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.

Really nice listen

Yes, this is sweet and a bit sentimental in parts, but it's also a really nice coming of age story. 21 is an emotional time in life and hindsight gives us the opportunity to cringe at what seemed important at the time. I think King did a great job of showing Devin as a real guy dealing with the ups and downs of becoming an adult while tossing a decent mystery into the mix.

Having spent a summer of my own at a local amusement part (including "wearing the fur,") I appreciated the details of being young among the carnies. It's a magical world you know you'll leave at summer's end, but some part of it will never leave you, as it never did Devin.

If you're looking for old school King horror, this probably won't be your cup of tea, but if you're looking for a really good listen with a few tears and laughs along the way, then by all means download this book.

Not what I expected..but a good mystery!

This is more of a coming of age for a collage kid. How he handles life and his first brake up. There is a mystery which I was unable to figure out.

I would have to say not one of King's that I would tell a girlfriend about but it entertained me long enough to finish it. That was prob because of Michael Kelly. He did a great job with voices and his voice is calming.

Exceptionally tender for Stephen King

Where does Joyland rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Joyland was a piece of chocolate after dinner. I enjoyed it thoroughly, found it relaxing to listen too, but not boring. Stephen King is a great writer and the narrator was terrific.

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

He reads with great animation and emphasis. The performance brings the characters to life.

A Character Driven Delight

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

Introspective supernatural thriller

Who was your favorite character and why?

Bradley Easterbrook for his perfectly drawn appearance and Carney From Carney linneage

Which scene was your favorite?

All the Carney scenes

Any additional comments?

The beauty of this book is its simplicity. King lets his characters tell the story as opposed to his epic style of man vs evil. The supernatural is deft and subtle.

Having just finished Dr Sleep, I'm wondering if this book was an exercise for that larger novel

A sweet, slightly spooky summer story

Would you consider the audio edition of Joyland to be better than the print version?

I haven't read the print version.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes, Mr. King has woven a simple but effective plot that leaves little clues but leaves you guessing throughout.

Which scene was your favorite?

Can't say! Don't want to spoil it, but every scene was well written.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The last good time.

Any additional comments?

Sometimes Stephen King gets too long winded and could use a good editor, but in this story he has created a near perfect novel and shown that he's still THE king. It's spooky enough, sweet enough, dangerous enough, and every so poignant. In the hands of another writer, this could be a string of cliches, but Mr. King knows how to paint a traditional coming of age tale with a fresh pen.

Not his best

It's alright, I'm glad it was relatively short. Characters were defined well, but I guess I expected something more sinister from King. But maybe that's not what he was going for. All in all, not bad...just not his best.

You are in trouble Stephen King!

Would you listen to Joyland again? Why?

Yes, The story is the classic who done it with thrills and you can't figure it out until the end.

What other book might you compare Joyland to and why?

ODD Thomas books

Which scene was your favorite?

at the park all of them

If you could take any character from Joyland out to dinner, who would it be and why?

the main guy!

lovely summer story

Any additional comments?

Performance was great. This is one of his most basic stories, but it is sweet and enjoyable if you are a fan of King.

Short, Sweet and Riveting.

It's a murder mystery, but it's also a paranormal tale in some respects, and in others it's a tale of a young man coming of age.

This is a shorter King tale (around 7 hours). I knew that going in, but I got so sucked into the story and the world, that it took me by surprise when the mystery began to unravel. That's the beauty of this tale (and most King books). There's stuff going on, but like a Harry Potter tale, you tend to enjoy the journey just as much as the destination.

Narration was great, though many of the voices had the same cadence.

Would definitely recommend.

Don't Judge a Book by its Cover

I bought this book months ago and procrastinated listening to it, primarily because it was billed as a "mystery" and the "cover" seemed to portray a crime noir type novel, and I wasn't sure that was what I was looking for. I was so wrong.

This is an honest and heartfelt coming of age story, with a mystery as a story device to move things along. I heartily concur with other reviewers who insist that Stephen King has gotten an unfair reputation - usually by people who have never read one of his books.

I love Stephen King. I love the way he puts so much of himself so generously in each book that he writes. I love the way he writes dialogue and never assumes an omniscient point of view over all characters - the sign of a lazy writer. Writing in the first person is the most challenging task a writer can take on, and he does it to perfection. We learn about the other characters through the eyes of the narrator, not through broad statements like "she was scared," or "he was disappointed." Instead, we learn about his characters through their actions and their dialogue, just like in real life. Tricky business for a writer, and he does it so skillfully that we don't even realize he is doing it.

Books seldom bring me to tears. This one did. Just listen to it. You'll be so glad you did.