Stephen King - Fairy Tale - Review

A short review, not a synopsis. There are many reviews of this fantasy novel already on the internet (none of which I've yet read) but here goes with mine, anyway.

The story of a teenage boy from Illinois. An ordinary boy who lost his mother at an early age and all but lost his father at the same time, because the pain of losing his wife led Dad to alcohol dependency and, as a consequence, he lost his job. The boy, Charlie, had to grow up fast. Not a happy beginning to a novel. 

One day, Charlie was walking home from school when he heard a dog frantically barking; he rushed to investigate and his intervention saved an old man's life. He was used to looking after his dad from an early age so he volunteered to look after the neighbour and his dog. After getting to know the old man, Charlie's life took a different turn, from ordinary to surreal.

Most of the book is a fairy tale setting, often 'grim' but with a happy ending.

So what did I think of Fairy Tale? As usual, with a Stephen King novel, the story has significant detail and the characters, although many, are described well. There was a bit in the middle when I wished he'd get on with it but you have to persevere as it may be revealed to be important later in the book.

Tip! You may want to keep a pencil and paper to hand. There were a few pages containing loads of uncommon words, most of which meant nothing to me - and I should have made a note of them to look up afterwards.

There were some grammatical faux-pas for which the proof-reader(s) should be held responsible. These include 'compare to' and a couple of others, which are no doubt mentioned elsewhere in this blog in some grammar rants. Incorrect grammar momentarily disrupts my reading enjoyment but I'm pretty sure I'm in the minority.

Another nice detail at the end of the book was that the author included a section that tidies up loose ends.