The Journals Of Eleanor Druse: My Investigation Of The Kingdom Hospital Incident (2004) - Plot & Excerpts
This is kind of a difficult book to review, primarily because it was meant to be a precursor to the show/miniseries "Kingdom Hospital". Consequently, the ending was a total cliffhanger, and, since the show is no longer on the air and I have no desire to track it down to watch it, I haven't got any idea what the ultimate conclusion was.Ending aside, this book was disappointingly average, particularly for something by Mr. King. Sally Druse, at first quirky and eccentric, quickly becomes a bit tiresome and I found myself wondering at a couple points if maybe she wasn't really a bit daffy. The big mystery involving traumatic events that transpired during her childhood were utterly predictable and vaguely reminiscent of the focus of some of Dean Koontz's earlier works involving mad doctors and scientists. Much of the plot progression seemed forced and unnatural and it lacked the rich, enveloping detail that is a trademark of King's other works (even the smaller ones, like "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon"). Although the pacing was good enough, it was, as I said, predictable, like peeking around a corner with a mirror first. All in all, I probably wouldn't recommend this to someone unless they had the intention of watching the series directly after. It simply doesn't have that little something extra that is inherent in nearly all of King's other novels. Perhaps that's because this wasn't meant to be a novel in the way that his other works are...but really, that's just no excuse.
i watched the tv series many years ago (all except the final episode, stange - i know) so i already had a background for this book. in my imperfect memory of the tv program, eleanor druse was a fairly minor charcter so i was excited about experiencing the story from a new perspective. i did get that. however, i felt that the book ended just when it was getting to the really fun and interesting part. i'm all for cliff-hanger endings, or endings that don't tie up all the loose ends in a neat little bow, but i felt that this left way too much unsaid. even if he'd kept up the premise of the journal ending where it did and a newsclipping or some other entry to tell what happened would have worked for me. and perhaps my answer lies with the tv program. if this is meant to be read alongside viewing the program, i made a mistake. i may revisit that (and this review) at a later date. but if that is the case, i would have appreciated a suggestion to do both simultaneously to get the most from the book. as it stands, i'm a little disappointed.
What do You think about The Journals Of Eleanor Druse: My Investigation Of The Kingdom Hospital Incident (2004)?
Тези дни съм се заела с прочита на "The Journals of Eleanor Druse" на Елинор Дрюс. Ако ви е попадал в полезрението сериала "Kingdom Hospital" на Стивън Кинг, то може би ще се сетите, че помежду им има връзка. Всъщност книгата е написана от Ричард Патрик Дулинг, известен с псевдонима си Елинор Дрюс, който е и един от копродуцентите и писатели на сериала. В книгата Елинор е възрастна дама от родния на Стивън Кинг щат Мейн, способна да общува със света на паранормалното.P.S. Извинете ме, ако превода на псевдонима на автора не е напълно точен. :)
—Despina
Eleanor Druse is a woman with a gift: she can communicate with the spirit realm. While visiting a friend at Kingdom Hospital, she has a near-death experience and discovers that humans aren't the only inhabitants of Kingdom. The story starts out a bit slowly, but by the second chapter, I was completely hooked. The pace never lessens and the characters are believeable, especially vain neurosurgeon Stegman. The book leaves off just as the Stephen King-produced miniseries begins, and it should be a must-read for any King fan.
—Barbara
Eleanor Druse wrote this book as a tie-in to the Stephen King’s Kingdom Hospital project.Eleanor Druse, inspired by the original character from Lars Von Trier’s mini-series and played by Diane Ladd in our version, was a delightful voice to inhabit during the months before Kingdom Hospital aired.The Journals is a prequel to Kingdom Hospital. My friend recommended this book, she said that you'll get "the chills" once you read it. But it didn't get the "SPOOKINESS" I was searching for in a horror book.I was disappointed @.@
—Salymar
