Joyland

great Stephen King crime/mystery

I enjoyed this Stephen King novel as much as any I have read of his in a long while. King captures the life of a 21 year-old in 1973. At the center of this novel is an unsolved murder on one of the rides at an amusement park, Joyland. Some claim that the ghost of the murdered woman comes out at times. King drew me in to the time and place, and I liked the fact that there was just a small supernatural twist to this. Mostly, it's a college student and his friends enjoying their summer and trying to solve an old murder on the side. I found myself caring about the main character and the subplots. It's a short, fun, fast-moving novel. The reader is good. Overall, it was a 4.5 star book to me. It's a perfect summer book (light, escape fiction), with a good ending that made me round my rating up to a 5.

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Realistic scary is better than blood & guts scary!

For those of you, like my wife, who think that Stephen King is "just a gross horror writer," I ask you to read this book. I tell my wife, at least once a year, Mr. King is so much more than what you accuse him of being. She points to old movies and say's there's no character development and only blood and scary stuff. To my wife and to everyone else that consider his books no more, I offer you "Joyland" as proof that your wrong.
Joyland is a well written story about a young man's life in the 1970's. He is losing his first true love to another man, so he tries to lose himself in work at an amusment park. Helping him stay there are good friends, life lessons, and the promise from a palm reader that he will save a life or two if he stays longer. While there he finds an unsolved murder mystery that he tries to solve. It is a "who done it", wraped in a "realistic scary story" that's rolled up with "great characters." It is shorter than most of his past works, so it shouldn't scare off too many readers that fear long books. At around 8 hours I got a great read. One last thing, for me, keeping a horror story realistic, keeping me entwined in solid characters, is better and much more scary than making it based on a bunch of blood and guts.
Thank you Stephen King!!!

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Best Audio book of 2013!

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

The very few people who actually read my audio books reviews recognize that I am an unapologetic Stephen King fan. Many Stephen King fans enjoy being sacred or are followers of the American of horror genre. I am not one those readers. Instead, I admire Stephen King (SK) due to the rich storylines, engaging plots, and interplay between characters. Joyland has all of these elements in abundance.

Joyland is ultimately a nostalgic novel that brings your back to in time and age. SK seems to have a perfect recollection of what was like to be a heart broken college student unencumbered by social obligations. Devin Jones (main character) is free to explore life, take risks, and discover himself. Along the way Devin develops lasting friendships and learns the value of helping others. Joyland's characters are memorable, fun, and full of energy. Like all SK novels, Joyland allows the reader to enter into situations one rarely gets to see in real life. Devon's journey to self actualization is exciting, touching, and never (ever) boring. Many readers/listeners may assume that Joyland is scary or full of crime because it was written by SK. Although the plot revolves around an unsolved murder, Joyland is a vehicle for SK to write about pinnacle life events that serve to shape one's life.

Stephen King's Joyland is a perfect audio book. The number of characters, settings, and situations are easily manageable without referring to written materials. I hope you give Joyland a try.

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Simply Marvelous!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would absolutely recommend it to anyone looking for a good read/listen. It is an entertaining story superbly written with broad appeal. If you're just looking for hair-raising horror this is not the story for you. Poignant is not what usually comes to mind with Stephen King’s stories but I think that’s the best way to describe Joyland even though there is a murder mystery.

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The sweest and creepiest coming of age story!

Stephen King has penned his first hard crime novel in Joyland, the tale of a serial killer in a amusement park. College student Devin Jones takes a job at a amusement park one summer. It will be a summer he won't forget as he recovers from a broken heart, learns what life is like as a "carny" and tries to solve a murder.

I'm a big mystery reader. I have a whole bookcase dedicated to the greats and the more recent releases. So when I heard Stephen King was writing a mystery I was intrigued. I have loved everything King has written and I was really interested in seeing if he could pull off a mystery, without it turning into a horror "slash-em" novel. Well let me reassure die hard King fans - he can!!

For me Joyland was more than just a murder mystery. It was a cold case murder mystery combined with a coming-of-age story that was possibly the sweetest coming-of-age story I've ever read. Well if you take away the creepy-serial killer-at-a-amusement-park thing!

I really enjoyed the story from Devin's point of view. He is young, in love, and later nurses a broken heart. His year at Joyland was the year that he grew up and learnt so much, and this comes across so clearly in both King's writing and Michael Kelly's narration. It's a story of heartbreak, sorrow and death. It was a story that I am so glad I read, and one I will never forget.

Joyland is a intriguing mystery and a coming-of-age story all rolled into one. I highly recommend it to both King fans and mystery fans alike. Michael Kelly's narration was fantastic, as he tells of the highs and lows of the summer.

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Gripping!

7.5 hours of ghosts, murder and Stephen King's unique and colorful brilliance. If you enjoy Stephen King's crime stories, this is a great listen. If you enjoy his horror stories, this has it too.
Not normally being a night person, I started listening to this late last night and couldn't stop until I finished it this morning. I purchased it in hopes of using it for a road trip this weekend...too late! It was just too good to stop listening.

I don't like to write reviews that give away too much of the story because I don't like reading reviews that are written like book reports for a college course. So I will just say that you will not be disappointed. Local amusement parks are always a bit haunted and creepy, unlike the Disneys and 6 Flags. Joyland was a great setting for a really great scary story.

The reader has a great voice. Although telling the story from the rear view of a 60 year old man, it was very easy to envision him as the college boy with a broken heart. Often the voices detract from the story for me. This book could not have been read by a better voice. (Although I love the Stephen King books that are actually read by Stephen King)

This not available on Kindle yet so whispernet is not available, but listening you can't go wrong. I wish I had it in front of me rather than already finished...this would have been great for my road trip alone, very scary!

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King in his Summer Finest

I read Ray Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes" (1962) years ago and never forgot it. I've reread it several times, and always find something new in the story of a traveling carnival lead by Mr. Dark, whose followers are marked by tattoos.

I felt the same way when I listened to Stephen King's "Joyland" (2013), even though the plots of the books are quite different. The atmosphere is the same, and so is the sense of evil. The carnival rides play a key part in both.

"Joyland" is a regional 'Six Flags' type of amusement park, not an international destination like Disneyland. I loved the new 'carny' language I learned. Guess that makes me a 'greenie', but at least I'm not a 'rube' if I know the lingo. That makes this the perfect book for a patient parent to listen to/read if she's been drafted as chaperone on one of those long, hot summer days of not-quite-cutting edge rides, junk food, and sunburned children excited enough to throw up on her shoes.

"Joyland" is a true mystery. Solving the mystery does not rely on the supernatural elements in "Joyland", so mystery fans won't be disappointed by vague clues from beyond being the key to figuring out 'who dunnit'. Finding the killer was no easy task for Devin Jones, the protagonist (aptly narrated by Michael Kelly) and it isn't easy for the listener/reader either.

"Joyland" is also a sweet coming of age story of love lost and love found, set against the backdrop of the most powerful love of all.

This book has some mild, not explicit sex. There is some violence, but it doesn't come near the violence in J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" series. It's good for 'young adult' readers. For Stephen King fans, there are plenty of references to his other works - and it's fun to find them. However, the book stands on its own - you don't need to get the inside joke from King's "The Dead Zone" (1979) to love the story.

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Strangely good

I can't say what it is about this book, but there is something that makes it painful to stop listening. I never wanted to stop.

If you take a step back and think about the plot it really isn't very interesting and yet I could not get enough.

Not sure if it's the characters or the writing, but King really draws in readers (or listeners).

Definitely recommended.

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Really Good Tale

I think it's fair to say this is a quickie by King standards. It's a very good one. Like most all of his work the characters seem more like old friends, people you know and like and hope the best for.

It's a murder mystery set in an aging carnival type theme park in 1973 North Carolina. There actually is one here called South of the Border. Google it for a laugh. There's a very small supernatural element which has little to do with the story or it's outcome. In truth it would be a great thriller without any supernatural occurrences.

Just sit back and let reader Michael Kelly take you back to 1973. You won't regret it for a moment.

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Bravo Stephen King!

I haven't read much Stephen King considering how much he's written and how popular he is and how much I read. I've read the The Shining, Carrie, and I tried and failed with making it through Lisey's Story. None of those books were that memorable for me. So, I have to say that I haven't really been too impressed with King… until now. Joyland was a little gem of a listen. It is a mystery, sure, but it also much more than that. It is a unique coming of age story. Devin Jones, the main protagonist, is a likable enough character and the narrator, Michael Kelly, enhances this. The story is told through the old eyes of Devin Jones as he reminisces back to the 1970's when he was a heartbroken college kid that decided to work at Joyland, an amusement park, for the summer. That summer changes his life forever. I felt that for a short-ish book, it had a lot of depth, meaning that I felt like the characters were well developed. I did plenty of giggling, gasping and a few tears fell as I listened to the story unfold. The cursing and the sex scene gave the book a bit of an edge that was appreciated. Also, there were twists and turns to the story that I didn't see coming and that always makes things a bit more interesting. This was a great summertime read/listen.

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