The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King Book Review & Reaction | Terrifying in Just 200 Pages

[@QuirkyQuillify]

I love these King talks. Please don't stop doing them. I read this more than ten years ago. At the time, I was reading every King book I could find at the library indiscriminately. I remember mildly liking it.

[@alona.deksne]

As a European who knows nothing about baseball, I love this book!

[@bobgdn]

In my opinion this is another very underrated King book that should be essential reading for fans. It’s a prime example of King being able to build extreme that keeps the pages turning.

[@Uppernorwood976]

I’ve got bitten by the King bug. I read Different Seasons and loved it. Planning to read 11/22/63 later this year, but I might pick this up first as it’s short, plus I’m a Red Sox fan!

[@adamborst]

As a child that had a fear of the dark it never really leaves us. To that end I'll say the most unsettled I get is when I go deer hunting and I get out into the woods at like 5am and it's pitch black when you turn off your flashlight and you hear the random noises. It can be a panic attack waiting to happen and that's when you know where you are and are prepared for being out in the woods. Getting lost and unprepared would be terrifying.

[@ThisIsJaysWorld]

Poor girl just had to pee 😂😂 I love this book. It was my first ever King book.

[@donnarenne3621]

I'm on the 6th inning of the Audible, and I love Uncle Stevie, but so far, it's just been a girl and mosquitoes in the woods.

[@stevenstewart782]

I'm not real big into audiobooks but I'll tell you you've gotta read this 1In my opinion Get the full effect Of exactly what happening to this little girl On the surface yes it's just a girl In the woods getting eaten alive by mosquitoes but they're so much more going on

[@charleypatterson9956]

This was my first book that I read by Stephen King, and I got hooked right away. Now I have (almost) his entire collection and I'm slowly devouring it like candy. Great video, Mike!!

[@timkirsten6184]

The third King book I read (after The Dead Zone and IT) and man i still have such fond memories of this book. Something about it just works so well. It's simple and effective.

[@metalcandycanechild]

I’d never heard of this book until I found it in a little free library. Definitely underrated! Great review as always, I love hearing your takes on King

[@JaimeEnFuego]

The ambiguity you mentioned is one of the best aspects of this one. I've had the pop-up as part of the old set for awhile. Always want to revisit any time I hear you talk about these stories Sai.

[@JeffSeaIndustries]

My beautiful bride and I recently went to NYC for a few nights. Our hotel had one of those "leave one take one" libraries in the lobby, with this title as a mass market paperback. I had never heard of this story at the time. The book is at my house now LOL

[@stevehoran6011]

I revisited this book along with you as well and enjoyed it once again. Dread is the right mood as you’re reading it. Shorter King books once in a while seem to encourage me to reread him more often. Didn’t know about the pop up.

[@stephennootens916]

I have to put this book on my to read list.

[@stefanzenky8456]

Hey thanks, Mike You’ve inspired me to start reading again within the last year. I never before would have thought to pick up a Stephen King book, but I did. I’m gonna give Salems Lot a try (and Long Walk audiobook). But I promised myself I’d finish Memories of Ice first lol. Almost there.

[@thegenericgeek]

Read this last month. Really enjoyed it!

[@chrisantal2442]

The most underrated of King's books. Loved it!

[@safinan8008]

Happy reading to you!! 📚

[@ScarletStarAudios]

Oh hey! I have owned a copy of this book for like 2 - 3 years, might be time to finally read it XD

[@haley5803]

I'm glad you liked it! Honestly, I haven't found much in SK's catalog that personally works for me. I'm going to keep trying though!

[@tomstreet8208]

Damn Mike, I just read the pop up the other week. This video is great timing for me.

[@chasetimmons2346]

Love your Stephen King content, Mike!

[@ashleydvermont]

we read this in middle school for English class- definitely the book that got me into Stephen King!

[@thenightowldude]

220 pages or less, not 220 words or less.

[@Uppernorwood976]

Actually, 220 pages or fewer.

[@DarrenTheman-r8r]

And uour apostrophes,

[@lesliepowell-mccarty7067]

I found The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon to be extremely scary. Being in the woods alone is absolutely terrifying especially at night. 😧

[@NamasteBbooktube]

Great review.

[@Dereklovesbooks83191]

I tried reading this but couldn’t get into it but that was a few years ago.

[@calebmauer1751]

Recently I watched The Hole in the Ground, that has a really creepy scene where she's looking for her son in the woods at night, and it's got the shadows cast by her flashlight beam moving past the trees. It also has some good scenes about the general creepiness of living in a house that's very isolated out in the countryside, like no one around for a few miles.

[@michaelkibble740]

I have this book haven't read it in a long time but loved it

[@nicolehaugen9265]

I got this one when it was released and remember thinking it was just ok. I re read it 2 or 3 years ago and absolutely loved it. I think, back in the day, I really wanted it to be more "in your face" straight forward horror. Upon re read I was much more appreciative of the subtle , slow burn technique.

[@LiirThropp2687]

I completely agree with you about this being underrated. I thought it was pretty intense and creepy. To be in her situation.....whew! It was a fast read, a bit too short like you said. But overall, I really enjoyed it.

[@leowise206]

Where does the idea come from that his 80's stuff is better then his 90s? I was totally blown away by Needful Things, Bag of Bones, Dolores Claiborne, Rose Madder (!), Gerald's Game and Desparation.

[@samofWinterfell]

Scaring me and taking me back to being a kid with Nomar and those guys. Nomar and Pedro where my first heroes

[@helgestrm9670]

Brilliant thumbnail!

[@redvitaminblue]

Does this book mention the ghost trains of northern Maine? It's been nearly 20 years since I read this one, so I forgot that it takes place in northeast Maine along the Appalachian trail. But coincidentally enough (or maybe it's Ka), I've been planning a hiking trip to that area because I discovered that there are these "haunted" trains in the middle of the wilderness. Apparently, they were used for hauling timber out of the forests in the 1920's and 30's, but were eventually abandoned and have attained a mythical reputation over the last 100 years. I mention this because the area where Trisha gets lost isn't very far away from their location. Also, King is surely aware of these trains and their history because they were last owned by a guy called Edouard LaCroix, whose name bares a strikingly resemblance to a character in The Green Mile (Eduard Delacroix). Just another fascinating layer to the King multiverse.

[@devinpaul9026]

"You mean like bears...?" Elvis Presley laughed. "Yeah, bears! And other things."

[@briteskin]

Oh so the pop up book does exist. I originally had decided to discontinue reading King at the time this book came out. I was so behind reading his stuff. When Dark Tower returned I decided to get the books I had missed and the only copy on the book shelf of my Borders was the pop up book at the time. For decades just thought the book was this weird pop-up he had decided to do.

[@bigbaddaddyo9230]

My first Stephen King story back in 8th grade, and been reading him since

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

This is one of my favs!

[@jflatley38]

I hope they make a movie of this book. One of my favorites of Stephen King.

[@mikesbookreviews]

I’m rather surprised they haven’t yet.

[@jflatley38]

@@mikesbookreviews agreed!

[@raularaujo6339]

the only reason why i liked way more Bag of Bones was that if you are not a baseball fan and your country doesnt even have that culture there are a lot of metaphores and examples that go a little bit lost on me 😢

[@stevenstewart782]

I just finished reading This book and I gotta tell you Stephen king can write Holy crap you are invested in this little girl and he puts her through hell

[@evelienjalving4514]

I loved this book! It's so good.

[@margaretbuccilli605]

LOVED THIS BOOK

[@samofWinterfell]

Also one thing Twin Peaks taught me. Stay out of the woods

[@philb7851]

I’m not sure the monster in here is the same as the wendingo in pet cemetery I think it might just be a fan theory. It sounds cool though…

[@heretic124]

I don't understand how this wasn't just a novella in one of the collections. Is it really proper novel length? 220 pages of large font? I think some novellas got to be as long as this novel. I really didn't like this one, picked it up because it was short and I wanted some to read something from King in between other stuff but I was bored.

[@bigaldoesbooktube1097]

Wanted to come and drop a like on a book review 👏

[@BioPhoenixReviews]

been interested in wanting to read this one even though im not a baseball fan i do like the idea. i will admit i find the name of the book sounds like a generic romance novel lol but that pop up book looks amazing

[@floatingcoffin]

regardless* Mike:)

[@tammylewis5876]

Just think how one of your son's would feel being lost in the woods? It would scare me to death

[@alynam82]

I live in NJ so the I got the Appalachian mountains north and also west of me. I've hiked out there a handful of times, and I know how easy it could be to step off trail and not find your way back... thank goodness I never had any dire situation (knocks on wood 👊 🪵). The woods are vast for MILES. Anyways, I read this back in junior year high school, and loved it! This could probably be due for a re-read this summer

[@michaelcain9324]

My favorite SK book, by a Green Mile. He can't kill the little girl. But, this is SK. He can totally kill the little girl.

[@HoodedMenace]

Whoa! Mike owns a Red Sox hat!?

[@punky19761]

I don’t really know or like baseball, but I very much enjoyed this book. So if you think you might not like this book because you don’t like baseball, you still might.

[@fithfath3615]

I'll be honest, I really can't get on with Stephen King's writing at all, everything I've tried I've not enjoyed. (with the exception of Running Man) This story does pique my interest though, so I may try it and see if this works for me. Thanks for the review Mike.

[@hollyroberts632]

Stephen King scared the pants off me w/ The Shining years before this book 👀😬

[@oberstul1941]

Don't go into the woods at all? oh, but why, Mike? Don't you know the woods are lovely, dark and deep?

[@BoyNamedSue4]

My 6th grade English teacher had our class read this. Kinda surprised he got away with it.

[@mikesbookreviews]

Wow, really? Great teach.

[@BoyNamedSue4]

@@mikesbookreviews yeah. Kinda nuts looking back considering the small town I grew up in would freak out over something every 5 minutes.

[@jcdenton616]

220 words or pages? :D

[@Nessie_is_real]

Absolutely brilliant book.

[@noteuser15]

Sup

[@wigglesworth19]

I think you mean pages, not words

[@koritsi2142]

I thought the same thing, definitely pages for this book :D Although he could probably also do it in that amount of words

[@Renan-n3y]

SPOILER WARNING!!!! During the climax, Trisha faces the God of the Lost and is saved by a hunter who shoots the beast and makes it go away. Of course this is a Deus ex Machina, which we have come to regard as a very poor storytelling device; it's easy to dismiss this as another disappointing ending in a King's book. However, as Tom Gordon's apparition tells Trisha During the book, "it's God's nature to intervene in the bottom of the ninth". The Deus ex Machina has been foreshadowed throughout the book, so when it happens I think it just ties in nicely with this theme of the divine acting when all else is lost.

[@angelaholmes8888]

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this book it's one of my least favorite books by Stephen king 😴

[@bhattsumeet]

I didn't like it at all.