can't. There are good families, unorthodox ones and downright odd ones. There is an eccentric millionaire who likes to walk around without clothes. There are stories of boy's own adventures, magical bicycles and dark plots.
This book cannot really be summed up and placed in a single category. It works on so many levels, but it really does work. I enjoyed it very much, and would have no hesitation in recommending it. It made me yearn for a slice of American life I never had and now perhaps no longer exists.
Yes that
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mystery is key to a greater part of the story, but this book is more a coming of age story than a murder mystery. And it is a very fine example of such a story too.There is conflict in the story. Some of it is racial conflict, other is just about bullying, and power, and what money can buy you and what it can't. There are good families, unorthodox ones and downright odd ones. There is an eccentric millionaire who likes to walk around without clothes. There are stories of boy's own adventures, magical bicycles and dark plots.
This book cannot really be summed up and placed in a single category. It works on so many levels, but it really does work. I enjoyed it very much, and would have no hesitation in recommending it. It made me yearn for a slice of American life I never had and now perhaps no longer exists.
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LibraryThing member neelsblom
A brilliant, captivating journey, in which the author succeeds in making you as reader one with his main character - 11 year old Cory Mackenson. At times you will hold your breath and wish that if you closed YOUR eyes the bad things would go away and things would be better for Cory... sometimes you
If you have any children of your own, or any children in your life that you care about (young nephews/nieces, cousins, etc) - do them the favour of giving them a copy of this book!
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will find yourself laughing out loud - unable to stop the joy from bubbling over... and more often than anyone would wish a little kid to, you will feel terrible sadness and pain - as if someone has ripped your heart out of your chest... Such is the power and realism with which this story is told - truly a journey that every boy (and girl) from I'd say about 10 to 100 should experience, by reading... no LIVING through Cory's long, exhausting adventure!If you have any children of your own, or any children in your life that you care about (young nephews/nieces, cousins, etc) - do them the favour of giving them a copy of this book!
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LibraryThing member Limelite
“Stand by Me” meets “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” Wonderful coming of age story set in the early 60s that mixes memoir with magical realism and stirs in the fantasy imagination of an 11-year old.
Cory Jay Mackenson lives in Zephyr, Alabama, has two loving but struggling blue collar parents,
Zephyr is a place of memory and fantasy, able to support solid citizens, petty criminals, and the secrets of a dangerous murderer. The action starts when Cory accompanies his dad, Tom, on his milk route and they see a car plunge into the bottomless lake. Tom dives in to try to rescue the man who he sees is naked, hand-cuffed to the wheel, and whose throat is cut. Terrified and left ashore, Cory sees a figure in a hat and overcoat, and later discovers a green feather at the scene. This incident nearly destroys his father and is to endanger Cory.
The novel circles around this murder and its solution all the while spinning a story of the glory days that are the cusp of adolescence. As the novel draws to its close, we see how adults need to learn to trust and children need to learn not to.
McCammon writes a totally engaging book that perfectly captures the foggy interface of reality and dream in which old children and young adults exist. All the characters are finely drawn, rich, and multi-dimensional. McCammon is brilliant at integrating the facts of the early Civil Rights era into the fabric of his tale and at showing us how those events shape the man-child and the adults of this rural Alabama community. Great book – perfect mix of Southern Gothic, magical realism, and bildungsroman.
Truman Capote would envy and love this novel.
Cory Jay Mackenson lives in Zephyr, Alabama, has two loving but struggling blue collar parents,
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good friends, bad enemies, knows his hometown and all the people in it, including the black community of Bruton and the Lady, its queen. At school he hates his bullying teacher and the bullying boys who make his summer baseball games hell. Cory is kind-hearted, richly imaginative, and true. And he’s lucky to own a magical bicycle named Rocket that he was rewarded with by Lady and the people of Bruton for saving one of their own from drowning during a great flood.Zephyr is a place of memory and fantasy, able to support solid citizens, petty criminals, and the secrets of a dangerous murderer. The action starts when Cory accompanies his dad, Tom, on his milk route and they see a car plunge into the bottomless lake. Tom dives in to try to rescue the man who he sees is naked, hand-cuffed to the wheel, and whose throat is cut. Terrified and left ashore, Cory sees a figure in a hat and overcoat, and later discovers a green feather at the scene. This incident nearly destroys his father and is to endanger Cory.
The novel circles around this murder and its solution all the while spinning a story of the glory days that are the cusp of adolescence. As the novel draws to its close, we see how adults need to learn to trust and children need to learn not to.
McCammon writes a totally engaging book that perfectly captures the foggy interface of reality and dream in which old children and young adults exist. All the characters are finely drawn, rich, and multi-dimensional. McCammon is brilliant at integrating the facts of the early Civil Rights era into the fabric of his tale and at showing us how those events shape the man-child and the adults of this rural Alabama community. Great book – perfect mix of Southern Gothic, magical realism, and bildungsroman.
Truman Capote would envy and love this novel.
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LibraryThing member wb4ever1
Years ago, the name Robert McCammon was well known to us horror fans, and his books, THEY THIRST and STINGER, were among my favorites. The man had a knack for writing vampire holocausts and alien invasions, but BOY’S LIFE, the first book of his I’ve read in far too many years, is a change of
The plot centers on eleven year old Corey Mackenson, living what seems like an idyllic life in the town of Zephyr; he accompanies his father in his milk truck on an early spring morning run, when both of them witness the aftermath of a murder as a car plunges into a deep lake and Corey’s father is unable to save the unconscious man tied to the steering wheel. The body can’t be recovered and no one is reported missing, but the dead man haunts Corey’s father’s dreams and the boy becomes determined to solve the mystery, starting with the only clue available, a green parrot’s feather he finds at the scene of the crime. This is the framing story, as over the next year a series of adventures and incidents bring Corey, and his father, closer to the truth, and the identity of both the victim and his murderer.
Along the way, Corey encounters: vicious teenage bullies; an Old West gunslinger who still has one fight left in him; a failed author who walks around in the nude; a elderly black woman who was born a slave and who has the gift to see beyond this world; a fire and brimstone Baptist minister who really doesn’t like The Beach Boys; a murderous family of backwoods bootleggers; a small bespectacled kid who is hiding a secret talent thwarted by his parents; an older girl who gives Corey the first hint of the joys of the flesh that await him in the not too distant future; and a slow talking fix it man who really can fix anything when chips are down. Then there is Old Moses, the monster that lives in the river; Lucifer, the wild monkey on the loose; a ghost car named Midnight Mona; and the Creature That Time Forgot. There is always a hint of the supernatural that lies in the shadows, waiting to be seen by those who believe. There are also the joys of friendship and childhood, like a pickup baseball game, a camping trip in the woods, and the arrival of a new bicycle; and the sudden inevitable tragedies, like the death of a beloved dog or a hunting accident that cuts short a young life filled with promise. Along the way, Corey learns some hard truths, especially that adults are often not who they appear to be, and while life may seem to be simple on the surface, it is anything but once you take a deeper look. The big issues of the 1960’s – Vietnam and the Civil Rights struggle – are just out of sight, but an ominous future can be glimpsed in the way a new super market threatens Corey’s father’s job at the dairy with its milk for sale in plastic jugs and cartons; the rise of corporations and mass marketing is already reaching into the most remote corners of America and threatening life as it has been lived for generations.
There are some wise observations, as when one character tells Corey, “We are born able to sing to birds and read the clouds and see our destiny in grains of sand. But then we get the magic educated right out of our souls. We get it churched out, spanked out, washed out, and combed out. We get put on the straight and narrow and told to be responsible. Told to act our age. Told to grow up, for God's sake. And you know why we were told that? Because the people doing the telling were afraid of our wildness and youth, and because the magic we knew made them ashamed and sad of what they'd allowed to wither in themselves.”
It has been more than 25 years since BOY’S LIFE was first published and one wonders how it would be received today in a time of intense and divisive personal politics in America, and when hostility toward the white Southern culture depicted between it pages is commonplace in the public square. Would it be accused of fostering “white supremacy” or guilty of “cultural appropriation” in its portrayal of Black Americans?
Many have unfavorably compared McCammon to Stephen King, who has written a number of Baby Boomer coming of age tales, most notably IT and THE BODY (adapted to the screen as STAND BY ME); I will be the first to admit that McCammon often lacks the subtly of King, or Peter Straub and Dan Simmons (who wrote the excellent SUMMER OF NIGHT) for that matter, nor possess anything approaching their style. McCammon is unabashedly sentimental, often uses on-the-nose dialog, and crams in too much wordy exposition, but those other guys have been guilty of those same literary crimes more than once. If King, Straub, and Simmons are HBO and Showtime, then Robert McCammon is most certainly, AMC or FX. In fact, BOY’S LIFE reads like a good TV mini-series, with each chapter an episode building to the complete whole. But what no one can take away is that Robert McCammon is a true story teller; that he has mastered the knack of creating compelling characters along with the ability to keep the reader guessing and turning the pages to see what happens next. There are more than a few autobiographical touches, such as Corey’s enthusiasm for horror films of the period, especially those starring Vincent Price and in his budding desire to be a writer, inspired in part after compilation of Ray Bradbury stories, proving that people living far from the cultural centers of America could live rich and creative lives.
Sadly, for those of us who are McCammon fans, he has written little since this book came out, a victim of changes in the publishing industry, according to his Wikepedia page, which caused him to take a long hiatus from writing.
I bet Robert McCammon still has that magic and I hope we hear from him again soon.
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pace in that it is a coming of age story set in a small Alabama town in the year of 1964. This book has been out since the early 90’s and has developed a real fan following, and after reading it, I can understand why as it touches on so many things common to kids, especially boys, who grew up in the 60’s. There are a lot of novels set in little small Southern towns where everyone is a real character, but this is one of the better ones in that genre.The plot centers on eleven year old Corey Mackenson, living what seems like an idyllic life in the town of Zephyr; he accompanies his father in his milk truck on an early spring morning run, when both of them witness the aftermath of a murder as a car plunges into a deep lake and Corey’s father is unable to save the unconscious man tied to the steering wheel. The body can’t be recovered and no one is reported missing, but the dead man haunts Corey’s father’s dreams and the boy becomes determined to solve the mystery, starting with the only clue available, a green parrot’s feather he finds at the scene of the crime. This is the framing story, as over the next year a series of adventures and incidents bring Corey, and his father, closer to the truth, and the identity of both the victim and his murderer.
Along the way, Corey encounters: vicious teenage bullies; an Old West gunslinger who still has one fight left in him; a failed author who walks around in the nude; a elderly black woman who was born a slave and who has the gift to see beyond this world; a fire and brimstone Baptist minister who really doesn’t like The Beach Boys; a murderous family of backwoods bootleggers; a small bespectacled kid who is hiding a secret talent thwarted by his parents; an older girl who gives Corey the first hint of the joys of the flesh that await him in the not too distant future; and a slow talking fix it man who really can fix anything when chips are down. Then there is Old Moses, the monster that lives in the river; Lucifer, the wild monkey on the loose; a ghost car named Midnight Mona; and the Creature That Time Forgot. There is always a hint of the supernatural that lies in the shadows, waiting to be seen by those who believe. There are also the joys of friendship and childhood, like a pickup baseball game, a camping trip in the woods, and the arrival of a new bicycle; and the sudden inevitable tragedies, like the death of a beloved dog or a hunting accident that cuts short a young life filled with promise. Along the way, Corey learns some hard truths, especially that adults are often not who they appear to be, and while life may seem to be simple on the surface, it is anything but once you take a deeper look. The big issues of the 1960’s – Vietnam and the Civil Rights struggle – are just out of sight, but an ominous future can be glimpsed in the way a new super market threatens Corey’s father’s job at the dairy with its milk for sale in plastic jugs and cartons; the rise of corporations and mass marketing is already reaching into the most remote corners of America and threatening life as it has been lived for generations.
There are some wise observations, as when one character tells Corey, “We are born able to sing to birds and read the clouds and see our destiny in grains of sand. But then we get the magic educated right out of our souls. We get it churched out, spanked out, washed out, and combed out. We get put on the straight and narrow and told to be responsible. Told to act our age. Told to grow up, for God's sake. And you know why we were told that? Because the people doing the telling were afraid of our wildness and youth, and because the magic we knew made them ashamed and sad of what they'd allowed to wither in themselves.”
It has been more than 25 years since BOY’S LIFE was first published and one wonders how it would be received today in a time of intense and divisive personal politics in America, and when hostility toward the white Southern culture depicted between it pages is commonplace in the public square. Would it be accused of fostering “white supremacy” or guilty of “cultural appropriation” in its portrayal of Black Americans?
Many have unfavorably compared McCammon to Stephen King, who has written a number of Baby Boomer coming of age tales, most notably IT and THE BODY (adapted to the screen as STAND BY ME); I will be the first to admit that McCammon often lacks the subtly of King, or Peter Straub and Dan Simmons (who wrote the excellent SUMMER OF NIGHT) for that matter, nor possess anything approaching their style. McCammon is unabashedly sentimental, often uses on-the-nose dialog, and crams in too much wordy exposition, but those other guys have been guilty of those same literary crimes more than once. If King, Straub, and Simmons are HBO and Showtime, then Robert McCammon is most certainly, AMC or FX. In fact, BOY’S LIFE reads like a good TV mini-series, with each chapter an episode building to the complete whole. But what no one can take away is that Robert McCammon is a true story teller; that he has mastered the knack of creating compelling characters along with the ability to keep the reader guessing and turning the pages to see what happens next. There are more than a few autobiographical touches, such as Corey’s enthusiasm for horror films of the period, especially those starring Vincent Price and in his budding desire to be a writer, inspired in part after compilation of Ray Bradbury stories, proving that people living far from the cultural centers of America could live rich and creative lives.
Sadly, for those of us who are McCammon fans, he has written little since this book came out, a victim of changes in the publishing industry, according to his Wikepedia page, which caused him to take a long hiatus from writing.
I bet Robert McCammon still has that magic and I hope we hear from him again soon.
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LibraryThing member memccauley6
With some judicious editing, this could have been a great book. It suffered from trying to be too many things all rolled into one, and thereby short-changing many subplots and story arcs. Is it a Southern Gothic? A coming-of-age-tale? A murder mystery? A fantasy?
Although the writing was excellent,
Although the writing was excellent,
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I wished the author had just picked one plot and stuck with it. Parts felt like short stories just shoved into the middle of the narrative, and really made no sense. I still can’t figure out why I read all the way to the end of this one. Sheer stubbornness I suppose. Show Less
LibraryThing member SenoraG163
Started out great and lost steam about halfway through. Not my favorite but still enjoyable.
LibraryThing member DebR
It’s southern fiction, it’s a coming of age tale, it’s a mystery, it has parts that wander into the realm of magic realism. It shouldn’t work. It should be a big ol’ mess. But it isn’t a mess and it does work - beautifully.
LibraryThing member RiverWitch
This book is pure magic and a joy to read. Narrated by a boy
growing up in a simpler time in a small southern town.
growing up in a simpler time in a small southern town.
LibraryThing member kcpavlik
This book has for a very long time been one of my most favorite books. Top 10 easily. I found the story to be incredible touching and interesting. The parts about his dog really struck a chord. Especially when the dog gets sick. Tissue anyone? It truly captures the magic of childhood.
LibraryThing member weebaby
On page two, I knew I was going to love this book. My current "real" surroundings started to get blurry around the edges and Cory's room started taking its place. I don't ever remember being captivated so quickly by any book!
LibraryThing member kneidhamer
This book is simply magical. It's one of my "comfort books" that I read when I need to get lost in another time and place. A quick summery would say the book's about a dead guy strapped into a car and driven into a lake, but that's not what's at the heart of this book. It's about childhood and
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summer dreams, and first loves and special bikes and so much more. In my high school, this book was required reading for all sophomores and I think it was one that nobody really minded reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member cmwilson101
Wonderful story about a boy growing up in a small town. The boy, Corey, is in his early teens. The essence of life for a pre-teen in a small town is beautifully captured: the joy of leaving school for summer break - which is both too long and too short; the ability to believe fantastic, magical
Beautifully written and completely enchanting.
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things; the stirring of love; and the realization that one's parents are not invincible. Beautifully written and completely enchanting.
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LibraryThing member KAzevedo
Yeah, it's about a boy and the joy and horror of being 12. But at the end, the author reminds us that it's a girl's life too. I'm the same age as Cory and it brought back memories of both the magical and horrific times I had as a tomboy in the 1960s, running freely in the hills with the
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neighborhood dogs, being somewhat of a misfit at school, and wondering deeply about life and the future. Yes there are cliches but the writing transported me and I enjoyed every minute. Show Less
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
This book has some exciting and poignant parts but is spoiled by the elements of fantasy injected into the story line. While some of the fantastic events are explained away--boys and dogs flying is admitted to be just imagination, and a trip on a train is explained in an old cheating way--yet there
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are fantasy features which one is expected to accept. .The closing chapter is, I admit, poignant, but would be better if it were true (as the aurhor denise it is). Show Less
LibraryThing member runner56
This is a book rich in imagery, innocence, good and evil. It is a book that is far above the standard set by Stephen King and his stories of small town America. This story is set in Zephyr Alabama and follows the coming of age of a young and exuberant Cory Mackenson. From the opening chapter our
This is a truly entertaining, exciting and enjoyable book rich in heart-warming dialogue, imagery, sadness and hope. It makes the reader laugh and cry, it makes the reader warm to a story of outstanding beauty and a dialogue that is rich in it's delivery. This is a story that has certainly touched me, and will live in my mind and memory for a very long time. I highly recommend and hope this review will encourage many to join Cory on a trip down memory lane and meet the residents of Zephyr Alabama.
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attention is grabbed as Cory and his father our delivering milk one morning ,they avoid a collision with an auto mobile travelling towards them as it crashes into the nearby lake. Corey's father dives into the lake deep down, and tries to rescue the driver, who is naked and handcuffed to the steering wheel, but he is unsuccessful in his rescue attempt. This image of the trapped man haunts Cory's dad throughout the book and fills his every day with feelings of inadequacy and suicide. This however is only one of many images and stories that entertain and enthral the reader. We feel Cory's love of life and freedom, when school recesses for the summer and Cory and his friends sprout wings and fly, a lovely magical scene depicting the sense of freedom that only the coming of school holidays can bring. We learn of Cory's sadness when his old and trusty bicycle collapses, when he returns with his father to collect and perhaps repair the bike is no longer there but has disappeared collected by Mr Scully the local scrap metal merchant, the description at the scrap yard where Cory's bike is now “dead” is funny and touching. Corey is presented with a brand new bicycle by “The Lady” and he names it “rocket”, Cory and rocket have many great adventures together. The residents of Zephyr are both eccentric and fun, at the local barber shop we meet one elderly gentleman who supposedly saved the life of Wyatt Earp, and proceeds to tell a colourful story. At a later stage in the book there is a scene reminiscent of High Noon when there is a shoot out at the bus station with the local bad guys and our elderly gentleman again saves the day, a lovely fun and touching scene. The music of the beach boys enrages the town's clergyman and he preaches hell and damnation to the locals with very funny overtones. Equally there are some very touching chapters when Cory's best friend accidentally falls on a rifle,the rifle discharges and he dies, or Cory reading a copy of “Life” in his room and looking at pictures of the assassination of Kennedy, the war in Vietnam, awakening him to the realities and cruelties of the human spirit. In the final chapters we travel forward in time and meet Cory as a grown man returning to his place of birth only to find as we all do that his childhood memories, and places he knew no longer exist...lost in timeThis is a truly entertaining, exciting and enjoyable book rich in heart-warming dialogue, imagery, sadness and hope. It makes the reader laugh and cry, it makes the reader warm to a story of outstanding beauty and a dialogue that is rich in it's delivery. This is a story that has certainly touched me, and will live in my mind and memory for a very long time. I highly recommend and hope this review will encourage many to join Cory on a trip down memory lane and meet the residents of Zephyr Alabama.
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LibraryThing member richlindsey
Highly recommended. A wonderful story.
LibraryThing member icedream
Another great book that I stumbled across and will never forget. A coming of age story with a bit of fantasy/horror thrown in the mix (but not so much as to alienate anyone who just loves a moving story). A definate 5 star book.
LibraryThing member TheTwoDs
A danger always lurks in re-reading books which one cherished many years ago; the scenes we recall, the characters we hold dear, may not live up on paper to the images we have in our minds. Fortunately, that is not the case with Boy's Life.
I first read Robert McCammon's masterpiece upon its
The tale of 11 going on 12-year-old Cory Mackenson and his adventures reads like the episodes of a cliffhanger serial. Each scene could be a story unto itself, yet they all work together to paint the broader canvas McCammon works upon. Starting with being the final witness to a dead man and ending with confrontations with Nazism and Klansmen, Boy's Life is jammed with more poignant observations on life and death, moments of insane joyfulness and darkest fears, anecdotes of wisdom and tons of inspiration from every boy's childhood than any other "coming-of-age" novel I've read.
I cannot recommend this novel enough; those of you who have never had the pleasure of reading it, I envy the journey you are about to take.
I first read Robert McCammon's masterpiece upon its
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publication in 1991 and immediately fell in love with Zephyr, Alabama and its citizens. Through the 20 years since then I've found myself wanting to revisit the small town and its intoxicating blend of magical realism, the supernatural and bucolic small town bliss. Finally, I picked it up and once again found myself transported to the deep South in 1964, a time when boys rode their bikes like the wind, magic was possible and the unexplainable commonplace.The tale of 11 going on 12-year-old Cory Mackenson and his adventures reads like the episodes of a cliffhanger serial. Each scene could be a story unto itself, yet they all work together to paint the broader canvas McCammon works upon. Starting with being the final witness to a dead man and ending with confrontations with Nazism and Klansmen, Boy's Life is jammed with more poignant observations on life and death, moments of insane joyfulness and darkest fears, anecdotes of wisdom and tons of inspiration from every boy's childhood than any other "coming-of-age" novel I've read.
I cannot recommend this novel enough; those of you who have never had the pleasure of reading it, I envy the journey you are about to take.
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LibraryThing member harpua
Sometimes you read a book that you sense will become a classic. For me, Boy's Life by Robert McCammon is one of those novels. I've read reviews of this and it was always highly recommended. I've been a McCammon fan for years but have just not pulled this one off my shelf. Now that I've finished it,
Boy’s Life is the coming of age story of a young boy in a small town set in the early 60s. McCammon manages to make this time and place come alive in so many ways. The atmosphere is spot on, the characters believable and you feel their pain and anguish as well as their joy and unbridled freedom and young boy would feel at that pre-teen age. The story covers for the most part a little under a year or so I believe, but oh so much happens. Some is a bit fantastic and of course not realistic, but it’s hard to tell if it is there on purpose, to add to the fanciful storyline, or if it is meant to be more of insight into a youngsters mind and thoughts where fantasy easily becomes reality.
This is definitely one for the ages and one of McCammon's best. If you haven't tried McCammon yet, don't be scared away by his typical categorization into the horror section as this is not your typical horror, other than the horror of ones childhood (or how one may remember it when looking back years later). This is one I would highly recommend.
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I wonder why I've waited so long.Boy’s Life is the coming of age story of a young boy in a small town set in the early 60s. McCammon manages to make this time and place come alive in so many ways. The atmosphere is spot on, the characters believable and you feel their pain and anguish as well as their joy and unbridled freedom and young boy would feel at that pre-teen age. The story covers for the most part a little under a year or so I believe, but oh so much happens. Some is a bit fantastic and of course not realistic, but it’s hard to tell if it is there on purpose, to add to the fanciful storyline, or if it is meant to be more of insight into a youngsters mind and thoughts where fantasy easily becomes reality.
This is definitely one for the ages and one of McCammon's best. If you haven't tried McCammon yet, don't be scared away by his typical categorization into the horror section as this is not your typical horror, other than the horror of ones childhood (or how one may remember it when looking back years later). This is one I would highly recommend.
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LibraryThing member RBeffa
Well here is a novel that is better than the average bear. Robert McCammon has created a very special book with Boy's Life. He's managed to capture time in a bottle, just like Jim Croce tried to in that song long ago. He's also captured that magic one has when one is young. When one dreams of
There are some almost perfect moments in this book, and some perfect ones. There are also one or two elements that push the ability to suspend belief just a little too far. There are good things and some very bad things. Moments captured and described so well. I don't think one needs to have lived through those days to appreciate the perfect touches, but knowing those days makes those touches all the more delicious. I really liked this book.
McCammon paid a great deal of attention to details when writing the book, with the brand names of candies and toys, hair tonics and household things, and the names of stores from the past. There was one thing though that I am fairly certain he got wrong. A rather big deal is made in the story about milk. The protaganist of the story is young Cory Mackenson, who is 12 in 1964. His father is a home delivery milkman in a small Alabama town. When a supermarket opens in a nearby town it spells the beginning of the end for the dairy and the home delivery of milk in glass bottles. It is mentioned several times that the supermarket has a whole row of milk in plastic jugs. Imagine that, the people say, milk in plastic jugs. Well, I don't think there were plastic milk jugs in 1964. When I was a child the glass bottles of milk from the dairy were replaced with wax coated paper milk cartons, and also a plastic coated paper carton and those paper milk cartons were used as the standard for quite a few years. The plastic jugs that are now the standard for buying milk in supermarkets began being used many years after the introduction of the paper cartons. So making a big deal about the plastic jugs of milk kept nagging me.
When I finished reading this I felt like I had read a memoir from McCammon. I don't know if there is any truth behind the adventures in the story, but i am sure there is some moments from his youth within it, and certainly some of his heart. This was a fine novel.
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flying, and a boy and his bike can ride, and have adventures with friends. McCammon clearly remembers those day, like the last day of school, when the ticking clock counts down to the start of summer vacation. As we get older we tend to forget the importance those small events held in life. We view them through a lens of nostalgia, recalling favorite movies or books or times we went on bike rides exploring. McCammon brings those things to clear focus, makes them fresh and of the moment. Although the story is set mostly in the year 1964 the story itself is a rather timeless memory of anyone's youth. There is a dark side to the book also. Dark events that start very early, and pulse through our whole journey with young Cory Mackenson. This isn't a perfect book but it is darn close. The book slowly took me under it's spell and I loved it. It caught my attention immediately when I started reading it, but the sheer enjoyment of it was something that grew as I read through it. This is one of those books that one wishes would not end. There are some almost perfect moments in this book, and some perfect ones. There are also one or two elements that push the ability to suspend belief just a little too far. There are good things and some very bad things. Moments captured and described so well. I don't think one needs to have lived through those days to appreciate the perfect touches, but knowing those days makes those touches all the more delicious. I really liked this book.
McCammon paid a great deal of attention to details when writing the book, with the brand names of candies and toys, hair tonics and household things, and the names of stores from the past. There was one thing though that I am fairly certain he got wrong. A rather big deal is made in the story about milk. The protaganist of the story is young Cory Mackenson, who is 12 in 1964. His father is a home delivery milkman in a small Alabama town. When a supermarket opens in a nearby town it spells the beginning of the end for the dairy and the home delivery of milk in glass bottles. It is mentioned several times that the supermarket has a whole row of milk in plastic jugs. Imagine that, the people say, milk in plastic jugs. Well, I don't think there were plastic milk jugs in 1964. When I was a child the glass bottles of milk from the dairy were replaced with wax coated paper milk cartons, and also a plastic coated paper carton and those paper milk cartons were used as the standard for quite a few years. The plastic jugs that are now the standard for buying milk in supermarkets began being used many years after the introduction of the paper cartons. So making a big deal about the plastic jugs of milk kept nagging me.
When I finished reading this I felt like I had read a memoir from McCammon. I don't know if there is any truth behind the adventures in the story, but i am sure there is some moments from his youth within it, and certainly some of his heart. This was a fine novel.
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LibraryThing member coachtim30
Simply put: one of the best books I've ever read! I was totally enthralled in "Boy's Life" from page one. Robert McCammon writes this book from the heart and speaks to the thousands of Baby Boomers (and others) who will read it.
The novel portrays the life and experiences of twelve-year old Cory
Cory and his father are tormented for months by the murder and forced to try and put the pieces of the heinous act together to provide their own piece of mind. What Cory finds is more than he bargains for.
McCammon's pacing and character development is outstanding in this novel. He creates memorable and relevant characters. These are people that the reader will really care about. The pages fly by and readers will more than likely find themselves totally immersed in McCammon's storytelling.
I can't recommend this book highly enough. Treat yourself by reading "Boy's Life"!
The novel portrays the life and experiences of twelve-year old Cory
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Mackenson and his parents. Cory and his father witness an accident involving a car early in the morning as they progress through Mr. Mackenson's milk delivery route. As the car slowly slides into Saxon's Lake, Mr. Mackenson dives in to try and save the driver. What he finds, however, is that the driver is already dead with a piano wire garotte' the apparent modus operandi. Cory and his father are tormented for months by the murder and forced to try and put the pieces of the heinous act together to provide their own piece of mind. What Cory finds is more than he bargains for.
McCammon's pacing and character development is outstanding in this novel. He creates memorable and relevant characters. These are people that the reader will really care about. The pages fly by and readers will more than likely find themselves totally immersed in McCammon's storytelling.
I can't recommend this book highly enough. Treat yourself by reading "Boy's Life"!
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LibraryThing member bagejew
A tale set in the early 60s, reminiscient of Stephen King's "Stand by Me." The thread binding "Boy's Life" together is the mystery surrounding the dead man in Saxon's Lake. Who killed him and why? But, this novel is so much more - it is the memories of a boy's childhood - some good and some not.
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This novel will make you laugh, it will bring you to tears and it will make you think. Spending some time in the town of Zephyr and mingling with it's inhabitants is well worth your time. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kelslynn
Zephyr, Alabama. 1964. Twelve year old Cory Mackenson and his imagination. His mom and dad and dog. Cory's three best friends. Cory's bike, Rocket. The various people of the town.
Combine those elements and you have Boy's Life, a wonderful Ray Bradbury-esque Dandelion Wine kind of book - filled
Other than Cory himself, I enjoyed the realistic characters of the dad and mom, the charming but bizarre depiction of The Lady, and the wild development of "monsters" that seemed to lurk everywhere.
A thoroughly enjoyable book.
Combine those elements and you have Boy's Life, a wonderful Ray Bradbury-esque Dandelion Wine kind of book - filled
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with the good, the bad and the truly ugly elements of growing up.Other than Cory himself, I enjoyed the realistic characters of the dad and mom, the charming but bizarre depiction of The Lady, and the wild development of "monsters" that seemed to lurk everywhere.
A thoroughly enjoyable book.
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LibraryThing member redpandabear
This book reminds me of Stand By Me, but a lot darker and with a hint of magic. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Awards
World Fantasy Award (Nominee — Novel — 1992)
Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award (Nominee — 2002)
Bram Stoker Award (Nominee — Novel — 1991)
This Mystery is Amazing! (#2 — 1996)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1991
Physical description
8.25 inches
ISBN
1416577785 / 9781416577782