Reading the Chunksters discussion

Please share your thoughts....

How are we all doing with keeping up with the suggested chapters?

I'm part way into this section and I'm just kind of disgusted and freaked out with the whole Larry and Rita thing. All I can say is ewwww about the sex and droopy bobbies! (can I say boobies on Goodreads?) I'm also thinking that Larry is a nut for screaming at her and his perception of her previous lifestyle seems acutely accurate!

Droopy boobies? lol. Andrea, you crack me up! lol

Wow.. this was one hell of a ride.
Larry's outburst which made me want to slap him across the face a couple of times.
Lloyds stomach turning appetite. :(

Also, a few bonds seem to have forged. Stu and Glen. Frannie and Harold. It seems like the survivors begin to start to knot together.

I especially liked the chapter about the 'natural deaths' of the survivors. At first you don't stand still with the fact there are toddlers out there survived who have no parents to look after them, and that accidents take on a grave effect when there is no one around.

I have been loving the book, and the experience of slowing myself down while reading a book as thrilling as this.

However, and I'm wondering the opinions of others on this, I was not a fan of the chapter dedicated to the people of "natural deaths". It seemed a little unnecessary for me and as someone who becomes easily invested in characters, upsetting to just expect them to die. (although i can appreciate this as well...it was just so tragic when the 5 year old died...although I'm glad King raises solves this issue)

Nath, I have to disagree with your love of the natural deaths chapter. It seemed so trite to me and so repetitive. It lost its value when the same thing was expected. It also bothered me that he just threw in statistics, like somehow Peruvian five year olds would survive better in this ridiculous world.

I've been reading this before bed, and honestly it's been severely effecting my dreams (ironic no?).

Anyways great suggestion of a long (but in such a great way) novel. I would never have read this and am now SO glad that I am. It raises so many acute issues that I love to think about as I sit on my crowded subway. (when someone sneezes I can't help but think of The Stand!)

The reason I loved it, is because it is truly his style. He'll paint the bigger picture, because sometimes when you get invested in a few characters, you forget there are others out there in that world.

King seems to always create a world and you follow the lives of a few chosen ones, but he doesn't neglect to update you sparsly what happened to the rest.

And be honest, I like that, you don't, but he does seem to get strong reactions no matter what. That's what makes him so addictive (read all of his books but one or two). He makes you feel. He doesn't let you just be the innocent bystander, he pulls you right in and makes you suffer along that 5year old, makes you want to strangle that 17y bimbo that had a few days hurt because her child died, makes you want to slap some sense into the 26y old virgin. He makes us want to act and I just can't get enough of that. Of course he made me cry several times too. Crazy to say I love that, but somehow a book that provokes strong reactions always scores big with me and he always makes up for making me cry.

I'm only a couple chapters into this chunk, but wanted to give my thoughts so far.

Yes, Larry basically came across as a giant douchebag in Chapter 35. His mother appears to have been completely correct with the "You're a taker" statement. Rita is clearly rather foolish, and probably more than a tad pampered (Open-toed sandals? Really?), but treating her the way he did was just so nasty. I thought it was really telling that the moment when he began yelling for her was when he entered the Lincoln Tunnel and was scared by how dark it was in there. In other words, "Oh god, now that I need her, I really regret having treated her that way."

More than that, though, is that I could deal with Larry being inherently selfish, if he weren't so dumb about it. It's almost guaranteed in situations like this that you'd want someone to watch your back. I know Rita isn't the ideal travel companion--she certainly seems not to be that street smart--but she's better than nothing, and at the very least she didn't seem like she'd betray him. So Larry's selfishness was actually hurting him more than helping him.

I also read the Frannie chapter. I continue to get a huge kick out of Harold Lauder and how very verbose he is (and how underneath it all he's just a scared, insecure outcast). I hope he survives at least through most of the novel.

Errrrr...I just made a huge long post and then I lost it!!!

Here is the abbreviated version...

After the conversation of Stu and the painter I'm worried about Frannies baby.

I'm glad Frannie and Harold have partnered up given the ratio of men to women she could be in danger.

I can't believe that Lloyd is free and that he ate the leg of the man in the cell next to him. I know for sure that I would not be able to watch any of this as a movie or a TV show.

Here are the rest of my thoughts, for chapters 37-39

- I love Glen Bateman and Kojak. The supporting cast seems to be there at least partially to provide lighter moments--Harold Lauder and Glen Bateman are both fully formed, and emotional, but they're also both a bit quirkier/odder/funnier than our main cast.

- Loved Bateman clearly looking at the flu through the eyes of the sociologist. King seems to be speaking through him a tad, using him to voice the questions about in utero susceptibility, whether immunity passes down, what it will take for the new societies that come into being to be anything other than dictatorships, etc.

- Loved the little indication that Kojak also has very vivid dreams with him growling and twitching in his sleep.

- There seemed to be a couple "Darwin Awards" type moments in the "natural deaths" chapter. Nonetheless, I was sad to read about the death of the 5 year old. I imagine that a bunch of children must have died.

Question: How old do you think you'd have to be to be able to survive after the superflu had taken out your family? You'd have to be old enough to have the sense to stockpile food, arm yourself, and find a secure place to live (or find other people who can help keep you safe). How old do you all think? I think 12 year olds could probably handle it, but do you think any younger?

- I must have a weird, twisted sense of humor, but I actually find it rather funny that the superflu forced the government to accidentally subject Lloyd to cruel and inhuman punishment. Of course, I don't think the 8th amendment matters much in this new world. ;-)

- Uuugh, Lloyd. He's so weak-willed.

I agree that LLoyd is not my favorite character. He is so weak. I also am not particularly enamored of Larry, even though he is one of the "good guys". For some reason, he really annoys me. I think it is because he has a hard time thinking of anyone except Larry. I have heard that he grows a lot during the book, but for now, he is not my favorite.

I am finding that I agree with Nath in that I like the way Stephen King brings little details into the story. Partly because it is fun to have a respite from the central characters once in a while, partly because he brings up good questions that make me think. For example - what are the effects of the massive deaths on the survivors. I like the illustrations of how not everyone is going to "just go on" if they turn out to become immune. It makes those that do seem more unique to me.

I also like the discussion between Stu and Glen about the different animals that succumbed and those that didn't. Interesting what survived and what didn't. I am wondering if/how that is going to play into the story later.

@ Lyn: I didn't even think about the animal question that much. I agree that it's odd that there are tons of cats and deer, but many, many dogs have died.

I wonder if any of the species will come down on the side of "good" and if any will be "evil."

As a cat lover, I'll admit I'll be a little pissed if cats are evil. ;-)

Great job on catching up with us! You're almost up-to-date.

Maybe dogs were punished with being Man's Best Friend. Cats are more independent anyway.

I wonder if their menu will serve cat pretty soon? :S

Nath, ewwwwwwww! I am still trying to get over Lloyd eating human. I have constant willies reading this book!

:'(

Honestly, though, in a Stephen King book, I'd be much more likely to expect to see the cats rise up and revolt against the humans.

I'm just imagining a little kitty phalanx advancing on Lloyd, wearing little militant berets, waving a flag with a picture of a paw in a fist on it.

...of course, I tend to let my imagination run away with me.

Lol Loretta.. if you read Pet Semetary (or seen the movie) then you know King isn't afraid to have cats come back from the dead!! :) And they ain't snuggly no more.

But he does keep an even score.. Cujo made up for all those cats that were hurt in his books.

Remind me, please, who the heck is Gus Dinsmore. He seems to have appeared out of nowhere.

I don't even remember who he is.... so he's probably not that important.

That makes three of us!

I don't either.

Well, don't really have much to add to this section, though I thought it interesting that one would take up painting at such a time ;o)

I don't know what I would do if everyone around me suddenly dropeed dead.

Gus Dinsmore was in the chapter with Franny. Chapter 36 begins with her taking care of him after her dad had died. No one remembers? I was just wondering who he was. I guess he might have just been a friend of her dad's? He had to have been somewhat significant if Franny was tending to him. At least, that's what I figured.

He was the parking guard at the beach in Ogunquit. I think she knew him from childhood up.

His first appearance was waving at her the day she told Jesse about the baby. Maybe she got a little strength out of that, knowing she could count on friends when the Jesse-thing turned out bad.

Hope that helped?

Ohhhh yeah! Hahahah! I think becuase of the was we have read the book, stretching it out so far, the start seem so very long ago. :)

Thanks, Nath.

No prob.. I think by the time I finished it now, I know the novel by heart :)

I liked the chapter about all of the other deaths, too. And the bit with Glen explaining to Stu. The nerd in me loves it, because I'm always the one in a sci-fi movie going "Well, what about.....?" I need the explanation for everything. Stu serves as the "audience" in that he is listening, in effect, to King explaining about all those questions that we as readers would be asking. It's like a little Shakespearean aside to held us understand the story.

The Lloyd bits are totally disturbing. The part about eating the leg doesn't bother me exactly, because honestly, if I was in that situation, only God knows what I would be capable of. I don't blame him for it. But he totally creeps me out as a person.