Book: Joyland

Book: Joyland

Author: Stephen King

Pages: 288

This is my 148th read for the year

This is the story of Devin Jones.  In 1973 he is a college student who is working an amusement park for the summer.  During the summer he works the rides, spends time as the mascot, and meets a mom and a young dying boy whom he takes under his wing.  He also learns that there was a murder that happened and he wants to figure out who it was that killed a young girl.  Told when Devin was in his 60s and looking back at this year of his life, he recounts how his life was changed.

This was an okay book.  I liked it just fine, but it seemed like too many things were going on in this short novel.  A murder, help for a dying child, and learning the ropes at an amusement park felt like one story line too many.  It was missing the magic of character development and I really didn't feel anything for any of them by the end of the book.  

Stars: 3