The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King (1999, Hardcover)

This is a story of a girl who's parents who get a divorce. Her mother wants to be a great parent and takes the kids to the zoo, hiking, anything she can think of to keep their minds off of the divorce. Well, this times she wished she didn't go.
The mom, her brother, and her go on a hike in the mountains. It all starts off so nice but just a little ways in, she finds she needs to use the restroom. She tries to get her mom attention but no one will listen. She decides to go off in the woods, do her business, and get back before anyone misses her. She goes off the trail, does her business put now can't find her way back to her mom and brother. She is lost with very little food and water. She does know enough to ration the amount of food she eats because shes not sure when she'll be found. She walks and walks not knowing she's walking in the wrong direction. She gets the feeling that something is watching her, thank goodness she brought her walkman. Now she can listen to the game and to Tom Gordon. This radio keeps her company throughout the book. She does do many things that help her stay alive. She builds herself a shelter and tries to cover herself with pine needles to keep warm. She has this feeing that something is following or is up ahead of her. She finds evidence in the morning with a few broken branches and things like this. At one point she goes through a swamp when she finds deer heads that have been ripped off by whatever is ahead of her. How gross. I nearly threw up when I read that. At another point she is so thirsty, she drinks the water straight from the stream and gets sick, throwing up and having dirrhea all over everthing.
In the end she comes to a road and follows it and finally she flags down a man out hunting. She is tired and hungry. At the edge of the woods she comes in contact with the thing hat has been hunting her. A bear like thing and they have a showdown. I can't remember if she has a weapon or not but she does win and is put in the hospital. She does recover and all is happy.
I loved this book. Not the best he has ever written but I enjoyed it.

This novel by King was fair. Not his best work, but not sorry I took the time to read it. I'm a fan, so have purchased most of his books. My 'waiting library' (those that are sitting on the shelf awaiting their turn) includes five King novels. He's always a good read even when at his lower or less than excellent writing capability. The 'Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon' was interesting but lacked the ending King's novels usually hold. Being a hiker and camper; familiar with the outdoors, the details in the book were less than I would have expected from such an accomplished writer. I was drawn into the main character, but still left with little insight into who she really was and what, if anything, was gained from her experience. I was left wondering about the lack of tie ins of information given throughout the story which could have held a deeper meaning. Not one of King's best!

Out of all of Stephen King's books this is my favorite.It is easy to read and not some long boring novel.Once you begin reading it you can not put it down.No it's not about baseball,but it's about a girl who gets lost in the woods.I can not tell you much or it will give the ending away.wonderful story.

an easy read - not terribly scary as typial king...........loved the main character, her determinatin and courage. living in the books location did get the imagination going once or twice......book gets an "excellent" rating for all the red sox analogies and love of the sox in general. overall king is king!

While this is not one of stephen king's better books as far as plot is concerned, it is still worth reading. It is a fast paced novel and has some good twists. Only recomended however for die-hard s.k fans.