From legendary master storyteller Stephen King, a riveting story about ”an ordinary man in an extraordinary condition rising above hatred” (The Washington Post) and bringing the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine together–a “joyful, uplifting” (Entertainment Weekly) tale about finding common ground despite deep-rooted differences, “the sign of a master elevating his own legendary game yet … own legendary game yet again” (USA TODAY).
Although Scott Carey doesn’t look any different, he’s been steadily losing weight. There are a couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn’t want to be poked and prodded. He mostly just wants someone else to know, and he trusts Doctor Bob Ellis.
In the small town of Castle Rock, the setting of many of King’s most iconic stories, Scott is engaged in a low grade–but escalating–battle with the lesbians next door whose dog regularly drops his business on Scott’s lawn. One of the women is friendly; the other, cold as ice. Both are trying to launch a new restaurant, but the people of Castle Rock want no part of a gay married couple, and the place is in trouble. When Scott finally understands the prejudices they face–including his own–he tries to help. Unlikely alliances, the annual foot race, and the mystery of Scott’s affliction bring out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves and others.
“Written in masterly Stephen King’s signature translucent…this uncharacteristically glimmering fairy tale calls unabashedly for us to rise above our differences” (Booklist, starred review). Elevation is an antidote to our divisive culture, an “elegant whisper of a story” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review), “perfect for any fan of small towns, magic, and the joys and challenges of doing the right thing” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).
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When I read a SK novel, I never know what I’m going to get…and yet I do know. Every single time.
Elevation is a quick read, a fun but emotional read, and one written in true SK style. This writer knows the human psyche better than anyone in the business.
The ending was awesome. Though the story is short, I found myself emerged in the characters and the ending was perfect for Scott’s character. Talk about going out with a bang…
It’s not scary in any way, just a story that although fully immersed in the paranormal, will lift you up. I almost prefer SK’s stories that are like this (brings to mind The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon) and I’ve found since he’s been sober, his work is back to the elevation (pun intended) I remember from pre-addiction days.
He’s the master. Always has been, always will be in my very humble opinion.
Steven has ways of describing his characters in vivid details. We almost want them to get to the next level, and this one is fantastic. Really kept me on the edge, right up to the end (which is fantastic).
This seemed like a regular, quite possibly, real story. That is until the very end. I sure didn’t see that ending coming. As King is so well-known for, his characters seem like real people. What this means to me is that his characters behave, talk and move along in the storyline just as you could imagine. A character doesn’t just suddenly go off the deep end; you will learn why that character got to the point where they ended up in that deep end.
This is a very short novel; I daresay that it’s a novella. The story flows very well and you can always see the probability of the story…that is, up until the very ending. Truthfully, I did not see that ending coming.
Great story! My only disappointment is that it was only 160 pages, a novella rather than a novel. I think he could have fleshed it out with more character development, but I guess he said all he wanted to say in this shortened format. I enjoyed it a lot, but it left me wanting more.
Although it seemed short, this book was awesome. There were great characters and a lot of feel good moments centered around a supernatural event. A great book to read!
The epitome of the white male savior. I’m not particularly interested in how the most aggressively average white man ‘saved’ a lesbian couple through his sheer mediocrity.
Short, sweet and The King points you in his direction with and ending that keeps you asking questions. Just as he always does.
Great book. Stephen King knocked another one out of the park with this one.
Fun little quick read. Sweet story with a touch of eeriness.
Had me on my toes from start to finish
Beautiful story
Of course I had questions after reading this but for once I was satisfied without getting answers. It reminded me a bit of the Goosebumps series except grown-up and with more meaning. Quick and enjoyable.
I really enjoyed this book. I was very intrigued as to why the main character was weighing less but didn’t look any different. A short but worth the read book by Stephen King.
I love King. Read anything he writes. This one was a puzzler. A man begins to lose weight, but not body mass. Anything he touches weighs nothing. He’s losing a couple/three pounds per day. But it doesn’t show.
He has a lesbian couple for neighbors and a retired doctor for a friend. He’s divorced. And, losing weight.
I didn’t really get the point of the story. But, it is short, didn’t take long to get thru.
A great tale from the master of storytelling.
King’s novella Elevation (billed as a novel on the cover, but it’s way too short to be a novel) is both a gentle plea for us all to be kinder to each other and a meditation on death. There is a mystical premise where the main character Scott confides in a friend / retired doctor that he is losing pounds by the day but doesn’t physically look any thinner. There is a parallel storyline where the town of Castle Rock has disdain for a lesbian couple who own a restaurant as well as two dogs that prefer to crap in Scott’s yard. At first, Scott is annoyed with the couple. But once he drops the hate and embraces kindness, he learns they are good people.
King’s novellas are some of my favorite of his catalog. The Body and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption are great works of LITERARY fiction. That being said, I looked forward to reading another of his novellas with great interest. But unlike those two novellas, which looked back on a previous era with a nostalgic gaze, Elevation is firmly set in the present. And although there is a mystical element to this story, it takes a backseat to the parallel story of the townsfolk and their dislike of the lesbian couple. King is known for his progressive political leanings and I fit squarely into that camp as well, so he is speaking to the choir concerning his observations about how the town should be kinder to each other. I did enjoy this aspect of the story, but it wasn’t revelatory to me by any means. Maybe, King was aiming for the more conservative readers of his work in hopes of turning some hearts.
Once Scott’s circle of friends learn of his odd weight loss, they vow not to tell anyone of it, and the narrator must have kept this vow too, because its origin is not revealed to the reader. In this sense, Scott’s weight loss is a metaphor for our dying selves, and as his weight plummets toward zero just as the days of our lives do the same, we are left to wonder about what his fate will be, even though we already know.
This was an enjoyable, quick read, although not as mystical as promised, and definitely too short to be described as a novel. If you’re looking for great stories and excellent writing, then check out King’s The Body and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption in the novella collection titled Different Seasons. I’d give Elevation 3 and ½ stars.
Story just sort of floats off into the distance. Not your typical Stephen King novel, more of a portrait of a pleasant character who becomes unmoored.
As one of Stephen King’s ‘Constant Readers,’ I have to confess that it has been a while since I’ve read any of his work. Picking up ELEVATION was like visiting an old friend, friend with whom I have become so comfortable that I didn’t realize just how much I missed that companionship.
One of King’s most often used settings is Castle Rock, Maine. In this town, ordinary, everyday people have unimaginable events and occurrences foisted upon them. I think one of the less known things about his writing is his ability to bring the day’s critical and sensitive issues to the fore while weaving the supernatural through the plot. ELEVATION is somewhat early King and even more King the politically involved activist.
As is often the case, five stars doesn’t come close to showing the value of reading this book.
This is a novel rather than a novel, and as such you can read it very quickly. That doesn’t mean it lacks any of King’s perfect world-building. It felt to me a little as if King had the main character from Thinner stuck in his mind and had a little something left to do with him, which I loved. This is really a vignette of a story, but it still packs emotional punch, and brief or not, the final scene had me in tears which has to be the mark of a great story. Recommended if you have an hour and want to dive in an out of an original story.
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