Reading the Chunksters discussion

Post away my little Stand friends :)

Okay, it seems that we're falling off a little bit. Are people having trouble keeping up?

I got distracted by another book today, but I plan to read the Week 9 chunk tomorrow and post about it ASAP. I hope others join in. :)

Life got in the way.. Bad news that I'm trying to process. I'll get back on track in no time once my mind is more focussed again.

Not having trouble keeping up......I couldn't keep to the schedule. I'm about to finish and am afraid to say too much. Trying to limit myself to commenting on other people's posts. It's just too good! lol

I've just finished reading this section. Took me two days which isn't my habit. :)

We finally meet Mother Abigail.. probably the oldest person in the world at the moment. We got to know her history briefly, interesting, but not essential information.
It was great that Nick, Tom, Ralph and a few others have found the way to her home and that they decided to go on the road again towards the big city that will host the 'good natured people'. Knowing where that will be, I'm keep my mouth shut, as it isn't mentioned yet.
I also know where the 'evil minded people' will gather and it doesn't surprise me. That city was born to be the lair of Dr Evil! :)

The second part about Stu, Fran, Harold and Glen was written all from Frans perspective. I notice the subtle changes in her, in wanting to have more space between her and Harold and moving closer to Stu. She'll indeed have a good husband if she should choose him. Better than that snotty Harold. I think that if he found out that she was pregnant he'd go apesh*t.
This being my third reread I do notice that I keep on forgetting the little things. The thread is in here, I know the big stuff that will happen and I know the major characters by name, but it's the side-stories that tend to fade away.
Like Mark and Perion, I had completely forgotten that sad story. It reminded me vaguely of the end-scene of Romeo and Juliette and I was sad she killed herself. Losing her recently found love was too much for her to bear. Being en staying strong in this new world isn't as easy as it seems.

Like Perion remarked. It all depended on the skills people had, and if you put two and two together, you know that a doctor is worth a lot of English majors. Someone who knows how to fit a fuse and keep the power running, is worth millions more than someone who can tell you what day Julius Ceasar died.
Catastrophe always shifts balances and I found this well put by Mark suffering from something as medically simple as a infected appendix.

'nough for now. On to the part I should have been reading this week.
Sorry for the delay.
:)

I finished this section yesterday after being behind for two weeks.

The story of Mark and Perion was so very sad. I can easily see why Fran is worried about her baby. Can you think how you would feel if you were her wondering what will happen if something goes wrong and she has no medical attention in sight.

I already love Mother Abigain and hope that she continues to be a major character in the book.

Harold is really becoming a very unlikable character, I think he means well but he lacks social couth. I'm still trying to figure him out...

I keep waiting for the groups to catch up to each other. It will be interesting to see how Joe and Nick meet and if they are able to communicate since we know that they are both deaf.

Nath, I hope you are okay. I'm sorry you got bad news and if you need anything please let me know :)

Thanks Andrea.
I'm doing better now. It's just that it seems sometimes that I need to fight twice as hard for the things I want in life.
Luckily I've got a strong husband to lean on which makes it all a bit easier to handle.

The Stand is actually helping me to cope.

Thanks again for the concern. :)

More on the stand...
I wonder when we'll be focussing on the major characters only, since it seems that the survivor group is growing every page and already we have characters rather put there bluntly.

And we get very little intell on the 'other' side, besides trashcan man and lloyd. Will they stay unknown until happens whatever is going to happen, or will King try and make us identify with some baddies too? I wonder..

Andrea wrote: "I finished this section yesterday after being behind for two weeks.

I keep waiting for the groups to catch up to each other. It will be interesting to see how Joe and Nick meet and if they are able to communicate since we know that they are both deaf."

Andrea, I'm a big confused by your statement above. By Joe are you referring to the boy that is traveling w/ Larry, Nadine & Lucy? Because he's not deaf. Nick is the only one that is deaf. Joe has alot of issues, who knows what he has been going through before he met Nadine, but he's problems are emotional.

Somehow I had managed to fall behind as well, but I am quickly getting caught up. Like I said in my last post, I am loving the lengthier chapters because we are getting to know the main characters better as they trek along and to watch the social dynamics play out, and I am also waiting for all of the groups to catch up with each other.

I love Mother Abigail, she seems like the tough, sweet old granny who bakes apple pies and fights off crazed weasels! Ha! I also really like Stu's character, I really hope that he and Frannie end up together, he seems like a great guy and Harold is driving me crazy with his attitude. He would, of course, survive the apocolypse!

The realization that they had taken for granted the importance of a doctor, even for "simple issues" is, I think, a great way for King to illicit a bit of non-supernatural terror. Just thinking that you could die from an infected cut or a ruptured appendix, or childbirth, is a frightening thought, especially after surviving the mother of all super flus! Good job King to keep us spooked on multiple levels!!

Nath, I'm glad that you are dfoing better and have a strong support system :) I hope things continue to get better.

Kathy, I may be mistaken, but I recall Larry saying that he thought Joe was deaf.

I'm glad some of our group has caught up as we will be over 50% finished after the next section!!!

I love this book, but I still have a hard time with some of the creepy parts...lol

Well, Andrea, you take the bad with the good and it's best not to let the bad take over for long.

I love it that my bookmark is visibly over half at the moment! :)

Andrea wrote: "Nath, I'm glad that you are dfoing better and have a strong support system :) I hope things continue to get better.

Kathy, I may be mistaken, but I recall Larry saying that he thought Joe was de..."

I think that that's people's first impression...that Joe must be deaf, but it's selective. He's so emotionally scarred that he withdraws into himself pretty often.

Okay, now I feel like I should go back and read that section again...hahah

Things happen so fast, Andrea it's definitely hard to keep track of things.

I read this section over the last couple days. My thoughts:

-The Mother Abigail chapter was just heartbreaking. Her feeling of fatigue was just palpable in that chapter--saying it was unnatural and just wrong for someone to outlive their children, but she guessed that God must have had some work for her to do, which is why he kept her around for so long. Also, her reluctance to leave her home--where she'd spent more than a century--was just so sad. She's incredibly sweet, but also obviously fiercely determined (which we can see from the story of her getting the chickens and fending off the weasels). This was the first time I was actually moved in the entire book.

-Fran's chapter was interesting--interspersing the "current events" with her diary entries from a couple weeks before. I liked her "don't forget" sections. They seem a little silly, considering there are giant libraries untouched by the superflu--this isn't a nuclear apocalypse where the world has been destroyed. Everyone is dead, but the remnants of culture have been left behind, so her remembering random sports stats is unnecessary, but kind of funny.

- I thought it was interesting that in the dreams, the dark man is beckoning to Harold, but in everyone else's dreams, the dark man is trying to attack/scare them. Personally, I don't think Harold is "bad," but I do think he is "weak." I believe it was in the Mother Abigail section that someone said that the dark man would probably collect most of those people too, but I wonder if Harold might not have a fighting chance to stay on the side of good. I'm not saying he'll take that chance, but it does seem that it's there, with the correct guidance.

-So, this is a slight tangent, but was anyone a fan of the show LOST ? There's a long list of reading material that was directly (i.e. seeing a character reading it on the show) or indirectly (i.e. clearly alluded to) referenced on the show, and one of the big ones was The Stand.

Without giving too much away about the show, there were two obvious reasons for this.

(1) The fight between good and evil, which is obvious, and I don't want to get into here.

(2) Choosing between the philosophies of "science" and "faith," which I think was directly addressed at the end of the second chapter, and I was wondering if anyone else picked up on.

You'll recall that Glen, in one of his monologues, was talking about the tendency of people to cancel or "no-show" on flights that are doomed because all humans are, to an extent, psychic. BUT, being psychic isn't really needed anymore because of all the modern conveniences (why "sense" bad news when someone is going to phone you and tell you the bad news in 30 seconds anyway?). But now that modern conveniences are gone, these individuals' psychic abilities are being enhances again.

The interplay of "science" and "faith" can be seen again in how the disaster was human/science-made--the superflu was a government experiment--but then the supernatural swooped in and capitalized on the opportunity.

I don't think King conclusively says that one is more important than the other (at least not yet), but I think it's really interesting that he's showing how important both science and the supernatural are in everyone's lives. And that was a HUGE theme on LOST.

I'd love to hear if anyone else has some thoughts on the science/faith thing.

I'm sure we'll talk about the good/evil thing more in the coming chapters.

Loretta, you are obviously so much more of a perceptive reader than I am....lol

I'm shaking my head over here as I wonder why I didn't pick up on that but how it is so clear to see now.

I'm not likely to ever read a book twice, but I have to say that I could easily read this many times over because I know I am missing many of the innuendos and symbolism that King imbedded in the writing.

Andrea.. wait until you've read more of King and begin to recognize characters he has used in other books. His novels seemed to be interwoven as if it's a spiderweb. :)

nath, if you were me what King would you read next?

Important questin, Andrea! ;)

I haven't read everyone's comments yet, since I have only read half of this one. I finished Chapter 45 this morning and fell in love with Mother Abigail. What a strong lady and a great character. I felt good about having such a great character, and yet sorry for the hard life she has led. I am glad that Nick, et al. have arrived to find her, and that they seem to have found other people along the way. Interesting, though, King took so much time describing characters that died quickly, or in the beginning of the book, and now all of the sudden people are showing up with no introduction or back story. Makes me wonder what type of a role they are going to play in the story.

If you knew eveyones backstory we wouldn't have time for anything....in my opinion anyway.... Don't worry, you know the characters you are supposed to know. :)

That's what I figured. And I agree, if we knew everyone's back story, the book would be thousands of pages long. :D

Andrea wrote: "nath, if you were me what King would you read next?"

Hmmm.. I'd choose one that got me hooked for sure.. that can be Duma Key or Bag of Bones.

If you would like to try his short stories, I truly recommend Everything's Eventual: 14 Dark Tales

But you asked me what you wanted me to read next if I were you.. well no doubt about that!
READ Misery

I've read that so many times I know it by heart and it's my alltime favourite King novel!!

Under The Dome is a great one, though! As is Duma Key! I definitely agree w/ Andrea on that one! Short Storywise....The Night Shift is full of alot of great classics! :)

Okay, a lot of choices here! Maybe we can get one of these going as a side read when everyone feels like they had a long enough break from the Stand...lol

@ Andrea: That's why I love reading some books slowly... it gives you time to think about each part really deeply.

I know we do this to get through the really LONG books, but I feel like that method could work for 300 or 400 page books, giving the readers time to really delve in. I'm not in too many Goodreads groups, but most others seem to just have one thread per book, which doesn't allow you to say too much beyond "I enjoyed it, etc."

Loretta, I agree 100% When I read a book on my own I never take more noted then what will fit on a sticky note. Reading this book I was taking extensive notes. I'm looking forward to reading a lot more books with all of you :)

I'm definitely looking forward to read a "brand new" book with you guys. Re-reading The Stand just completely got away from me. I'm looking forward to discovering something new with you guys. I'm so afraid to say anything half the time with The Stand, cause I don't wanna give anything away. :(

Kathy, you and others who have read the book have done a great job in participating without giving anything away. I think that if something slipped no one would hold it against you knowing it was an accident. Do your best, but know that we are all human and happy to have you here.

Loretta - I agree with your comment about reading smaller books this way. I have a few friends that I read with here on Goodreads outside of my groups, and we usually break books up into 50 to 100 page chunks and comment on them as we go along. I like it better than the one thread fits all as there is so much reading to do to catch up, it is hard to avoid the comments by the people who are ahead of you, and it does make people tend to just say, I liked it, or something short.

Kathy - I have to agree that you and Nath and the others that have already read the book are doing a great job of not spoiling it for us first time readers. Keep up the good work.

That said, I finished Chapter 46 this morning and part of 47. As for Chapter 46 - I was sorry to hear how Mark died, and felt really sorry for Stu, who had just about gotten to where he thought he might be able to help him. My intellectual mind knows that he probably would have died anyway. It is really interesting how Stephen King is making you (or allowing you to) think about what life would be like without some of the advances that we take for granted. I also felt sorry for Frannie, as I think Mark's death really made her think about her situation. If something as simple as appendicitis can now kill you, what about giving birth, you know. However, I had a hard time with Peri's suicide. It's not like Mark was the long time love of her life, so her suicide seemed sort of useless to me.

Lastly, I was wondering how long it was going to take before any of the groups met a group that was preying on people. So far, other than the "bad guys" that I am sure are going to join up with Randall Flagg everyone has been so happy to see other humans, but no one has taken advantage of anyone. It was bound to happen and I'm glad King didn't leave it out.

@ Lyn: I'm reading another book right now (The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1), that I'm sure is at least partially inspired by The Stand, that asks similar questions, except in the context of a Zombie apocalypse. In both books, it becomes really obvious how important it is to have a doctor around.

It's really interesting, because you would think that people survived without advanced medical knowledge for thousands and thousands of years. But when you think about it harder, you realize that in every town/village, there was usually someone who studied medicine, at least in a rudimentary fashion (e.g. knowing which plants/herbs are helpful).

Here, on the other hand, the only thing these people know is to keep the environment sterile. I suppose with the medical libraries that must be lying around untouched, it would probably be possible to self-teach at least basic medical knowledge (e.g. proper dosage for antibiotics, how to perform basic surgeries such as an appendectomy, how to set a broken bone), but that would probably take a really dedicated person at least a year to acquire that knowledge. And advanced surgical procedures (e.g. heart and brain stuff) would probably be lost unless there was at least one certified surgeon around to set up a new medical school.

So basically, civilization will have to be built from the ground up again, though probably at a more accelerated speed than in the past.

Kathy wrote: "I'm definitely looking forward to read a "brand new" book with you guys. Re-reading The Stand just completely got away from me. I'm looking forward to discovering something new with you guys. I'..."

Be sure to nominate a new Contemporary book over in the new thread!

Thanks, going now! :)

I read over the Mother Abigail chapter fairly quickly, as I was surprised at how much of it I remembered from my last read. I guess she really is a memorable character.

I like that we have more characters now and that King doesn't spend too much time on their histories, but gives us a little information on how they ended up together, so as not to leave us wondering.

Fran irritates me just a little. I'm not sure what it is exactly, but her diary entries were interesting, letting us inside her mind and all. I don't know, she just seems a bit immature? Harold, I know I should feel sorry for him, but I just don't like the guy.

The Mark and Perion story was indeed sad, and I did remember them.

I really like Glen and his intellectual/philosophical rants :o)

Loretta, I loved Lost, but didn't watch the last 2 seasons.

@ Amy: I've finished The Stand now, and LOST's use of it as insirpiration is even more apparent now, though I won't discuss how with you, because it really becomes most noticeable in the 6th season.

Yeah, only reason is I have periods of 'no TV' and so, wasn't able to watch the last 2 seasons.

I haven't watched Lost at all, but have all of the seasons loaded to watch. I am doubly intrigued now that I know about the tie in to The Stand.

Loretta, we will have to discuss at some future date after I watch them all.

I got thrown off a bit going through Frannie's thoughts, then the diary entries, since I'm listening on audio and the diary entries took place before the "current events" so I thought maybe I had accidentally skipped backwards in the audio.

Lots of stuff getting setup here, especially the ongoing love triangle that could turn quite deadly, depending on how it plays out.