Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
This short, humorous tale, about a Fourth of July fireworks competition that gets magnificently out of hand, will not appear in print until November, when it arrives as part of King's collection The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. Its narrator, Alden McCausland, is a nonstop boozer who has been sipping away the summers with his similarly inebriated mom in a meager three-room cottage on Lake Abenaki. On a fateful Fourth, the McCauslands set off a few sparklers and rockets, and the Massimo family, the high-living, high-style occupants of the mansion across the lake, top that with their display, thereby initiating an ever-escalating rocket war that cannot end well. The production has the sound of a one-man theatrical performance, and its entertainment value depends as much on the one man as it does on the material. King's story, though its inevitable conclusion siphons off any suspense, is amusing enough to keep one listening, especially with Sample narrating it in the same kind of appropriate "down east" accent he used for over a decade on the "Postcards from Maine" segments on CBS News Sunday Morning. This audiobook is pretty much in the same wheelhouse as "Postcards," only drunker. And, ultimately, more explosive. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by Library Journal Review
The Hatfields and the McCoys, the Corleones and the Tattaglias, and now the McCauslands and the Massimos. Narrator Tim Sample evocatively brings to life Stephen King's latest novella, which will be included this fall in King's collection The Bazaar of Bad Dreams. Alden and Ma McCausland are Maine blue-collar locals who-through some dumb luck and planning-are "accident rich." With their wealth, they are enjoying life (i.e., boozing it up) in a cabin by the lake. Right across the lake are the -Massimos-wealthy out-of-towners, complete with white dinner jackets, well-groomed sons, and Yankee arrogance. A simple July 4th fireworks celebration turns into an annual (and ever-escalating) competition between the families until the fateful Independence Day, 2015 (year three into their rivalry). Although Sample does an impeccable job breathing life into the New England characters and their mannerisms, the story lacks the punch or climactic end needed to be really captivating. -VERDICT This is a good listen for the narration but not the plot.-Cathleen Keyser, NoveList, -Durham, NC © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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