The little town of Castle Rock, Maine has witnessed some strange events and unusual visitors over the years, but there is one story that has never been told… until now. There are three ways up to Castle View from the town of Castle Rock: Route 117, Pleasant Road, and the Suicide Stairs. Every day in the summer of 1974 twelve-year-old Gwendy Peterson has taken the stairs, which are held by … strong (if time-rusted) iron bolts and zig-zag up the cliffside. At the top of the stairs, Gwendy catches her breath and listens to the shouts of the kids on the playground. From a bit farther away comes the chink of an aluminum bat hitting a baseball as the Senior League kids practice for the Labor Day charity game. One day, a stranger calls to Gwendy: “Hey, girl. Come on over here for a bit. We ought to palaver, you and me.”
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It’s Stephen King – of course it’s great!
A bit disappointed that it was a short story—not a fan of the format. otherwise a nice story with some surprises.
I was not expecting how it ended. I enjoy reading books by Stephen King but also when he teams up with sone one else, you don’t know what to expect.
Good, but not great, Stephen King. I enjoyed it, but felt it wasn’t as fully developed as his great stories.
As a fan of magical realism, I was enchanted by Gwendy’s Button Box written by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar. I understand the two authors collaborated after a long-time internet friendship, with Mr. King reaching out to Mr. Chizmar to finish the story begun many years prior but not finished. The collaboration produced a beautiful and strangely uplifting novella. In it, a middle school girl decides to climb the Suicide Stairway in a park in Castle Rock to lose weight after being teased. At the top, she meets a mysterious man who presents her with a peculiar box. Gwendy suspects the box has tremendous power and decides to keep it safe.
There are some possible triggers, including attempted rape, suicide, and murder, but all are necessary for the story’s advancement, and the overarching tale has the feel of a charming fairy tale. I recommend it.
Love, love , love this book. So much fun. Loved the characters and the story. Couldn’t put it down. Great read
Not up to Stephen King’s usual standards. Maybe I was too aware that he only co-authored the story. It didn’t have his usual depth of characterizations, and the story seemed too facile, sort of hitting only the high points.
I suppose novellas are supposed to be short and more simple than a full-length book, but it was somewhat disappointing. I had the feeling that Mr. Chizmar came up with the idea and fleshed it out, and then Mr. King filled in any holes in the plot or smoothed a few rough spots. I may be wrong, and I’m aware that Mr. Chizmar has received awards for his writing, but this just didn’t have the usual touch that I expect from Stephen King, who doesn’t need my critique anyway. 🙂
Less scary and more twisted/interesting. Much more “Rod Serling Night Gallery” than traditional Stephen King style. Listened to it as an audiobook on a long trip. My husband and I both enjoyed it.
It’s always enjoyable to read a Stephen King book and this one was no exception. I also need to credit Richard Chizmar because without him, this story would not have been published. Chizmar revealed on The Horror Show With Brian Keene podcast that King started writing the story but got stuck. Then he asked Chizmar to take a look and then told Chizmar to work on the story. And before they knew it, the story was finished and the book was done. It really doesn’t matter who wrote what because overall the story is enjoyable and spooky, nostalgic and uneasy.
It’s 1974. Gwendy Peterson is twelve-years-old and out running. During a break, a man in a black coat introduces himself as Richard Farris and they start to talk. He ends up leaving her a box with a set of buttons on it, not saying what the buttons will do but hinting at disaster. Gwendy’s life is not the same from that point on. She must deal with the positive effects of the box as well as the stress and sickness it causes her.
At the heart of the story, it is about growing up. Or maybe about the choices you make while growing up. It’s about the choices made and the positive and negative results they have in life. Making your life better and becoming popular is good but what does that mean for your old friends that get left behind? Does an easy life really mean a better life? As Gwendy grows from elementary school to college, we see how she changes and wonder how much the box changed her. At novella length, the book is quick and concise. Gwendy is provided depth and dimensions but others characters are not. While doubling the length of the book might have been nice, it would have also changed the story to be about the button box rather than being about Gwendy. I was perfectly happy with it as is. And while a lot was mentioned about how Castle Rock was revisited, the town only plays a minor part in the story. It’s totally possible and even probable that if I mapped out the story into the timeline of Castle Rock, that I would find some Easter Eggs or connections to the rest of the King mythos. But it’s not necessary. I very much enjoyed the story without that extra level of research. However … maybe I’ll geek out and do so at some point in the future.
An engaging novella. I’d some issues with the resolution, especially around the box and its buttons, but it was an enjoyable read. I don’t know how much was King vs Chizmar, but the characters certainly had the real human depth of King’s and made me decide to check out Chizmar, who I’ve never read.
It was very different. It was a mystery. Very unusual.
Gwendy is about to find out that with great power comes a terrifying ability.
When a man in a black hat presents thirteen-year-old Gwendy with an unusual looking button box (a box with buttons that she may choose to press), her life changes for the better. But, there is a price to pay and a responsibility to bear. And, the box doesn’t like being ignored!
Another wonderfully written story by Stephen King. This is a short, almost simple tale but one you won’t want to put down. Highly recommend.
I came across this one by accident, but was sure happy I did! It’s a short novella and fairly easy read. The main character is someone you want to know more about and it never felt like I didn’t want to get to the next chapter!
Loved it
In this novella the protagonist Gwendy relates the strange incidents related to a little black box that happened to her from middle school until she graduated from university. Because Stephen King is involved I expected a more bloody and horrific tale but, although paranormal activities occur, it is more a suspense story than a horror one. That aside its is well told, its just that I had slightly different expectations. I read that a followup story is to be published later this year or early 2020 and I will probably buy it based on reading this one. Overall a good story and worth your time to read.
What can you say… It is Stephen King.
This little treasure I read in two sittings. How could I not? When I saw it on the library shelf, I was instantly drawn to it. I picked it up and grinned inside and then felt a twinge of fear. It is, after all, a Stephen King story.
I heard the master’s voice lilting in the background as I read—a little Gunslinger drawl—though he had help with this one. Fantasy and horror writer, Richard Chizmar, co-wrote this novella. And it’s illustrated by Ben Baldwin and Keith Minnion. Just look at that cover!
So. Gwendy.
I couldn’t resist the title being that my name is Wendy and I’ve had my own button box forever. Every once in a while I take it out and run my fingers through the buttons. All shapes and colours, some black, some bling. I like the little clattering sound the buttons make as they fall through my fingers. My mother had one before me, and I’ll pass mine on to my daughter. It’s not the same as Gwendy’s though. Mine does not give perfectly detailed and delicious chocolate animals the size of a jelly bean. Or Morgan silver dollars minted in 1851. It doesn’t threaten to blow up continents. Or people. Or places I hate. Or make my life better. Or worse. And mine was not a gift from Mr. Richard Farris in his black suit and black hat with his blue-eyed charm, and gift of palaver. (Gosh, I love that word, palaver. You’ll find it in my own books.)
“He points a finger-gun at her: pow. “That’s a good one. You’re a good one, Gwendy. And while we’re at it, what kind of name is that, anyway?’”
“’A combination. My father wanted a Gwendolyn—that was his granny’s name—and my mom wanted a Wendy, like in Peter Pan. So they compromised.’”
I am also the Wendy of Peter Pan. And though my grandmother’s name was Gertrude, I had a great aunt Gwendolyn who my father loved very much. So who knows? I may have narrowly escaped being named Gwendy myself. I have always wanted to fly and jumped off my dad’s armchair once believing I could. “I do believe in faeries. I do. I do. I do.” A friend to faeries, I thought that was all it took. Alas, with no sprinkle of pixie dust, I fell and injured my ankle. Later, I did take flight. As a hawk.
But back to Gwendy and her button box. Read this book. You will like it. It reminds me a little of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane, which is on my list of all-time favourite books. And the horror I feared would jump out at me every time I turned a page, never did. So, it’s safe enough—though it might make you think. And that can be dangerous for some people. And, there may be a drop or two of blood spilled before the last page. It did, after all, originate in the mind of the master and his friend. Know what I mean?
This book is so good. A girl is faced with choices that really make you think, “What would I do in the same situation?”
Gwendy’s Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar is a tale about Gwendy and her button box. Of course the button box is enchanted, or cursed. That is up to the reader to decide.
What else can I say about this book? It’s Stephen King! I’m a bit bias when it comes to his books. I usually don’t review his books because of this, but it was included in my reading challenge, so I thought I would give a bit of a review. Of course this book is well written, and I love a story that flows.
I have never read anything by Richard Chizmar, but the collaboration with King has made me want to indulge in a book or two by him.
Whimsical in a creepy way.