Status
Available
Call number
Library's review
USA, South Carolina, 1973, 2013
Kom indenfor, hvis du tør!
Devin Jones ser 40 år tilbage til en sommer, hvor han arbejdede i forlystelsesparken Joyland. Hans kæreste dengang, Wendy Keegan, var kun med på at gå til stregen, men ikke noget med at gå i seng med ham. Hun tog til Boston for at
Shoplaw lejer også ud til en pige Erin Cook og en jævnaldrende ung mand Tom Kennedy. Devin, Erin og Tom bliver gode venner, men Erin og Tom finder også sammen som par og tager væk, da sæsonen slutter. Devin bliver hængende og bliver afsat udenfor sæsonen. I nabolaget støder han på den muskelsvindsramte dreng Mike Ross og dennes mor Annie Ross.
En gammel mordsag med en pige, Laurie Gray, der fik skåret halsen over i spøgelseshuset rumsterer også. Måske går pigen Susan, igen? Tom ser hende i spøgelseshuset og bliver skræmt godt og grundigt. Devin vil faktisk gerne se hende, men har ikke heldet med sig.
Mike har Duchenne's muskelsvind og kan ikke regne med at blive ret meget ældre. Moderen er taget væk fra sin fars bibeltro og hans tv-bibelmillioner, men dog ikke længere væk end at det er faderens ejendom, de bor på. Han hedder Buddy Ross og sørger for at holde sig godt informeret om hvad hans datter og dattersøn laver.
Devin redder en lille pige fra at blive kvalt i en stump pølse og senere redder han også sin ellers ret trælse overordnede Eddie Parks, da denne får et hjerteanfald. Det giver goodwill hos mange, så han bruger det til at få Mike en tur i forlystelsesparken udenfor sæsonen.
Tom og Erin kommer også den weekend. Erin har forsket lidt i Laurie Gray mordet og nogle flere, Delight Mowbray, Claudine Sharp, Eva Longbottom, Darlene Stamnacher, der blev kædet sammen med det. Erin synes at et omrejsende tivoli er tæt på alle mordene. Hun har også fundet gode billeder af Laurie Gray i tivoli sammen med morderen, men ikke noget, der kan bruges til noget. Tom og Erin tager tilbage og Devin får fri til middag dagen før, Annie og Mike skal på besøg i parken. Det sidste har en anden overordnet, Fred Dean, sørget for, men har han også andre planer med det? I alt bliver det en fantastisk dag for Mike. Den slutter lidt underligt med at det ellers afbrudte spøgelseshustog tager en runde uden nogen i vognen? Ifølge Mike var det Laurie Grays ånd, der tog afsted fra stedet.
Hjemme hos Mike og Annie bliver Mike lagt i seng og så tager Annie Devin med op ovenpå.
Han er jomfru og 21 år, så de når både forret, hovedret og dessert.
Men så kommer regningen. Lane Hardy ringer og vil gerne lave en aftale, så Devin ikke afslører ham som den gamle seriemorder. De tager en tur i stormvejr i pariserhjulet og smider fjernbetjeningen væk. Annie Ross er supergod til at skyde, så hun redder Devin med et pletskud. Lane Hardy (rigtigt navn Leonard Hopgood) dør og Annie og Devin strikker en plausibel historie sammen om hvordan hun lige kunne være på det rigtige sted på det rigtige tidspunkt. Nogle måneder efter dør Mike selvfølgelig og Annie og Devin mødes en sidste gang og spreder asken.
Sødsuppeagtig slutning, men bogen er god og man kommer fint ind under huden på Devin.
Kom indenfor, hvis du tør!
Devin Jones ser 40 år tilbage til en sommer, hvor han arbejdede i forlystelsesparken Joyland. Hans kæreste dengang, Wendy Keegan, var kun med på at gå til stregen, men ikke noget med at gå i seng med ham. Hun tog til Boston for at
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arbejde i en fin forretning og så hørte han ellers ikke mere til hende. Hvor rørende. Han får logi hos en mrs Shoplaw, der er enke. De går godt i spænd for Devins mor er død fire år forinden og hans far er gået i stå på lidt samme måde som mrs Shoplaw.Shoplaw lejer også ud til en pige Erin Cook og en jævnaldrende ung mand Tom Kennedy. Devin, Erin og Tom bliver gode venner, men Erin og Tom finder også sammen som par og tager væk, da sæsonen slutter. Devin bliver hængende og bliver afsat udenfor sæsonen. I nabolaget støder han på den muskelsvindsramte dreng Mike Ross og dennes mor Annie Ross.
En gammel mordsag med en pige, Laurie Gray, der fik skåret halsen over i spøgelseshuset rumsterer også. Måske går pigen Susan, igen? Tom ser hende i spøgelseshuset og bliver skræmt godt og grundigt. Devin vil faktisk gerne se hende, men har ikke heldet med sig.
Mike har Duchenne's muskelsvind og kan ikke regne med at blive ret meget ældre. Moderen er taget væk fra sin fars bibeltro og hans tv-bibelmillioner, men dog ikke længere væk end at det er faderens ejendom, de bor på. Han hedder Buddy Ross og sørger for at holde sig godt informeret om hvad hans datter og dattersøn laver.
Devin redder en lille pige fra at blive kvalt i en stump pølse og senere redder han også sin ellers ret trælse overordnede Eddie Parks, da denne får et hjerteanfald. Det giver goodwill hos mange, så han bruger det til at få Mike en tur i forlystelsesparken udenfor sæsonen.
Tom og Erin kommer også den weekend. Erin har forsket lidt i Laurie Gray mordet og nogle flere, Delight Mowbray, Claudine Sharp, Eva Longbottom, Darlene Stamnacher, der blev kædet sammen med det. Erin synes at et omrejsende tivoli er tæt på alle mordene. Hun har også fundet gode billeder af Laurie Gray i tivoli sammen med morderen, men ikke noget, der kan bruges til noget. Tom og Erin tager tilbage og Devin får fri til middag dagen før, Annie og Mike skal på besøg i parken. Det sidste har en anden overordnet, Fred Dean, sørget for, men har han også andre planer med det? I alt bliver det en fantastisk dag for Mike. Den slutter lidt underligt med at det ellers afbrudte spøgelseshustog tager en runde uden nogen i vognen? Ifølge Mike var det Laurie Grays ånd, der tog afsted fra stedet.
Hjemme hos Mike og Annie bliver Mike lagt i seng og så tager Annie Devin med op ovenpå.
Han er jomfru og 21 år, så de når både forret, hovedret og dessert.
Men så kommer regningen. Lane Hardy ringer og vil gerne lave en aftale, så Devin ikke afslører ham som den gamle seriemorder. De tager en tur i stormvejr i pariserhjulet og smider fjernbetjeningen væk. Annie Ross er supergod til at skyde, så hun redder Devin med et pletskud. Lane Hardy (rigtigt navn Leonard Hopgood) dør og Annie og Devin strikker en plausibel historie sammen om hvordan hun lige kunne være på det rigtige sted på det rigtige tidspunkt. Nogle måneder efter dør Mike selvfølgelig og Annie og Devin mødes en sidste gang og spreder asken.
Sødsuppeagtig slutning, men bogen er god og man kommer fint ind under huden på Devin.
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Genres
Publication
Kbh. : Hr. Ferdinand, 2015.
Description
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.
User reviews
LibraryThing member TooBusyReading
I just love most of Stephen King's writing. Yes, I know, he cranks out books way too often and too popular to be taken seriously by the literati, and he has more than his fair share of detractors. But when I finish one of his books, I'm glad I spent the time it took to read it.
Compared to some of
Murder, atmosphere, and great characters add up to a great summer novel. Stephen King can write about murder and things that go bump in the night, and still leave me with that warm fuzzy feeling.
Compared to some of
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his huge books, this one, at 288 pages according to Amazon, is practically a short story. It has a ghost that most people can't see, psychics (or are they?), and lots of heart. The amusement park atmosphere is very engaging, and whether or not every word of the Talk is authentic or not, I enjoyed it. There were a couple of things that didn't ring quite true (I can't see two shirts working the way they did), but nothing too bothersome. Of course, I found the psychic and ghostly aspects completely believable – easy suspension of disbelief.Murder, atmosphere, and great characters add up to a great summer novel. Stephen King can write about murder and things that go bump in the night, and still leave me with that warm fuzzy feeling.
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LibraryThing member lamotamant
This was my first time reading a King novel and I think I bumped it up to three stars simply because it is a King novel and I fell for Mike and enjoyed what his mother and him as characters did for the plot. The plot being, otherwise, more of a 2 - 2.5er for me.
It certainly wasn't a flop. I thinkthe reveal of the scene pictured on the cover. The "Hollywood Girl" redhead scream scene as the camera smashes to the ground amidst the popcorn-heavy carnival detritus marring the floor of the 70's funhouse. No camera smashing scream queens here. Just a messed up carny/murderer, some ghosties, and the reminiscing of our main character all grown up.
That being said - as alluded to above - I really liked Annie and Mike coming into the picture. I enjoyed Annie saving the day at the behest of Eddie via Mike. I enjoyed Mike's day at Joyland and the dynamic between Annie and Jonesy. In fact, I would have loved to see more of the supporting characters instead of Jonesy. The whole my ex didn't deserve me because she broke up with me without letting me do "it" because she wanted to get with another dude who she's probably doing "it" with right now for all I know mopey-shtick was sigh-inducing. I could get on board with character immaturity like that if the narrator had been a present day 21 year old getting over the initial break up/dump hump. But him being an older man saying a girl didn't deserve him because she didn't choose to screw him before she'd moved on? Meh... boring. Boring enough to make me disconnect a lot with his character in general. However, him being good in the fur and sincerely awesome with Mike opened up a reconnect and made the rest of the book interesting.
All in all, this didn't put me off King. I did enjoy his style and the majority of the book. I've got plenty of his work lying in wait in the shade of my ever-growing TBR piles and it was interesting to finally take the plunge and get into one of his books.
It certainly wasn't a flop. I think
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I was kind of waiting for a twist or at least That being said - as alluded to above - I really liked Annie and Mike coming into the picture. I enjoyed Annie saving the day at the behest of Eddie via Mike. I enjoyed Mike's day at Joyland and the dynamic between Annie and Jonesy. In fact, I would have loved to see more of the supporting characters instead of Jonesy. The whole my ex didn't deserve me because she broke up with me without letting me do "it" because she wanted to get with another dude who she's probably doing "it" with right now for all I know mopey-shtick was sigh-inducing. I could get on board with character immaturity like that if the narrator had been a present day 21 year old getting over the initial break up/dump hump. But him being an older man saying a girl didn't deserve him because she didn't choose to screw him before she'd moved on? Meh... boring. Boring enough to make me disconnect a lot with his character in general. However, him being good in the fur and sincerely awesome with Mike opened up a reconnect and made the rest of the book interesting.
All in all, this didn't put me off King. I did enjoy his style and the majority of the book. I've got plenty of his work lying in wait in the shade of my ever-growing TBR piles and it was interesting to finally take the plunge and get into one of his books.
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LibraryThing member AnnieMod
King is best known for his horror novels and he excels there. But under that, he is a marvelous storyteller - regardless of the genre, regardless of the topic.
Joyland is billed as a horror novel in a lot of reviews and announcements but it is not - a case be made that it is a psychological horror
Meet Devin Jones - 61 years old and with a career he had always dreamed of. But he is not here to tell his current story or how he got here - he is here to tell the story of Joyland - the story that changed him in 1973, when he was 21, when his broken heart made him take a job in an amusement part and as the old cliche goes, it changed his life.
The first third of the story is exactly this - a memory of Joyland - the hard work and the new friends, the good and the bed. Above everything is a ghost - Linda, who got killed in the park 4 years earlier and her killer was never found. Rumors puts her as a ghost in the place where she died but seeing her is not really happening.
And the world of Joyland is fascinating - from the language to the people, from young love to old wounds. And somewhere along the line, it turns out that the murder had not been an isolated case - more women had died in a similar way. And Dev becomes obsessed with Linda - trying to see her ghost makes him change his plans to go back to school and to stay longer in the park. And chase a ghost. And a murderer. And while this is happening, ghosts will appear - just not where anyone expects them
And that's when a terminally ill kid and his mother show up (or at least enter the picture). And the story changes from the happy summer one to a darker autumn one. And as the seasons change, so does the story - the joy of the summer is replaced by an obsession and then a death. Or more than one.
It is a story of amusement parks and serial killers, growing up and surviving. And hope - because love, friendship and youth linger on top of the story as a fine mist.
If you expect high speed, you won't like the story. If you expect horror, you are in the wrong place. Ir is a ghost story combined with a serial killer one. But it is mostly the story of an old amusement park - in the summer of 1973 when things were so much easier.
I read the illustrated edition and most of the illustrations add to the story - they illustrate exact moments and thoughts. The few that do not match can be considered artistic rendering I guess - even if I find them just sloppy.
Highly recommended - even if you usually do not like King.
Joyland is billed as a horror novel in a lot of reviews and announcements but it is not - a case be made that it is a psychological horror
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novel but then we need to classify all noir and dark crime novels there. Yes - there is a ghost or two but that is not enough to shift it into the horror genre - supernatural crime is probably the closest to a genre this novel can be classified into. Meet Devin Jones - 61 years old and with a career he had always dreamed of. But he is not here to tell his current story or how he got here - he is here to tell the story of Joyland - the story that changed him in 1973, when he was 21, when his broken heart made him take a job in an amusement part and as the old cliche goes, it changed his life.
The first third of the story is exactly this - a memory of Joyland - the hard work and the new friends, the good and the bed. Above everything is a ghost - Linda, who got killed in the park 4 years earlier and her killer was never found. Rumors puts her as a ghost in the place where she died but seeing her is not really happening.
And the world of Joyland is fascinating - from the language to the people, from young love to old wounds. And somewhere along the line, it turns out that the murder had not been an isolated case - more women had died in a similar way. And Dev becomes obsessed with Linda - trying to see her ghost makes him change his plans to go back to school and to stay longer in the park. And chase a ghost. And a murderer. And while this is happening, ghosts will appear - just not where anyone expects them
And that's when a terminally ill kid and his mother show up (or at least enter the picture). And the story changes from the happy summer one to a darker autumn one. And as the seasons change, so does the story - the joy of the summer is replaced by an obsession and then a death. Or more than one.
It is a story of amusement parks and serial killers, growing up and surviving. And hope - because love, friendship and youth linger on top of the story as a fine mist.
If you expect high speed, you won't like the story. If you expect horror, you are in the wrong place. Ir is a ghost story combined with a serial killer one. But it is mostly the story of an old amusement park - in the summer of 1973 when things were so much easier.
I read the illustrated edition and most of the illustrations add to the story - they illustrate exact moments and thoughts. The few that do not match can be considered artistic rendering I guess - even if I find them just sloppy.
Highly recommended - even if you usually do not like King.
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LibraryThing member Bookmarque
“When it comes to the past, everyone writes fiction” - p. 43
Caveat - yes this is a Hard Case Crime publication, but like his first book for this imprint, it doesn’t quite fit the bill. Sure there’s a killer, but there isn’t anything else even remotely related to what I think of as hard
Out of the gate, Devin’s character seems autobiographical. He’s a work-study kid, he’s tall, he’s got his heart set on marrying his college sweetheart, he wants to be a writer and he’s a romantic. The back of my book says he’s going out of his home state (Maine, where else?) to work to try to forget about that same college sweetheart after she dumps him, but that’s not quite accurate. While they are separated, they aren’t broken up and the Dear Dev letter arrives in due course. But that’s not the story, and neither is who killed Linda Gray. No, those are secondary to the real tale; Dev’s final spasm of growing up.
The story is a familiar one. Dev is dropped into the lives of a kid and his mom. The kid has a slight psychic ability. He’s physically disabled. Dying, actually. Mom is at first cold and standoffish, but she comes around (and how!). In addition to the kid’s patina of the supernatural, there is another dollop of it added to the mix. A ghost. Madame Fortuna. A sighting. Aside from the carnival aspect, it reads a lot like Bag of Bones. The strange apparition or the extra-sensory capabilities aren’t the story, no they’re just local color. Like most other King stories, this is one of human connections. How if we give of ourselves freely we will be rewarded with more emotional riches than we ever imagined. It’s also about the futility of trying to go against fate. How your destiny is your destiny and fate will drag you to it kicking and screaming if she has to.
So if you’re expecting a fast-moving thriller full of clues and bad guys, this isn’t the novel for you. If you’re a King fan already, you’ll appreciate this even though it doesn’t really go into any new territory or tell a story we don’t already know. It moves slower and gives us the interior of a young man’s life as he tries to break out of childhood without getting too many scars. It has great bits of foreshadowing which to quote part of the book, gives us a “trickle of unease”, which is all we really want in the end, isn’t it?
Caveat - yes this is a Hard Case Crime publication, but like his first book for this imprint, it doesn’t quite fit the bill. Sure there’s a killer, but there isn’t anything else even remotely related to what I think of as hard
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case crime, hard boiled or even plain old detective fiction. That being understood, let’s move on.Out of the gate, Devin’s character seems autobiographical. He’s a work-study kid, he’s tall, he’s got his heart set on marrying his college sweetheart, he wants to be a writer and he’s a romantic. The back of my book says he’s going out of his home state (Maine, where else?) to work to try to forget about that same college sweetheart after she dumps him, but that’s not quite accurate. While they are separated, they aren’t broken up and the Dear Dev letter arrives in due course. But that’s not the story, and neither is who killed Linda Gray. No, those are secondary to the real tale; Dev’s final spasm of growing up.
The story is a familiar one. Dev is dropped into the lives of a kid and his mom. The kid has a slight psychic ability. He’s physically disabled. Dying, actually. Mom is at first cold and standoffish, but she comes around (and how!). In addition to the kid’s patina of the supernatural, there is another dollop of it added to the mix. A ghost. Madame Fortuna. A sighting. Aside from the carnival aspect, it reads a lot like Bag of Bones. The strange apparition or the extra-sensory capabilities aren’t the story, no they’re just local color. Like most other King stories, this is one of human connections. How if we give of ourselves freely we will be rewarded with more emotional riches than we ever imagined. It’s also about the futility of trying to go against fate. How your destiny is your destiny and fate will drag you to it kicking and screaming if she has to.
So if you’re expecting a fast-moving thriller full of clues and bad guys, this isn’t the novel for you. If you’re a King fan already, you’ll appreciate this even though it doesn’t really go into any new territory or tell a story we don’t already know. It moves slower and gives us the interior of a young man’s life as he tries to break out of childhood without getting too many scars. It has great bits of foreshadowing which to quote part of the book, gives us a “trickle of unease”, which is all we really want in the end, isn’t it?
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LibraryThing member ReginaR
What is Joyland? A summer of firsts. First love. Summer job. First broken heart. Summer friends. First sex affair. Joyland is pure nostalgia and a look back at a long passed (lost?) youth by a man in his sixties. Joyland is pure nostalgia and the remembrance of a time in one's life where even if
“When you're twenty-one, life is a roadmap. It's only when you get to be twenty-five or so that you begin to suspect that you've been looking at the map upside down, and not until you're forty are you entirely sure. By the time you're sixty, take it from me, you're fucking lost.”
Joyland is told from the point of view of an older man remembering a summer from his college years in the early 1970s -- Devin. For summer break, Devin applies to work at an amusement park in the south along the Atlantic coast -- Joyland. Joyland is an amusement park of America's past, just like Devin's youth. The park is not Disney, it is not big and shiny, but owned by one man and held together with hope and the desire to provide fun.
“The Disney parks are scripted, and I hate that. Hate it. I think what they are doing down there in Orlando is fun-pimping...”
Joyland is not just a nostalgic stroll down the memory of someone long past youth – this is a Stephen King novel! And because it is a Stephen King novel it involves murder, death, pain, mystery and ghosts interwoven with a story of the past. Or maybe, is the murder, mystery and ghost a way to tell a nostalgic story? Maybe that is what King is doing here. The story is youth. The story is remembering. And the story is nostalgia. The setting is the summer of 1973 and a southern amusement park and this provides King with an opportunity to create a unique world that almost seems fantastical and is populated by a cast of interesting characters. Life long carnies, a widowed homeowner who rents out rooms and serves to tell the history of the murder, a disgraced single mom of a dying boy, a ghost of a murdered woman, and idealistic college kids working for the summer -- these are the characters of Joyland.
The murder is not shocking, not for 2013 sensibilities and not for readers who have seen even just one episode of CSI or Law and Order, but the story is not centered on the shock or the gore of the murder but the mystery of who did it, who was murdered and why. Joyland won't keep you up at night from fear and you likely won't remember the details of the story a few days or weeks after you put it down, but while you are immersed in the story you will experience the summer of 1973. And that is the beauty of this story, the re-living of youth, the experiencing a different time in a special place -- and the carny talk.
Joyland is short, less than 9 narrated hours and about 283 pages. It is a quick read and one you can immerse yourself in immediately. Like Joyland and amusement parks like it, once I finished reading Joyland the story slipped through the cracks in my memory. This story is good entertainment; it is a fast ride that involves some quick turns and ups and downs; it is fun but it is not long lasting.
To read this review and more like it check out Badass Book Reviews.
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tragic things were happening -- the future was laid out in front of you like a map and it seemed like an adventure.“When you're twenty-one, life is a roadmap. It's only when you get to be twenty-five or so that you begin to suspect that you've been looking at the map upside down, and not until you're forty are you entirely sure. By the time you're sixty, take it from me, you're fucking lost.”
Joyland is told from the point of view of an older man remembering a summer from his college years in the early 1970s -- Devin. For summer break, Devin applies to work at an amusement park in the south along the Atlantic coast -- Joyland. Joyland is an amusement park of America's past, just like Devin's youth. The park is not Disney, it is not big and shiny, but owned by one man and held together with hope and the desire to provide fun.
“The Disney parks are scripted, and I hate that. Hate it. I think what they are doing down there in Orlando is fun-pimping...”
Joyland is not just a nostalgic stroll down the memory of someone long past youth – this is a Stephen King novel! And because it is a Stephen King novel it involves murder, death, pain, mystery and ghosts interwoven with a story of the past. Or maybe, is the murder, mystery and ghost a way to tell a nostalgic story? Maybe that is what King is doing here. The story is youth. The story is remembering. And the story is nostalgia. The setting is the summer of 1973 and a southern amusement park and this provides King with an opportunity to create a unique world that almost seems fantastical and is populated by a cast of interesting characters. Life long carnies, a widowed homeowner who rents out rooms and serves to tell the history of the murder, a disgraced single mom of a dying boy, a ghost of a murdered woman, and idealistic college kids working for the summer -- these are the characters of Joyland.
The murder is not shocking, not for 2013 sensibilities and not for readers who have seen even just one episode of CSI or Law and Order, but the story is not centered on the shock or the gore of the murder but the mystery of who did it, who was murdered and why. Joyland won't keep you up at night from fear and you likely won't remember the details of the story a few days or weeks after you put it down, but while you are immersed in the story you will experience the summer of 1973. And that is the beauty of this story, the re-living of youth, the experiencing a different time in a special place -- and the carny talk.
Joyland is short, less than 9 narrated hours and about 283 pages. It is a quick read and one you can immerse yourself in immediately. Like Joyland and amusement parks like it, once I finished reading Joyland the story slipped through the cracks in my memory. This story is good entertainment; it is a fast ride that involves some quick turns and ups and downs; it is fun but it is not long lasting.
To read this review and more like it check out Badass Book Reviews.
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LibraryThing member porch_reader
I used to read a lot of Stephen King. But as I've gotten older, I've become less tolerant of horror novels, so I've avoided several of King's recent books. However, I love his writing. No one tells a story like him. His characters are real. His word choices are vibrant. So when I heard that Joyland
At the center of this story is Devon, a college student who takes a summer job working at an amusement park where years ago, a murder took place. As predicted by the park's fortune teller, Devon has an unusual summer, encountering two kids who will change the course of his life. The story gradually builds, gently at first, but then with increasing urgency, until I couldn't put the book down for the last 50 pages. King hasn't lost his knack as a storyteller, but I was surprised to find a thoughtful meditation on life and death underlying the story on the surface. I highly recommend this book when you need an escape.
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wasn't a horror novel, but rather a coming-of-age story with a mystery intertwined, I was excited to fall back into the capable hands of Stephen King. At the center of this story is Devon, a college student who takes a summer job working at an amusement park where years ago, a murder took place. As predicted by the park's fortune teller, Devon has an unusual summer, encountering two kids who will change the course of his life. The story gradually builds, gently at first, but then with increasing urgency, until I couldn't put the book down for the last 50 pages. King hasn't lost his knack as a storyteller, but I was surprised to find a thoughtful meditation on life and death underlying the story on the surface. I highly recommend this book when you need an escape.
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LibraryThing member Kate_Ward
We all know King. We all know that King can write epic, sprawling, huge and fantastical stories. But there are times when King is at his best when he scales down the chapters of set-ups and scene-setting, when the characterising speeches are minimized, and the locations are sparse and few. It's a
It's 1973 and 21 yr old Devin Jones is disillusioned-with his love-life, his education and himself. On a whim he applies to work at old fashioned carnival come theme park Joyland, and finally his life begins.
To call Joyland a 'horror' or 'thriller' story would be doing it a disservice and I notice a lot of reviews claiming it's "nothing like King". I can only presume that these people haven't really 'read' King properly, as it's EXACTLY like King as it's what he does best. It's 100% a character study with the 'crime/horror' element firmly in the background. Every single character is believable: full of heart, full of sorrow and pain, all with the common bond of living for the now, the future being something they don't want to consider.
Don't pick this up expecting another 'IT' or 'Salem's Lot', Joyland is a novella full of heart with a side-order of menace and the perfect beach/flight/curl up in your book-nook and not come out 'till you're finished novel.
Go and get it.
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long established opinion that the best film adaptations of his works come from the shortest stories (Stand By Me and Shawshank Redemption being the obvious candidates), and Joyland, is another one of his 'short but sweet' wonders.It's 1973 and 21 yr old Devin Jones is disillusioned-with his love-life, his education and himself. On a whim he applies to work at old fashioned carnival come theme park Joyland, and finally his life begins.
To call Joyland a 'horror' or 'thriller' story would be doing it a disservice and I notice a lot of reviews claiming it's "nothing like King". I can only presume that these people haven't really 'read' King properly, as it's EXACTLY like King as it's what he does best. It's 100% a character study with the 'crime/horror' element firmly in the background. Every single character is believable: full of heart, full of sorrow and pain, all with the common bond of living for the now, the future being something they don't want to consider.
Don't pick this up expecting another 'IT' or 'Salem's Lot', Joyland is a novella full of heart with a side-order of menace and the perfect beach/flight/curl up in your book-nook and not come out 'till you're finished novel.
Go and get it.
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LibraryThing member Whisper1
In the midst of a spring/summer of stress, I happened upon the book Joyland, and it did just what books have done for me throughout my life -- it took me away from stress and transported me to another place.
After The Tommy Knockers I gave up on this author, Many of his books seemed to contain a
King redeemed himself in this one! While some may think it sappy, it is a wonderful summer read. I can't say it is fluffy, but it is softly written with a steady pace, without the over dramatizing that King seemed to previously crave.
When a young 21 year old college student takes a summer job at Joyland located near a beach in North Carolina, his life changes. Finding purpose in making children laugh when he dons "the fur" and jumps, skips and dances around the playground, acting like a dog with paws in the air and a waggle to his step.
Working with a host of other college mates, he finds fulfillment in the motto of Joyland in selling happiness. In addition, all the carnies who are long-term members of joyland, are not portrayed as gross near do wells who do not fit in the world.
Weaving an atmospheric tale of the ride of horror where a young woman was brutally murdered years gone by, King does not go over the top. Instead, the ride and what occurred there, while a vital part of the tale, is not over dominating. Rather, King creates a wonderful character study of a young man brokenhearted from the jilt of his first love, as he finds a path for his life by letting go of pain and embracing those whom he can help.
This is great writing of a wonderful story.
Highly recommended!
After The Tommy Knockers I gave up on this author, Many of his books seemed to contain a
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few too many hundred pages, with endings that spun way out of context and control, leaving me shaking my head and feeling frustrated, as though I missed something throughout the inordinate amount of text.King redeemed himself in this one! While some may think it sappy, it is a wonderful summer read. I can't say it is fluffy, but it is softly written with a steady pace, without the over dramatizing that King seemed to previously crave.
When a young 21 year old college student takes a summer job at Joyland located near a beach in North Carolina, his life changes. Finding purpose in making children laugh when he dons "the fur" and jumps, skips and dances around the playground, acting like a dog with paws in the air and a waggle to his step.
Working with a host of other college mates, he finds fulfillment in the motto of Joyland in selling happiness. In addition, all the carnies who are long-term members of joyland, are not portrayed as gross near do wells who do not fit in the world.
Weaving an atmospheric tale of the ride of horror where a young woman was brutally murdered years gone by, King does not go over the top. Instead, the ride and what occurred there, while a vital part of the tale, is not over dominating. Rather, King creates a wonderful character study of a young man brokenhearted from the jilt of his first love, as he finds a path for his life by letting go of pain and embracing those whom he can help.
This is great writing of a wonderful story.
Highly recommended!
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LibraryThing member CautiousReader
With age we all get better in what we do. Stephen King definitely gets better as a writer. His sentences get shorter, snappier, funnier, wiser. When he writes shorter stories, he never bores me. Because he does not have time, or space to get boring. And for that I almost love him. Almost… but not
Joyland is a much (and let me emphasize the word “much”) shorter work of his. This is where King excels. Or, at least, he should. He needs to write more books like Joyland: short and to the point. Yes, it started slow. And yes, it picked up.
But it took about 165 pages (the book itself is only 283 pages long – a short one for King) for the story to pick up. Don’t forget, it is Stephen King at his best: long detailed setup and then, finally, when you start to wonder if anything ever is going to happen… then, with a bang, it happens. But to get to this point you need a lot of patience. I mean it. Mine was wearing off fast.
It was a good but slow read, and, in the end, it did not disappoint. King throws everything he can into Joyland: we have a ghost that haunts a fun house, a few psychic visions here and there, and we have a serial killer. But the thing is… I thought Joyland was supposed to be a crime, whodunnit type of story. Was it? Sort of. But also it was a ghost story with some elements of horror. King seemed unsure of how to write a good crime story and had to divert to his familiar territory of ghosts and psychics. At least there are no vampires.
The one and only strong element of the book was a rich cast of supporting characters that made this book worth my time.
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quite.Joyland is a much (and let me emphasize the word “much”) shorter work of his. This is where King excels. Or, at least, he should. He needs to write more books like Joyland: short and to the point. Yes, it started slow. And yes, it picked up.
But it took about 165 pages (the book itself is only 283 pages long – a short one for King) for the story to pick up. Don’t forget, it is Stephen King at his best: long detailed setup and then, finally, when you start to wonder if anything ever is going to happen… then, with a bang, it happens. But to get to this point you need a lot of patience. I mean it. Mine was wearing off fast.
It was a good but slow read, and, in the end, it did not disappoint. King throws everything he can into Joyland: we have a ghost that haunts a fun house, a few psychic visions here and there, and we have a serial killer. But the thing is… I thought Joyland was supposed to be a crime, whodunnit type of story. Was it? Sort of. But also it was a ghost story with some elements of horror. King seemed unsure of how to write a good crime story and had to divert to his familiar territory of ghosts and psychics. At least there are no vampires.
The one and only strong element of the book was a rich cast of supporting characters that made this book worth my time.
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LibraryThing member runner56
I have always admired Stephen King as a powerful and emotive writer and over the last 40 years he has written what I can only describe as literary masterpieces. There are two books in particular which are prominent in my mind at portraying the author’s style from fantasy to horror namely “The
Joyland is equal to if not better than the aforementioned and in my opinion ranks as one of the greatest examples of the “coming of age” story ever written.....it is that good! It is true to say that I as a reader have a certain respect and fondness for “Devin Jones” as his experience in Joyland mirrors my own youthful dalliances as both an amusement park worker and a camp councillor in America during the mid 1970’s. The writing is so powerful that at times I lost all knowledge of time and place so engrossed was I in the mystical storytelling ability of Mr King.
Devin Jones has taken a summer job as a worker and ride operator at Joyland Amusement Park in South Carolina. In recent times Joyland was the location and scene for the disappearance and murder of a young lady called Linda Gray. Devin will spend the summer and beyond learning the business and defining his character as he makes the sometimes painful but also memorable journey from youth to adult. He will form long lasting friendships with the amusement park staff in particular his landlady Mrs Shoplaw, Erin and Tom, the tragic and crippled Mike and his mum the mysterious Annie Ross, Devin’s first love.
In King’s hands the layers of the story and the characters unfold as we sweep forward between the past and the present. The crime element remains secondary to the main theme which is in essence a study of human relations and a longing back to a time of excitement and innocence. This is not to say that the hunt for the murderer is forgotten, rather this theme is kept discretely alive as the threads of the story are expertly brought together.
What sets Stephen King apart from fellow authors is his understanding of the human condition and his inherent ability to bring this alive throughout the pages of his writing...
“When you’re twenty-one, life is a roadmap. It’s only when you get to be twenty-five or so that you begin to suspect you’ve been looking at the map upside down, and not until you’re forty are you entirely sure. By the time you’re sixty, take if from me, you’re fucking lost.”
“Fifty yards ahead of us, a doe had come out of the woods. She stepped delicately over one rusty GS&WM track and onto the railbed, where the weeds and goldenrod were so high they brushed against her sides. She paused there, looking at us calmly, ears cocked forward. What I remember about that moment was the silence. No bird sang, no plane went droning overhead. If my mother had been with us, she’d have had her camera and would have been taking pictures like mad. Thinking of that made me miss her in a way I hadn’t in years.”
“It doesn’t have to be the last good time. But sooner or later the last good time would come around. It does for all of us.”
I find it astounding that a book of such beauty and deep emotive thoughts can possibly be targeted with negative reviews....”Shallow supernatural elements. No real suspense or horror or twists-it’s amazing I managed to finish it”.....one such reviewer states. The point of this story is we are not dealing with blood thirsty flesh eating zombies! if you want that look elsewhere...rather the crime, the horror, the suspense is all present but expertly packaged in an enthralling coming of age story...”Mike’s thing was clearer. Simpler. Purer. It wasn’t like seeing the ghost of Linda Gray, but it was akin to that, okay? It was touching another world.
The conclusion of Joyland is nothing short of astounding and expertly brings all the pieces of the story into a satisfactory whole.....I implore you to read this is a major work of such importance from a modern literary genius.
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Green Mile” and “The Shining”.Joyland is equal to if not better than the aforementioned and in my opinion ranks as one of the greatest examples of the “coming of age” story ever written.....it is that good! It is true to say that I as a reader have a certain respect and fondness for “Devin Jones” as his experience in Joyland mirrors my own youthful dalliances as both an amusement park worker and a camp councillor in America during the mid 1970’s. The writing is so powerful that at times I lost all knowledge of time and place so engrossed was I in the mystical storytelling ability of Mr King.
Devin Jones has taken a summer job as a worker and ride operator at Joyland Amusement Park in South Carolina. In recent times Joyland was the location and scene for the disappearance and murder of a young lady called Linda Gray. Devin will spend the summer and beyond learning the business and defining his character as he makes the sometimes painful but also memorable journey from youth to adult. He will form long lasting friendships with the amusement park staff in particular his landlady Mrs Shoplaw, Erin and Tom, the tragic and crippled Mike and his mum the mysterious Annie Ross, Devin’s first love.
In King’s hands the layers of the story and the characters unfold as we sweep forward between the past and the present. The crime element remains secondary to the main theme which is in essence a study of human relations and a longing back to a time of excitement and innocence. This is not to say that the hunt for the murderer is forgotten, rather this theme is kept discretely alive as the threads of the story are expertly brought together.
What sets Stephen King apart from fellow authors is his understanding of the human condition and his inherent ability to bring this alive throughout the pages of his writing...
“When you’re twenty-one, life is a roadmap. It’s only when you get to be twenty-five or so that you begin to suspect you’ve been looking at the map upside down, and not until you’re forty are you entirely sure. By the time you’re sixty, take if from me, you’re fucking lost.”
“Fifty yards ahead of us, a doe had come out of the woods. She stepped delicately over one rusty GS&WM track and onto the railbed, where the weeds and goldenrod were so high they brushed against her sides. She paused there, looking at us calmly, ears cocked forward. What I remember about that moment was the silence. No bird sang, no plane went droning overhead. If my mother had been with us, she’d have had her camera and would have been taking pictures like mad. Thinking of that made me miss her in a way I hadn’t in years.”
“It doesn’t have to be the last good time. But sooner or later the last good time would come around. It does for all of us.”
I find it astounding that a book of such beauty and deep emotive thoughts can possibly be targeted with negative reviews....”Shallow supernatural elements. No real suspense or horror or twists-it’s amazing I managed to finish it”.....one such reviewer states. The point of this story is we are not dealing with blood thirsty flesh eating zombies! if you want that look elsewhere...rather the crime, the horror, the suspense is all present but expertly packaged in an enthralling coming of age story...”Mike’s thing was clearer. Simpler. Purer. It wasn’t like seeing the ghost of Linda Gray, but it was akin to that, okay? It was touching another world.
The conclusion of Joyland is nothing short of astounding and expertly brings all the pieces of the story into a satisfactory whole.....I implore you to read this is a major work of such importance from a modern literary genius.
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LibraryThing member Al-G
There are some books you read that are very good. There are some that you just can’t put down. Then there are some that are both of those things, and that you know you’ll just have to read again. This is one of those. “Joyland” is not your typical Stephen King. Oh, it has ghosts and
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psychics, but they are not the main part of the story. Devin Jones is just your average college student until he goes to work for Joyland and finds himself enamored of carny life, of the woman with the crippled son, and of the mystery surrounding the death of Linda Gray. There is a serial killer on the loose and somehow he is connected to Joyland, and to Devin. This is more a murder mystery than anything else, though the usual paranormal elements of a King story are present, the real focus is the coming of age tale of young Devin, and the intrigue of the mystery surrounding Joyland. King is a tremendous storyteller and in Joyland, he spins one of his best. Even knowing whodunit will not dampen the enjoyment of the story, and this one will go on my short list of books to read again. Show Less
LibraryThing member Lettypearl
At age 21, Devin Jones gets his heart broken by his college sweetheart so he goes away for the summer to work at an amusement park in North Carolina. While there, he learns that a girl had been murdered in the House of Horrors ride four years ago. He and one of his summer co-workers decide to try
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to figure out what happened. The park's fortune teller informs Devine that he should be careful as there is a shadow hanging over him, and he should watch for a little girl with a red hat, and also for a little boy with a dog. He saves the little girl's life, and when he meets up with the little boy, the boy has cystic fibrosis, and seems to have second sight also. Devin becomes attached to the little boy and his mother, which eventually leads him to a confrontation with the killer of the girl in the HOuse of Horrors. This is an enjoyable read, not as creepy as many of King's books. I really enjoyed the story and the character development. Show Less
LibraryThing member mhanlon
This was a great read, a real Stephen King yarn, full of folksy folks, New England color, even deep down in North Carolina, and some people with special senses.
Got exactly what I expected, and thoroughly enjoyed the story.
Got exactly what I expected, and thoroughly enjoyed the story.
LibraryThing member TFS93
This was a disappointment. I was expecting much more. Thankfully it was a short read, or I may not have finished it. Devin was just not likeable. The ghost was almost an afterthought and did not play a big enough part in the story. The carnival, which should have been more of the story, was seen in
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small glimpses, but never really fleshed out like it could have been. I had the killer figured out fairly early on. I really can't recommend this one, try one of King's earlier works or hold out for Doctor Sleep! Show Less
LibraryThing member coloradogirl14
Stephen King departs from his usual horror-novel fare with Joyland – a mystery wrapped in a coming-of-age story that is sure to be at the top of everyone’s summer reading list.
Devin Jones comes to work at Joyland during the summer of 1973, where he falls in love with the carny lifestyle. A good
As a reader, I respond really well to Stephen King’s writing style – it’s conversational, yet sophisticated, and it’s poignant without coming across as pretentious or forced. In other words, it’s an honest voice. And Joyland is an honest story, from the description of the amusement park to Devin’s friendship with the dying child and his mother.
I’ll be honest – when I first heard about Joyland, I expected a much more horrific story…in my head, I was picturing a John Wayne Gacy-type of mystery, with a murderer who poses as a carnival clown. The marketing, however, made it seem like this was going to be a hardboiled murder mystery, which I tend to be wary of. But what Joyland actually turned out to be was a fantastic, sincere story, especially for people who still expect Stephen King to only write horror. The mystery is well-plotted, the ghost story is subtle yet haunting (pun partially intended!), and the coming-of-age story is as well written as anything King has ever published. Hardboiled, this story is not. And it’s an extremely fast read…I read the majority of it in 24 hours on the last leg of a family road trip.
Stephen King may be the King of Horror, but the publishing world should consider altering this perception…Joyland proves that Stephen King should really be considered the King of Storytelling.
Recommended for: Stephen King fans (even if they’re fans of his horror material, this one is still worth a read), fans of low-key mysteries, mysteries with slight supernatural elements, or, heck, anyone who just enjoys a good story.
Readalikes: This one is a bit tricky, since it doesn’t really fall into a particular genre, but I’ll give it a go.
11/22/63 by Stephen King. I’m currently listening to the audio version of this book (I read the print version a little over a year ago), and the writing style is very similar, even though the subject matter is very different. Both books feature well-developed characters, a nostalgic tone, and are written with heartfelt sincerity, despite dark moments in the overall story. The main difference (besides the subject matter) is that 11/22/63 is over twice as long as Joyland, so it’ll require more stamina to get through it. But it’s well worth the effort.
The Colorado Kid by Stephen King. This was his first partnership with Hard Case Crimes – a story about a rookie female journalist covering a very strange murder case - and it’s another short, crime-based story from an author who is known for his supernatural thrills.
For anyone looking to read a genuine hard-boiled mystery, you could try Lawrence Block, Max Allen Collins, or George P. Pelecanos for a modern interpretation of the genre, or Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon for a more classic example.
Devin Jones comes to work at Joyland during the summer of 1973, where he falls in love with the carny lifestyle. A good
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portion of the story recounts his day-to-day routine in rich, nostalgic detail, but there are two main story threads that tie everything together: the legacy of a vicious murder that haunts the Tunnel of Terror and the fate of a dying child that Devin meets at the end of the summer. To give away more of the plot would mean giving away too much of the story, and at just under 300 pages, story is at a premium.As a reader, I respond really well to Stephen King’s writing style – it’s conversational, yet sophisticated, and it’s poignant without coming across as pretentious or forced. In other words, it’s an honest voice. And Joyland is an honest story, from the description of the amusement park to Devin’s friendship with the dying child and his mother.
I’ll be honest – when I first heard about Joyland, I expected a much more horrific story…in my head, I was picturing a John Wayne Gacy-type of mystery, with a murderer who poses as a carnival clown. The marketing, however, made it seem like this was going to be a hardboiled murder mystery, which I tend to be wary of. But what Joyland actually turned out to be was a fantastic, sincere story, especially for people who still expect Stephen King to only write horror. The mystery is well-plotted, the ghost story is subtle yet haunting (pun partially intended!), and the coming-of-age story is as well written as anything King has ever published. Hardboiled, this story is not. And it’s an extremely fast read…I read the majority of it in 24 hours on the last leg of a family road trip.
Stephen King may be the King of Horror, but the publishing world should consider altering this perception…Joyland proves that Stephen King should really be considered the King of Storytelling.
Recommended for: Stephen King fans (even if they’re fans of his horror material, this one is still worth a read), fans of low-key mysteries, mysteries with slight supernatural elements, or, heck, anyone who just enjoys a good story.
Readalikes: This one is a bit tricky, since it doesn’t really fall into a particular genre, but I’ll give it a go.
11/22/63 by Stephen King. I’m currently listening to the audio version of this book (I read the print version a little over a year ago), and the writing style is very similar, even though the subject matter is very different. Both books feature well-developed characters, a nostalgic tone, and are written with heartfelt sincerity, despite dark moments in the overall story. The main difference (besides the subject matter) is that 11/22/63 is over twice as long as Joyland, so it’ll require more stamina to get through it. But it’s well worth the effort.
The Colorado Kid by Stephen King. This was his first partnership with Hard Case Crimes – a story about a rookie female journalist covering a very strange murder case - and it’s another short, crime-based story from an author who is known for his supernatural thrills.
For anyone looking to read a genuine hard-boiled mystery, you could try Lawrence Block, Max Allen Collins, or George P. Pelecanos for a modern interpretation of the genre, or Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon for a more classic example.
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LibraryThing member RDHawk6886
You can smell the vapors of some of King's earlier classics, most notably "The Body", but does not feel fully realized. I read King's other HardCase novel and keep rooting for them, but neither was that satisfying. The hints of earlier King and quick pace is sufficient to give it a moderate
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recommendation, but the story line is neither scares you or fully draws you in. The carny language, in several parts, seems to be overkill and forced. Show Less
LibraryThing member pixiedark
Joyland by Stephen King is about a college student named Devin Jones who gets a summer job at an amusement park called Joyland. He is heartbroken after his first love breaks up with him. Devin soon learns what real heartbreak is after he spends the summer at Joyland. After he meets a dying child,
This novel has a little bit of everything in it. Joyland is a murder mystery, a horror story and a coming of age novel. There are some heartbreaking and suspenseful moments in this book. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you cry at the same time.
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he learns about the dark truths that life has in store for us. He also has to deal with the legacy of a vicious murderer. Devin grows up very fast during the time he spends at Joyland.This novel has a little bit of everything in it. Joyland is a murder mystery, a horror story and a coming of age novel. There are some heartbreaking and suspenseful moments in this book. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat and make you cry at the same time.
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LibraryThing member blockbuster1994
Stephen King reigns king as the master at character development, making the carny life real, without all that sleaze I stereotypically expect. While I felt no connection to the lead Devin Jones, I was certainly compelled to finish his story.
I thought the storyline of the cold-case murder was second
I thought the storyline of the cold-case murder was second
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fiddle to the characters and time period. Joyland felt authentic in its portrayal of the 1970's amusement park and the people who worked backstage. The dying child drama tugs at the heart, but a moment of triumph is found in the grace and courage the boy faced death. Show Less
LibraryThing member Daniel_Powell
Reading Stephen King's Joyland is a fine way to spend a summer afternoon. I remember hearing talk some years ago of retirement for America's greatest storyteller, and that would have been a shame. Some of his best work has been released in recent years (I think I'm going to re-read Duma Key this
King writes place so well, and the eponymous amusement park situated on coastal Carolina is pitch perfect. He nails the authenticity of climate and the gentile mannerisms here (Mrs. Shoplaw reminds me of at least a half dozen southern women I know here in Florida), and I really enjoyed the carny speak. It's a ghost story with a little summer romance thrown in and a sad complication with a little boy and a terrible illness. Told in the first person, it's vintage King--think Bag of Bones with a much younger male protagonist and you're getting pretty close.
Even if the mystery is a bit telegraphed, it's still an example of really fine writing. King's voice is rich with humor and those keen observational insights that lead to a nuanced, well-rendered narrative. Nobody in fiction can quite break your heart the way King does, and you'll feel it here in the final pages as well.
King remains at the top of his game, not only for the narrative chops that lead to such clear examinations of the human condition, but also for the depth of variety he brings to the table. This is mostly a straight-ahead thriller, though there is a little speculative element in the ghost story. I'm hoping that Dr. Sleep is a return to horror with a harder edge, but even if it's a more atmospheric piece, as is the case with Joyland, it'll likely be a worthy follow-up to The Shining.
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summer), and Joyland is yet another top-notch effort.King writes place so well, and the eponymous amusement park situated on coastal Carolina is pitch perfect. He nails the authenticity of climate and the gentile mannerisms here (Mrs. Shoplaw reminds me of at least a half dozen southern women I know here in Florida), and I really enjoyed the carny speak. It's a ghost story with a little summer romance thrown in and a sad complication with a little boy and a terrible illness. Told in the first person, it's vintage King--think Bag of Bones with a much younger male protagonist and you're getting pretty close.
Even if the mystery is a bit telegraphed, it's still an example of really fine writing. King's voice is rich with humor and those keen observational insights that lead to a nuanced, well-rendered narrative. Nobody in fiction can quite break your heart the way King does, and you'll feel it here in the final pages as well.
King remains at the top of his game, not only for the narrative chops that lead to such clear examinations of the human condition, but also for the depth of variety he brings to the table. This is mostly a straight-ahead thriller, though there is a little speculative element in the ghost story. I'm hoping that Dr. Sleep is a return to horror with a harder edge, but even if it's a more atmospheric piece, as is the case with Joyland, it'll likely be a worthy follow-up to The Shining.
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LibraryThing member JGolomb
I’m a sucker for Stephen King it seems. No matter the topic, the fright-factor, nor the era: I’m a sucker for Stephen King.
His short crime-noir “Joyland” is a wonderful read. Always so evocative of place, time, and his characters’ life-stage, King has built another undeniably real, and
The story zeros in on a rising college senior who’s spending his summer working at Joyland, a small Carolina coastal amusement park, that’s more akin to traveling town carnival than a Disney theme park.
Devin Jones is an aspiring writer (quite a surprise, right?). Reflecting on what was simultaneously the best and worst summer of his life, he comments, “When you’re twenty-one, life is a roadmap. It’s only when you get to be twenty-five or so that you begin to suspect you’ve been looking at the map upside down, and not until you’re forty are you entirety sure.”
King bakes a supernatural mystery within a softer, larger murder mystery – several years ago, a young woman was killed during a ride on in Joyland’s haunted house. The whodunit is interested, but merely drives Jones ride to self-realization and his emotional growth from young man, to adult.
The story contains love, and lost love: both precisely described with King’s astute insight, and subtle hand. And he still writes a child’s perspective that connects with me like no other author.
He’s known as a ‘horror’ writer, but the truth is, King writes about human nature. The horror, the mystery, the crime, are simply the vehicle to convey what makes us human, and he does so in a way that creates an intimate relationship between author, reader, and character.
I thoroughly enjoyed “Joyland”…the conclusion to the murder-mystery itself ends a little flat, but the rest of the story more than makes up for it.
His short crime-noir “Joyland” is a wonderful read. Always so evocative of place, time, and his characters’ life-stage, King has built another undeniably real, and
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relatable world in an early 70’s down-stage amusement park. The story zeros in on a rising college senior who’s spending his summer working at Joyland, a small Carolina coastal amusement park, that’s more akin to traveling town carnival than a Disney theme park.
Devin Jones is an aspiring writer (quite a surprise, right?). Reflecting on what was simultaneously the best and worst summer of his life, he comments, “When you’re twenty-one, life is a roadmap. It’s only when you get to be twenty-five or so that you begin to suspect you’ve been looking at the map upside down, and not until you’re forty are you entirety sure.”
King bakes a supernatural mystery within a softer, larger murder mystery – several years ago, a young woman was killed during a ride on in Joyland’s haunted house. The whodunit is interested, but merely drives Jones ride to self-realization and his emotional growth from young man, to adult.
The story contains love, and lost love: both precisely described with King’s astute insight, and subtle hand. And he still writes a child’s perspective that connects with me like no other author.
He’s known as a ‘horror’ writer, but the truth is, King writes about human nature. The horror, the mystery, the crime, are simply the vehicle to convey what makes us human, and he does so in a way that creates an intimate relationship between author, reader, and character.
I thoroughly enjoyed “Joyland”…the conclusion to the murder-mystery itself ends a little flat, but the rest of the story more than makes up for it.
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LibraryThing member erinclark
This book has a little bit of everything, a murder mystery, paranormal activity, a coming of age novel, humor, great characters and good writing, just what I expect from Stephan King. He is a fabulous story teller and this book did not disappoint. Highly recommended if you like Stephen Kings work.
LibraryThing member Mary6508
One more highly enjoyable, well written novel by King. He never disappoints.
LibraryThing member rivkat
Dumped by his girlfriend, 1970s college student Devin Jones starts his summer of working at a small southern carnival moping. But he’s young, and eventually he starts to notice the rest of the world again—including the ghost story of the haunted house, where a young woman was murdered years
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back. King writes nostalgically as a mature man recalling his somewhat callow youth, and evokes the heat and haze of the carnival in the years before entertainment was digitized. For all that the final confrontation with the killer is literally a high-stakes carnival ride, I found the mood more elegaic than creepy. Show Less
LibraryThing member littleton_pace
Very excited to read a new book from Mr. King, and I was lucky enough to be second in line at my library to borrow it.
What I find about Stephen King books personally, is that they are hit and miss with me. Some I love, some I hate. This one is definitely more towards the love column. My only
Whatever your thoughts are on King, it can never be said the man can't write. He knows what he's doing with a story and with characters. So much so that even his stories I haven't enjoyed (Looking at you, Dead Zone), I always read until the final page, and it usually doesn't take me very long to do so.
I recommend this one to fans of King and crime novels, but definitely not if you're looking for a scare! In fact, the last page had me almost wanting to cry, it was that touching!
PS - Hopefully not too spoilery, can someone clue me in as it if Mike's saying "It's not white" was every explained? I may have skimmed over it but from what I read, that one premonition/clue was left unconnected.
What I find about Stephen King books personally, is that they are hit and miss with me. Some I love, some I hate. This one is definitely more towards the love column. My only
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issues with it were probably because I was expecting something scary, and it's not a scary novel. While there are elements of a ghost story, that's not the main narrative. I would call it more of a coming of age story of a young man who when he hit a dark corner in his life, found new place that he was meant to be. Whatever your thoughts are on King, it can never be said the man can't write. He knows what he's doing with a story and with characters. So much so that even his stories I haven't enjoyed (Looking at you, Dead Zone), I always read until the final page, and it usually doesn't take me very long to do so.
I recommend this one to fans of King and crime novels, but definitely not if you're looking for a scare! In fact, the last page had me almost wanting to cry, it was that touching!
PS - Hopefully not too spoilery, can someone clue me in as it if Mike's saying "It's not white" was every explained? I may have skimmed over it but from what I read, that one premonition/clue was left unconnected.
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LibraryThing member SamSattler
Despite its cover and Hard Case Crime imprint, Joyland is really a rather sweet coming-of-age novel set in the small town carnival culture of the early 1970s. This is not meant to say that the story does not involve elements of the supernatural, violence, or a thrilling “hold on tight” ending,
Devin Jones, trying to forget the college sweetheart who has so broken his heart, decides to extend his Heaven’s Bay, North Carolina, summer job into full-time work for the next year rather than to return to school. Devin has made some good friends among Joyland’s professional carnies and is proud of the delight he brings to small children when it is his turn to wear “the fur suit.” So, for him, Joyland is the perfect spot to get his head together before returning to the school he so closely associates with the young woman who broke his heart.
But all is not what it seems to be at Joyland. One of the carnival’s rides appears to be haunted by the ghost of a young woman murdered inside one of its cars, and Devin comes to suspect that others may have suffered a similar fate. Intrigued by the stories he hears around the carnival, Devin starts to ask questions and to do enough historical research to leave him wondering whether a serial killer is still out there somewhere. The closer he comes to the truth, the more danger he places himself and those closest to him in.
Along the way, young Devin will learn much about life and love from the close carny friends he makes and from his relationship with a slightly “older woman” and her young son. The boy, despite suffering a devastating illness, becomes one of the brightest and most consistently upbeat people in Devin’s life, and Devin’s relationship with the boy’s mother is one he will remember the rest of his life – if he lives long enough to grow old.
Joyland is about growing up, or - for the unlucky ones – not growing up, and the novel certainly has its emotional moments. What it does not do is break new ground for its author. Longtime Stephen King fans will feel right at home in the Joyland setting because King is a past master of tales like this one. Joyland is likely to be a “comfort read” for most of its readers, but it will probably disappoint others who are left with a “been there, done that” feeling.
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however – because, after all, this is a Stephen King novel.Devin Jones, trying to forget the college sweetheart who has so broken his heart, decides to extend his Heaven’s Bay, North Carolina, summer job into full-time work for the next year rather than to return to school. Devin has made some good friends among Joyland’s professional carnies and is proud of the delight he brings to small children when it is his turn to wear “the fur suit.” So, for him, Joyland is the perfect spot to get his head together before returning to the school he so closely associates with the young woman who broke his heart.
But all is not what it seems to be at Joyland. One of the carnival’s rides appears to be haunted by the ghost of a young woman murdered inside one of its cars, and Devin comes to suspect that others may have suffered a similar fate. Intrigued by the stories he hears around the carnival, Devin starts to ask questions and to do enough historical research to leave him wondering whether a serial killer is still out there somewhere. The closer he comes to the truth, the more danger he places himself and those closest to him in.
Along the way, young Devin will learn much about life and love from the close carny friends he makes and from his relationship with a slightly “older woman” and her young son. The boy, despite suffering a devastating illness, becomes one of the brightest and most consistently upbeat people in Devin’s life, and Devin’s relationship with the boy’s mother is one he will remember the rest of his life – if he lives long enough to grow old.
Joyland is about growing up, or - for the unlucky ones – not growing up, and the novel certainly has its emotional moments. What it does not do is break new ground for its author. Longtime Stephen King fans will feel right at home in the Joyland setting because King is a past master of tales like this one. Joyland is likely to be a “comfort read” for most of its readers, but it will probably disappoint others who are left with a “been there, done that” feeling.
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Awards
Edgar Award (Nominee — 2014)
Anthony Award (Nominee — 2014)
Globe and Mail Top 100 Book (Fiction — 2013)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2013-06-04
Physical description
301 p.; 22 cm
ISBN
9788793166363
Local notes
Omslag: Jon Asgeir
Omslaget viser en forlystelsespark 'Joyland'
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra amerikansk "Joyland" af Alice Friis Caspersen
Side 11: Vi er mange gange nødt til at tænke kreativt her. Der er sådan noget lidt gammeldags gøgleragtigt over Joyland.
Side 21: Når man er enogtyve, er livet som et vejkort. Det er først som cirka femogtyveårig, at man begynder at få en mistanke om, at man har vendt kortet på hovedet, og når man er fyrre, ved man det med sikkerhed. Når man er tres, er man faret uhjælpelig vild, tro mig, jeg ved, hvad jeg taler om.
Side 173: Frodo og Sam på vej til Dommedagsbjerget. - Devin læser Tolkiens Ringenes Herre i sin fritid
Omslaget viser en forlystelsespark 'Joyland'
Indskannet omslag - N650U - 150 dpi
Oversat fra amerikansk "Joyland" af Alice Friis Caspersen
Side 11: Vi er mange gange nødt til at tænke kreativt her. Der er sådan noget lidt gammeldags gøgleragtigt over Joyland.
Side 21: Når man er enogtyve, er livet som et vejkort. Det er først som cirka femogtyveårig, at man begynder at få en mistanke om, at man har vendt kortet på hovedet, og når man er fyrre, ved man det med sikkerhed. Når man er tres, er man faret uhjælpelig vild, tro mig, jeg ved, hvad jeg taler om.
Side 173: Frodo og Sam på vej til Dommedagsbjerget. - Devin læser Tolkiens Ringenes Herre i sin fritid
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Pages
301
DDC/MDS
| 813.54 |