Monday, October 21, 2013

Doctor Sleep - The Wrap Up!

I missed last week's check in for the Doctor Sleep readalong hosted by Tif Talks Books and Cheap Thrills so I am going to skip ahead for the final discussion questions below.  


Warning! If you have not read The Shining or Doctor Sleep you will probably be spoiled!


Discussion #3 - Chapters 14-end

Before we started reading, we asked if you had any expectations for Doctor Sleep.  Did you get what you were hoping for out of the book?

I got SO MUCH MORE out of this book than I was expecting! The Shining was lackluster for me, and I saw this book as representing a greater possibility for Danny's character and story line.  I read very few synopses and tried to limit my expectations as much as possible so I wouldn't be let down.  Stephen King delivered this time - I was so enraptured by this story that I blew threw the book in 2 days and put everything (eating, sleeping) aside until I was done.  Even after I was done reading I stayed up for a few hours to read what others thought about the book too.

Having finished the book, do you think having read The Shining is important for enjoying this one?

I think reading The Shining is essential for understanding the interpersonal connections between characters.  However, the True Knot brought so much to the story that didn't directly involve the Overlook Hotel that anyone could pick up Doctor Sleep without feeling lost.  The prologue to the book also did a great job of recapping what happened in Danny's childhood to provide a good knowledge base for Doctor Sleep.

In one word, one phrase, one sentence ... describe Doctor Sleep.

Wow - it's difficult to pick just one. I think closure is a good one.  Danny, Abra, Abra's grandmother, the Overlook - everything wraps up at the end of the book.  Bad feelings are put to rest and people are able to move on with their lives without fear of their shining.

Anything else you feel like discussing about the end of the book?  Or, about the book as a whole?

Yes - the True Knot! Who are they, where did they come from, how did they start.. I need to know! The True Knot could be a separate novella with an explanation to their history.  The mystery surrounding the group enhances to story but the fan in me needs to know whats going on!

As for the True Knot's hunt for Abra using "the grid" (basically the Internet), I think Stephen King was trying to make commentary on how much of our lives are spent, conducted or stored online or in electronic records that are vulnerable to groups or people trying to harm us (like the True Knot).  When the True Knot was trying to find Abra and able to so easily determine her location it felt like the internet was the enemy, and it was unsettling.  If the True Knot were coming after us, who is to say we couldn't be found just as easily?

So tell me - what are your thoughts?? Did you love it, hate it, couldn't get enough of it? 



7 comments:

  1. Yes, I totally want to know more about the True Knot. In the beginning I didn't really care; they were bad, they tortured children and drained their essence, they were the "bad guys," and I didn't really want to know more than I needed to get through the story. But now... I'm extremely curious about their history.

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    1. I think he was definitely holding back on us. I'm hoping for a novella or maybe an epub of a short story about one of the characters? There was too much imagery and mystery surrounding the characters for King to be done with them.

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  2. I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook edition of Doctor Sleep and blew through all 18 hours of it in less than a week! Closure is a good descriptive word for this book, because it did feel like a satisfying close to the story the author started in The Shining.

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  3. Excellent point about the internet! They were able to pull up class photos online - ain't tht some crazy ish!

    Tanya Patrice
    Girlxoxo.com

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  4. Closure is a great word! Love that one!!

    I think we all agree just how much we all want more on the True Knot! I am really wanting to know more too!!

    Great point on the internet!! There is way too much info on there and they way King slid this in is creepy in and of itself.

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    1. Thanks for commenting! I like that I can think of Danny at peace now that he has his closure.. However, what am I going to read now? I just came out of a few different readathons and not much lined up for November. Anything in the works over there? :)

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    2. I do not have anything big planned right now, except to catch up on other reading. I'm currently in the midst of read Fables and getting caught up on those. If you have any ideas though, let me know!! I may be up for another read-along in the near future!

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