2025 Reading Challenge discussion

Tell us what you thought of the book! You can leave your review here. Even if you read the book outside of the group, please feel free to let us know what you thought of it.

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THE GREEN MILE MEETS THE NOTEBOOK





For my first Stephen King book even though I in all honesty had no interest to read any of his books whatsoever, I decided to try this one for a book group book of the month and was surprised I got through the audiobook with the speed upped high on Libby and whipped through it in a little over 24 hours which is record time and listening for me haha. Anyway, I wasn't like going into this with too much high expectations but I knew that both this book and movie sooooooooo many loved and/or really liked and it's probably another reason I wanted to try the book.


I'm going to unfortunately have to say this but here's what I really thought of this book.....






I hate to say this but I was highly disappointed with this book and not what I expected. I mean, it was okay and all and I felt like some parts got too wordy and dragged out here and there and it also felt like as I saw at the beginning it was like The Notebook meets The Green Mile in a way only without the romance lovey, dovey, and sappy part of the story. But it was more on the Supernatural end part of it however but for some strange reason despite this book being well loved and enjoyed, I just couldn't get into it or King's style. I could be convinced by others who has read his books or be told to "try this one of his" or "this one" but I in all honesty have no interest in any other of his books unfortunately.

It wasn't like this was a DNF or someting. First books of authors I read for the first time such as for instance The Snowman by Jo Nebo. I read and listened to that book earlier this year and thought I'd try it for my first book of his. I actually did in fact kinda wanted to DNF that one however I was both intrigued with the way it would end and get a general idea of his endings. Which I'm still not sure I'll ever read another of his books since I gave one a try. Same goes for The Green Mile here. I decided to give this one a chance and finish to the very end and I actually came out somewhat disappointed with a few things such as these.

*Note: I never put spoilers or try to in my reviews but this one I guess will have to make an exception*


(view spoiler)[
1- Okay, so Edgecome somehow gets John Coffey's supernatural like power. I thought, "okay, what if he secretly tries to somehow manage to save John Coffey, he either comes back alive and then smuggle him out somehow far, far away from where he is OR he of course can't and mourns and cries over him just as John did when he couldn't save the poor little girls who had been raped and murdered.

2- The last chapter explaining how his wife Janice died and then seeing some sort of ghost of John Coffey, and then started to yell at him and ask him for help to save Janice but then with little life she still had, she ends up dying instead. I was soooooo hoping he actually did save her, but later she actually did die or they split or something but I personally like to believe maybe the reason he saw John was because perhaps it was john's way of trying to tell him it was Edgecombe who had the power now and yet Edgecombe was too blind in his grief and fears and worries and so many other things and emotions that he didn't realize not only could he hear others' thoughts, but perhaps he could bring life back when there's a little left. Just as there was some slight sliver of life left in the mouse when John saved Mr. Jingles or originally known as Steamboat Willy.

Although I'll admit I did like the last thought he had when he said the green mile was so long, and how it symbolized how he's walking his own green mile because of what happened with him and John Coffey. Other than that, I had a few issues personally with this book and I don't know why. (hide spoiler)]


Anyway, so overall, I just didn't like it and sorry to say that it just wasn't for me nor King's style and didn't speak to me as much. In all honesty, I tried to like it, I truly and really did, and yet I just couldn't but still enough that I wanted to finish and see how it ended. so basically it wasn't anything special for me. But I'll definitely watch the movie since in cases like this visually it's better for me. So maybe I can have better luck with the movie when I watch it.

It's been a while since I read this one, but here is the review I wrote at the time.