Revival; Stephen King
Scribner - 2014
I couldn't wait to read Revival, Stephen King's latest novel,
especially after having enjoyed the last (3) King novels I tried:
11/22/63, Doctor Sleep and Mr. Mercedes.
In
this story there are pretty much (2) characters, Jamie Morton, who we
meet as a six year old child and Reverend Charles Jacobs, a preacher who
comes to Jamie's local Methodist church when he was a young boy in
Maine.
Unlike parents today, in the 1960's many
parents thought nothing of sending a young child off to spend some time
with an adult neighbor, friend or parish priest. Reverend Jacobs first
arrives in town alone, his wife and son arrive later, and Jamie begins
spending time with Rev. Jacobs who is somewhat of a mad scientist. He
shows him some secret experiments with electricity and later
demonstrates their power to heal.
When tragedy
strikes the reverend and his family, he gives a sermon which has him
quickly removed from his congregation and the community. Many are shocked by what was said by the preacher and yet devastated by his departure.
Fast
forward to 1992, Jamie is a heroin addict and rock band member. His band
members have pretty much abandoned him. At a state fair, Jamie crosses paths
with the former Reverend Jacobs who now goes by a different name and new vocation. Can a
fallen preacher, mad scientist, be just what Jamie needs to set him on
the right track? At what price?
The novel
covers a period of about 50 years, and while the first half of the book
held my interest, the second half was slow going. It is, however, the
last section that packs a wallop and stuck with me, it is here that the
writing reminded me of the Stephen King style of writing I like
best. Not a perfect story, but it did make me happy that I stuck with
this novel. The audio version was read by David Morse who did a decent job.
3.5/5 stars
(Audio book and Kindle eBook)
We usually like his writing so we would give it a shot.
ReplyDeleteI was planning on listening to the audio of this one too. Sorry it wasn't a better one for you. I'll still likely buy the audible
ReplyDeleteI can't decide if I should get the hardcover now, or wait for the softcover. I think I will wait for the softcover. It does sound good, though not his typical creepy horror like Dr Sleep was. Thanks for the review, Diane, yours is one of the first I have come across.
ReplyDeleteI need to read more King, but maybe not this one.
ReplyDeleteI've seen mixed reviews on this. I'm glad you don't regret listening to it!
ReplyDeleteI agree, the first half was pretty good and held my attention but that last half... was a bit of a chore to get through.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about trying this since somehow I've never read any books by Stephen King. It sounds like this is worth reading but may not be the one to start with. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteSounds like this is the kind of book that makes it hard for me to ever give up on a book - you just never know what that last bit will hold.
ReplyDelete