I absolutely adored reading this book.

The way in which five linked stories were employed was truly magnificent. It created a captivating and engaging narrative that kept me hooked from start to finish.

Each story had its own unique charm and contributed to the overall tapestry of the book. The connections between the stories were seamless, adding an extra layer of depth and complexity.

It made for compulsive reading as I couldn't wait to see how each story would unfold and how they would all come together in the end.

The author's skill in weaving these stories together was evident, and it made for a truly enjoyable and memorable reading experience.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good story and is looking for something a little different.

" Hearts in Atlantis" turned out to be an unusual book for me and is very different from everything I've read by King so far. Initially, I thought it was a novel, but it actually turned out to be a collection of several stories that are interconnected and have a certain linear sequence in time. They show different periods in the lives of the main heroes - Bobby, Carol, and Sully John.

The first story starts in the 50s and introduces us to an unusual friendship between an adult man and the then little boy Bobby, which is like a breath of fresh air in the complex relationships with his mother.

"People have different sides. They are like diamonds. They have many different sides."

"Friends don't spy on each other. True friendship sometimes means personal freedom."

The first part was very interesting to me, especially with the revelation of the supernatural element in the guise of "the man in the yellow coat" and the parallel worlds. It reminded me a lot of "The Dark Tower" - I haven't read the series yet, but I did watch the filmed version of the first book - "The Gunslinger". It had quite a few references to it.

The reflections on books and how they provoke us to think were very pleasant.

" — There are books that are written excellently but with a boring plot. Read for the stories that are told in the books. Don't be like the snobs. Another time read for the language, for the words, don't be like those who avoid filling their brains. But when you find a book in which both the plot and the language are good, it means you've discovered a treasure."

"Books are like pumps. They don't give you anything until you've given them something of yourself. You feed the pump with water, and then you use your own strength to move the handle and pump out the water. You do this because you expect to get more than you've given... At least sometimes."

Nearly throughout the entire first part, and even further on, there was a parallel comparison of life with the story from "The Wasp King".

The idea of the whole book lies in the mystery that changes our lives as we grow up and how our experiences and knowledge transform over time to turn us into what we are in the present.

This is a book in which childhood naivety seems to slowly leak through our fingers and gradually turn into the burden of maturity.

"Hearts in Atlantis" carries a certain nostalgia within itself, as if you are looking back to return to your childhood years, but with the full awareness of experience. The book is a huge message about love, hate, friendship, acceptance, fate, and the choices we make, recreated in an inimitable way, just as King can.

Χμ… In reality, I don't know what to write about this book. I expected a lot and I'm disappointed that it didn't give me what I wanted. It not only didn't cover what I expected but also bored me in several places.

The book is divided into five stories that are connected to each other. For me, this was the problem. Just when I got attached to the characters in the first story, they were taken away from me. It told me the story of other characters that I really didn't care to learn about. And these two stories were linked, for example, by a person who knew the characters in both stories... Ugh, just describing it tires me. I think this is the reason why I almost put down "It" at the beginning. There were so many, way too many useless pieces of information. In this particular book, there was an extremely detailed description of how to play a card game, something that left me completely indifferent. Many times I skipped the pages that referred to this game. The fact that it made me skip pages without reading them properly, just glancing at them, annoyed me and disappointed me.

What I liked about the book was that I learned about the lives of children in the 1960s. Believe me, back then children were much more carefree than now because the world was different. From one story to another, the years pass and you can see how their lives changed. Childhood, carefreeness, the struggle against the Vietnam War, the war, the losses, the madness, the return, the reunification. All of this was very interesting, without there really being any major twist in the story. It simply described the lives of people back then.

The ending was very satisfying, although I didn't expect it because the book had bored me. There was the redemption that I really wanted to see and the message of the title. Atlantis. The innocent, carefree, childhood years of every child that pass and when we take the champagne, it's already too late.

No ha estado tan mal. Solo que King debió mantener la historia con los personajes iniciales.

Este libro se compone de cinco historias, protagonizadas por casi los mismos personajes durante cuatro décadas. Aunque la última historia funciona como epílogo.

Hampones con chaquetas amarillas 1960:
Acá seguimos la historia de Bobby Garlfield. Un chico que tiene una vida normal, acompañado de sus mejores amigos Carol y Sully. Pero todo deja de ser normal hasta que aparece un nuevo vecino llamado Ted, el cual parece que tiene un poder sobrenatural, y que llega a cambiar radicalmente la vida de Bobby. Esta es mi historia favorita del libro. Aunque King hace spoiler de otros trabajos como "El señor de las moscas", una película de los sesenta llamada "El pueblo de los malditos" y de la saga de "La torre oscura". Además, esta historia tiene mucha relación con esa saga. Pero esto no fue un impedimento para que la disfrutara. Me gustó porque siempre tuve curiosidad sobre lo que iba a pasar y cómo iba a terminar. Los hampones de chaquetas amarillas son de verdad malvados y aterradores. El personaje de Ted deja muchas incógnitas sin resolver. No sé si en la saga de "La torre oscura" se resuelven estas dudas. Pero lo que sí debo decir es que a pesar de que el final de esta historia no cierra muy bien, quedé con muchas ganas de leer la saga lo más rápido posible.

Corazones en la Atlántida 1966:
Seguimos a Peter Riley, quien nos cuenta su historia de cuando estaba en la universidad. Y cómo él y sus compañeros eran adictos a un juego llamado "Los corazones", mientras la guerra de Vietnam está en auge y corrían el riesgo de que, al ser expulsados de la universidad, fueran reclutados para esa guerra. Esta historia me pareció bastante floja. Los juegos de cartas me parecen aburridos y este no es la excepción. Además, no pasan cosas relevantes. Solo destaco que Peter conoce a un personaje de la primera historia y así sabemos el destino de algunos personajes luego de que pasaran seis años. Pero poco más. Al final tiene un tinte de nostalgia, pero acaba súbitamente como la primera historia.

Willie el ciego 1983:
Un personaje poco relevante en la primera historia toma importancia aquí. Donde al parecer después de la guerra de Vietnam, él tiene un "trabajo" poco común. Aún no suelta los errores del pasado. Pero su historia solo nos sirve de excusa para conocer el destino de uno de los personajes principales de la primera historia de este libro. Entretenida, pero poco más.

¿Qué hacemos en Vietnam? 1999:
Sully, después de Vietnam, tiene alucinaciones por un episodio traumático de la guerra. En un funeral tiene un encuentro con un teniente, y juntos recuerdan los acontecimientos pasados y la suerte de sus compañeros. Al final hay una escena muy extraña que no se explica, y como siempre, termina súbitamente dejando incógnitas en el camino.

Se ciernen ya las sombras de la noche:
Un epílogo donde quedan más preguntas que respuestas, como todo lo que caracterizó a esta novela. Hubiera sido bueno que King mantuviera a los personajes originales como narradores de todas las historias y no como actores secundarios en unas, e incluso algunos desaparecidos hasta el final. Muchas preguntas quedaron sin respuesta, lo cual para mí no fue gratificante. Me quedo con la primera historia, que además de parecerme más coherente y disfrutable, me hizo entender un poco el universo de "La torre oscura". Hay una adaptación cinematográfica, pero aunque actúa el gran Anthony Hopkins, no se me antoja verla. No es una lectura que recomiende, pero si son muy fans podrían aventurarse, pero es de lo más flojo que he leído de King.

Overall, I firmly believe that this was an outstanding book!

Regrettably, I failed to take notes or do something similar, which would have enabled me to review each story individually. Since I dropped the ball on that front, I'll have to provide a more general review instead.

I was of the opinion that the first two stories were the cream of the crop among the five. King has long been a virtuoso when it comes to writing from a child's perspective, and this is once again evident in "Low men in Yellow Coats." I was able to gain a profound sense of the intimacy shared by the three friends. Among the three, Carol was undoubtedly my favorite. I simply thought it was incredibly cool how she didn't tolerate any nonsense from the boys! I adored all the Dark Tower connections in that story! Those who are not familiar with the Dark Tower might perhaps be a bit perplexed at those parts.

The second story was truly excellent as well! It also featured Carol for a short while, which made me extremely happy. Once again, I was able to sense the closeness of the friends in this story. King has such a remarkable way with words, and his character building never fails to disappoint. He is the absolute best at getting us readers to care deeply about certain characters while despising others outright.

In my opinion, the third and fourth stories were not quite as good. I would probably rate them four out of five stars. They were just a bit too outlandish and off the beaten path. However, Carol was mentioned and/or thought of throughout, so of course, I took pleasure in that.

The final story was also really good. We got to return to the town from the first story and witness Bobby as an adult. I don't wish to spoil anything, so I'll simply state that there are some truly touching moments towards the end of the book.

Overall, I give this book five stars. I truly relished how King was able to interconnect all five stories. I found it to be really cool and enjoyable to read.

The first story in this collection is truly sensational. It grabs your attention right from the start and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

However, after that initial excitement, it's a bit of an anticlimax. The remaining stories seem to lack the same level of suspense that I have come to expect from Stephen King.

King is known for his ability to create a sense of unease and keep readers guessing until the very end. But in this collection, some of the stories feel a bit flat and predictable.

Despite this, the collection is still worth reading just for the first entry alone. It's a masterclass in suspense and shows King at his best.

If you're a fan of Stephen King or just love a good thriller, then this collection is definitely worth checking out. Just don't expect every story to be a home run.

Hearts in Atlantis is a distinct work by King. It is essentially a novel composed of two novellas and three short stories. Some might view it as a short story collection, but there is truly an overarching narrative that weaves through the five individual tales. Therefore, I will regard it as a novel.

Nevertheless, the drawback of this book is that it is rather uninteresting. The first novella, 'Low Men in Yellow Coats', is excellent and quite captivating. However, the title novella, 'Hearts in Atlantis', was extremely dull. As for the short stories, they seemed more like supplementary information rather than essential narratives.

Fortunately, 'Heavenly Shades of Night are Falling' salvaged this book from receiving a lower rating. It added a glimmer of hope and interest to the overall work, preventing it from being a complete disappointment.

So... This is not one of my favorite King books.

The first time I read it, I was unaware that it was a collection of inter-related short stories. I also hadn't read The Dark Tower series. But either way, it didn't have much of an impact on me.

On subsequent reads, the confusion about the format was gone, but the stories still didn't grip me like I wanted them to. However, I will say that they are better appreciated by me now, at my current age and with my present experience, than when I first read it as a teen.

The first story is by far my favorite. I love Ted Brautigan's character. Seeing him in his "vacation" in Connecticut is always interesting, especially now that I know where the Low Men in the yellow coats take him. I like Ted's interaction with Bobby, and the way the story feels like a nightmare that's just starting, shifting between confusion and horror.

I also liked Bobby. I both liked and pitied the way he lost some of his innocence that summer. His relationship with his mother changed. He stopped seeing the world through a child's eyes, and as a result, his whole life shifted.

I do pity Liz to a point. She's raising a son on her own in a difficult world. But then she ruins any pity I had for her by being judgmental, hypocritical, and cruel.

The other stories don't do much for me. There are recognizable characters, but the subject matter should have interested me more. The stories about the Vietnam war and protesting it should feel important, but I found them dragging on.

King writes amazing stories, and even when I'm not fully engaged, the words on the page paint a vivid picture in my mind. I love that aspect of his writing. It's just that sometimes I'm not as interested as I'd like to be to fully appreciate it.

Before you rush to criticize this review, it's important to note that I'm not overly fond of short story collections. I only delved into this one due to the Dark Tower tie-ins, and the first story truly delivered. In "Wolves of the Calla," Father Callahan shared part of his tale with our ka-tet, which included his travels along hidden highways and the persistent pursuit by the Low Men in Yellow Coats. So, I was eager to learn more about these mysterious figures through the first story in this collection.

What better way to begin than with this perfect little time capsule of 1960, those wonderful childhood days at the start of summer vacation with a couple of your closest friends. Every corner seems to hold new and exciting adventures, and those friendships feel like they'll last forever. Everything is going great until a mysterious old man moves in upstairs and the Low Men in Yellow Coats start snooping around. Sing it now... ♫ It’s a cruel (cruel), cruel summer, leaving me here on my own. ♫ This short story was truly awesome, pulling back the curtain on the Low Men. An easy 4+ stars.

Next, we fast forward to 1966 for the titular story "Hearts in Atlantis," which introduces some funny new characters. We follow these freshmen as they struggle to adapt to college life during a tumultuous time in the US, only to find themselves深陷 in a hellish Hearts tournament. The story started strong but then gradually devolved into a hippy diatribe against the Vietnam War. Sadly, once this topic was broached, it became clear that it would be the main focus of the remaining stories. I understand, war is hell, especially ones that should have been avoided. But I don't want to spend so much time dwelling on a war that could have/should have been prevented and all the lives lost. This story dropped to a low 3 stars for me.

The last three stories are much shorter compared to the first two, and aside from a couple of scenes with minor Dark Tower relevance, there's not much to note. Therefore, I'd rate each of these 2 stars. There are a few recurring characters that tie the stories together nicely, making the book more interesting than it otherwise would have been. However, my overall average for the entire collection is a meager 2.6 stars. I loved the first story and parts of the second, but I could have done without much of the rest.

★★☆☆☆½

I read this particular book in 2013. However, it has been constantly on my mind in recent times. This book holds a very special place in my heart. In fact, I placed it on my favorites list just today. It is a remarkable collection of stories. The themes explored within seem to revolve around the mystery of how life undergoes changes as one gets older. It delves into how our experiences shape us and transform us into the individuals we ultimately become.

Notably, a film adaption was made of this book, and it is truly superb. The film had such a profound impact on me that it made me cry. It is based on the first short story, which interestingly also has a connection with the Dark Tower series. In the story, an old man encounters a boy, and they gradually form a friendship. The old man happens to be one of the "breakers" in the last books and has managed to escape. There are those, known as "the low men in yellow coats," who are hunting him.

Once again, I must emphasize that I absolutely loved this book. It is not only very beautiful but also extremely special to me. It has left an indelible mark on my literary journey and continues to resonate with me long after I first read it.

Little did I know what kind of Pandora’s box I opened by reading this novel! I came upon it by accident.

In 2003, I accompanied my nephew (then 9 years old) to a chess tournament as his father was unavailable. I was thus stuck for a few days in the tiny town of Wurmannsquick in Lower Bavaria with nothing to do while the kids played chess all day. I visited the local supermarket, more like a minimarket, hoping to find something interesting. They had a few books for sale, mostly comic books and those with scantily dressed couples on the covers. The only remotely interesting one was by Stephen King. Back then, I only knew he was a horror story writer and was familiar with a few German titles like Es (IT) and Sie (Misery), but I had never read anything by him and considered the author beneath my dignity. However, I was desperate for distraction - it was before the era of smartphones, mind you! So, on 4/22/2003, I picked up this 620-page paperback for only €2.75 and paid with a ten-euro bill (I remember this clearly as I used the receipt as a bookmark). I don't recall exactly how long it took me to read the book, but it couldn't have been more than two and a half days as that's when we had to leave this one-horse town and the novel was finished with time to spare. My initial skepticism about Stephen King quickly turned into fascination, almost euphoria, and I couldn't stop reading. In hindsight, it was a great starting point into the universe of Stephen King.

Now that I've read every novel and short-story collection by Uncle Steve, I realize how closely connected they all are. There are five loosely connected stories/novellas set between 1960 and 1999. All the characters were children in 1960, and their lives were derailed by meeting others or major events like the Vietnam War. But essentially, it's a book about love and loss, friendship and regret. Many characters re-appear in other novels. For example, Ted Brautigan from the first and longest novella Low Men in Yellow Coats will rise again in the Dark Tower series. And Carol Gerber was one of the gang fighting the monster in IT. There are quite a few more references to other books.

But that's not why I'm writing this 13 years after reading the book. It's because of the second story, the titular Hearts in Atlantis. In this story, the main character is a college student who becomes addicted to the card game Hearts. Stephen King, who has his own experiences with addictions, writes about it well. This afternoon, I found I had installed a Hearts app on my phone a few years ago and started playing for fun. But then I realized I couldn't stop, just like the guy in the story. I had to tear myself away from the smartphone, and the best way I could think of was writing this review. And I think it helped.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.

**Hearts in Atlantis: A Masterpiece of Interconnected Stories**

5*......For trying, and succeeding in a new concept. Individual stories interconnected by a string....


I absolutely adored this book! It is, without a doubt, one of Stephen King's deepest works. It delves into a time period filled with tension and fear, exploring the humanity of the characters. We witness their coming of age, their trials, their sanity, and even their deaths. It's not just a collection of short stories; there's a continuation of characters throughout the book in a unique way. We see how the characters introduced in the opening novella develop. For example, one character who brutally attacked Carol Gerber in the first story seems to get what's coming to him. I've never read a set of short stories linked together like this before. It truly stands out from King's other works.


King writes masterfully, interconnecting the stories beautifully. He tries something different and succeeds in my opinion. However, those looking for horror and gore won't find much here. Instead, you're more likely to find a few tears and some anger. The Vietnam war plays a significant role in the book as the characters age. King was writing Carrie as the war ended, so he knows this time period well. It's interesting to see how much of his own life is mirrored in this and other stories, such as fighting alcoholism. The opening novella, "Low Men in Yellow Coats," is my favorite. It begins the interlocking string that winds through the rest of the book, introducing us to characters like Bobby Garfield, Carol Gerber, and John "Sully" Sullivan. We follow their adventures as they deal with bullies and encounter the supernatural. Overall, "Hearts in Atlantis" is a brilliant and captivating read.


More to come soon......