Once again, I take off my hat before the master of masters. Stephen King is... I don't know, I'm lost for words. He is magnificent.

The book is a collection of five stories following the same characters in different time periods from the 60s to 1999. There are differences in narration in each story, and some of them present paranormal elements, which is great. Still, I don't think any of the stories can be considered a horror tale. They are emotional stories, I dare say. The first two tales are the longest and the ones I definitely enjoyed the most.

In "1960: Yellow Card Man", the story follows Bobby Garfield, the only son of a widow who doesn't appreciate him much. At the beginning of the story, a new tenant arrives at the apartment building where Bobby lived: Ted. Bobby and Ted start a friendship that begins by talking about books (And how they talked, wonderful) and becomes deeper and deeper as the story progresses. The tale is full of action, funny moments, suspense, disturbing scenes... it has everything. The characters, who will be repeated in the other stories, are great and realistic. Really a great story.

In "1966: Hearts in Atlantis", Pete Riley is a scholarship student at a public university where the card game called "hearts" starts to become a problem for his studies. In this story, Carol, a friend of Bobby, makes her appearance six years older than in the previous story. This is the story I enjoyed the most of the five. It's the best, the story seemed like it didn't amount to much, but it did. The narration is a wonderful and powerful thing. I love it, it's just... great.

I can't give a synopsis of the other three stories because there would be spoilers for the first two. They are somewhat short and rely a lot on the previous events to build a plot. The third one is the most interesting. The other two were also very good, because I could say they are like extra chapters to the previous stories. There is extra information.

Overall, the book is really good. It gives a very interesting view on the Vietnam War. The characters have a great evolution, the stories are emotional. The narration is fantastic. Great, great book.

It was okay.

At first glance, this might seem like a rather simple and unassuming statement. However, upon closer inspection, it holds a certain degree of ambiguity.

Was it okay in a mediocre sense, meaning that it was just passable and nothing special? Or perhaps it was okay in a more positive light, indicating that it met the basic requirements and provided a sense of satisfaction.

Maybe it was okay in a situation where expectations were not overly high, and thus it managed to fulfill the necessary criteria.

It could also imply that although there were some aspects that could have been better, overall, it was still acceptable.

The phrase "it was okay" leaves room for interpretation and can vary depending on the context and the perspective of the person using it.

It might be used to describe an experience, a product, a performance, or any number of other things.

Ultimately, whether "it was okay" is a good or bad thing depends on the individual's perception and what they were hoping to achieve.

So, the next time you hear someone say "it was okay," take a moment to consider the possible meanings and what they might really be trying to convey.

This is one of King's books that you may either love or hate. In a sense, it's not the typical King. There's no Pennywise-type demon, no haunted mansion, and no devil-in-an-antique-shop. However, many critics tend to concur that some of King's finest work is the stuff that is least influenced by the supernatural. I couldn't agree more. One of my favorite novellas he has penned is The Body - it's simply about four kids embarking on a journey of self-discovery.

Anyway, Hearts is an engaging tale centered around the baby boomer generation. It promotes the view that the 60's generation failed to fulfill its promise and ideals. This is vividly illustrated by the opening epigraph from the end of Easy Rider: "We blew it."

It consists of five interconnected stories. The main one is titled Low Men in Yellow Coats and is a coming-of-age story of Bobby, a twelve-year-old. Over the summer, he gets to know a mysterious older man (some knowledge of the Dark Tower is beneficial here) while also dealing with local bullies, his first true love, and his difficult, widowed mother. The subsequent three stories deal with the impact of Vietnam on the characters from Low Men.

So, if you're seeking something less supernatural or graphic compared to most of King's work, give this a shot! You might just be pleasantly surprised.

The Low Men In Yellow Coats makes up 50% of this book, and it is truly excellent. It showcases King at his very best.

However, the next story was rather boring. I believe that King being the narrator might have contributed to my feeling sleepy while reading it.

The third story, which I think is the shortest, was skipped by me because King was once again the narrator.

The fourth story was incredibly average, lacking the excitement and engaging elements that one might expect from a Stephen King work.

So, I'm not entirely sure what an appropriate rating would be for this book. Nevertheless, considering that the first half was truly fantastic, I'll give it a 7/10. This rating reflects the high quality of the first part, despite the less impressive nature of the remaining stories.

Overall, while the book has its strengths and weaknesses, it still manages to hold the reader's attention, especially during the first half.

There is a slender thread that runs through the stories of this book. It is intertwined with melancholy, that sadness which in memory finds a reason to start smiling again, with the nostalgia that pervades middle age.

When, after various vicissitudes and a long existence, one still looks with tenderness at one's youth. At that simple world, made of simple things, where everything seemed simpler and dreams were still far from being disillusioned.

This thread weaves a tapestry of emotions, painting a picture of a life filled with both joys and sorrows. It reminds us that even in the face of sadness and nostalgia, there is always a glimmer of hope and a reason to keep going.

The stories in this book take us on a journey through different stages of life, showing us the beauty and complexity of human emotions. They make us reflect on our own lives and the choices we have made.

Whether we are young and full of dreams or older and looking back on our past, this book has something to offer. It is a reminder that life is a precious gift and that we should cherish every moment.

It's been a month, and yet I am still reading this book. Am I enjoying it? No, not at all. But I don't want to dnf (did not finish) it because only 80 pages are left. It's a short story collection, right? So I want to lay individual comments on each one. The ratings I gave are as follows: Low men in yellow coats: - 4.5/5, Heart in Atlantis: - 1.5/5, Blind Willie: - 2/5, Why we are in Vietnam: - 2/5, Heavenly shades of night are falling: - 2.5/5. Here is one more thing. This is my last book by Stephen King because I think his books are just not for me. Though I have huge respect for him, but you know it's about taste. (So please don't come to me.)

Finally, finally, finally! After like 18 months of buying this book, I am gonna start reading it. It's not like I didn't wanna read it. It's just like there were other books which lured me more than this. Until yesterday, I was randomly saying to my mom what should I read next, and she instantly pointed, "Read that thick one there. It's been sitting there for over a year, and the pages have turned yellow too!" So yeah, here we are!

The following is not a review, but rather a small comment about this anthology/novel.

This book has received a wide range of opinions. Personally, I was fascinated by it, and I believe it is the only book that made me shed a tear or two. The first two stories are especially sublime (the adaptation with the title is actually the adaptation of the first and the last story). The stories, which ultimately converge to a common ending, were extremely moving to me. Without a doubt, it is one of those books that I would recommend to those who insist on cataloging King as a horror writer. Gentlemen, King writes much more than horror, and this is proven here.

1- "The Yellow Wallpaper": This story opens the book and is the central axis of the whole. In my opinion, it is possibly the best story written by King.

2- "Hearts in Atlantis": It doesn't reach the genius level of the first one, but it hooked me a lot. Sublime description of political, social, and war crises and how they affect the lives of a group of university students who take refuge in the card game Hearts.

3- "Blind Willie": A narrative that tells the story of a beggar, contains drama and some humorous touches. It's not great, but it's readable.

4- "What We Do in Vietnam?": Narrates the story of one of Bobby Garfield's companions: Sully, two of the characters from the first story. The latter is a soldier in the Vietnam War and the story focuses on him. It is perhaps the least outstanding in the book.

5- "The Nightmares Have Come": It is the culmination of this work, and in just over ten pages, it tells us what has become of the lives of all the characters in the book. As short as it is emotional.

In short, it is possible that I overlook a lot of what this work left me at the time, because the truth is that I read it more than 10 years ago, but it has always been engraved in my mind. If I had to rate it, I would give it an 8.5. Perhaps it is not the most objective rating, but that's what it is...

This is by no means one of King's scariest books, yet it might very well be one of the deepest novels he has penned.

As a child of the 60's, having come of age during the Vietnam era, this book truly struck a chord with me. It wasn't solely due to the war itself. It was a profound exploration into the hearts of men and women.

Interestingly, I began the first story entertained by the fantasy that not only transported me back to my childhood but was also connected to King's Dark Tower series, which I regard as a masterpiece. So, yes, I was enjoying myself. However, by the time I reached the fifth and final story of the book, I was seething with anger; angry at war, at mankind, at the government, at the system, at the atrocities of life, and at the cruelty of my fellow human beings.

King's prowess in crafting a tale truly commences when he introduces William Golding's Lord of the Flies as the book that Ted gives young Bobby to read. Throughout the five stories, we witness the same theme unfold in the characters that Golding presented in LOTF. We have our young boys, stranded on an island to fend for themselves, gradually succumbing to their instincts, becoming wildlings, feral. Chasing the pig, eager to thrust the spear up its rear, and when that fails to satisfy the beast's hunger, they turn on each other.

And so, even though the boys and girls in King's story have all grown up and moved on, they still bear the scars and the nightmares. Mamasan was brutally murdered in the bush many years ago, yet she still haunts their presence, forever glaring at them with her accusatory dead eyes. Eyes that last looked at them when they ran her through with a bayonet. Kill the pig...stick the spear in its ass!

I can understand why some might view this as a platform for King's politics, and even I have to refrain from using this review as a means to vent. But as I stated at the beginning, this book is deep. The 60's are long past, Vietnam is history, yet here we are again. When this was written, the 9/11 attacks had not yet occurred. King delved deeper than just the moment. He shows us the beast within.

If you think vampires, ghosts, and rabid dogs are terrifying, just wait and see what happens when we place the controls of video games in the hands of our children, seat them in front of televisions to watch Hollywood's glorified war movies, and then hand them M-16's and send them off to fight. Pretty soon, Mamasan will be sitting in their living rooms with dead eyes as they scratch at the scars on their bodies and the scars on their minds. Now, that will be a truly horrifying story.

Inutile girarci attorno: "Cuori in Atlantide" è uno dei peggiori libri di Stephen King. Si tratta di una serie di cinque racconti (collegati tra di loro tramite alcuni personaggi). Tuttavia, tranne il primo e l'ultimo, il resto è tutto da buttare!

Vado con ordine e, singolarmente, lascio un voto ai racconti:

- Uomini bassi in soprabito giallo: 5. L'unico racconto veramente degno di nota. E non è un caso che da esso sia stato tratto il bellissimo film (del 2001 e con l'omonimo titolo del libro) con Anthony Hopkins. Il racconto ha moltissimi punti in comune con la saga della Torre Nera (uno su tutti: vengono citati i vettori) e in alcune parti mi ha fatto pensare anche al racconto "Un ragazzo sveglio" che è posto nella raccolta "Stagioni diverse".

- Cuori in Atantide: 1. La noia regna sovrana.

- Willie il cieco: 2. Anche questo racconto è noiosissimo… ma almeno è riuscito a strapparmi un sorriso.

- Perché siamo finiti in Vietnam: 1. Il più inutile dei racconti.

- Scendono le celesti ombre della notte: 4. Questo racconto chiude il cerchio lasciato aperto dal primo; ed infatti ha lo stesso protagonista (Bobby Garfield) ma invecchiato di una quarantina d'anni.

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**4.5-stars rounded up**


My first encounter with Hearts in Atlantis was a long time ago. If Goodreads had been around back then, I might have given it a 3.5-star rating. Sadly, it was the Stone Age of the internet, and such platforms didn't exist. Those were indeed dark times, my friends.


Over the years, much has changed. I now have the benefit of age and experience, which allows me to view this work from a completely different vantage point. This shift in perspective likely accounts for the significant increase in my rating. Additionally, having read the first six books in the Dark Tower series has also had an impact. There are numerous interesting references and connections between this book and those.


The Hearts collection, while more understated, is incredibly powerful. It offers a wealth of food for thought, and I believe every reader will take away something unique. I particularly enjoyed how each story follows a different child of the 60s at various stages of their lives. Despite following different individuals, it maintains that classic coming-of-age atmosphere.


I think the collection as a whole fits together seamlessly. While I don't claim to understand every nuance of these stories, I do feel that I gained a significant amount of meaning from it this time around. I would love to revisit this book in the future, perhaps in another decade or so. I'm certain it would have a different effect on me then.


This work feels more introspective for King. It's a piece that speaks to his generation. It's impressive, beautiful, powerful, and definitely worth picking up!

Heart touching. Thrilling. Nostalgic. These are the words that come to mind when I think about my experience reading Stephen King's book. I laughed out loud, I cried, and I was completely lost in the world he created. It was like going through a gold mine, page by page, not wanting to miss a single thing because this book is truly pure gold.

\\"More than one, people are like diamonds in that way, Bobby. They have many sides\\" The way King can portray a small-teenage kid is just brilliant. I absolutely loved all the characters in this story, but Bobby is definitely my favorite. This was my first time reading this book, but I know that no matter how many times I read it, I'll never get bored and my favorite character will always remain the same.

\\"Anything with the power to make you laugh over thirty years later isn't a waste of time. I think something like that is very close to immorality\\" The beginning of the second story feels like an autobiographical account of King's college life, which made me excited to learn more about his personal life. However, it was part-autobiography and part-fiction, with the storytelling being at its finest.

\\"Cigarettes were Agent Orange that you paid for\\" \\"Wars died one tiny piece at a time, each piece something that fell like a memory, each lost like an echo that fades in the winding hills.\\" Sitting in my college dorm with the Kindle edition of this book in my hands, I was able to visit a wonderful place in an interesting time. I am truly grateful to Stephen King for being my travel companion on this literary journey.

Hmm... how to judge this one?

Low Men in Yellow Coats, in my opinion, is truly one of King's outstanding works. It is filled with nostalgia and warmth, and the writing is so vivid that it seems to drip off the page. I devoured this book and am already looking forward to reading it again. This story alone is more than worth the price of admission.

As for the others? Well, not so much. Honestly, I'm having a hard time remembering them even though I just finished reading. I would highly recommend reading Low Men in Yellow Coats and that's about it.

Sidenote - It's very strange how the film Hearts in Atlantis is based on Low Men in Yellow Coats and not the story with the same title. This just goes to show how different the adaptation process can be. It makes me wonder if the filmmakers had their own reasons for choosing this particular story to adapt. Overall, while the other stories in the collection may not have left as much of an impression on me, Low Men in Yellow Coats is definitely a must-read for any King fan.