Customer Reviews

Boy's Life

5 star:		(291)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Sometimes I get to thinking that my mental list of the "Top 5 Books I've Ever Read" is going to remain cast in stone until the day I draw my terminal breath. Then, out of the blue, an accidental discovery like "A Boy's Life" will come along and prove that, while I may consider myself well-read, there's still way too much opportunity for bona fide treasures to remain hidden.

I try not to use too may superlatives when writing a review - they tend to distract the reader and perhaps even cause them to question your objectivity. But this time I just can't bring myself to care, such is my admiration of the book I read just a few short weeks ago. Put simply, this work is a masterpiece, and it's only when you encounter something as rich as this that you realise how often that word is applied to inferior goods.

One line plot summary - "'A Boy's Life' details the adventures of a twelve year old boy growing up in a small town, being essentially a series of vignettes backed by a tale of an unsolved murder." None of which, of course, would tempt you to read the thing were I not to say this:

McCammon has always been a competent writer, but neither before nor since has he approached the heights he attains here. God knows other writers have come close to capturing the simple magic of boyhood (King's "The Body" makes a fine case study), but McCammon leaves them all in his wake. There really is magic in this book, I swear it - the pleasures and pitfalls of early friendships, the thrill of summer break, the bicycle as a near-mythical icon, the joys of childish things and the call of the future - it's like putting on a pair of magic lenses and seeing things as we saw them before the cares of the world came to spirit us away.

I could go on at length, writing about the richly drawn characters, the way McCammon steers a course between humour and tragedy with an unwavering hand, the astonishing writing-style, the way large issues are melded to small events ... but I won't. I will, however, say this:

This book is a wondrous thing, a gift to be cherished, and I cannot believe that anyone who was ever young will ever quite shake away the faerie dust which settles during its reading. It's that powerful.

Or, to paraphrase Jon Landau - at a time in my life when I desperately needed to feel young again, "A Boy's Life" took me back, if only for the briefest of times. And that, friends, is something money can't buy.

I have taught Boy's Life to eighth graders for seven years now. It is their summer reading book, partly because of its length, partly because of its advenure, and partly because its themes tie together the other books we read the rest of the year. For the 200 students or so who have read it, Boy's Life has been the best book they ever read. It becomes important to students because they can relate to the characters and what they encounter. As one student said, "The book teaches us lessons about life." By covering such themes as racism, alcoholism, bullies, friendship, death, writing, courage, and doing the right thing, each class has been able to talk openly about these issues and how they relate to them. I was visited by two former students a short time ago. As they chatted with me, one of them spotted my copy of Boy's Life on my bookshelf. She went over to it, took it down, and said, "Do you know how many times I've read this now? About four or five." Without missing a beat the other girl said, "Mine is kept together with duct tape." It is rare to find a book that kids cherish and return to again and again. Many times it has been the book that has influenced non-readers to want to read. It is a teacher's dream.

Once in a while you find a rare book which stays in your mind long after your finished it. Boy's Life is just that. The story is simply beautiful and still captures my heart and imagination after reading it the second time, 10 years later. McCammon is famous for his horrors. But in Boy's Life, Mc Cammon has written a brilliant story filled with sensitivity, humanity and emotional depth. It is about a 11 year old boy coming of age. Narrated in the endearing young boy's, Cory's, voice, Boy's Life captures what is meant to be a child once, when the world is still magical and filled with wonders, when a bicycle is a boy's steed, friendship is permanent, a dog is one's best friend and even "flying" is possible. And Boy's Life has its moments of poignancy when Cory has to deal with his best friends' death, evil when and where he least expects and bigotry in his young world. Boy's Life just tugs at my heart as it glows with warmth and comfort when parental love overcome the fears of growing up and always there to rely on in a child's life. Boy's Life is truly a treasure and I promise myself to read this gem again in another 5-10 years time.

I first read "Boy's Life" when it was first published over 10 years ago. I was still a young'un in college and could really relate to Cory's tale of childhood chills & thrills. I always thought "Boy's Life" was McCammon's best novel. I have often thought of this book and now with a son of my own I wanted to re-read "Boy's Life" and to capture again it's magic of youth and boyhood fantasy. I was worried though, because I began wondering if when I read again, a book that I remember so fondly, would I still view it the same and would it still have the same impact on me? I would have hated to find "Boy's Life" was something I had outgrown, or found the memory of the story and the story itself we completely different. The great news is that "Boy's Life" is still fantastic and is simply one of the greatest coming of age stories available. The magic and mystery of the novel are wonderful, and I found myself caught up once again in the goings on in the town of Zephyr. If you haven't read "Boy's Life" or were hesitant based on it being written by a "horror" writer, give this wonderful novel a chance. It is unlike anything McCammon has written, and most likely, even coming out of his semi-retirement, will remain unlike anything he will write. Also, if you have read this novel and enjoyed it, make sure you pick up Dan Simmons' "Summer of Night". "Summer of Night" is stronger in the horror department, but the feel and flow of the book is very similar to "Boy's Life".

I'm not going to tell you about this novel. Instead, I want you to do the biggest favor you've done for yourself in years... buy this book and read it. When you've turned the last page, go directly to the beginning and start all over again. That is exactly what I did three times. Even though I wasn't a child of the '60s and I've never been to Alabama, the amount of depth and feel Robert McCammon extends to the reader is immense. I have literally read thousands of books, and whenever someone asks the common question of which is my favorite, Boy's Life is always the first to spill out.
I want you to ask yourself truthfully if you have ever spent a great deal of time being involved in a novel and when it is finally finished, do you walk away completely satisfied? Has it been years since you have read the novel and you still think of it from time to time? Were some of the scenes in the novel created so real that you could honestly mistake those experiences for one of your own? It has happened to me. It can happen to you.
If you have read this book, read it again. Recapture the magic of youth, friendship, and the adventures of life that can never fade, they only grow brighter.
And to those of you who are about to experience this novel for the first time, I envy you greatly.

I have been teaching 42 years; and in that time many students have brought books to me that "I must read." Beginning with a new Lord of the Flies, a new To Kill a Mockingbird, a new Cat's Cradle and a new Catch 22 through A Prayer for Owen Meany, Prince of Tides, The Power of One and Boy's Life, I have read the best of modern literature because I listened to my high school seniors. Well Boy's Life will be around schools for just as long as the previous mentioned books and their Catcher in the Rye counterparts,for those of us who love books and love to see students excited about reading rather than comatose with boredom will keep teaching books like Boy's Life. It's a wonderful book filled with many things to discuss and for today's youth so interested in the sixties it provides a non-historical approach to so much of that life without the inane trappings of drugs and flower power. I have spread the knowledge of this book to an extended community of former students to rave reviews without exception. It may not have the snob appeal of a Ulysses ( a book I love merely because I'm an Irish literate) but I defy anyone 60 or 15 to read it with being swept up in the magic of flying bicycles and boys and a prehistoric animal who is sent by a dead young man to rescue his still living buddy. And if you want this teacher's opinion; it's the novel Vernon Thazter couldn't write. You did it Cory and the whole town should be darn proud of you. And Rick, if you read this, don't stop writing guy. You have the magic.

If you don't enjoy this book, there is a good chance you may have forgotten what it means to be a child - experiencing the wonders and mysteries of the world around you, completely open and receptive to any and all stimuli. Boy's Life is a step toward fantasy (and away from Horror) for McCammon. Those of us who "discovered" McCammon as a horror writer shouldn't be surprised at the slight change in direction, considering all the fantasy elements in Swan Song (which I also highly recomend), but Boy's Life is a tour de force. Cory Mackenson is a character everyone can relate to in some way, and his story covers the entire range of emotions. You'll laugh hysterically in church, cry on the baseball diamond, swell with pride in an empty street, cringe in terror in a flooded house, and everything in between. I have read this book 3 times, and each time I have been loathe to put it down, uplifted when the end comes but, like a child, sad that the ride is over. Read this book and feel young again!

As an eighth grade English teacher, my most difficult mission is to have students metamorph into active readers. To accomplish this, I am constantly adding to my personal classroom library, searching for well-crafted novels in an effort to lure students into the powerful realm of literature. This year, I decided to pick books geared toward boys, and on my jaunt, I stumbled across Boy's Life on an off-the-cuff recommendation; what a treasure I unearthed. Unfortunately, the thickness of Boy's Life deterred me and any student from reading it. By the year's end, with its spine intact, I found myself casting the novel in my pile of books to read over the summer. Soon enough, however, I found myself clutched in the arms of the pages, and I could not put Boy's Life down. The tale of Cory MacMackenson's journey through boyhood, all that he encountered, whether fascination or terror or basic boyish thrill, was captured in artistry detail and a brilliant craft of language. No person should go to "the other world across the river" without soaking up the words Robert McCammon has strung together in this magical masterpiece.

I've been reading these reviews, and it seems that most of the them are written by avid readers. I, on the otherhand hate to read and only by the force of a teacher would I pick up a book. I chose this book because of its high ratings on Amazon.com, purchased it, and began to read. There are no books previous to this one that I have enjoyed, simply because I have never found a book that interested me fully until Boy's Life. I couldn't put down the book and eagerly flipped the pages. Every page had something interesting and enchanting written on it. After finishing the story, I quickly began proclaiming the goodness of the book to anyone who would listen. If you're contemplating buying this book... Just take this review as an example and think... If it can turn a person who absolutely despises reading, and turn them into an avid reader themselves... then it must be a pretty decent book!... Read it...You'll enjoy it as much as I have.

I'm a little disgusted with myself after finishing this book. I've read plenty of King -- 30 or more of his books -- as well as many offerings by Koontz and Barker and even, god help me, Bentley Little. Why did I wait so long to read Robert McCammon? I've known about him for years, even bought Night Boat more than 5 years ago without ever reading it. But I started Boy's Life last week and loved it. Of the 300 to 400 books I've read in my adult life, this is definitely in the top 20, and it's the best one I've read yet this year.

McCammon mentions Bradbury's influence in his afterword, saying something to the effect that he could never compete with the man. This may be so, as far as reputation and body of work may go, but in the direct competition between Dandelion Wine, which I found disappointing, and Boy's Life, Boy's Life wins handily. This is even more surprising when considering that Boy's Life is nearly 600 pages and Wine is less than half of that.

For those of you who need a strong plot, you probably won't like Boy's Life. I, myself, have loved the episodic style of storytelling since I read Huckleberry Finn several years ago, which is one of the reasons I gave Forrest Gump and Dandelion Wine and Boy's Life a try.

Some of these episodes may edge toward the sappy side -- the children pretending that they're flying, the death scene between Cory and his friend, the "evil city" dream -- but the great thing about episodes is there is always another one right around the corner to make you forget the last one, and if two or three don't quite measure up to the rest, it doesn't have a detrimental effect on the whole.

I admit, one of the things I liked most about this book was that Cory was an aspiring writer, like myself. I also wrote stories as a kid and remember the feeling of getting my first typewriter. I've also been through just a little of what Vernon Thaxter went through when his editors forced him to change his book, although in my case it's only been stories. You ask yourself if you're doing the right thing, changing your story so that you can see it in print. Better to have 80% your intended story published than none of it...right? Right? I don't know.

I do know, however, that I will certainly read more of McCammon's work. It appears the most popular ones are this one, Swan Song and Gone South, which is one of his two that apparently are not "straight" horror. These are the ones that appeal the most to me, and I'll probably try Gone South first, and then maybe his book of short stories. It's too bad that he's retired, but you never know. The urge to write is a strong one, and it may claim him again at any time. But even if it doesn't, it's better to have had a short writing career than none at all...right?

Right?