Okay, I just got the audio version of Lost Boys. Interesting story so far. I'm liking the dynamics among the Fletcher family. Everything's chugging along all nice and friendly-like. A little dark here and there, but nothing too bad.
Then I got to the scene where Step and Glass are sharing a hotel room at the convention. UUUUUUGGGHHHHHHH BLAAARRRF. Glass talking about the little girl in the diapers...that is the only time I've ever actually, physically, uncontrollably shuddered over a book.
I kind of figured from when he was first introduced that Glass was Boy, and I'll be surprised at this point if he turns out not to be, but that still grossed me out. Icky, icky.
I find it pretty remarkable that OSC can write inspiring, uplifting books, and then also write something as shudder-inducing and CREEPY as Lost Boys. I guess it's a testament to his versatility! It definitely makes me respect him more as a writer, but dang, this book is kind of freaking me out.
Posted by Libbie (Member # 9529) on :
By the way, wasn't Gallowglas the name of the wizard in Hart's Hope? Pardon the spelling of the name if it's wrong - I haven't read Hart's Hope in print version for years and years, and I'm too lazy to go find it on the shelf and check for myself. Posted by Shawshank (Member # 8453) on :
Just wait until you get to the end.
Posted by hatrkr81 (Member # 9317) on :
Lost Boys is an incredible book! you'll love it. Haven't heard the audio version yet. Any good so far?
Posted by Libbie (Member # 9529) on :
It's great so far. Read by Stephan Rudnicki, who always does an awesome job.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
*hands tissue* You'll need it.
Posted by JennaDean (Member # 8816) on :
Mmm-hmm.
Well worth the read; but it's the only one I can't read again.
At least, not until long after my kids are grown.
Posted by Libbie (Member # 9529) on :
It did give me a blast from the past, though: CHILDCRAFT BOOKS. Were those a purely Mormon phenomenon, or did other kids have those, too? My mom still has a vast collection of those in her attic.
Posted by Libbie (Member # 9529) on :
Oh, my. Just got to the part after Stevie's baptism where David shows up all of a sudden. My heart actually started pounding.
I've never had as many physical reactions to a book before.
...and Stevie's short confirmation blessing, with no mention of his future. Oh, my. I don't want to know where this is going.
And this Lee Weeks character. Creepy. There are too many "suspects" in this book. I'm weirded out. Lost Boys is making me glad I don't want to have kids, because THE WORLD IS JUST LIKE THIS. Posted by hatrkr81 (Member # 9317) on :
as Synesthesia said, get the tissues ready!
Posted by DaisyMae (Member # 9722) on :
Interestingly enough, though the ending might not at first trigger this reaction, by the time it was all wrapped up it actually reinforced my desire to have kids. Let me know what you think when you finish it.
Lost Boys is one of my very favorite books, though I'm with JennaDean, it will be a little while before I could read it again. It does evoke very strong emotions.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
quote:Originally posted by Libbie: It did give me a blast from the past, though: CHILDCRAFT BOOKS. Were those a purely Mormon phenomenon, or did other kids have those, too? My mom still has a vast collection of those in her attic.
My aunt was SDA and gave me a couple of her books. They were about plants and animals and were really cool.
When I read Lost Boys as a kid I didn't have the reaction I had when I read it last year. Perhaps I have become more mature or something as I seem to get more emotional at the end of stories and some movies.
Posted by Stephan (Member # 7549) on :
Just finished the book a couple of weeks ago myself. I would have been happy with another 500 pages of just the day to day trials of the family.
Posted by Libbie (Member # 9529) on :
quote:Originally posted by Stephan: Just finished the book a couple of weeks ago myself. I would have been happy with another 500 pages of just the day to day trials of the family.
I know, it's an interesting family.
Posted by Libbie (Member # 9529) on :
Okay, still working my way through the book, and almost done.
Book: " 'The invisible guy got it for me. He said it wasn't very far down, and it came when he called.' "
Libbie: "AAAAAAAUUUUUGHHHHHH!"
*is creeped out*
Posted by Libbie (Member # 9529) on :
OH, NO. NAKED LEE WEEKS STANDING IN THE YARD. NO, NO. THE WORLD IS VERY BAD.
Posted by Libbie (Member # 9529) on :
Okay, I finished it. I almost wish I hadn't.
You guys weren't kidding about needing a tissue. When Stevie said, "I showed them how," I involuntarily yelled (realizing at that moment, of course, why nobody had seen Stevie eat and why he wouldn't let his mother touch him) and promptly got up and started cleaning my kitchen and studio, so I could stave off the bawling. I did pretty well, until the part where it says that the boys were buried with Stevie's Christmas gifts. Then I sat on the floor and sobbed into my t-shirt until the book was over. And now, I'm crying again, just thinking about it.
I have to say, I've felt stronger emotional connections to characters than I felt toward the Fletchers. And I cried when bad things happened to those characters. But as I said in this thread before, I've never had this many uncontrollable, emotional reactions to a novel before in my life. I don't really know what it is about this book that got to me so deeply. Maybe because I grew up in a Mormon family, and the book felt almost too familiar to me. I don't know. Anyway, I'm shocked at how emotionally I responded to this book. I mean, for the last few hours, I've felt compelled to get up and update this thread, just because I have to talk about how the story's been making me feel, and there's nobody home to talk to.
So, anyway. I'm probably with you guys in that I don't think I'll be able to read it again for a very long time. I know I will some day, but it won't be for a long time.
I remain thoroughly impressed with Mr. Card's ability to make just about any theme compelling and engaging. My hat's off to him. But I can't really thank him for unleashing this story on the world, either (not at the moment, anyway). I honestly don't think my life will ever be the same, although that could just be because the story's so fresh in my head.
Back to my tissues!
Posted by Zotto! (Member # 4689) on :
Lost Boys is arguably my favorite Card book; though I'm like the rest of y'all and can't read it that often.
The book didn't particularly influence me to want kids more, but it did change me deeply in that if I ever do have children, I want to be as good a father as Step is, and be with as good a partner as DeAnne. I love the whole family, but the strength of their marriage is what really makes the book for me.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
I think I need to read this book again. I doubt that too many people are "meh"--neutral--about it. It is quite raw.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
My favorite Card book, too. I only re-read when I need a good cry, though.
But I think the ending, the last paragraph, is one of the most uplifting things I've ever read, although it makes me bawl like a baby.
Posted by Cashew (Member # 6023) on :
I'm with you ketchupqueen, the last paragraph just blew me away.
Posted by Libbie (Member # 9529) on :
The bit about the nicknames? Yeah, it was moving. I don't know, though, I'm still stuck on feeling miserable.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
It's definetly my favourite Card book, and I loved how the husband and wife worked together. But it made me get so weepy the last time I read it. I reckon it's because I'm older and realized how heartbreaking it is that that child would never get to grow up and become such an awesome young man... Also it makes the thought of having kids agonizing, because how can you protect them from that? Still, you'd probably have to have them anyway and do the best you can like the couple in that book did.
Posted by JennaDean (Member # 8816) on :
I couldn't read anything else for a couple weeks after I put it down. It affected me so deeply I couldn't think about anything else and couldn't get interested in any other stories. I'm Mormon too, and I really connected with the whole family ... all the rituals and life experiences etc. And after it was over I kept thinking about little Stevie and hoping I'd see him again in the resurrection ... and then realizing he was just a CHARACTER and he wouldn't be there. Realizing that made me cry more, somehow, even though it probably should've been comforting because it meant his suffering wasn't real either.
The only thing I found "unreal" was that a mother could manage to go the length of time she did without touching her 8-year-old son. We're a very affectionate family. I can't imagine not hugging my kid or kissing him goodnight - or at the very least, if he was acting unusual & didn't want to eat, putting my hand on his forehead to check for a fever.
Yeah, I can't read that book again yet. I have an 8-year-old boy. Posted by Dark as night (Member # 9577) on :
I think it's been mentioned several times here and there that "Lost Boys" is the most biographical book OSC has ever written, which is probably one of the reasons why it is so raw, strong and emotional. I agree with everybody on the "tissue" factor, and also on not being able to read this book again, perhaps ever.
The good thing is that even though you may feel miserable for a couple of weeks, full of visceral pain for Stevie and all of the "lost children" of this world, when all is said and done, there are good things in this world and we can be inspired by them.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I was working and thinking of that scene when Step talked about how much better his life had been because he had his kids so it didn't matter if he lost them, something liket hat, the actual quote is so much better, it nearly made me tear up. It's rather embarassing to get weepy at work, but when I read that scene last year, I just couldn't help getting all emotional because it was really beautiful and that's one of the reasons why I like OSC so mcuh even though I disagree with him about 90% of the time.
Posted by Omega M. (Member # 7924) on :
I too liked Lost Boys very much. It didn't make me want to have kids, but I have to say it made me more open to the possibility if my someday wife wants to.
It's just my impression, but DeAnne seemed too "delicate" to be attractive to me, what with her terror of those crickets and other bugs. I would love to be with someone like Jenny, though.
Posted by JennaDean (Member # 8816) on :
Okay, just in her defense: I think anyone would be freaked out by the huge mass of bugs they'd get all at one time. I mean stomping on a roach is one thing, but having them SWARM up from the drains and cover the screens is another.
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
Apparently, I need to read this book again. It was the first non-Ender OSC book I read, and I read it when I was in the 6th or 7th grade. I distinctly recall identifying more with Stevie than with the parents, thinking about how cool it would be to be invisible/a ghost and thinking it very similar to the other YA horror books I was reading at the time. Yeah, I think I completely missed the point of that one, and most of it flew right over my head.
I really don't know why I haven't picked it up again in the last 14 years, but I think I will now.
Hmm, come to think of it, my parents must not have known what it was about, or I doubt they would have let me read it at age 11 or 12.
[Editted for diction]
Posted by Verloren (Member # 9771) on :
I actually threw the book across the room when I got to the end - and it remains as the only book I have ever read to have that distinction!
Now, hold on . . . it wasn't because it was poorly written or a bad story. I just did NOT want that ending. It definitely got to me at a visceral level.
Now, about 10 years later, thinking back on the book, all I can say is "wow, what a writer!"
cheers, V
Posted by JLM (Member # 7800) on :
I hope that "Lost Boys" will one day be made into a film. Most Mormon themed movies are complete garbage, being either brain dead comedies or sappy conversion dramas. The genre needs a good, solid thriller with realistic Mormon characters. "Lost Boys" would be perfect.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
quote:Originally posted by JennaDean: Okay, just in her defense: I think anyone would be freaked out by the huge mass of bugs they'd get all at one time. I mean stomping on a roach is one thing, but having them SWARM up from the drains and cover the screens is another.
Totally At least they were not THOSE HORRIBLE YUCKY THINGS. If I saw those, I'd itch forever.
Posted by DDDaysh (Member # 9499) on :
Lost Boys was a book I put off reading for a long time. I read the "short story" version of it in one of his collections, I think called "The Changed Man". (By the way, if you want the creepy dark side of OSC, those short stories are it.) In the short story version, it is VERY biographical. In the book version they changed all the names, but in the short story they're still Scott, and Kristine, and Emily and Geoffrey, and Charlie. The only non-real character was "stevie" and his name in the short story was Scotty. It obviously didn't have time to develop the characters as much, there were none of the work scenes or anything like that. Even in the shortened version though it was immensly powerful. What really killed me though was the "afterward" in which Card talks about how many people got upset with him about writing a story and "pretending" to know what it was like to lose a son. By the time I read it, his younger son had already died, so it really made me feel for him. It took a long time for me to work up the courage to read the longer book. I'm really glad I did, but it was so emotionally powerful that I, too, doubt I could ever go through it again. I cried off and on for almost a week after reading it.
Posted by BaoQingTian (Member # 8775) on :
I just finished Lost Boys yesterday. I've never read it and didn't really know what it was about. I just finally saw it on the shelf of the library as I passed the C section and picked it up.
For some reason the tale of the family just drew me in. I didn't want to stop reading. I mentioned on another thread that this is just an amazing talent OSC has- no matter the genre or style, every one of his books I've picked up has drawn me right in.
I figured out after the second visit who Boy was, and it just creeped me out every time he showed up. However, I totally didn't see the end coming with Stevie. There's almost always one scene in every OSC book that just chokes me up- that was definately the one for this book. I'm such a baby, but wow it was a powerful story. The funny thing is that I would have a hard time communicating to someone else who hadn't read it exactly why it is so strong.
Posted by Morydd (Member # 5004) on :
Having lost a child myself, Lost Boys is one of the most painful and beautiful things I've ever read. Losing a child changes you, on a fundamental level, forever. You can see this in many of OSC writings. Having the opportunity to say goodbye is something that cannot be explained. OSC captures the feeling as well as I think it can be captured.
Posted by starLisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Libbie: It did give me a blast from the past, though: CHILDCRAFT BOOKS. Were those a purely Mormon phenomenon, or did other kids have those, too? My mom still has a vast collection of those in her attic.
Childcraft is the kid's imprint of World Book. My grandmother used to sell World Book, so we always had a full Childcraft. And we're definitely not Mormon.
Posted by Will B (Member # 7931) on :
Lost Boys was for me a real page-turner. I can't say I enjoyed it. MC was surrounded by such awful people, and I felt like (as him) I had to be watching my back the whole time, worried incessantly about the safety of the family...it was an unpleasant life he was living. But I did have to keep with him to see if his family could survive it all.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
quote:Originally posted by JLM: I hope that "Lost Boys" will one day be made into a film. Most Mormon themed movies are complete garbage, being either brain dead comedies or sappy conversion dramas. The genre needs a good, solid thriller with realistic Mormon characters. "Lost Boys" would be perfect.
I remember reading somewhere (probably on this board) that Mr. Card felt that Shyamalan stole the premise for Sixth Sense from Lost Boys, and that as a result Lost Boys can never be made into a movie.
JLM, what did you think of Brigham City? Not a thriller, exactly, but a decent mystery with Mormon characters, I thought. (Although I didn't like it as well as some did--I thought that God's Army was Dutcher's better film. Do you feel it is one of the "sappy conversion dramas" you mentioned?)
Posted by Libbie (Member # 9529) on :
Sort of off topic here, but I had a weird Lost Boys moment last weekend. At a trade show, I got a wee bit bored and snuck off with a few friends for a break while our assistants manned our tables. We were feeling silly, and decided to do some Mad Libs. I asked for a plural noun, and somebody said, "octopi." My pal Tracy immediately went into the tirade about octopus/octopuses/octopoda, almost verbatim as it's quoted by Step in Lost Boys. I had just finished the book, so I just stared blankly at her.
"Yeah, I learned that from Lost Boys. Have you ever read any Orson Scott Card, Libbie?"
Boy, have I.
Of course, then we had to have a conversation about how much the book disturbed us. But we both agreed that it was a fantastic book anyway. And it is.
Posted by Libbie (Member # 9529) on :
quote:Originally posted by starLisa:
quote:Originally posted by Libbie: It did give me a blast from the past, though: CHILDCRAFT BOOKS. Were those a purely Mormon phenomenon, or did other kids have those, too? My mom still has a vast collection of those in her attic.
Childcraft is the kid's imprint of World Book. My grandmother used to sell World Book, so we always had a full Childcraft. And we're definitely not Mormon.
Ahhh, I see. I've only ever seen them on Mormon families' shelves, but that's obviously just a coincidence.
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