Duma Key: A Novel by Stephen King Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Duma Key: A Novel
Book Review: A Different King but well done
Summary: 4 Stars
When you first start to read this, dissapointing rememberences of Liseys Story will come to mind, but this book quickly moves away from that. Like many Stephen King books, things sometimes feel added purely for the sake of adding heft (the portions on Art), but they do loosely tie into the story. The ending feels thrown together (but sometimes King stories do just seem to end) (but even King himself says in the Gunslinger series that endings can be dissapointing, and we should read for the sake of the story). Overall this was a good read.Book Review: A Great Read
Summary: 5 Stars
I just finished reading Stephen King's Duma Key and it's the best book he's written since "The Dark Tower". The characters are as rich as you would expect in a Stephen King novel. The story is clear and direct with a strong ending - unusual for most King novels, his endings are usually disappointing. It's a great ghost story, good and scary in the latter half of the book. Cynics might find it a bit long winded but with King's clear writing I found myself falling into the story and enjoying every page. I highly recommend it.
Book Review: A Lesser Effort
Summary: 4 Stars
This book starts out very well. It tells, with breath-taking clarify, a story of a man injured in a terrible accident whose life subsequently comes apart. He flies to refuge on Duma Key -- a small Florida island, where he begins to draw. And his drawing begins to unleash something ominous.
There's a lot to recommend this book. The characters are strong and there are some generally creepy moments. I read the last half of it in one day, so it definitely held my interest.
However, the middle section of the book, dealing with an art show, gets very slow. This is a problem I've rarely had with King despite the length of his books. The creepy atmosphere was almost absent in these middle passages as was any sense of narrative urgency. Even the climax takes its time, dragging it out. And the denouement, confined to a few pages, was unsatisfying. The book just sort of trails off, with a few "where are they now" notes about the characters. There's absolutely no unfolding of the emotions of the characters.
I was also bothered by the lack of originality. Large sections of the plot are recycled from other King works. (minor spoiler warning). We've seen almost all of this before. A red-cloaked figure (the Crimson king), dangerous figurines (Desperation), the power of drawing (the Dark Tower). The story actually reminded me a great deal of Bag of Bones, complete with malevolent controlling spirit and the woman trying to give subtle clues to the hero.
So yeah, it's good. But it felt hollow. And rather unworthy.
PS - Please ignore the complaints about King "injecting politics" into the story. There are a couple of throwaway lines scattered through the book, tiny political musing by the main character. They didn't bother me at all and my politics are very different from King's. People need to quit being so sensitive.
Book Review: A Loss for Words...
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm at a loss for words here. I can't say exactly why I both liked and disliked Duma Key. I think the thing that ultimately keeps me reading King is that I feel he's one of the best writers in American fiction, and I don't apply any genre to that. Personally, I prefer the non-horror (or less horror) stuff like Hearts In Atlantis, which has passages that stack up against any great literature. King can describe a simple card game and make it sound like compelling reading--perhaps the very definition of a good writer.
Still, I do wish he'd trust himself more. So many times, and here again, it seems like he doesn't want to disappoint his fans so he stays on familiar ground. Maybe I'm asking too much. In any case, I believe that King has one great big American novel in him that we've yet to see--with no more horror than Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird. Bottom line? He's an amazing writer, and Duma Key is worth the effort.
Book Review: A Masterpiece
Summary: 5 Stars
Duma Key isn't a single story. It's a combination of two intermingled (and inseparable) tales, each drastically different from the other.
The first story is a typical King concept; a sinister, far-reaching force and its effects on the protagonists. This tale, while impressive in execution and extremely interesting, isn't so great compared to King's pure-horror works (Pet Sematary, The Shinning, Gerald's Game, Misery, Bag of Bones, etc.).
The other story isn't supernatural at all. Instead, it focuses on the everyday life of Edgar Freemantle, a man who has lost his arm and suffered brain damage in a crippling accident. His family life is in shambles, he's no longer interested in his work, and he contemplates suicide. At the urging of his doctor, Edgar moves to Florida, hoping the change would help him get on with his life.
Day by day, we watch as Edgar extends his long and painful beach walks, meets new people, and communicates with his family and the folks from his "previous life". The recurring theme of King's books (that art and creativity can have a healing effect) mingles with the horror story, creating a disturbing mix in which art can both mend and kill.
The book truly comes alive during dialogue. Edgar's friendship with Wireman, his dealings with his ex-wife, his interaction with his daughters, and the conversations he has with miss Eastlake, all feel like they were taken straight out of real life. As always, there is a small caste of main characters and a large number of supporting characters, and each and every one of them leaves an impression in the reader's mind. For example, even a passing comment that Bozeman would hate knowing Edgar calls him "Bozie" gives us great insight into the personality of an unimportant character - King effectively makes us believe that, even though he's irrelevant to the story, Bozie is still an actual human being with a real life.
I could go on writing praise for Duma Key, but I think you get the picture. Honest advice: buy this book. It doesn't matter if you love King or if you hate him, this book is a masterpiece that will appeal to most book lovers.