# The TABITHA King appreciation thread **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 24, 2007, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tabitha-king-appreciation-thread/427601 "2007-11-24T13:14:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2007, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tabitha-king-appreciation-thread/427601/1 "2007-11-24T13:14:18Z")
Since I was asked about it over [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=9206479#post9206479), I am going to post a thead to say I love Tabitha King’s novels. Her trilogy of “Pearl” “The Book of Reuben” and “One on One” is wonderful. I find her writing to be down to earth and insightful and nothing like Stephen! Has anyone else read anything of hers? Do you think she would be more widely read and recognized if she wasn’t “Stephen King’s wife”? And I have to point out they have a wonderful marriage, have raised three great children (writers Joe Hill & Owen King and Naomi) and have survived their early poverty and later riches and fame, Stephen’s drinkiing and drug use and that horrible accident. Stephen acknowledges his wife’s importance in his life and he likes her writings too. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2007, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tabitha-king-appreciation-thread/427601/2 "2007-11-24T14:40:22Z")
I’ve only read _The Book of Reuben_, and that was years ago, but I did like it very much. The last time this came up on the board I went to get her stuff on Amazon and found it was out of print - looks like it still is, which is such a shame. It’s hard to say if she got more of a chance to publish because of her famous name or got overshadowed or seen as a “novelty” act because of it - at any rate, she should be more well known than she is. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2007, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tabitha-king-appreciation-thread/427601/3 "2007-11-24T15:31:50Z")
Never read any of her fiction, but I liked her poem [A Gradual Canticle for Augustine](http://lynxfeather.net/nest/poetry/gradualcanticle.html). SK included in his book, _On Writing_. ---
**Author:** ![Nikki\_Tikki\_Tavi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@Nikki\_Tikki\_Tavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nikki_Tikki_Tavi)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2007, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tabitha-king-appreciation-thread/427601/4 "2007-11-24T15:46:12Z")
I remember reading something by her over 10 years ago… A story about a person who was shrunk (shrinked? shrunken?) and lived in a dollhouse? I liked it well enough. ETA: Found it! [Small World](http://www.amazon.com/Small-World-Tabitha-King/dp/0451114086/ref=pd_bbs_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195919193&sr=8-8). After reading the reviews, I kind of want to reread it. ---
**Author:** ![Savannah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Savannah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Savannah)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tabitha-king-appreciation-thread/427601/5 "2007-11-24T18:17:43Z")
I haven’t read Small World or The Trap, but have re-read Pearl, The Book of Reuben and One and One. Caretakers is good, too. I left off Candles Burning midway through; it didn’t hold me at the time. I will try and pick it up again later. I never finished reading Survivor, either. Have to come back and retry the unread novels. But I’m another huge fan of the “trilogy”. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2007, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tabitha-king-appreciation-thread/427601/6 "2007-11-24T18:39:38Z")
I read _Pearl_ several years ago, and enjoyed it very much. I really ought to hit the library and check out the others. I liked how she had one of her characters talk about not wanting to go to Shawshank. ---
**Author:** ![Hoops](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hoops/32/6408_2.png) [@Hoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoops)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2007, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tabitha-king-appreciation-thread/427601/7 "2007-11-24T22:46:48Z")
_A Gradual Canticle For Augustine_ is quite a lovely poem. I must come in and say that in **koeeoaddi** ’s link, the poem has, I think, an unfortunate typo. According to my copy of SK’s _On Writing_, the first word of the last line should be _hears_, not _bears_, which makes it sound like she is making an overobvious pun; it diminishes the poem, in my opinion. (Some links other than the one in question do have it as _bears_, while others have _hears_; I suppose it’s just possible that _On Writing_ has it wrong–but I would hope not.) ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2007, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tabitha-king-appreciation-thread/427601/8 "2007-11-25T05:50:51Z")
I liked _One on One_ but haven’t gotten around to reading anything else by her. Thanks for reminding me. ---
**Author:** ![kaiwik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaiwik/32/3978_2.png) [@kaiwik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaiwik)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2007, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tabitha-king-appreciation-thread/427601/9 "2007-11-25T07:00:57Z")
Tabitha King is a wonderful author. I first found _One on One_, and after reading it went and found the rest of the Nodd’s Ridge books on ebay, (_Caretakers_, _The Trap_, _Pearl_, _One on One_, and _The Book of Reuben_) and find them to be a delightful and engrossing series. I also have _Small World_ and _Candles Burning_, which are good enough to read again, although I find _Small World_ to be a bit over the top. I agree with **Annie-Xmas** that the Kings have a marriage which is, at least from the outside looking in, a fabulous model for what marriage ought to be. “For better or worse” indeed. I do think that Tabitha would have garnered more acclaim for her writing if she had not been married to Stephen, but I don’t know if that bothers her, she has accomplished many things outside of writing, and they as a couple have done/are doing so much philanthropic work, that I believe that she has plenty to feel content about. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2007, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tabitha-king-appreciation-thread/427601/10 "2007-11-25T15:20:17Z")
I loved One on One and liked Small World quite well. I’ll make it a point to look for Pearl and The Book of Reuben. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2007, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-tabitha-king-appreciation-thread/427601/11 "2007-11-26T13:48:15Z")
I looked for _Pearl_ for years before findng it at a thrift store for $1. It is an incredible read. Well worth looking for.