Guess I am not doing too bad, huh? The second day of the year, and I have already completed one book!!!!!!!!!!!
Of course, the book was by Stephen King, a quick read, and, while loads of fun, is also routine and formulaic!
It is true one cannot judge a book by its cover, but when I first saw the cover of "Joyland," I knew I would read it. From Ray Bradbury's novel, "Something Wicked This Way Comes," to Tobe Hooper's 1981 movie, The Funhouse," I have been drawn to stories with amusement park/.carnival settings and themes. This goes back to my Sixties childhood in New Jersey, when I used to think Asbury Park and Point Pleasant were the most magical places in the world! I had a secret wish to want to move, so I could live near them, even (this lasted for a brief period, before I discovered Hollywood, darlings!!!!!!) growing up, and earning my living by working there! Such is the stuff of childhood.
King's descriptions of the environment that is the Joyland park, from the amusements to the workers, captured that, for me. My favorites were Fortuna, the fortune teller, who is really a Brooklyn widow named Rozzie Gold, and the park's costume designer, a real theatrical, gum cracking, sharp talking stereotype!!!!!!!! But truthful!
The narrator is a sixties plus man named Devin Jones, looking back on his youthful summer, 40 years ago, in 1973, which, interestingly, is the year i graduated from high school! Devin lands a summer job at Joyland, and gets caught up with the legend of Linda Gray--a young girl who was murdered by an unknown assailant, while riding the amusement attraction Horror House, and whose ghost is said to appear to some, while on the ride. King throws out the idea, but never develops it, that her sighting is an indicator, to the person who sees, of a premature death; Devin keeps wondering why his friend, Tom Kennedy, saw the ghost, not he, and later on we find that Tom is the only one of the Joyland work group to die a premature death. A bit later in life, yes, but premature, before the others!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Linda Gray's murder just turns out to be the icing on the cake, and Stephen King explores this readily. What he fails to explore is the killer's pathology--though it is somewhat done, via Devin, who, when confronted by the killer, shouts cliched reasons for his pathology!!!! And this is done, with humor!
The killer's identity had me fooled. There was one point, I thought, where it was turning out to be Devin's own father! But, the discovery is made all too quickly, and with little exploration of how, and the climax is a bit too fast paced. And the resolution and ending a bit too pat.
But that is Stephen King, lambs. Nevertheless, I could not stop reading. And this from someone who has not read King since "Needful Things," and never expected to, again!!!!!!!!!
"Joyland" is perfect for those of my girls, who need a fun read!!!!!!!!!!!
But, make sure that safety bar is in place!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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