Tuesday, March 17, 2015

REVIEW: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King

Title: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
Author: Stephen King
Publication Date: June 1, 1999

Source: Purchased my own copy.

Nine-year-old Trisha McFarland strays from the path while she and her recently divorced mother and brother take a hike along a branch of the Appalachian Trail. Lost for days, wandering farther and farther astray, Trisha has only her portable radio for comfort. A huge fan of Tom Gordon, a Boston Red Sox relief pitcher, she listens to baseball games and fantasizes that her hero will save her. Nature isn't her only adversary, though - something dangerous may be tracking Trisha through the dark woods. 






This book seemed very out of the norm for Stephen King. It's just not his usual doom & gloom that I love about him. While this was a fun read & a rather quick read for a Stephen King book, I just was not that into it.

Our story revolves around 9 year old (but big for her age) Trisha. She gets lost in the Appalachian Mountains while hiking a trail with her mom & brother. I give Trisha credit. She's tough for a kid. Even now, at my age of 32, I don't know that I could survive in the woods for days on end. But she amazed me at the things she did for survival.

Trisha loves baseball & hangs onto her love for the player Tom Gordon as her main grasp on life. It's actually very touching how she looks up to him. And while Tom Gordon was an actual baseball player that I know nothing about, his fictional character seemed like a genuinely decent human being.

There is mention of something dark lurking in the woods. TGWLTG definitely does not scare though. And after the final showdown (which I absolutely will not delve into), I found myself questioning if the "monster" was even real or just the figment of a child's imagination.

I can't say that this would be high on my recommendation list but it would be on there none the less. TGWLTG was more of a story of survival told from a child's point of view than a tale of terror. Although I am still a huge Stephen King fan, this is not a favorite of mine.



0 comments:

Post a Comment

Recent Instagrams