Product Description: In the emotional aftermath of her baby's sudden death, Em starts running. Soon she runs from her husband, to the airport, down to the Florida Gulf and out to the loneliest stretch of Vermillion Key, where her father has offered the use of a conch shack he has kept there for years. Em keeps up her running -- barefoot on the beach, sneakers on the road -- and sees virtually no one. This is doing her all kinds of good, until one day she makes the mistake of looking into the driveway of a man named Pickering. Pickering also enjoys the privacy of Vermillion Key, but the young women he brings there suffer the consequences. Will Em be next?
Suspensful and Engrossing This story had me on the edge of my seat, begging to hear more and gasping in fear right along with Emily. I became Emily in my imagination and suffered along with her. Her fears were mine as well as her triumphs. This is one I will listen to again and share with my friends and family.
Not King's best Having read and/or listened to nearly all of King's work (okay, uncle, I didn't make it through _Insomnia_ or _Lisey's Story_), I have to say that this falls somewhere between _Gerald's Game_ and _Rose Madder_. This isn't King at his worst, but he's not at his best either. Other than _The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon_ (and that was written from the kid's POV), I'm not at all sure that King does well when it comes to writing about women or from a woman's point of view. As was the case with Lisey, this female protagonist was neither believable nor particularly interesting, and the action was drawn-out waaaayyyy too long.
Oh, and I agree with another reviewer: just WHAT did the title have to do with ANYTHING?
The narrator was credible; she's a bit like Lindsay Crouse who did _Gerald's Game_, but I found myself glancing repeatedly at my iPod, wondering just how much longer I had to listen to the perils of Pauline.
If Florida is to become King's next "Maine" -- as it seems from this and _Duma Key_ -- then I hope he figures out something more interesting to do in such claustrophobic climes. _Duma Key_ was very good, but if I have to sit through one more island narrative, I might build myself a raft.
short story As usual good story, expected a longer one. He always keeps you on your toes.
Would have liked more "bad guy" character development I'm hooked on all the Stephen King audiobooks, having just finished the Dark Tower series doing time in my Toyota over the last 4 months and loving every minute! I'm a big fan and was just mildly disappointed that the "bad guy" in this offering was underdeveloped--so much so that he seemed less frightening than stereotypical. Definitely entertaining but not so much 'meat' here, in my opinion.
Okay But Nothing Special I love audiobooks and especially short story audiobooks because they can be consumed so quickly. The Gingerbread Girl is better than King's Stationary Bike but not as good as Riding the Bullet or some of his efforts in Everything's Eventual.
Gingerbread Girl has a lot of focus on "exercise/getting in shape" (a common King theme since his accident, see also Stationary Bike and Duma Key). It is also less supernatural and more of a classic thriller. It is pretty gripping once it gets going. However, I didn't really connect much to the female character, so I didn't feel as invested as I should have been. For the recording, Mare Winningham does an okay job. Her voice can be a little plain at times.
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