Roadwork

Book Description

#1 bestselling master of suspense...

They're tearing down Bart Dawes's home, leveling his memories, and destroying his past, all for a new highway extension. Funny what that kind of progress can do to a man. Scary, too.

Customer Reviews:

My least favorite Stephen King novel.......2007-06-27

It's hard for me to give any King book less than 4 stars, but this just wasn't my kind of novel. I think he was trying to show us the inner battle inside this troubled character, but it just wasn't something I could get into. I just couldn't wait to hurry up and finish it. It's not poor writing (again, LOVE STEPHEN KING) but I would recommend dozens of his other books before I would recommend this one.
If you're looking for a phenomenal Stephen King novel, I would strongly recommend "IT."

Solid Psychological book.......2007-03-19

Solid psyche novel on the tortured character of Barton George Dawes as his world crumbles all around him. Enjoy!

You Can Only Push a Man So Far........2006-09-06

Written under his alter-ego of Richard Bachman, ROADWORK was King's first attempt at writing a typical mainstream novel (without the supernatural). The book takes place in the early -1970s and chronicles the last days of Barton George Dawes. Dawes is an Average Joe. He started working at a local laundry company right out of high school and has been there for over twenty years. He has a beautiful wife and a nice home in the town he grew up in. He has a lot of friends who care for him--people he grew up with, went to school with, have worked with, and went to church with. They're a close-knit community.

On the surface everything seems fine. But under the surface, there's a storm brewing. It started three years earlier when Barton's only son, Charlie, died because of a brain tumor. That shook up Dawes bad. A couple years later even more bad news came: a new highway extension is coming through town right where Dawes has lived his life. His house is set to be demolished as is the laundry business where he works. His home; everything he has spent his entire life working for and building is scheduled to come crashing down by a wrecking ball. Barton George Dawes has set on the sidelines long enough and isn't going to take it. Some people think he's gone crazy and maybe he has. Whatever the case, Dawes doesn't intend to give up his home without a fight and without trying to get even.

King has said that ROADWORK was a novel that he wrote as a way to deal with the death of his mother who died just as King was beginning to receive financial success as a writer. The story is a bit crude (in writing, not language) and begins rather slow (except for the introduction). Nevertheless, the book has a lot of emotional appeal and does a decent job of illustrating some of the pressures faced and forced upon an adult living in our post-modern consumer society. Also, the catalyst for Dawes last stand is the destruction of his home because of eminent domain. Eminent domain was an issue that was big in the 1970s, but faded away for awhile. However, eminent domain is becoming a huge issue again as communities, supported by a Supreme Court decision in 2005, attempt to rip people's homes and small businesses away to make way for parking lots, super-sized businesses and corporations, and aesthetic purposes.

Overall, even though ROADWORK is a much different work than fans of King might be used to reading, it is a very personal and emotional, yet relatable novel that is well worth reading.

Push me over the edge.......2006-06-07

how much can one person take?Especially one with an attitude that can lead to the unthinkable?...
Here is a detailed review:The story takes place in an unnamed New England city in the 1970's. Barton George Dawes, grieving over the death of his son and the disintegration of his marriage, is driven off the deep end when he finds that both his home and his business are going to be condemned to make way for the construction of a new interstate highway.

In the introduction to the novel in the collection The Bachman Books King states his disappointment with the work and that a lot of the novel's seemingly melodramatic touches were attempts by him to come to terms with his own mother's death around the time of writing. King states that he was in two minds about reprinting it but decided to in the end in order to give readers an insight into his personality at the time.

Oddly enough, in the introduction to the second edition of The Bachman Books (entitled "The Importance of Being Bachman") King referred to Roadwork as his favorite among the Bachman books.

In the introduction to the first collected works The Backman Books, King states in his essay "Why I Was Bachman", "I think it was an effort to make some sense of my mother's painful death the year before - a lingering cancer had taken her off inch by painful inch. Following this death I was left both grieving and shaken by the apparent senselessness of it all... Roadwork tries so hard to be good and find some answers to the conundrum of human pain...enjoy..Nigel

INSANE?.......2006-03-10

This novel is slow, but it kind of reminded me of Catcher In The Rye, and I think that's because of the depressed mood the character happens to be in throughout the entire novel. It's actually quite interesting how Stephen King was able to come up with this novel.
The novel is about a man who loses his job, his wife, and ends up losing his sanity, because his entire world has crumbled around him.
Yes, it's a bit depressing, but it still happens to be an entertaining read.

The Bachman Books : Four Early Novels by Richard Bachman (Rage / The Long Walk / Roadwork / The Running Man)

Average customer rating:

Bachman Books
A glimpse of things to come
The Greatest
Deep Inside King
Rage is horrifying

The Bachman Books : Four Early Novels by Richard Bachman (Rage / The Long Walk / Roadwork / The Running Man)
Stephen King , and Richard Bachman
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0452277752

Customer Reviews:

Bachman Books.......2007-06-16

Purchased this book as a gift for my husband. It's a classic!!!The Bachman Books : Four Early Novels by Stephen King (omnibus of Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork and The Running Man)

A glimpse of things to come.......2007-02-26

These stories were written by a young King, before many of his more well-known works were published. After reading The Bachman Books, it is easy to see the talent Mr. King possessed at an early age.

Rage is the reason this book is sought-after, and it won't disappoint most readers. It is a great study of social cliques, adolescent psychology, and shifts of power. The controversy surrounding the story may lead people to misguided expectations. This is not a story with huge body counts of high-school students and faculty. My second-favorite story in the book.

The Long Walk is a brilliant character study. Possibly a metaphor for the Vietnam War (my personal opinion there, not necessarily King's), this story focuses on a handful of "walkers" participating in a field of 100. Rules are simple and are enforced strictly. Characters meet sides of themselves they never knew they possessed when faced with situations you wouldn't normally encounter. This story alone is worth seeking out this book. I'd place The Long Walk right up there with other King short stories like The Mist, The Raft, 1408, The Body, and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption.

Roadwork, although my least favorite of the four, still has its place. It is also a character study, but after reading The Long Walk any story would have a tough act to follow. You can empathize with the main charcter even as he slips into madness and King writes him in a way that you almost root for him.

The Running Man was a pleasant surprise. I'd seen the film that was LOOSELY based on the story (and by loosely, I mean the character name, the reality game show, and the future dystopia is about it) and altough I enjoyed it I soon realized that the story was infinitely better (isn't that usually the case?). The story paints a very bleak, not-too-distant future where the haves and have-nots are separated to an extreme that frighteningly may not be that far off. Our protagonist runs in order to help his family, and the hunters seeking him aren't rejects from the WWE. It's about a man pushed to his limits and how he's forced to choose his victories.

It's spooky how King wrote two stories in this book about futuristic reality game shows, and today these shows--although not nearly as extreme as King's versions--are so popular and prevalent. All the stories are worth reading and a couple of them are excellent. If you can locate a copy of this book I strongly suggest picling it up.

The Greatest.......2006-10-07

This is going to be a shory review. The Long Walk has got to be one of the greatest stories I have red in my life, I can not find anything wrong with it. Rage, all I can say about Rage is "WOW". I"m glad I got this before the school shooting and all, cause it is such a great story about standing up for one's self but going too far doing so. Roadwork and The Running Man, were also good stories the the first two I mention is whhat made buying the book worth it. If your a KING fan you must buiy the book.

Deep Inside King.......2006-09-07

When Stephen King first started to gain prominence in the mainstream public eye, there were a series of works that were published under the name of Richard Bachman. Supposedly Bachman was a New Hampshire dairy farmer who suffered from insomnia and spent his nights writing. After the publication of THINNER, it was revealed that Richard Bachman was actually Stephen King--he had taken on the alter-ego so that he could publish more book in one year. THE BACHMAN BOOKS is a collection of the first four novels that King wrote under the Bachman pseudonym. The four novels are:

RAGE--this collection is about the only place you can find a copy of the novel RAGE. After the Columbine shootings King had the book pulled from shelves across the country and didn't want it to be published again. In the story a very disturbed and troubled high school student, Charlie Decker, in a small town community shoots one of his teachers and takes control of the school. Keeping the students under a sort-of hostage control, Charlie leads them in an examination of their inner lives.

THE LONG WALK--one of King's best novels of all times. In a future where a dictatorship controls the U.S.A, a group of 100 young men sign up to participate in the nation's favorite sporting event and pastime, the Long Walk. Walkers participate for a chance at winning The Prize, which is anything you want for the rest of your life. However, only one person can win and everyone else dies.

ROADWORK--a common man stands up against the system and decides to get even before his home is destroyed for the roadwork for a new highway because of eminent domain.

THE RUNNING MAN--in 2025 the hottest television show is "The Running Man". A man who is pushed to the brink is selected to participate and runs not only for his life, but for the life of those he loves.

THE BACHMAN BOOKS includes an introduction by King entitled "The Importance of Being Bachman." In the intro King tells about FBI investigations concerning RAGE, why he wrote as Bachman, etc.

Including both some of King's roughest works (RAGE) and some of his best writing (THE LONG WALK), THE BACHMAN BOOKS is a good collection of writing that most fans of King will enjoy.

Rage is horrifying.......2006-08-05

I've only read Rage, so far, and haven't finished it yet, but am so stunned by the sickening events that have taken place in this story that i was shocked to find that so many people on this board liked the story so much. After what's happened in Rage, so far, i'm not sure i even want to finish it. I just finished the part where the 'pretty girl' was telling the class about her relationship with Ted and their 'first time' together. I couldn't believe she revealed so much personal stuff about them--in front of their whole class ! I think Ted was just as shocked as i was lol. I was equally stunned at the way Charlie talked to the psychiatrist. I hope that would not be a realistic way for a crazed student to handle a doctor/psychiatrist in a situation like that.. i don't remember hearing about that kind of thing happening at Columbine. I sure hope no one else dies in the story (except Charlie, of course) but i might not finish reading it.

I'll read the other stories and see how i like those.

Average customer rating:

The Long Read
Classic King
The most frightning stories King has written
I'm looking for the book
An Excellent Anthology

The Bachman Books : Four Early Novels by Richard Bachman (Rage / The Long Walk / Roadwork / The Running Man)
Richard Bachman
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0452257743

Customer Reviews:

The Long Read.......2006-10-04

"The Long Walk" is my favorite novella in this series. Never in so few pages can any author amaze me like King can. The way he writes is so matter-of-fact in this story.

I bought the book when I was in Jr. High, but things were much different then. People kept their problems to themselves and suffered in adolescent silence. Because of recent events concerning the youth of today, the book containing "Rage" has since been banned, I heard. Maybe it's for the best. If you're a preteen and you're reading this, it probably should be best read by mature audiences only.

Treasure this book if you don't like to read his longer volumes. His snippets suffice for your horror fix.

Classic King.......2004-09-14

Long ago, before Stephen King was hit by the money bus - and later a real van - he could actually write. This collection of novellas helps celebrate that time; a time before slavish devotion to formula had him cranking out the same story over and over. A time before King's new-found relgious zealotry had him extolling the virtues of steadfast belief in a higher power at the core of his every over-long, soapy new novel. This four-story collection is a distillation of the writer King used to be.

I have retained my copy of this set since I was a kid. Luckily it is a hardback, so it has withstood the test of time relatively well. Every now and then I pull it out to re-read one of the stories and I am reminded of just how good this guy was. There is real talent between these covers.

Unfortunately the collection starts off with what I feel to be the weakest story of the bunch. Perhaps I'm just not a fan of self-indulgent adolescent revenge fantasies. "Rage" is just that. It is markedly similar to "Apt Pupil" and a short story, found in one of the ten thousand compilations King has cranked out, about a college kid going amok with a sniper rifle. A lot of the other reviewers have decried the so-called censorship that has removed this story from publication. Frankly I applaud King for realizing how harmful the story is. It is a pointless revenge fantasy in which a student kills a teacher and threatens his fellow schoolchildren with a gun. Romanticizing this behavior is only harmful, as is evidenced by those who post how "prophetic" this is. As if the kids who shot up Columbine or the other copycat incidents were wounded, tortured souls who wanted to discuss philosophy. They were petty thugs. This story asks us to empathize with such petty thugs. While there is a good bit of King's patented adolescent angst writing (he must have had a crappy childhood), the story itself is just creepy.

In my mind, this first story seriously cheapens the collection. I read it once, when I first got the book, and haven't read it since. Perhaps the publisher could re-release the collection without "Rage". Unfortunately to fill it out they might include "Thinner", which is awful for different reasons.

The other three novellas in this collection are nothing short of sublime. "The Long Walk" is an amazing tale about a futuristic game in which 100 volunteers walk until only one man is left. Anyone who flags beneath the required speed is shot. Anyone who tries to desert is shot. They never stop, walking and walking until all but one can walk no more. Overall this sounds like a boring concept, but King works his psychological wonders with the characters and has you turning page after page, empathizing with them and actually caring about them.

"Roadwork" is an odd story. It, too, is a revenge tale but is much less reprehensible in that the person attempting to get revenge does so without taking hostages, without shooting innocent people, and without putting himself up on a soapbox. The hero sees his world falling apart and lacks the desire to reconstruct it. So he just goes along for the ride. In the introduction King says that he wrote this story to deal with his own grief when a loved one died. The truth of that statement shines through. This is a very powerful piece.

The final story, "The Running Man", simply shows the raw talent King embodied. Apparently the entire story was written in a span of 72 hours. Another futuristic game show tale, this one is about a society which is heavily splintered into have and have-not; the have-nots appearing on game shows to try to earn money to survive. The lead character, trying to earn money to take his daughter to the hospital, applies for a game show spot and is given a slot on the titular show, which sets a man loose to run while professional hunters - and all of society - track him down. The rules state that if he eludes capture for 30 days he wins, but there are reasons to doubt that. An effective update of "The Most Dangerous Game", this story grabs you and holds you. If all you know of "The Running Man" is the godawful Schwarzenegger film, you definitely need to read this one (the book version will definitely never be filmed, at least not with that ending).

So three novels of four are must-reads. I highly recommend picking this one up, even if you have to buy it used.

The most frightning stories King has written.......2004-08-04

These four early stories all share the same theme of a terrifing not to distant future that strikes as close to reality as a book can. The first story, Rage is a dark psychologial portrit of teenage boy who loses grip of his sanity yet at same time feels alive for the first time in his life. The most frightning thing about the story is that it has happened in real life, more than once. The second story, The Long Walk really got to me. Its a chilling tale of a disasociated American watching and waiting for a group of runners to get their "ticket" one by one. Helped inspire the contraversial Japanese satire film Battle Royale (amazing film, see it!!) The third book Road Work is the story of a man whos life and mental state detiriorate around him along with his home, job, and marrige. Until he reaches the point of no return and lashes out at society. The final story, The Running Man is the tale of a decayed and apathetic America, where the poor are expendable, and people get their thrill by watching desparate people run for their lives on the Running Man. Some of these stories are cautionary tales. Some are stories that mirror reality in a frightiningly real manner.While others are a pesimistic Freudian analisyis of the human race. All in all this is a must read book. So buy it already!!

I'm looking for the book.......2004-05-04

I have heard every thing about this book. I have been looking for it for the longest time. If any body knows how or when to get it please e-mail me.
krisstarlee28@earthlink.net
Thank you,

Persephone Star

An Excellent Anthology.......2003-08-01

Wow. I am amazed by these stories that Stephen King wrote so early in his carreer. They are all impressive and well written. They all have lasting impact. The first two are excellent psychological thrillers, complete with plenty of interesting philosophy. The third is a slow moving, character analysis of a schizophrenic. The final story is a fast moving action story. All of the stories are excellent.

Rage(5/5)- This is the reason that you won't be finding this anthology in stores. This story is about a school shooting incident. In it, a boy named Charlie Decker takes over his class after shooting his math teacher. I know it sounds ludacrously violent, but it isn't. There aren't many deaths, but alot of excitement and plenty of philosophy. It is told from the first-person (unusual for King) point of view of a killer. You get to watch his sanity slowly slip away. Very intriguing.

The Long Walk(5/5)- A tie with Rage for my favorite Bachman Book. This one involves a grim future in the style of my favorite book, 1984. In this grim, 1984-esque, future, there is a marathon held every year with 100 boys starting off on the U.S.-Canada border and they simply walk. If they go below 4mph for 30 seconds they recieve a warning. If they walk for one hour without a fresh warning they lose an old warning. If they acumulate three warnings, then stop again, they recieve a ticket a.k.a. a bullet in the head. This is the story of one walker - Ray Garraty - who enters the contest. He and others, including Pete McVries, Hank Olson, Art Baker, Barkovitch, and Stebbins. A bit predictable, but haunting and disturbing.

Roadwork(4/5)- This one is interesting. It isn't the best in the collection, but it is still an excellent story. It is a character analysis of a schizophrenic man pushed over the verge. The stoy involves a man named Bart whose house and business are threatened by a new construction project. He speaks to his dead son Charlie in his head. It should be known that in these conversations, Bart is George and Charlie is Fred (they called each other by their middle names).

The Running Man(4/5)- A fast paced story about a game show in the future where a man tries to avoid assassins. It is similar to The Long Walk just as Roadwork is similar to Rage. I like it, I just wish it had more of the philosophy that the others had. This one would be the best for young or immature readers while Roadwork would be really good for serious readers.

Book Description

Roadwork Theory and Practice gives the essential information needed by every road worker, highway technician, incorporated, graduate or chartered engineer, not only by explaining the theory of road construction and its associated activities, but by illustrating its application with practical working methods that are in use in everyday engineering practice. As such, it successfully bridges the gap so often found between civil engineering theory and the day-to-day work of a highways engineer.

Now in its fifth edition, this classic textbook has been fully revised in line with recent changes to EU standards, legislation, terminology and specifications. The new edition now includes end of chapter review questions and references for further reading.

Students will find this text fully caters for the requirements of BTEC National and NVQ qualifications in construction, civil engineering and highways maintenance. In addition, content has been matched to the specifications of the new Higher Nationals in Civil Engineering from Edexcel. Professionals will find the new edition to be an invaluable up-to-date reference source, especially of relevance to recent graduates new to the work place.

* Revised throughout to ensure content in line with new EU Standards
* Latest changes to highway terminology incorporated
* New textbook features increase accessibility of the text - end of chapter review questions and references for further reading

Customer Reviews:

Road Works.......2005-10-26

It's very good book that contain a huge information regarding the road works from A to Z.
I really hope that the Dr. at the Universities must choose this book to teach from.

Average customer rating:

For Paul McCartney fans only....
Fabulous, as usual

Roadworks
Linda McCartney
Manufacturer: Bulfinch Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Photo Essays | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 0821221728

Customer Reviews:

For Paul McCartney fans only...........1999-09-18

The book is full of pictures you and I would throw away...constructions sites,alleys,reflections in windows.If you're looking for Lindas pastoral scenes,this book is not it. It's full of city scenes,showing dirty streets,homeless etc. If you're looking for Paul or family photos,they aren't in here either. Linda has based on photographic career on 2 things:the family and nature and this book has neither.I wouldn't recommend on a photographic level. Only Beatle freaks will enjoy it,just to say they own a copy of it. My copy holds my table straight.

Fabulous, as usual.......1998-08-07

Linda McCartney, once again, picks us up and drops us right on the scene of her photographs. She never fails to surprise with her keen eye and amazing talent. A delight!

The Bachman Books - Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, The Running Man

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The Bachman Books - Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork, The Running Man

Manufacturer: Book Club
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GLAA7G

Average customer rating:

Bachman Books :Rage Long Walk Roadwork
Stephen King
Manufacturer: NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000QB8DWA

The Bachman Books Four Early Novels By Stephen King (Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork and The Running Man)

Average customer rating:

The Bachman Books Four Early Novels By Stephen King (Rage, The Long Walk, Roadwork and The Running Man)
Stephen King
Manufacturer: Plume
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000KK9DAI

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