Amazon Resale
£1.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon Media EU S.à r.l..
Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will pre-order your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships and Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Stephen King
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Joyland (Hard Case Crime Book 112) Kindle Edition

by Stephen King (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 17,437 ratings
Life is Not Always a Butcher's Game. Sometimes the Prizes Are Real. Sometimes They're Precious. All-time best-selling author STEPHEN KING returns with a novel of carny life—and death... College student Devin Jones took the summer job at Joyland hoping to forget the girl who broke his heart. But he wound up facing something far more terrible: the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and dark truths about life—and what comes after—that would change his world forever. A riveting story about love and loss, about growing up and growing old—and about those who don't get to do either because death comes for them before their time—JOYLAND is Stephen King at the peak of his storytelling powers. With all the emotional impact of King masterpieces such as The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption, JOYLAND is at once a mystery, a horror story, and a bittersweet coming-of-age novel, one that will leave even the most hard-boiled reader profoundly moved.
Read more
Previous slide of product details
  1. Part of series
    The Hard Case Crime Novels of Stephen King
  2. Print length
    283 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Hard Case Crime
  5. Accessibility
    Learn more
  6. Publication date
    8 April 2014
  7. File size
    1.2 MB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details

Shop this series

 See full series
There are 3 books in this series.
This option includes 3 books.
  • Kindle Price:
    £8.97
    By clicking on the above button, you agree to Amazon's Kindle Store Terms of UseSold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
Popular highlights in this book
What are Popular highlights?
Previous page
  1. All I can say is what you already know: some days are treasure. Not many, but I think in almost every life there are a few.
    Highlighted by 161 Kindle readers
  2. Such fires are probably illegal in the twenty-first century; the powers that be have a way of outlawing many beautiful things made by ordinary people. I don’t know why that should be, I only know it is.
    Highlighted by 86 Kindle readers
Next page

Product description

Review

"Joyland is one of Stephen King's best novels." - Horror Movie Reviews

"This book is one of those thrills we come across every so often when least expected!" - Hellnotes

"Joyland is one of Stephen King's best novels" - Horror Movie Reviews

"King saved the big scares for Dr. Sleep, but Joyland is ultimately superior." - Complex's Best Books of 2013

"Set in a dying amusement park in the south, Joyland features a ghost and a serial killer, but the real heart of the novel is a coming of age story, one that took me vividly back to my own youth, working the rides at Uncle Milty's in Bayonne." - George R.R Martin

"Joyland is full of nostalgia and some really sweet moments that had me tearing up. It's easy to forget that anything else is going on, you're so wrapped up in the lives of these characters.
4.5 out of 5 Stars (read it, read it now)" - Only The Best SciFi

"This one's a must for King fans and may also attract YA readers." - Library Journal

..".period murder mystery with a heart...King brings his usual finesse to this tale's mystery elements" - Publishers Weekly

..".the book...features some of King's most graceful writing...ruminative, amused, digressive, marvelously unaffected, and finally, devastatingly sad." - Entertainment Weekly

"An amusement park and murder figure into a coming-of-age tale in this miniature thriller with a hint of the supernatural." - Los Angeles Times

"Undeniable...charm [and] aching nostalgia...[JOYLAND] reads like a heartfelt memoir and might be King's gentlest book, a canny channeling of the inner peace one can find within outer tumult." - Booklist

"Wrapped in a gloriously pulpy cover, Joyland is a coming-of-age story set in 1973 at a North Carolina amusement park -- creepy! -- that's haunted by a murderer." - Time Magazine

"Stephen King's carny-saturated Joyland evokes the ghosts of summers past -- literally." - New York Magazine

"Joyland, by Stephen King (Hard Case Crime, June). An old-school, pulpy paperback ghost story set in a North Carolina amusement park." - Departures Magazine

"King's latest thriller, a PG-13 pulp paperback crime novel takes place at a remote carny park where college kid Devin is desperate to see the ghost of a girl whose murderer might still be
lurking around the hot dog stands." - Cosmopolitan Magazine

"Joyland is a joy. A gem whatever its genre." - Tor.com

"This is a wonderful return to old school King." - We Love This Book

"Joyland is a fantastic story. This is a compelling and yet oddly gentle tale of a young man experiencing the ache of heartbreak and the curve-balls life can throw at you." -Geek Native

"From horror authority Stephen King comes some hard-boiled action, with all the elements of a good crime novel--including the early '70s, southern secrets, carnivals, and a meddling college kid." - The Daily Muse

"If you're a King fan you may want to set this on your wishlist " - Bookmuch

"This Joyland is not innocent, of course. Its retro thrills include an enticingly steamy cover, Hard Case Crime's sensually tactile paperback format, and a cover line that asks, "Who Dares Enter the Funhouse of Fear?"" - New York Times

"It's good to have a book like this now - simple, sweet, and not a little scary - to remind us that among the prequels and sequels, the epics and the TV miniseries, Stephen King can still spin one hell of a little yarn." "As usual, King slips in and out of genre effortlessly, but it's gratifying that at the core of Joyland exists a story worthy of being called a Hard Case Crime." "Misdirection and red herrings abound, delightfully, and the weather-ravaged denouement could play out as the conclusion to a Donald Westlake or Lawrence Block novel." - FEARnet

"Red meat for any Stephen King fan." - TalkStephenKing.com

"This is a Stephen King novel that you can start on your vacation and actually finish before the flight home."- Men's Health, Selected By Amazon

"A remarkable tour-de-force." - Comic Book Resources

"This is Stephen King at his emotional best." - Florida Times-Union

"It is easy to connect with Devin as well as many of the secondary characters as King develops this descriptive, entertaining tale of personal growth and murder." -
 Luxury Reading

"Joyland is pretty much perfect in its pursuit of diversion." "This story of a broken heart, a summer job and a beach amusement park -- infused with ghosts, killers and a boy with "the sight" -- is lovingly streamlined. It starts strong, ends stronger. Sturdy finales are never a given with King, but this one, Constant Readers, will have you gasping and, ultimately, blinking back big fat tears." "The ultimate "beach" book from one of literature's slyest entertainers." - Tampa Bay Times

"As you read the dialogue, the book becomes less a story about a summer's mystery than a tale of entry into another, coexisting world, one with its own rules, codes, and language." "The splashy and aggressively sexy packaging is the tip of the iceberg." - LA Review of Books

"[a] fun book with a touch of winter's chill around the edges" Tor.com

From the Inside Flap

A STUNNING NEW NOVEL FROM ONE OF THE BEST-SELLING AUTHORS OF ALL TIME!

The #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!

Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever.

"I love crime, I love mysteries, and I love ghosts. That combo made Hard Case Crime the perfect venue for this book, which is one of my favorites. I also loved the paperbacks I grew up with as a kid, and for that reason, we're going to hold off on e-publishing this one for the time being. Joyland will be coming out in paperback, and folks who want to read it will have to buy the actual book." - Stephen King

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00MLDUBEE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hard Case Crime
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ 8 April 2014
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.2 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 283 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1781168493
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Part of series ‏ : ‎ The Hard Case Crime Novels of Stephen King
  • Customer reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 17,437 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Stephen King

Stephen King

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes NEVER FLINCH, YOU LIKE IT DARKER (a New York Times Book Review top ten horror book of 2024), HOLLY (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), FAIRY TALE, BILLY SUMMERS, IF IT BLEEDS, THE INSTITUTE, ELEVATION, THE OUTSIDER, SLEEPING BEAUTIES (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: END OF WATCH, FINDERS KEEPERS, and MR. MERCEDES (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by the New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works THE DARK TOWER, IT, PET SEMATARY, DOCTOR SLEEP, and FIRESTARTER are the basis for major motion pictures, with IT now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
17,437 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find this book to be a wonderful read with a spellbinding story that starts out simple but develops into a great coming-of-age tale. The writing is fantastically descriptive, and customers appreciate the fantastic in-depth characters and the fast-paced narrative that can be completed in a couple of days. Customers describe it as an emotional roller-coaster that's really hard to put down.

Select to learn more

ReadabilityStory qualityCharacter developmentWriting qualityHeartwarmingPacingInterestDifficulty to put down
326 customers mention ‘Readability’301 positive25 negative

Customers find the book highly readable, describing it as a brilliant Stephen King story and a great short story read, with one customer mentioning they loved it from the first page.

"This and Liseys Storey are King's best two novel IMHO...." Read more

"...a beautiful book, a well paced and gripping read, full of humanity and light and darkness and topped with an ending that made me cry...." Read more

"...of things to like; it is generally good-natured, nicely-written and entertaining...." Read more

"...This is just a good yarn, well told. It's a quick, satisfying read. I managed it in less than 24 hours. You won't regret it. It's 1973...." Read more

284 customers mention ‘Story quality’219 positive65 negative

Customers enjoy the story quality of the book, describing it as a spellbinding and exciting mystery, with one customer noting how the author grabs readers from the first page.

"Gripped me all the way through, didn't sag at any point either. Nice setting and good insights and snippets of info learned anew." Read more

"...You have one of the most unique pieces of noir fiction released by the Hard Case Crime Publishing house...." Read more

"...The secondary characters are just as well-drawn, springing to life with verve, like Emmalina Shoplaw who runs the guesthouse, Mr Easterbrook, the..." Read more

"...sprinkled throughout the latter two thirds, I liked the overall mystery crime element of this book...." Read more

109 customers mention ‘Character development’105 positive4 negative

Customers praise the character development in the book, noting the fantastic in-depth characters and brilliant characterizations, with one customer specifically mentioning the realistic portrayal of the people the protagonist meets.

"..."Joyland" is a beautiful book, a well paced and gripping read, full of humanity and light and darkness and topped with an ending that made me cry...." Read more

"...I liked how the characters were developed throughout the book and I soon started forgetting that this book has NO CHAPTERS!..." Read more

"...(I think) he does best, writing exceptionally well, with fantastic characterisation, and then, near the end, he thinks "Hang on, I need to put..." Read more

"...He has a phenomenal imagination, and creates some wonderful, memorable characters, whom he brings magically alive within the pages of his novels...." Read more

108 customers mention ‘Writing quality’103 positive5 negative

Customers praise the writing style of the book, noting King's descriptive prose and first-person narrative approach, with one customer highlighting how well he brings places and characters to life.

"...relationship, from that first meeting to the final page, is beautifully observed and as heart-warming as it is amusing...." Read more

"...are a fair amount of things to like; it is generally good-natured, nicely-written and entertaining...." Read more

"...This is just a good yarn, well told. It's a quick, satisfying read. I managed it in less than 24 hours. You won't regret it. It's 1973...." Read more

"...King writes prose that is so easy to read, engaging and full of emotion...." Read more

46 customers mention ‘Heartwarming’46 positive0 negative

Customers find the book heartwarming, describing it as an emotional roller-coaster and a gripping read, with one customer noting it as a moving story of friendship.

"...carny slang draw you in to the world of the carnival, he brings the emotions to table and sets out a truly moving story...." Read more

"..."Joyland" is a beautiful book, a well paced and gripping read, full of humanity and light and darkness and topped with an ending that made me cry...." Read more

"...This is not classic King horror. This is a heartfelt story that is part love, part detective, and a touch of psychics and ghosts...." Read more

"...King writes prose that is so easy to read, engaging and full of emotion...." Read more

44 customers mention ‘Pacing’41 positive3 negative

Customers enjoy the book's pacing, describing it as a fast-paced novel that can be read in a couple of days, with one customer noting it's comfortably readable in 3-4 days.

"..."Joyland" is a beautiful book, a well paced and gripping read, full of humanity and light and darkness and topped with an ending that made me cry...." Read more

"...I actually really liked the pacing of this book and although you do get some King elements thrown in, with supernatural sprinkled throughout the..." Read more

"...This is just a good yarn, well told. It's a quick, satisfying read. I managed it in less than 24 hours. You won't regret it. It's 1973...." Read more

"...Lovingly set in a small funfair. The plot isn't complex, and in terms of funfair rides this is more of a grandmother's special than a rollercoaster...." Read more

28 customers mention ‘Interest’28 positive0 negative

Customers find the book intriguing and full of suspense, keeping them guessing throughout. One customer particularly appreciates the detailed description of fun fairs, while another enjoys the peek into the carnival world.

"...Nice setting and good insights and snippets of info learned anew." Read more

"...Enough elements to keep everyone's interest going. And not a demonic clown in sight." Read more

"...(music plays a key part in that, but there're plenty of pop culture references and there's a lovely in-joke in the name of a travelling..." Read more

"...The book has some interesting and atmospheric ruminations on carnival life and King often achieves a sense of time and place...." Read more

20 customers mention ‘Difficulty to put down’17 positive3 negative

Customers find the book hard to put down.

"...King manages this so easily, enabling us to come to know the child that he was, the youth that he is and the man that he will become...." Read more

"...part supernatual tale, this book rattle alongs and is very hard to put down...." Read more

"...All in all a gentle, simple, but pleasing story.....I felt I was there....and the fact that there is the odd ghost in the background and some folk..." Read more

"...Really easy read, captivating and hard to put down. It's only short so can be read in a couple of days...." Read more

"Who dares enter the funhouse of fear?"
3 out of 5 stars
"Who dares enter the funhouse of fear?"
This is maybe the worst stephen king book I've ever read. You go into it thinking he's going to give you some horror goodness, instead he presents you with a kid having a good summer on a beach. And yes, some stuff happens towards the end but stephen king is too busy describing boobs to care about any other real detail. He genuinely describes every characters tits in great detail, yet when the single occasion of gore happens it's nothing. This is just an old man yearning for a woman and the text couldn't prove it enough. Truly the biggest letdown. It might have been a good book if it'd been described as a creepy romance? I mean... it was just highly inappropriate and not good AT ALL.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry, we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Dashan
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 May 2025
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    Gripped me all the way through, didn't sag at any point either. Nice setting and good insights and snippets of info learned anew.
    Helpful
     Report
  • Mr Mark
    4.0 out of 5 stars Joyland
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 September 2017
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    So if you have read my review of Titanic Thompson the man who bet on everything.you will know I have an affinity for the grifter and con-man being interested in such matters, I also have a passing interested in carnivals (fun fairs if you are from UK like me). If you have been following this blog you will also know that I am a fan of noir as Money Shot by Christa Faust and The Moving Target will attest to, you may also might have noticed a like a good horror story along the lines of A Head full of Ghost. You might have also have read that me and Stephen King have not the best relationship Stephen King’s IT: A book that that I couldn’t finish. So if you take a Noir story set it at a carnival, with a ghost written by Stephen King, I am not going to know what to to, could I suffer another 280ish pages of King again?

    Joyland at it's heart is a murder story against a backdrop of a carnival the titular Joyland. Add a dying child in a wheelchair who has a gift (I believe the King fans will call the is the shining), mix in a young man's story of love that was lost, drop in a story of friendship, whisk then add a ghost. You have one of the most unique pieces of noir fiction released by the Hard Case Crime Publishing house.

    It's hard to review Joyland with out spoilers and it is a story that I want you discover on your own. I would be doing you a disservice if I told you too much.

    Devin Jones, has just had his heart broken by a woman, he decides to get a summer job at Joyland to take his mind of things. The old timers of the carnival speak of a murder in the fun house, Devin decides to delve deeper, whats more there is talk of a ghost as well.

    Now in his 60's Devin tells his story of working at Joyland way back in 1973. Devin's story covers loss, love and untimely closure, King weaves his story with enough carny slang draw you in to the world of the carnival, he brings the emotions to table and sets out a truly moving story. That's all you need to know before you pick this up, fans of Kings non horror will enjoy this, fans of noir will enjoy this too, it might not be the hard boiled we know but it works.

    Joyland does 3 things.

    1.questions what exactly is noir
    2.Sets up enough emotion to move and hook the reader
    3.Achieves the status of being a Stephen King book I like

    Not being a King fan in a world where most Horror readers are, I may be a minority but Joyland is one of Kings works to the Contrary. Enough elements to keep everyone's interest going. And not a demonic clown in sight.
    Helpful
     Report
  • JC
    5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the Best
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 19 May 2025
    Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase
    This and Liseys Storey are King's best two novel IMHO. American coastal funfairs always have an attraction that seasides in GB never manage to match.

    How could the same person that wrote Funland write the pile of garbage that is Cell?
    Helpful
     Report
  • Mark West
    5.0 out of 5 stars A fantastic tale
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 29 July 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    It's 1973 and Devin Jones is a 21-year-old college student, recently dumped by his long-term girlfriend (though still a virgin) and looking forward to working his summer vacation at the Joyland amusement park in North Carolina. Over the summer and into the Autumn, he'll meet new friends, a boy with a psychic gift and encounter the ghost of a murdered girl.

    Told as a reminiscence by Devin in 2013 ("I'm in my sixties now, I'm a prostate cancer survivor, but I still want to know why I wasn't good enough for Wendy Keegan"), this is what I would consider as prime King (and it's the first book of his I've read in almost ten years). It does take its time to get going (and the structure isn't immediately clear) but as you read you quickly realise the pace works perfectly - we get to know his friends, the park and its people and history, the owner of the guesthouse, the area and the times (music plays a key part in that, but there're plenty of pop culture references and there's a lovely in-joke in the name of a travelling circus). The characterisation is spot on and so deftly done you feel you know these people almost immediately. From Devin, who we desperately want to see succeed (and shake off the thoughts of Wendy), to Erin Cook ("Hollywood Girl") and Tom Kennedy, fellow summer workers who become a couple and life-long friends of Jones (though we later find out sad news about Tom), there's never a false moment for any of them. The secondary characters are just as well-drawn, springing to life with verve, like Emmalina Shoplaw who runs the guesthouse, Mr Easterbrook, the owner of Joyland, who dresses like a mortician and insists that the workers of Joyland are "here to sell fun" and Devin's Dad, a quiet, widowed, purposeful man. The park team - from Fred Dean, whose transformation from manager to worker is as much a surprise to us as it is for Devin to Lane Hardy, all tight-jeans and jaunty hat and rhyming couplets; from Eddie Parks a mean man who Devin saves and who maybe returns the favour to Madame Fortuna, a Brooklyn native who channels Bela Lugosi to deliver her psychic readings. It is she who tells Devin that he will meet a boy with a dog.

    That leads us to Annie Ross and her son Michael, who has the gift of second-sight but is stricken with muscular dystrophy. They live in a big house off the beach and whilst she doesn't acknowledge Devin as he walks by on the way to work, the boy does. When Devin helps him to fly his kite one day, they become friends and the gradual thawing of Annie to him is what gives this novel its heart - we come to understand why she is the way she is, we understand and empathise with the pain she feels watching her son die and we want to hold and comfort her as much as Devin does. Their relationship, from that first meeting to the final page, is beautifully observed and as heart-warming as it is amusing.

    The selling point (but not the real point) of the story - "Who dares enter the funhouse of fear?" - revolves around the fact that a young woman called Linda Gray was murdered in the Horror House ride (which Eddie Parks runs). Madame Fortuna won't enter it and Tom sees something in there that scares him, but Devin is intrigued and with help from Erin, he solves the crime and finally flushes out the "Carny Killer". I liked that angle, I enjoyed the detective part of it (though you'd be hard pressed to call it a crime novel), but that's not what the book was about. To me, "Joyland" is about the power of love and friendship (as a lot of King fiction is), it's about the amusement park and a way of life that no longer really exists (and carny-speak, The Talk, is used a lot, shorthand such as `ride-jockeys' for the operators, `rubes' for punters and `points' for pretty girls). It's about joy (Devin dresses up as Howie the Happy Hound, a role that other `greenies' hate but he loves because of how the kids react to him) and the fun and simplicity of childhood but it's also about loss (Wendy, Devin's mum) and the way life often doesn't go the way we want it to. Stephen King, for me, is often at his best when dealing with nostalgia ("The Body" being absolutely key to that theory), telling a story that on the surface might be horror or mystery or crime when in fact it's actually about coming of age and charting a rites of passage that speaks to most of us.

    "Joyland" is a beautiful book, a well paced and gripping read, full of humanity and light and darkness and topped with an ending that made me cry. If you only know Stephen King as a horror writer then you would be doing yourself a favour to discover this loving nod to life, to growing up and falling in love and, yes, to getting older. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
    9 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Jimbo
    3.0 out of 5 stars Joyland - Stephen King
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 12 July 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    An entertaining if slightly underwhelming novel.

    I don't think that Joyland has earned the glorious praise or the slamming criticism on offer here, it sits somewhere in between with 3 stars and a "meh" sentiment. The book has some interesting and atmospheric ruminations on carnival life and King often achieves a sense of time and place. However, the book hasn't a great deal of narrative drive and ultimately the tale doesn't turn as crisply or as grippingly as many of his previous works. Its main flaw is that the story is carried by an (uncharacteristically for King) dull protagonist who fails to compel and this dissipated much of the tension of the climax.

    Even so there are a fair amount of things to like; it is generally good-natured, nicely-written and entertaining. The structure echoed slightly of 'Salem's Lot but without the punch or creepiness of that book.

    Worth a read, particularly if you like the author.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Jean Carlos Nunes
    5.0 out of 5 stars Joyland
    Reviewed in Brazil on 4 July 2024
    Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
    Excelente livro, edição primorosa!
    Report
  • ロンジー
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable story
    Reviewed in Japan on 29 October 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    If you are depressed because your heart is broken by someone you loved and you can't think of your future anymore, you should read this novel. Though this story was written by King of Horror, it' not a horror story at all. Maybe after reading this, you will recall the film 'Stand By Me' or 'The Summer of '42' and you would like to stand on the beach with Dev and Annie.
    Report
  • 😺- CatChat -💬
    5.0 out of 5 stars another great novel for all of us SK TRUE fans
    Reviewed in the United States on 13 June 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    I want to start my review by copying/pasting a post I wrote in the amazon discussion boards in response to all the complaints about there not being an e-book for this novel available at this time. This also goes out to everyone posting a 1 star review for the same reason. Also I use the words TRUE FANS in my review title because real and true fans of Stephen King could care less about the publication form and collect his works because there are few authors who can write the amazing novels/short-story collections that are so imaginative and descriptive and in so many genres as SK does. I understand that there are some readers who need e-books for reasons of eyesight, arthritis, etc. I have enough faith in SK that he will eventually put this novel in other forms besides paperback like he has in other publications that were released in only one form to start with.

    SK has a long history of publishing his stories/novels only in certain formats for the express purposes of creating an atmosphere. The ones that come to mind are The Mist, The Storm of the Century, the joint publications of The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer and Rose Red, and finally UR. The Mist was originally published as a "3-d sound" audiobook. In the hopes of enhancing his readers imagination this short story was made into an audiobook with a unique 3-d sound stereo effect. With the background noise, excellent voice actors, 3-d stereo effect, etc. the fear and panic the characters feel was geniusly portrayed (if you can find it I highly recommend this to all). This was eventually published in a short story collection, adapted into movie format and can also be purchased individually. The Storm of the Century was published as a "novel for television." SK did this not only because the larger cast of characters would make this almost impossible to publish it in just one book in written form, but in order to portray the immensity of the storm. Once again this was eventually released in written form (the script was published in paperback). I have both the script and the movie and I love to read the script while watching the movie to see the differences. Another concept SK tried in order to enhance the atmosphere intended was the joint publication of the book The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer and the movie Rose Red. Under the pseudonym Joyce Reardon SK published in paperback form The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer in order to provide a more detailed background into not only the characters, but also the house (a character in its own rights) Rose Red. The cover of the book has a note for readers to watch Stephen King's Rose Red. Publishing the book before the movie once again helped to enhance the readers (or in this case the watchers) imagination and create the intended atmosphere. Last on my list is the more recent UR. Because of the theme this was originally published in e-book format. You definitely would have not shared the characters feelings if this was first read in paperback form. Hence SK decision, once again, to publish this in only one form at first (this can now be purchased in audiobook form.

    on to my actual review. this novel was as much of a great read as all his others are. I don't want to go into any detail of the story and ruin it for other readers with spoilers, so here is a small description. the basis of the novel is about a college student who gets a summer job at an amusement park, makes friends with others that are both living in the same boarding house, but also on the same "work team" at the park. at the park learns about the local legend regarding the funhouse's history and the resultant haunting. from there it just gets better and better as only Stephen King can do. the story's main character, Devin, is now much older and is narrating the story through flashbacks. at times while trying to tell about a certain part that happened during that summer the character seemed to get sidetracked with other side stories. at first I found that annoying. but, I started to think that that is what people do in real life so why is that not portrayed as much in novels. So I actually found that feature to increase the realism of the story for me. yes, I know this is fiction, but we all read books with our imaginations flowing as if the story is happening for real.

    in conclusion I encourage anyone who is a fan of mystery books to give this a try. Even if you aren't a fan of SK I think you would enjoy this novel as his descriptions aren't as "hard core" as some of his longer books. some have stated they dislike his work if he gets too descriptive with violence and/or sex for their taste to handle. that is not the case here so I think you could take a chance with this one.
    Report
  • Lorena Saldaña
    5.0 out of 5 stars Lectura entretenida
    Reviewed in Mexico on 30 June 2023
    Verified Purchase
    De todos los libros de King encuentro este como de los más ligeros y amenos de leer, me gustó muchísimo y se nota la evolución en la forma de narración de King, mejor estructurado y digerible. Lo disfruté mucho y lo leí muy rápido.
    Report
  • A. Volk
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great writing by a great writer
    Reviewed in Canada on 6 June 2013
    Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
    To begin with, this is NOT a horror story. But then Stephen King has already written a number of fine stories that aren't horror stories (e.g., Green Mile, Stand By Me/The Body). Joyland is the story of Devin Jones, a young college student who has his heart broken by his first crush as he heads to work at an amusement park for the summer. The story also involves the possible ghost of a girl who was murdered at that amusement park- Joyland. There was a murder, whether or not there is a ghost is something I won't spoil for potential readers. But that, along with the murder, is an important sub-plot of this book.

    However, the main focus of the book is on Devin and the people he meets. From his roommates to his co-workers, King once again shows his skill at bringing people to life in his writing. There is a cliched cripple boy with psychic powers (a King staple), but even he is handled with a deft hand. King makes you care about Devin, and his ability to paint a scene makes it seem like you are there with Devin, in 1973, at a modest amusement park. The ability to create a vivid scene is one of King's greatest talents in my opinion, and this book clearly features that talent.

    It's a relatively short story at just under 300 pages, and it moves along at a good pace. Be forewarned again that this is not an action thriller or horror movie. It is very much about character development and a commentary on life itself rather than a book that just tries to shock or scare you. I normally don't go for this kind of fiction, but I'm a big fan of much of King's work and I found myself really enjoying this book. It may be an odd statement for me to make, but this book just seemed like the kind of cerebral movie that Clint Eastwood sometimes directs recently. Something that on the surface seems to promise great action or blood, but really makes a much deeper connection on both an emotional and a cerebral level. All that means I think this is a five-star book. It made me feel, it made me think, and it made me lose track of time- all signs of a very good book! So if you're looking for a book that showcases King's ability to write about (more or less) real characters and real life drama, with perhaps a bit of darkness thrown in, then Joyland is an excellent read.
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report