Descrizione
Price: 5,99€
(as of Oct 31, 2024 01:48:27 UTC – Details)
A spectacularly dark and electrifying novel about addiction, religion, music and what might exist on the other side of life.
In a small New England town, in the early 60s, a shadow falls over a small boy playing with his toy soldiers. Jamie Morton looks up to see a striking man, the new minister, Charles Jacobs. Soon they forge a deep bond, based on their fascination with simple experiments in electricity.
Decades later, Jamie is living a nomadic lifestyle of bar-band rock and roll. Now an addict, he sees Jacobs again – a showman on stage, creating dazzling ‘portraits in lightning’ – and their meeting has profound consequences for both men. Their bond becomes a pact beyond even the Devil’s devising, and Jamie discovers that revival has many meanings.
This rich and disturbing novel spans five decades on its way to the most terrifying conclusion Stephen King has ever written. It’s a masterpiece from King, in the great American tradition of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe.
ASIN : B00IJZRUUQ
Editore : Hodder & Stoughton; 0 edizione (11 novembre 2014)
Lingua : Inglese
Dimensioni file : 3384 KB
Da testo a voce : Abilitato
Screen Reader : Supportato
Miglioramenti tipografici : Abilitato
X-Ray : Abilitato
Word Wise : Abilitato
Lunghezza reputazione : 385 pagine
Mattia Galliani –
Something happened…
Something happened, indeed: a new masterpiece by the King himself has just been published. Great story, lovely characters and… oh, that dreadful ending… just scared the hell out of me.
Volferlofilo –
Un libro di evasione, con un quid in più.
Riuscito romanzo noir. Ottimo per chi voglia implementare il proprio inglese/americano, per le numerose (ma non troppe) espressioni gergali, la decifrazione di alcune delle quali mi ha imposto di mettermi a smanettare sul pc per venirne a capo. Romanzo di evasione, ma il monologo del predicatore che ha perso la fede trascende questo limite ed è un pezzo di vera letteratura. Consigliabile, certo non indispensabile.
mccoy –
Disappointment
My attention was caught while reading the reviews,which describe a dreadful and surprising ending. The body of the novel is not bad, but the ending was really a disappointment. I was expecting something more complex, the afterlife scenario described by King is definitely dreadful and pessimistic but a little silly and, in the context of King’s genre, even banal.
Guerino –
…something happened…
Qualcosa è accaduto. Gli anni passano, l’età avanza con un ritmo inarrestabile, il nostro corpo si indebolisce. E così, giorno dopo giorno, iniziamo a riconoscere che le paure che alimentano i nostri incubi notturni non rispecchiano più ciò che vediamo e conosciamo – la violenza delle persone, il terrore di perdere quanto abbiamo accumulato con fatica – ma riflettono invece ciò che più di ogni altra cosa ci è privato dalla vista: cosa ci accadrà una volta che i nostri giorni su questa Terra saranno conclusi, in quale dimensione e sotto quale forma continueremo ad esistere.Questi pensieri devono animare il nostro Stephen King, che in questo romanzo abbandona vampiri, mostri e sortilegi per affrontare le paure tipiche di una persona ormai nella fase avanzata della sua vita. E così, tra le righe di questa storia che parte come un romanzo di formazione e che si tramuta in un diario di un potenziale psicopatico, si affacciano i timori e le incertezze che ognuno di noi si ritrova ad affrontare ogni volta che pensiamo alla prossima fase della nostra esistenza e a quel mondo parallelo dove auspicabilmente ci attendono i nostri cari che già hanno lasciato la loro condizione terrena. E la risposta che sembra arrivare dal libro è agghiacciante: lasciate stare le rassicurazioni fornite dalla religione, ciò che ci attende è persino peggiore di quell’inferno così crudamente dipinto in tanti scritti sacri.Da un punto di vista narrativo la storia raccontata in “Revival” è abbastanza piacevole da leggere. Manca sicuramente l’intensità dei capolavori di King, ma l’autore riesce comunque a mantenere alta la tensione. La capacità dell’autore nella rappresentazione dei dialoghi e nella descrizione dei rapporti interpersonali tra i vari personaggi è rimasta immutata. Alcuni protagonisti restano un po’ piatti e forse meno affascinanti di quanto ci si sarebbe aspettato. Soprattutto il cattivo di turno, protagonista di una vera e propria conversione dal bene al male, sembra più interessante nelle prime fasi della storia che nel resto del romanzo.In sintesi, appartengo sicuramente a quella categoria di lettori che trova sempre piacevole leggere un nuovo romanzo di Stephen King e penso che questo sia possibile se si cerca di assaporare ciò che di nuovo è presente nelle sue ultime produzioni piuttosto che insistere nel confronto (impari) tra le storie raccontate negli ultimi anni e i capolavori inarrivabili del passato.
jackey –
ðtributo a Mary Shelley
Non all’altezza del grande classico, questo Frankenstein non è convincente, C.Jacobs non è un vero Villain, fa piuttosto pena e perde la individualità di un vero personaggio insieme alla giovinezza. La visione del Beyond Death è fumosa, confusa. Sì, gli dei sono maligni,come per gli antichi greci, ma l idea che la fregatura della vita sia seguita da una fregatura ancora più grande, non ha originalità .
Cristina Katia Fracalosso –
Peccato per la lingua
Ottime condizioni del libro, purtroppo tutto in inglese e ci metto un po’ di tempo a leggerlo. Ma è solo mia responsabilitÃ
M.J.Lawicki –
As a lifelong fan of Stephen King I finally made time to read his 2014 novel Revival. Iâm pleased to relate that Americaâs greatest storyteller has succeeded once more in crafting a story that is dark, peppered with disturbing imagery, profound, and thought provoking. I will reveal a few minor plot threads in my review below.The storyâs protagonist Jamie Morton meets his new Pastor as an eight year old child in the year 1963. As is the case in many of Kingâs tales, this one is located within his own state of Maine. The fictional hamlet is Harlow, and within it we are introduced to Jamieâs extended family, a few local personalities, and a charismatic young Pastor named Charles Jacobs. For reasons unknown to us, a peculiar bond is evident between Jamie and his pastor from their first meeting. Their strange relationship is one that will last sixty yearsâspanning the length of this novel.A profound tragedy occurs in the beginning of the story that causes the Pastor to abruptly abandon his religion. The Pastor leaves Harlow, Maine- destination unknown.One interesting aspect of the pastorâs character is his apparent fascination with lightning and electricity. A preoccupation with science may not be unusual among clergy members- but one can sense there is something âoffâ regarding his tinkering with electricity. What is not apparent in the beginning is that his obsession with lightning and electricity will have adverse consequences later in the story.The first third of this book is some of the finest writing Stephen King has produced. Readers are swept up into a fascinating and complex story with well developed and relatable characters. The story is peppered with real-life joys and tragedies. I enjoyed reading how Jamie Morton evolved and changed from a shy boy- to awkward teen- to a confident young man in the span of a few years.Unfortunately, Jamieâs life takes a tragic turn for the worse in his adult life. The drug addiction that began with his musical career is now uncontrollable- rapidly destroying his health. As Jamie nears death, he is *somewhat* miraculously reintroduced to Pastor Jacobs, now operating a traveling carnival act of his own in Nebraska.The former Pastor has improved upon his rudimentary experiments with lightning and electricity and incorporated some of them into his carnival act. The reader is led to believe the Pastor is tampering with dangerous and unfathomable forces for some unknown purpose. What is clear by the middle of this story is that the Pastor has abandoned his former religion completely. He uses his harnessed âsecret electricityâ to cure various people -including Jamie Morton- of their physical afflictions. As is often the case with miraculous cures, everything is not what it seems. Nevertheless, Charles Jacobs performs these miraculous medical feats and develops a modicum of fame and wealth mid story.One aspect of this novel I enjoyed was the frequent tie-ins or references to Kings other works. The town of Castle Rock is mentioned upon occasion, and the city of Jerusalemâs Lot can be seen from a vantage point atop nearby Goat Mountain. The vampire grimoire âDe Vermis Mysteriisâ is mentioned by the Pastor. It is unclear whether he has this text of forbidden knowledge in his possession, but I immediately suspected the story was spiraling toward a tragedy when Jacobs mentioned he read from it.Fans of Stephen King the horror novelist may be disappointed in this novel as much of it seems focused on the grim realities of life associated with the passage of time. Untimely deaths, suicides, drug addiction, and murder are subjects adroitly addressed in Kings masterful prose. Still, I found much of it thought provoking; we always wonder how much our decisions and outcomes in life are affected by fate versus willpower. In the final thirty pages of Revival Stephen King at last rewards us with his unleashed imagination. I wonât spoil the ending, but I will hint that it meshes Lovecraftian horror with a subtle nod to Mary Shellyâs Frankenstein.In the end Stephen King ambitiously and convincingly tackles a broad variety of subjects in this well researched novel. The characters all evolve and change commensurate with the passage of time. In the end, with the exception of Pastor Jacobs, all remain identifiable with their original, younger selves. I found some plot threads near the conclusion to be a trifle disappointing as a reader, but I still believe this is a heartfelt and worthwhile read. Five stars for this gem of a novel.
Guillem Cantallops Ramis –
People say it’s scary. I found it standard Lovecraft, but longer and better written. I almost didn’t read it, it should be made more clear how Lovecraftian this is 😀
Martin Pagan –
Stephen King w klimatach H.P. Lovecrafta, ale nie bardzo mu to wyszÅo. KsiÄ Å¼ka ma okoÅo 360 stron, ale okoÅo 200 z powodzeniem można by wyciÄ Ä bez żadnej straty. To powinno byÄ raczej opowiadanie albo nowela, a nie powieÅÄ, bo w zasadzie wyszÅa z tego autobiografia gÅównego bohatera. Dowiadujemy siÄ o nim wszystkiego, ÅÄ cznie ze szczegóÅami kompletnie nieistotnymi dla fabuÅy. Po co w ogóle dziesiÄ tki stron poÅwiÄcone rodzinie Jamiego, skoro tak naprawdÄ ważny jest tylko jego starszy brat Conrad? Po co dziesiÄ tki stron opisujÄ ce karierÄ muzycznÄ gÅównego bohatera i jego uzależnienie od narkotyków? Po co nam szczegóÅy branży muzycznej i produkcji muzyki? To wszystko nie ma żadnego zwiÄ zku z osiÄ powieÅci czyli relacjÄ Jamiego z pastorem Jacobsem i jego dziwnymi dÄ Å¼eniami zwiÄ zanymi z elektrycznoÅciÄ .CaÅoÅÄ czyta siÄ caÅkiem dobrze, wszak to King. I pomysÅ na fabuÅÄ też jest dobry, ale jest tu stanowczo za dużo wypeÅniacza nabijajÄ cego wierszówkÄ i nic poza tym.
Miguel –
Basado en el argot Lovecraftiano es una excelente novela con un final buenisimo.
Greggorio! –
REVIVAL IS ARGUABLY ONE OF STEPHEN KING’S FINEST MOMENTS. Hugely emotional, the book is part memoir, part horror classic, part love story and partially pure literature. And yet its still pure King. The book possesses the classic and phenomenally effective “King link” to the here, and the now that is the magical and mysterious ingredient contained in all of his works that grabs the reader on the opening page and doesn’t let go until the end. A pure horror afficianado may well feel peeved at being made to wait until they reach the story’s climax for the ‘juicy bits’. A horror fan they may be; but a King fan learns many lessons from their master of the macabre; and they learn them very well. And one of these is patience.The characters are beautifully drawn, essentially, though it comes down to two major players in this fine literary game. The six year old Charles Jacobs, who meets and immediately befriends the town’s brand new reverend, who is the story’s second main character. It is fair to say ‘something happens’ to this much liked Man Of God right at the book’s opening section, but that would be too much of a corny theft of Mr King’s principal story telling tool. And yet it does, and it affects the Preacher Man deeply. SPOILERS prevent me from explaining myself here, but its a shocking twist, and of course its beautifully written and goes a long way to ensuring the reader finds themselves addicted to the story just like the classic King tales of the past.Stephen King is real. His books are real. His writing is real. There is a quote in page 26 of the kindle version which supports this claim and gifts the reader with the uneducated layman’s view of the different denominations of modern day Christianity. And when Mr King moves from the everyday to the suppositions presented by the book, he doesn’t leave his lyrical talents at home, either.I said at the top of this review that the book is part romance, and its true. Its a beautiful coming of age story, with just a *hint* of sex thrown in to keep the reader interested. And when the relationship in question is finally consummated, it must be said that its portrayed with the maximum amount of class. The writing style used by Mr King, too, is worthy of great praise, presenting the story in pseudo journal form, breaking down relatively long chapters with shortish but highly readable sub-chapters.It takes a while for the true character of the book to become obvious, but when it does, the true value of the story jumps sky high. Revival by name, its also revival by nature. Mr King once said in his classic IT, “don’t f*** with the infinite” and this moral also holds well if it is applied to the contents of REVIVAL.REVIVAL does not gift the reader with an overly happy ending. SPOILERS. The book is not funny. It is, however, an immensely satisfying, fascinating, horrific, slightly sexy, hugely enjoyable romp from the town of BLISSFUL DOMESTICITY to the village of TOTAL MADNESS. Constant Readers may well find themselves with tears of joy in their eyes as the book comes alive in their bands. I know i did, and they perfectly matched the grin of complete lunacy the crept across my face to keep them company. New residents of King manor may well wonder what the fuss is all about. But read on, and find themselves hooked they will. But how to explain the effect Sai King has on the world? Its simple.Something happens.