My Original PostWarning: SPOILERS!I love this book. I have read it so many times that I have lost count. Truth be told, I adore all of John Saul's books but this one seems to change every time I read it. From the supernatural elements to the "what is real" aspects, I love the well rounded nature of this story and I love how it combines a childlike innocence with a very adult nature. That said, here's my review:Summary: Narrated by the author, told from various characters viewpoints as it directs the flow of the story. Prairie Bend is the epitome of a small tow. From it's everybody knows everyone mentality to the scary stories that somehow always originate from the founding families. And when Michael Hall comes to the sleepy town with his mother in order to attend the funeral for his dad, he learns of a family he never knew he had. Micheal's father left Prairie Bend as soon as he was able to, no longer able to stand his own fathers overbearing nature and the fact that his own mother refused to leave her wheelchair. Although he left a sister behind, he promised her that her life would be different than that of their parents. After a visit back, unbeknownst to his wife and son, Michael's father dies in a horrible accident and his immediate family must now come to terms with the fact that this man had many secrets, including his strange parents and the town of his youth. Michael immediately bonds with his cousins and some of the other town kids but has a strong dislike for his grandfather, who has the mentality of 'spare the rod, spoil the child'. When his mother announces that she is pregnant, the Hal's deliver her to a house that is in desperate need of care-taking and massive upkeep, telling her that it is her house. Gifted to her husband after their wedding. Michael is immediately excited about his new home and even adopts a stray dog which becomes his protector when his grandfathers discipline becomes too much. One night, Amos Hall tells the story of Nathaniel and his mother Abby who lived out on the plains. One winter, scared and starving, Abby killed and ate her children. The lone survivor of her slow decent into insanity was Nathaniel; now used as a scary story to warn the children in the town t behave or Nathaniel will get them. You see, babies have a funny way of being born dead in Prairie Bend. And no one but Amos Hall and Doctor Potter know why. Until Michael starts hearing the voice of a boy, calling himself Nathaniel...Character Analysis: John Saul is not big on character development. He hands his people to you as is and you watch them slowly follow the story he is imagining for them. Although each book is descriptive and wonderfully written, the characters are fairly as is. There is, however, something beyond creepy about scary stories that involve children, which is Saul's M.O.That said, watching what we think may be young Michael Hall's slow decent into madness is terrifying in it's own way, even with a boy written without much substance. Mind you, I don't enjoy John Saul's books because they are profound. I enjoy them as the guilty pleasure books they are meant to be ;] So readers, what do you think? With Halloween fast approaching, what is on your creepy to read list? Tune in next week for another book review and thanks for following along with me today :]
Yes another Saul book that I have recently finished. Guess I am kind of on a Saul kick. He has so many awesome books out there. I didn't realize until I joined Goodreads online how many books he has actually written. Also the fact that he lives in the Seattle area is a bonus since I'm in the same area. And of course I was not disappointed in this book of his. I had read some not so great reviews of this book, and there is only one thing I didn't like about it which is it was not as captivating as some of his other books. Don't get me wrong, I still absolutely loved the book just some parts of the book were slow going compared to other parts of the book. In this book a woman finds out her husband secretly went and visited his home town. The way she finds out is that when he goes there he dies while he is there (don't worry that is not a spoiler, its the whole premise for her to go to this small town). So she up and leaves New York for this tiny farm community where her husband grew up and fled as fast as he could. Since she has no where to go, she decides the best thing for she and her son is to settle down in the small town. His family he fled lives there and she is curious about what drove him to leave. A legend by the name of Nathaniel surrounds the town and scares all the generations living there. There are personal mysteries to be solved as well as whether this Nathaniel really exists and why he haunts the small town. Mystery abounds in this book and it is worth every second to get to the conclusion.
What do You think about Nathaniel (1984)?
I listened to Nathaniel on abridged audio. I of course, prefer unabridged audio but I knew I'd never actually get through the book and this is the only audio version available. I was disappointed in the ending. It seemed like the story was built up really well and then just crumbled at the end without a satisfactory conclusion. I often have problems with Saul's endings, but it should be noted I was listening to abridged version and may have missed something. However, on my initial reading in the 1990's I also remember not being happy with the ending.Nathaniel was chosen as the June 2011 Group Read in the John Saul LitGroup. Feel free to join our discussions anytime - we're always reading a John Saul book!
—Dustin Crazy little brown owl
”I saw something that night.”John Saul is a very deceptive writer. The characters that people his stories are ordinary everyday folk doing ordinary everyday things. Even the horror elements are hardly apocalyptic or grotesque (or perhaps I haven’t read enough of his books yet). Instead, it creeps and crawls and worms its way into the reader’s consciousness. If there isn’t overmuch character development, it’s because the characters come fully formed. These are the kind of people we all know, which makes it so much more disturbing when strange things start happening. We can relate.”I saw something out there.”In Saul’s stories, it’s the little things that kill. Nathaniel is no exception; it’s an insidious novel. There are multiple shades of grey here, and my allegiance kept swinging from one set of possibilities to the next. It’s never very clear what exactly is going on (until, obviously, at the very end), and just when you think you finally have the truth of it some new information is revealed to set you back a step or two. This book requires a bit of “reading between the lines”, so come prepared.That said, it all seems to work in the book’s favour, since reader frustration with character beliefs and perceptions often form an integral part of what makes this a “horror” story. It’s sometimes scary just because you don’t want it to happen.[He], too, sensed the change in the atmosphere, and suddenly felt his skin begin to crawl.Even though it’s a slow-burner and the body count isn’t exactly sky high it does read pretty quickly. Things do pick up at around the halfway mark. And In fact, on more than one occasion I found myself literally forgetting to breathe. Needless to say, it gets pretty tense, especially given Saul’s penchant for distressing endings; you never quite know what to expect. [She] felt a sickness in her stomach as she realized what had gone on in her house so many years ago.Although this isn’t the most horrific novel by today's standards (it lacks hordes of action scenes and buckets of gore to qualify), it still makes for some darn uneasy reading. The subject matter deals with themes like babies being stillborn, creepy family secrets, paranoia, and such, and there is just enough of a supernatural angle to keep your teeth on edge. I enjoyed it a lot; it packs a psychological punch and it kept me guessing. Also, the prairie was an interesting setting.“You don’t believe me, do you?” he said quietly. “You don’t think I saw anything.”
—Dirk Grobbelaar
Nathaniel has been on my personal bookshelf for many years, I picked it up from a garage sale for $1 (along with a few more of Mr Saul's book) but until now I haven't had a chance to read it.The blurb intrigued me when I read it and made me think of Stephen King a little bit.Nathaniel was easy to read, there was lots of twists that kept your attention and made you want to keep reading. It was dark, believable with a hint of the supernatural.I must admit when I read this quote:"If that's what you want," Anna whispered. "If you're sure that is what you want, then you're welcome here. More than welcome. But I warn you," she suddenly added. "Once you become a part of Prairie Bend, you'll never be able to leave." Page 53, Nathaniel.It made me shiver.
—Melanie
