Joyland

By: Stephen King

Narrated by: Michael Kelly

Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

"Joyland is a breathtaking, beautiful, heartbreaking book.... Even the most hardboiled readers will find themselves moved."
—Charles Ardai, Edgar- and Shamus Award-winning editor of Hard Case Crime.

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. Joyland is a brand-new novel and has never previously been published.

©2013 Stephen King. All rights reserved. (P)2013 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

The least helpful Joyland review.

Any additional comments?

I enjoyed this short little book.

I don't know what it is about Stephen King and his writing. While I'm listening to his audio books I like them, but when I look back on them I don't know why I like them.

To me Joyland was a feel good book.

Very Enjoyable Story

If you could sum up Joyland in three words, what would they be?

Any additional comments?

I wasn't expecting this book to be as good as it was. From start to end I was hooked on the story and the characters.

Loved it!

If you are a Constant Reader I feel safe in recommending that you will not be sorry for spending the credit. I only read on my Nook or Nexus 7 so didn't want to buy the paperback. They just don't appeal to me anymore since I went digital in 2010. They are annoying to me to hold. :-)

So I was excited to see there was an audio version available. It was well read and I enjoyed the story. I like his story telling even when it's not horror. I am fine with that actually. I was not disappointed at all. Yeah, the "crime" was a bit of a side line, but still there. The character sketches were what you expect in a King book. Awesome. :-)

A little bit of everything

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Great story and just enough creep factor.

Have you listened to any of Michael Kelly’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I haven't listened to him before and he was amazing.

Any additional comments?

If you are looking for monsters and gore this one isn't it, but I promis you would be missing out if you don't read it. It is a ghost story/who dunnit with a little bit of magic and yes King fans, some love. If I had the time, I would have have curled up on a Saturday and listened to the whole thing at once.

Little Lame But Fun

This is a tame version of a Stephen King story. Sweet, a bit innocent, sappy at times, and with a little bit tear jerking at the end. Reminds me of the pulp fiction of the 60's. I usually don't like most Stephen King novels because to me the principal characters are often unlikeable, the language he uses is often excessive to the point of being less realistic instead of more, and and the world's he creates seem to bland more than dark. The good news is that this novel is the opposite of all these things.

Somewhat disappointing?

Had I rated this immediately after reading, I would have given it a 5 star rating. Now, the next morning, my rating has changed to 3.9 stars. The reason, it seemed to me a bit anticlimactic. I was still hooked, though, and couldnt put it down. It was wonderfully written, an excellent plot, and included some fantastic characterization. Very emotional, but not much of a thriller. A little suspenseful, but not to the degree I was expecting. Still, a very worthwhile read.

A perfect blend of sweetness and horror

I honestly don't know how Mr King makes it seem so easy to make the characters so relatable in circumstances that are so bizarre. Michael Kelly's performance was excellent.

NICE CARNIVAL RIDE

Stephen King seldom disappoints. No disappointment here. A good mix of intrigue and melancholy. I really enjoyed the ending.

Nice book

What did you love best about Joyland?

I loved all the characters they seemed so friendly and warm except for Ed but in the end even him.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved Mrs. Shoplaw. She was so endearing to me I just fell in love with her.

What does Michael Kelly bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He gave great voices to all the characters I really felt like I was experiencing the characters as individuals not just some guy reading a book and constantly changing his voice.

Who was the most memorable character of Joyland and why?

Mike of course! He was such a wonderful kid from beginning to end.

Any additional comments?

A bit slow for my taste wish it had more ghost interaction with Lisa Gray but in the end it was a good book for me.

Stephen King at his best!

King does a wonderful job of bringing each character to life. I felt like I was in the story. Michael Kelly does a great job of narration. The descriptions of the characters and their surroundings were so vivid. King proves again what an excellent writer he is.