Roadwork (1981)

This may be one of the most literary of King's works. The depth of the protagonist's character and his staggering walk through a collapsing card house of twenty years of habits and expectations are worthy of 'major American novel.' I'm frankly stunned. Those who know me well know my on-again, off-again relationship with Mr. King's work, but this was incredible.

Bravo! ( )

In my rereading of King's work, this, along with Eyes of the Dragon and The Tommyknockers, was one of the novels I was kind of dreading, because, though I remembered very little of the novel, I distinctly remember being somewhat bored with it and flat out not liking it much.

Yeah, well, that was the young me. The unmarried me. The me that hadn't been a father. The me that had been too young to, on occasion, look back on his life and wonder what it all meant.

This time, this novel resonated quite strongly with me. Yes, it's a touch dated now, but that current of despair, that feeling that the world is moving too fast, that it's moving on, that everything is in a slow decline...all of that resonates with my feeling for the world right now, forty-two years after the events detailed in the novel.

Don Henley has a line that, I think, describes Bart Dawes perfectly. In his song, New York Minute he sings

He had a home
The love of a girl
But men get lost sometimes
As years unfurl
One day he crossed some line
And he was too much in this world

That despair of knowing too much, of seeing the rot and sickness that everyone else seems either too blind to see, or simply refuse to acknowledge, that, to me, is Bart Dawes.

Goddamn. King, you did it again. You made me hurt for a fictional character. ( )

Lo he devorado prácticamente. No es lo mejor de Stephen King, pero es entretenido, aunque el título no corresponde mucho a la historia en sí, que al final trata de un individuo enloquecido por la circunstancia. No obstante permite conocer un poquito detalles de la vida norteamericana de los años en que se desarrolla y el pasado siempre trae añoranza. Lo recomiendo si no buscáis una mega historia, solo entretenerse con un libro. ( )

This is about a guy who has had too much bad news and flips. His son died. He can't get over it. His relationship with his wife isn't the best. Road construction taking away his work and home. The man makes wrong decisions, but everyone seems to not be a good person in this story. Puts me in the mind of some real life situations so it's pretty much a downer. Makes everything seem pointless. ( )

I never read this Stephen King novel before, and I wish I had. I’d been mixing this novel King wrote and another one up, and thought I had read it, way back in the 80’s. Well I hadn’t, and once I’d realize this, I jumped at the chance to make this situation better.
It’s not a bad novel, for something a bit dated, here and there but it reflected a time when American white males thought like this, and talked like that. It was cringe-worthy, but this character is quintessential King.
Bart Dawes wasn’t a bad human being, he just needed some help. And at this time, I’m not sure he would have gotten the kind of help he needed, had he actually gone and tried to get it. I enjoyed his company during this novel, even though he had some rather racist views occasionally, and had some mental issues (like quite a few of King’s characters). Bart’s like..... that old uncle who occasionally says the worst thing, but only when he’s been drinking a bunch on holidays. Every other day, Uncle Bart is a kind, caring, hard working, wonderful human being. It’s so strange, and yet so amazing that King can make such people seem good AND a bit bad; and yet so fricken real, you kind of hate to see them leave you.... and that’s Kong’s magic.
Finding a little gem of a novel like this one that’s brand new to you, is like seeing an old friend whom you adore, after a long period of time away. A great friend, who tells you wonderful stories about people he’s met and spoken with at length, on the road. And you’re just so dang-blasted happy to see them again...! It’s better than anything else in the world. And Stephen King’s novels feeling like this, to me. An old friend, whom you’re more than happy to spend a few days with, jawing and having a few beers with. 😍
I don’t know why I was expecting a short story, but this novel isn’t. It’s complete in every way.
G. Valmont Thomas is the narrator of the audiobook, and kudos to Blackstone Audio for hiring him for this job. He was *perfect* for the role of Bart Dawes.

4 stars, and recommended to those who love Stephen King, don’t mind there is no H.E.A., and feel like having a blast. (Yeah, I like my puns intended). ( )