Elevated

by Stephen King

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Short Stories

Unknown Binding

About the author

Stephen Edwin King was born the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford, Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury, had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.

Stephen attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School, graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A. in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured eardrums.

He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.

Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to Startling Mystery Stories in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the Night Shift collection or appeared in other anthologies.

In the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels.

Reviews

[Nicole Mullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just really liked this book. It was slow, strange, a bit outdated at times, but really easy to read, very short, and I thought the ending was existential, but not in an irritating sort of way. Finished it on the plane in one go and helped me remember that I love reading, I'm not "bad at it," and I can finish a whole book.

[Lilly Nesbitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

i didnt want to like stephen king books but here we are :(

[Jacob Sarkadi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weird ass book

[Max Stolk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little story. I expected a horror story to be honest, but it was a really nice story.

[Igenlode Wordsmith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always said that Stephen King should go the whole hog and write something that was not a horror story at all - well, with this slender volume (a novella), he basically has. There are supernatural or at least unexplained happenings, but they are not played for horror, although the finale very easily could have been.

It's not a very in-depth story (the unsubtle message is Don't Discriminate Against Lesbians, and it's written in letters six feet high in case you might miss it) and there is little conflict and hence not a lot of plot; the protagonist befriends his neighbours and accepts his mysterious syndrome and its inevitable ending. I'm not sure if the rocket was intended to be lethal or not, but I can't help imagining the consequences as being pretty nasty, which wasn't the mental image I think the author was going for...

This is the sort of brief exploration of ideas I can imagine King getting published in a magazine earlier on in his career - of course that market no longer really exists. It did read to me a bit as a conscious attempt to Bring Castle Rock Into the 21st Century, and as such felt a bit awkward. And there is no actual explanation for what happens - an experiment in writing magical realism, perhaps?

It's an agreeable enough story, but not as good as, say The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon or Joyland, both of which are pretty much 'straight' novels which show what King can do without the supernatural.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Review of the Audiobook

Published in 2018 by Simon and Schuster Audio.
Read by the author, Stephen King
Duration: 3 hours, 46 minutes.
Unabridged.

Stephen King has a long history of publishing collections of short stories. I am usually not a fan of short stories but I have no problem with a Stephen King short story. I think it because King is so good at making characters that the reader can identify with in such a short amount of time.

This collection is pretty short - just two short stories. Both feature older men.

In one, we have a man living in Maine with a supernatural problem and also a misunderstanding with his neighbors. This one really feels like two stories, but it was pretty touching.

In the second story, a desperately lonely widower living in the Florida Keys is brought a gift by his older sister to get him up and moving again - a puppy.

These are both good stories - very enjoyable and always with a twist. They were read by Stephen King. It was neither a good thing nor a bad thing - his accent was great with the characters in Maine, but he is a good reader, but not a great one.

I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5.

https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2022...

[Sarah Mck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice short little one, very easy to read. However....I just don't get it.
Not at all King's style - which is not a bad thing, but it's just.....all rather pointless?
Not bad, but not great either. A bit meh :)

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great read. I cried at the end.

[Dean Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good

[Amanda Izzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dumbest book I've ever read. Waste of time , the book had a weak plot. I've tried to give Stephen king a chance by reading 4-5 of his books and every book has been beyond disappointing. Do not recommend wasting your time reading this book

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting and fun.

[Heather Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun and absorbing...as it should be.

[Kylie Ladely · Rating 3 out of 5]

So strange but enticing enough to finish

[Mimi V · Rating 4 out of 5]

Years ago, Stephen King wrote a book called ThinnerThinner and when I started this book, I thought, "Oh, it's a variation of that story." Nope; not at all. I couldn't imagine where the story was going but was very satisfied with the ending.

[Carolyn Vandine West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio book read by the author. This was a short novella, Elevated followed by a shorter story.
Elevated was a quite unique tale of a man who seems to be losing weight. I won’t ruin it. He also has 2 married lesbians who live close by. I felt as if that was stressed more than necessary. That they couldn’t be introduced
As such, then addressed as merely neighbors.
The short story had a lonely man whose sister gifted him a puppy. I enjoyed this much more. This was a library challenge to listen to an audio read by the author. I haven’t had much luck finding those.

[Crystal Skira · Rating 3 out of 5]

The character development was good, and all the characters I loved. I hate reading or watching something where I can’t give any of the characters my heart. This wasn’t the case (for me at least). I loved all of them! But (for me) the plot wasn’t strong. And while the end was hopeful it felt lacking.

[Sonya Hammock · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first Stephen King. I enjoyed it. Not sure I’m ready to delve into his horror books. I enjoyed the premise of this one and that the main character chose to lift his neighbors even though his own days were numbered.

[Katie Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy quick read. Managed to get through it in a few days. Kept me gripped and wanting to know how it would end. Some nice feel-good themes.

[MaryAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and enjoyable audiobook, narrated by the author. Not the usual horror this author favors but still has a little supernatural flair.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a long audiobook considering the plot and lack of story. In some cases, the author shouldn't be the narrator. This is a prime example.

Three stars is a generous rating.

[Ciara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept us occupied during a 4 hour road trip! Funny parts and weird parts. Audio book is narrated by the King himself 😍

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short and sweet story. A hopeful tale for our current times. Read it!

[Maya Goodwine]

Short and sweet

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining audiobook for a 4-hour car ride but it's obvious the author has not spent much time around runners.

[Laura Stoicoviciu · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is King coming to terms with his own mortality. The existentialism of it all was gentle and familiar, in my opinion.