Chantal's Reviews > Holly

I love Holly I dare say she’s one of my most beloved Stephen king characters and yes! She’s come a long way. I’m at chapter 96 and I think the narrator is decent but she’s not Holly! 😭 for me Will Patton should of continue to be Holly’s voice he was perfect.

I was actually quite excited about the narrator because Justine Lupe played Holly in the Mr Mercedes TV show and I thought she did a great job. Unfortunately, my expectations weren't met with her narration

It’s unfortunate that my favorite writer has become so political in his work. I will probably be skipping this book for that reason.

I agree Michael. It’s so wearing to read about his politics in every chapter.

I don't mind the cannibalism, Chantal, but politics? No thanks. 💕📚

Agreed…even though I share King's views, I did not enjoy how much there was woven into the narrative. I felt it was too distracting and I knew that some readers would protest.

I had the same problems with this book. This Holly wasn't the same as the previous one. Great review!

My favorite quote from an NPR article is “King has never been shy about his politics, but Holly is one of his most political novels to date, & it'll surely anger all the right people.” Ha.

Ehhh! Decent but not my favorite by any means

Great review, Chantel. I agree 100%. Too slow and had so much unnecessary filler!! I also was fed up with Holly's constant navel-gazing.

Solid read. Very compelling. Equally gruesome. Ignore the nonsense from dolts lamenting the politics and the references to the pandemic. So daft. The culture is always woven into King’s prose, and in this case, with these characters and circumstances in particular, any story utilizing this time and setting without such touch points would be thoroughly disingenuous. I have always felt that one of King’s strengths was marrying potent doses of reality to the fantastic, both lending realism to the premise and making the material relatable for his audience. Kinda expect nothing less at this point.
All that aside, the centerpieces of the book are a pair of ghoulish but careful villains, some sound detective work from a diverse ensemble of protagonists who are easy to root for, and ample servings of dread and escalating tension.
I rate it a B+.

I always write my own review before reading others, and it’s interesting to note that many other readers also disliked Mr. King’s repeated comments (albeit via his characters) on political and social issues, about which he apparently has strong opinions. This book read more like an op ed than a classic King spine-chiller.

You must not be a Constant Reader. King has ALWAYS been political.

The political garbage!!!! Argh!!! He has NOT always been this political. Or at least he had more finesse in the past (and I’ve read every book he’s ever written). This book, by page 20, reminds me of my 82 year old dad on a rant about gun laws (only in the other camp, but still the same rant).

I agree with James. It would have been inauthentic to not discuss these issues during COVID. They were discussed all the time. It’s another great one from Stephen King!

Wonderful honest and fair review Chantal. 🙂

I totally agree with your review, but it's fascinating how this novel just won an award for - Best Horror Book of 2023, here on Goodreads. I wonder if it's fair, because many new and better horror writers can't break through to a new audience, because the reward that keeps eluding them would be a big advertisement for them. I have a lot of respect for Stephen King and his work, but the last book of his that I consider to be of high quality is from 2014 - Revival.