Hearts in Atlantis

Most people find this book hard to read. Let me explain. You r

Most people find this book hard to read. Let me explain. You read the first part of the book and get into the story then all of a sudden the second part of the book switches on you. Leaving you going what the heck? Did he just decided not to finish the first d*mn part? Bare with this one folks!!! I am not kidding you this book is such a good read if you keep with it. It is actually my second favorite book by King. I've urged my friends who gave up on this one to give it another try. Wonderful work.

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Great book

This is one if the most underrated King novels. Captivating.

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Another excellent book

another excellent book by Stephen King. He is the master of horror. He gets into your mind and you can't stop thinking about what is coming next. In the end he leaves you wanting more. You can't beat a Stephen King book!

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Different kind of Steven King

Reminiscent of "Stand By Me". Classic Steven King characters - without the scary. Great for anyone who was around in the 60's - or who wishes they were.

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Review excerpt from Curled Up With a Good Book

In HEARTS IN ATLANTIS, Stephen King gets in a few more pokes and jabs at his detractors, the ones who consider him a schlock-meister. They are the 'legitimate' literary establishment, 'book snobs,' but ol' SK still seems to be trying to break into their ranks. He may have done it with this collection of two long and three short stories bound by recurring characters, the lost cause of a certain police action in Southeast Asia, and that horrible, beautiful decade that defined King's Boomer generation, the Sixties. His faithful readers will recognize his New England landscape and theme of innocence lost, but these stories offer little resistance to novice King readers. HEARTS IN ATLANTIS might be considered King's magnum opus; time will tell. He's a prolific guy, sometimes brilliant and sometimes not, but man, does he know how to tell a story. There are times between this book's cover that you can almost touch the difference between the Stephen King who wrote CARRIE and the one who wrote this. It's not just fun and games and a good clean scare anymore; there's a depth to King's writing here that, while hinted at in some of his early works, has revealed itself fully in HEARTS IN ATLANTIS.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

J.D. on February 28, 2012

It can't be said enough, there's nothing like a Stephen King book! Found this book to be very interesting. Very well written.

Excellent Read

One of King's best.

Living In The 1960's

For those of you who lived in the 60's remember want was going on with the war and how life around you was that's in the second part. First you need players that's were you start reading. Mr. King puts a little bits of the Dark Tower series in this a great read by all means.

Huh?

I didn't really think this one had a plot. It just seemed to have a story that was never finished. I felt like I was left hanging at the end... maybe that was the point. It wasn't a total waste of time though, I love SK's vivid descriptions and enjoy his writing aside from the story.

Great Stephen King Short Stories

Heart in Atlantis was published in 1999.The collection's first story, "Low Men in Yellow Coats", formed the basis of a 2001 film entitled Hearts in Atlantis, starring Anthony Hopkins as Ted Brautigan, Anton Yelchin as Bobby Garfield, and Hope Davis as Liz Garfield. Major story elements are common to the film and the story, but many of the details were changed.

This book was great!!!! It was a lot better then what I expect. The first story in the book. Low Men in Yellow Coats sets the stage of the whole entire book.The first story also allow you to meet some of the characters that will appear in the followering stories.

Anyone looking for a good book to read....please check out Heart in Atlantis!!!

Love + Peace = Good Book

Overall, this book was very good. The title, Hearts is Atlantis, is somewhat confusing, and would make an unsuspecting reader think that the book is a romance novel. This, after reading the book, is not the case.
Personally, I prefered the first story about Bobby, Carol, and Ted. The third story could have been eliminated entirely, as I thought that is was mainly a prelude to the fourth story. The second story was very interesting and the use of the word 'Hearts' from the title becomes more clear. The fifth and final story is simply a conclusion to the events of the other four.

Something Different

It seems that nobody is quite sure what type of book Hearts in Atlantis is. A novel? A short story collection? What? Well, I¿ve come to the conclusion that it is a novel divided into five parts. Each part is related to the others by recurring characters. I liked most of the 5 parts, although one of them (Why We¿re in Vietnam) was odd¿ But overall, it¿s a well-written departure from Mr. King¿s usual works. I say ¿departure¿ because this book hardly contains any scary or supernatural elements. Instead it focuses on the Vietnam War and the lives it touched. However, the first part - ¿Low Men in Yellow Coats¿ - does have Dark Tower references and paranormal themes. I¿d read that part before reading the last Dark Tower installment, too. It¿ll help clear things up later on down the road. All in all, a great read, but unlike anything Mr. King has written before. That can be good or bad depending on you, the reader.

shomanchristian

it was a very mixed book. it was good overall, but very confusing at time of what you are reading. i liked the story about bobby, the low men and ted the best. was interesting and mixed the other real short stories were bland and not realy interesting. could not keep me entertained enough to make me want to read more though. that was kind of depressing because thats what i look for in a book. a book to keep me reading and interested. over all it was ok some stories good some bad.

decieved

i was decieved by this book. yes i was because the story has a huge influence by the Dark Tower books. moreover to understand this book in total we have to read another book named 'regulators'. however the story about Billy i guess was Brilliant. and the writing style is also brilliant. SK is really great in that.

Things to Consider

My favorite Stephen King book is still 'The Stand,' and I say that only because I understand there are a lot of like minded folks out there who feel that is Mr. King's best work. For entertainment value, for an eye opening panorama of a world gone wrong, sure. It's great. But, of all the other King titles I've read and enjoyed, I would have to say that this is his most important work. I envy those who read it having read nothing else by him, particularly his Dark Tower series. The interweaving that takes place in Hearts is amazing. But for a few blatant references, the book almost falls into that category of universal that some might even consider a classic. The title story in particular. It's so simple, but it says so much. Others here have referenced 'Low Men in Yellow Coats,' as their favorite. Certainly there is no piece in American fiction that makes the reader want to pick up a copy of 'Lord of the Flies,' and start reading. I say that because I had to read 'Lord of the Flies,' of my own volition, mind you, before I could feel right about reading Hearts. Definitely worth reading if you haven't yet, and, like some of King's best, perhaps worthy of a re-read.

Slow and boring.

I love Stephen King, but when it comes to his more serious work, its a hit or miss. This is definitely a miss. The beginning actually wasnt that bad, but it just kept going and failed to hold my interest. It took me almost a year to read this book. I've read longer books than this in less than a week.

Incredible read, but with shortcomings

This book was incredible, and the stanza 'Low Men in Yellow Coats' was some of my favorite work by King, but Atlantis disappoints me with the dropout of action after the dizzying climax of 'Low Men.' The other stories are on par with King's other work, all including his great characterization and imagination, but I felt the plot of each story and the interconnected story was dwarfed by the struggle of loyalty and self preservation by Bobby in his first appearance. Either way, this story earns 4 stars. I recommend it for 'Low Men' alone.

It Stole My Heart

I listen to alot of audiobooks due to my commute, but I found that this story put me into a time machine each time that it started. Even though I was born in the 80's, the rememberances of the 60's up through the end of the 90's struck a profound chord in my heart and even made me a bit nostalgic for a time that I had never even known. I have read almost all of Mr. King's works and this one soars above a great many of them. With the author reading a large part of this story I think it makes it even more moving.

Whoever says King can only write Horror, this book proves them wrong.

This book was amazing. I found myself getting hooked on the characters' emotions as the impressions of joy, love, sadness, confusion, hatred, and terror sank deep into their lives. Although very different for Stephen King, it hooked me and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good read.

Brilliant...

Though it may be true that the 'children of the '60's' will get a little more out of this book than the rest of us, this book is a masterpiece. The opening story 'Low Men in Yellow Coats' is undoubtedly the novella we would all come to expect from King; equal parts suspense, supernatural occurances, mystery, and just plain story it's an entertaining read. However the greatest parts of this book are the stories that follow. King draws on the emotions and uncertainties that we all experience at one time or another in our lives and creates characters that seem not only real, but actually part of ourselves. This book also includes what may be one of King's greatest stories, 'Hearts in Atlantis.' There are no imaginary monsters, no made-up psychological forces - only the real ones that show up in real-life coming of age. Be warned though, it's an emotional rollercoaster of a story that will leave you smiling and crying at the same time. If you're a die-hard King connoisseur, a casual King reader, or just someone who loves an engaging story well-told - this book should be at the top of your list. Highly Recommended!