Audiobook Review – Gwendy’s Button Box (The Button Box, Book 1) by Stephen King, Richard Chizmar, Narrated by Maggie Siff (5/5 stars)
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Horror/Fantasy
Length: 2 hours and 42 minutes
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Release Date: May 16, 2017
ASIN: B06XQ4LD7R
Stand Alone or Series: 1st book in the Gwendy’s Button Box Trilogy
Source: Borrowed on Audiobook from Library
Rating: 5/5 stars
“There are three ways up to Castle View from the town of Castle Rock: Route 117, Pleasant Road, and the Suicide Stairs. Every day in the summer of 1974, twelve-year-old Gwendy Peterson has taken the stairs, which are held by strong—if time-rusted—iron bolts and zig-zag up the precarious cliffside.
Then one day when Gwendy gets to the top of Castle View, after catching her breath and hearing the shouts of kids on the playground below, a stranger calls to her. There on a bench in the shade sits a man in black jeans, a black coat, and a white shirt unbuttoned at the top. On his head is a small, neat black hat. The time will come when Gwendy has nightmares about that hat…
The little town of Castle Rock, Maine has witnessed some strange events and unusual visitors over the years, but there is one story that has never been told—until now.”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Button Box Trilogy. I borrowed this on audiobook from my library.
Thoughts: I enjoyed this immensely. It’s been awhile since I have read a Stephen King book and this was an awesome place to dive back into his writing again.
This story follows Gwendy, first as a young girl and then through her high school and college years. One day at the top of Castle View she meets a strange man who gives her a strange box. A box with buttons and levers on it. The levers can grant her dreams and the buttons, well who knows what they do. However, Gwendy suspects they may be able to wreck havoc on the world.
This was an amazing concept, incredibly well written, and I loved watching Gwendy grow up and seeing the strange effect that owning the button box has on both her and those around her. We watch as Gwendy faces both triumph and tragedy and all the shades of grey in between, while trying to do her duty to keep the button box safe.
This was just fantastic to read and the audiobook was very well done too. I was completely engaged in the story and I really enjoyed the ending. This was just a complete pleasure from beginning to end. It’s a wonderful coming-of-age story with strange fantastical elements and I am so eager to see where the story goes in the next book.
My Summary (5/5): Overall I really loved this and can’t wait to read the next book in this novella trilogy. The concept here was creepy and innovative. I loved and Gwendy and enjoyed how her growing up interwove with the strange supernatural powers of the button box. This story was engaging, thought-provoking, and creepy all at the same time. I am so excited to read the next book in the series.
