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Title: Koko by Peter Straub ISBN: 0-451-16214-5 Publisher: Signet Book Pub. Date: 01 July, 1995 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.79 (29 reviews)
Rating: 3
Summary: Straub wastes some parts of the animal
Comment: "Ghost Story" ranks as one of the most terrfying novels I have ever read and I picked up "Koko" with expectations for a sequel in intensity, prose and effectiveness. Although it has its moments, "Koko" is two stars down from my favorite Straub novel.
It is way too long to endure for the 100+ pages of brilliant writing. I understand that the writer takes his time on detail and background to introduce real and complex characters involved in the story. But still, I think it was way over-written and yet the ending seemed as a result of pages running out instead of what was being told...
Still, Straub makes up for some of the time you spent with him in the last chapter. He, too, is relieved that the book is over and lets his talents out. You might try to read this one from page 500 to the end.
Rating: 4
Summary: Solid and Good
Comment: This books fills ya up. It is one of the more straightforward and easy-to-follow Straub books, too, so it's a good choice for Peter Straub beginners.
However -- and you knew there was going to be a however, didn't you? This book highlights my ongoing problem, not with Peter Straub's writing, which is technically superb, but is off thematically when it comes to his female characters.
Mr. Straub has a bad case of what we called in college the Madonna - (word I can't type here) complex, otherwise known as the good-girl/bad-girl dichotomy. His female characters are all either powerless "good" little virgin-types or powerful "bad", sex-crazed types. Sometimes he'll take a "good" girl and make her "bad" (and therefore powerful) by making her unrealistically promiscuous.
Just look at Maggie. I mean, come ON. Would she really just hop in bed with two of the main characters whenever they snap their little fingers? But as soon as she does it, she becomes one tough manga chick. Look at the doctor's wife -- she is "frigid" and therefore it's OK for him to leave her and go to bed with Maggie. Huh?
You see this issue happening over and over in his work, including in the books "Mystery", "If You Could See Me Now", and especially "The Hellfire Club".
I also have an issue with the way he implies that the women being killed in sex shows in a certain third world county sort of enjoy being killed (???!!!???). I mean, I know he is trying to be poetic, but it just doesn't pay off, not with the subject matter in mind. For such an epic, important subject, you should be able to make it pay off in a big way for the reader, and if it doesn't, you should just nix it out of your story, don't you think?
Anyway -- this is all not to say that this is not a brilliant book. It is. You will find yourself racing through the pages, and he has a lot of important things to say. I just wish he would go ahead and resolve his issues with women. I think that would make his books even better -- and that's saying something.
Rating: 4
Summary: I¿m conflicted
Comment: After countless psychotherapy sessions, an endless prescription of Prozac, and some Disney movies, I'm conflicted - wanting to either kiss Mr. Straub or sue him for emotional distress. Here was a book that danced on the line between reality and fiction so discreetly, I found myself looking over my shoulder in fear.
Now, on to the dissection of it, shall we? The plot was inceptive, shocking, and comprehensive. With a thick history, the story unravels into a terrifying journey, keeping the reader awake wanting to know what happens next. The pace in the book is slow at first but picks up speed. With each word, sentence, and chapter, it propels you on with anticipation.
The atmosphere in KoKo was rich with anguish, pain, and a suffering so powerful it manages to underline your every thought through out. The author's style of writing is precise, simplistic, and thorough. Reading his work, you not only get a familiarity of the writer, but also begin to note a sense of humility.
The characters were individualistic, comprehensive, and real. What many authors miss, and Straub masterfully carried out, was to convey through these characters a sense of pity and purity at an even blend. The world may have forgotten about Vietnam, but in Straub's realm of hell memory is eternal.
My rate? I give it a 4 . Here is a must have for your collection! Buy it, read it and get the professional help required to recover.
-Bloodymary
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Title: Mystery by Peter Straub ISBN: 0451168690 Publisher: Signet Book Pub. Date: 01 January, 1997 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Throat by Peter Straub ISBN: 0451179188 Publisher: Signet Book Pub. Date: 01 May, 1999 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Ghost Story by Peter Straub ISBN: 0671685635 Publisher: Pocket Books Pub. Date: 01 October, 1994 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Houses Without Doors (Signet) by Peter Straub ISBN: 0451170822 Publisher: Signet Book Pub. Date: 06 August, 2002 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: The Hellfire Club by Peter Straub ISBN: 0345415000 Publisher: Ballantine Books Pub. Date: 01 August, 1997 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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