Roadwork by Stephen King
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Book Reviews of Roadwork
Book Review: There was bound to be a split decision on this one
Summary: 5 Stars
There are really two classes of King readers. The first are the early-career lovers. These are people who like suspense (though I have yet to learn how you get that from a forum where the subject controls the pace) and raw plot motion, and there's nothing wrong with that, but it's definitely not a very rich or complete approach to take. The second group are the late-career fans of work like Hearts in Atlantis and Desperation, who generally give a more deep and introspective read to the work and aren't as concerned with things moving along at a brisk clip. For those who may be wondering, I am probably best classified as one of the latter.The first group will hate this novel. Rather than being a continuously moving story about a collection of things happening to people, Roadwork is essentially an examination of the destruction of one man. And let me tell you, that character examination is SUBLIME. The only character that I have read in a King work who was clearly better defined was Johnny Smith from The Dead Zone, and this book would best be compared to that earlier work.
There is very little to be bored with in this book if you're not worried about things always happening. If you are, you might be better advised to move on and leave this one alone--there aren't a lot of bodies or explosions. The atmosphere and characterization, however, are superb. I read this as part of the Bachman Books, which have regrettably been taken off the market as a set, and I was impressed by the depth and expression that King managed in this side-project (not reflected in his other work under the pseudonym).
There are problems with this book, though. For one thing, it is absolutely mired in the seventies. Younger readers may get lost trying to relate to such a thing as an oil embargo. To some extent, that intrinsic association holds back the novel by keeping the contemporary reader from truly getting a feel for the environment, but it didn't hurt me too much (and I was born after the whole embargo thing was resolved).
I find nothing more refreshing than seeing an author liberating himself from a genre where he had previously been caged up, and King does that in this book. Instead of incorporating elements of fantasy, as he is so often wont to do, he stuck with reality in this story, and it pays off. You can see the faces of some characters you encounter further down the line, as well, particularly in the mobster (who later became a character in Thinner, after a name change and some tweaking, I imagine). This is a masterpiece of TRUE Stephen King writing, and I don't miss the usual fantastic elements at all. I'd recommend this for anybody looking for a good read.
Book Review: Our global consumer's society leads to violence!!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a Richard Bachman book. Here one male individual, due to some roadwork around his home, blows his top and gets destructive against this consumer's society that does not provide individuals with peace and quiet, security and a healthful and healthy future. he becomes berserk and he starts destroying anything that comes from there, from out there, from this society, and then symbolically this society itself. And he does that to celebrate Christmas and New Year. His solution is final and has no return. This book reveals that a society that does not provide people with an outlet for their desire for change, a procedure for them to change their society in a way or another, they have to turn violent one way or another, either violent against other people or violent against themselves. The development of globalization is a perfect demonstration of this phenomenon. The global process is not under the control of the people, so they become discontented and they may become violent : violent in demonstrations, violent in their everyday life, violent against other people or themselves, even suicidary. Their aim becomes the pure and simple destruction of everything they can lay their hands on and that represents, in their eyes, this global society. Here it will be a McDonald restaurant. There it will be a confrontation with the police. Overthere it will be the destruction and looting of stores. And so on without any limits. This book is a call for a society where every individual will be associate with the decisions and will be able to air their ideas, opposition or agreement, a society where the opinions of individuals will be absolutely crucial, asked for and respected. And this starts at the local level. This book is very pessimistic about our society, but maybe our society deserves this pessimism. Dr Jacques COULARDEAUBook Review: How much can you take away from someone before they snap?
Summary: 5 Stars
Story:
Barton Dawes was a normal man working in his laundry mat. He had a loving wife and a life he was happy with. Until the day came that he found that his house and his business was going to be demolished in the name of progress. His home was to become the site of a new interstate. On that day Bart snapped. This is the story of how Bart falls and what he finds out about himself, his life, and his world on the way down...
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To start off this book is *dark* it almost reminded me of another book called "The edge of human" by K.W.Jeeter. When you glance up from reading the sun doesn't seem quite as bright as it was before you started. This does as some of the other reviews on this page seem to be more of a main stream book than other King books,no supernatural forces or evil beings just one man self destructing. In between bouts of multiple personality arguements, dark depression and drug/alchol binges dawes finds his self looking at his life clearly for the first time. Most of the book deals with his discovery that he never dealt with the death of his son, he just went on auto-piolt for x amount of years and its not really the road work that set him on his path its that he was desperatly/painfully angry that his son was taken away from him and with the coming of the road he could no longer coast along in his own little world. Even as Dawes takes the final steps the man that he was still emerges here and there as with Olivia and the Arms dealer, a little light in the overwhelming darkness. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes thier horror set in the real world, with nary a boogeyman insight and also of course anyone who likes Steven King no matter what name he is writing under. m.a.c
Book Review: Push me over the edge
Summary: 5 Stars
how much can one person take?Especially one with an attitude that can lead to the unthinkable?...
Here is a detailed review:The story takes place in an unnamed New England city in the 1970's. Barton George Dawes, grieving over the death of his son and the disintegration of his marriage, is driven off the deep end when he finds that both his home and his business are going to be condemned to make way for the construction of a new interstate highway.
In the introduction to the novel in the collection The Bachman Books King states his disappointment with the work and that a lot of the novel's seemingly melodramatic touches were attempts by him to come to terms with his own mother's death around the time of writing. King states that he was in two minds about reprinting it but decided to in the end in order to give readers an insight into his personality at the time.
Oddly enough, in the introduction to the second edition of The Bachman Books (entitled "The Importance of Being Bachman") King referred to Roadwork as his favorite among the Bachman books.
In the introduction to the first collected works The Backman Books, King states in his essay "Why I Was Bachman", "I think it was an effort to make some sense of my mother's painful death the year before - a lingering cancer had taken her off inch by painful inch. Following this death I was left both grieving and shaken by the apparent senselessness of it all... Roadwork tries so hard to be good and find some answers to the conundrum of human pain...enjoy..Nigel
Book Review: One of the Best of King
Summary: 5 Stars
I've long moved on from Stephen King's horror tales. However, Roadwork remains a favorite novel above the rest. The story reads like watching a classic "Decade Under the Influence" 70's film.
Bart Dawes grapples with middle age, loss of home, family, and employment set in the empty world of middle class America of the 70s. Dawes' only comfort is his memories and imaginary conversations with his conscience, whimsically named Freddy after his dead son. As he watches a new road pave over the places he loves and his memories, Barton Dawes revolts against complacency and embarks on an odessey to find his place in the world that no longer makes sense.
Younger readers may not understand the setting and should do some research into the time period. The seventies was the decade white-bread America came of age and realized our perfect suburban worlds were an empty facade contengent upon the whims of politics and big business. After reading Roadwork's climatic ending, one can see the themes of ever increasing government intrusion and corporate power over the lives of everyday people is still true today, and frighteningly, has increased since the first energy crisis of 30 years ago.