Excitement of a new Stephen King book is tempered by my dislike of the protagonist. Is it just me who finds the Holly Gibney character insufferable?

I liked all 3 of the books from Mr. Mercedes trilogy. I would enjoy reading more about Holly and Jerome. I really enjoyed Finders Keepers and would also love to see what happens with Pete Saubers.

@James: Agreed: I like most of Stehen King's work, but I very much dislike Holly Gibney. It made the Mr. Mercedes trilogy hard to like.

holly has grown on me. she went from rather annoying in mr. mercedes and then king just developed her and she became an interesting person. and i was so pleased when she made it to the big screen in the outsider. i can't picture her now without seeing cynthia erivo. loved how she protrayed her and made her quirky and a little humorous. looking forward to the new book.

Holly is a great character and I cant wait for the new book!

Favorite SK creation EVER!

The character development is Genius here; can’t wait for it to Come Out!!!

James wrote: "Excitement of a new Stephen King book is tempered by my dislike of the protagonist. Is it just me who finds the Holly Gibney character insufferable?"

You're not alone! I can't stand Holly, but I love Stephen King books. I might wait on this one and see how people like it before diving in.

The Holly saga continues, can't wait!

I loved the Mr. Mercedes trilogy and The Outsider, so I'm looking forward to this new book. So many books, so little time...

The trilogy and The Outsider were very good and yes, it took me a little while, too, to like Holly. Now, I do. She’s grown into her character.

James wrote: "Excitement of a new Stephen King book is tempered by my dislike of the protagonist. Is it just me who finds the Holly Gibney character insufferable?"

With you here, could not warm to her at all, and don't understand the focus on her character!

yes yes yes i've been waiting for this news ever since reading the outsider. i Love Holly.

Godgamer69420 wrote: "im gonna kill myself"

No, don't. :(

I love Holly Gibney!!

Holly is one of my favorite literary characters! I am so excited to hear about this book and will watch in anticipation for its release.

thank you!!

I am super excited for the new Holly book! Does anyone by chance know about the status of the sequel to Cujo, Rattlesnakes?

I am excited to read a new book where Holly is the lead. Mr Mercedes was a great trilogy. Thank you Stephen!

James wrote: "Excitement of a new Stephen King book is tempered by my dislike of the protagonist. Is it just me who finds the Holly Gibney character insufferable?"

Not just you, I don’t care for her either. I will say she was less insufferable in If it Bleeds.

I can only imagine that those who can't stand Holly must not know what it's like to be a professional woman with anxiety/OCD/perfectionism and maybe Asperger's. I relate to Holly so much, and I applaud her every accomplishment. Thanks to the King for giving us a character women like me can see themselves in!

I like Holly, my favorite was The Outsider; If It Bleeds and the Mr. Mercedes trilogy were enjoyable.

I've loved Holly's character and can't get enough of her!!!

What a great news :) I'm just finished Mr. Mercedes and now I'm in about a middle of Finders Keepers :)

Aspergers here and I relate very much to Holly. I'm looking forward to this book.

Looking forward to it and can't wait! This will be great to read entering next Fall :-)

Loved the Mr Mercedes trilogy, and can't wait to reconnect with Holly in another story.

I look forward in reading Holly once received. Too early to judge how it will turn out. Although I have read most of SKs books and enjoyed them. Hopefully this will not be a disappointment. WIll see..

Fred wrote: "I look forward in reading Holly once received. Too early to judge how it will turn out. Although I have read most of SKs books and enjoyed them. Hopefully this will not be a disappointment. WIll see.."

To all the Holly haters… I don’t think Holly was ever intended to a lovable character. I’ve always thought she was one of those misunderstood annoying underdogs that few in her world warmed to. Why would fans of Mr. King’s novels feel anything differently than the characters he writes, or implies. Bill and Jerome liked Holly.. but Bill liked her because she just kept after him… Jerome just “gets” her. Holly doesn’t have any other friends, and now Bill is dead… It’s not an accident that many readers dislike Holly. Myself, I’m more like Bill… I didn’t like her much in the beginning, found her a bit distracting and annoying, but by the end of the Mr. Mercedes trilogy… well, I get Holly, I really do.
and I’m really looking forward to see where this novel goes… I just hope Mr. King doesn’t send Holly off to be eternally with her pal Bill… but it wouldn’t surprise me if he does…

I love Holly - she is certainly a memorable character. Jerome and Bill cracked the Holly code and because they gained her trust, she would have died for either of them. Holly still retains her quirkiness but has become more likeable through her experiences as the books developed. I'm certainly looking forward to reading Holly!

Stefan wrote: "I liked all 3 of the books from Mr. Mercedes trilogy. I would enjoy reading more about Holly and Jerome. I really enjoyed Finders Keepers and would also love to see what happens with Pete Saubers."

I completely agree :)

James wrote: "Excitement of a new Stephen King book is tempered by my dislike of the protagonist. Is it just me who finds the Holly Gibney character insufferable?"

It's just you. Holly is a great character.

James wrote: "Excitement of a new Stephen King book is tempered by my dislike of the protagonist. Is it just me who finds the Holly Gibney character insufferable?"

She is marvelous, she is not supposed to be loved like Nancy Drew or Charlie's Angels. God Forbid! (King Forbid). She is brilliant and admirable and so compelling. Can't wait for more!

Orphu wrote: "@James: Agreed: I like most of Stehen King's work, but I very much dislike Holly Gibney. It made the Mr. Mercedes trilogy hard to like."

Think we are in the minority here!

Sinead wrote: "James wrote: "Excitement of a new Stephen King book is tempered by my dislike of the protagonist. Is it just me who finds the Holly Gibney character insufferable?"

With you here, could not warm to..."

Glad it isn't just me! I see there are several comments here saying she isn't supposed to be likeable, maybe that's part of it? But as a Protagonist I just find her to be that deadly combination of irritating and boring.

Jenni wrote: "James wrote: "Excitement of a new Stephen King book is tempered by my dislike of the protagonist. Is it just me who finds the Holly Gibney character insufferable?"

You're not alone! I can't stand ..."

I think that's what I'm going to do as well.

I LOVE HOLLY GIBNEY! She is one of my favorite King characters! I CANNOT wait for her next adventure!!

I loved the character in the books...unfortunately she was ruined by the portrayal in the HBO show.

I am so excited to see this! I LOVE Holly and can hardly wait to read this book. Thank you, SK, for giving us this complex and delightful character<3

Andrew wrote: "I loved the character in the books...unfortunately she was ruined by the portrayal in the HBO show."
I love Holly in the books and I enjoyed both screen portrayals of Holly but my favorite is Cynthia Erivo.

Didn't really think about Holly as I did some of the Mr. Mercedes audiobooks. The reader chose to use a clipped voice to make her sound a little eccentric...and it worked. Watching the series on the now-defunct Audience Network, Justine Lupe did a fantastic job of bringing that character to life (especially when you see Lupe in other, more normal roles).

So I guess pretty disappointing that someone besides Lupe has portayed Holly on the big screen. When doing books/audio in the future, Justine will always be my Holly. But I think an interesting character and I'm curious to see the next chapter.

Jusy pre-ordered. Holly is a great character. Will be waiting for September.

Is Ralph Anderson gonna turn up, too?

I loved Holly in The Outsider and she's one of the big reasons I really want to read Mr. Mercedes! So happy to see her getting her own story. :D

I find I relate to Holly’s character, having a similar background of wanting to be invisible and being forced into the light because my intellect is needed by others .

Leslie Crawford's comment is the definition of humble narcissism.