The Speed Queen

by Stewart O'Nan

Book Overview

Stewart O'Nan is one of the most highly acclaimed fiction writers of his generation, selected by Granta as one of the Best Young American Novelists and hailed by The New York Times as "a master."... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385487010
• Release Date: March 1997
• Publisher: Doubleday
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.84 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.0" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

dear stephen king: a few unnecessary words-amen

any book you can't put down-literally can't put it down, sticking like tar paper-is a good one, all literary merit aside. all o'nan i've read has literary merit, and this one's no different, but what gets you is the story, the rawness, the realness, the poignancy, the drawing you in, the resonation afterwards. the speed queen does all this and your heart palpitates with hers and it's real and it's horrific yet you're detached, like marjorie, like you can be sometimes in life. you feel her impending doom in your bowels the whole time. it's mainlining literature and feels like flying downhill, on fire, and not caring at all about the crash because it just feels too good.

quietly shocking

I titled this review "quietly shocking" because that's how this character study hit me. The lead character speaks about herself and her history, and her crimes in a matter of fact fashion, from her jail cell. She is dictating it to a fictional writer who will tell her story to the public, this writer is reminiscent of Stephen King. It's a straightforward telling, the horror of this ordinary seeming young women, is not immediately obvious. Her very plain spoken revelation, takes a minute to sink in in all it's import and makes you fear for number of others like her, that must surely be out there. This is not a supernatural tale though you might wish it were.

DARK AND DIRTY, GREAT READING

THE SPEED QUEEN I am a total fan of Stewart O'Nan. If you haven't read him, do. He writes like no one can and writes well. He tells tales out of school in a dark, quirky, funny, sad, most believeable way. He makes you remember his books forever. We meet Marjorie Standiford who is going to meet her Maker. She is on Death Row in an Oklahoma prison. She is one of the three 'Sonic Killers' and is telling her life story to none other than Stephen King. It is mere hours before her execution. She always, to the end of the book, maintains she is innocent. Is she? Will she receive yet another stay of execution? Is her story true? Marjorie tells the tale of her childhood, meeting her husband, Lamont, having a child, and meeting her lover, Natalie. All her memories are excellent and full of details, jumping back and forth between past and present, full of suspense and constantly making the reader wonder if she is, in fact, innocent of these horrible murders. Marjorie is involved in drinking, drugs, and after meeting and marrying Lamont, they get deeply involved in drugs and dealing. They live for cars, drugs, and rock and roll. When they meet up with Natalie things go bad quickly for all of them. This is a good book. It is not for everyone, it left me feeling squeamish at times. The book reads well and doesn't disappoint. While constantly wondering about Marjorie being innocent of horrid murders, I could not help but like her and root for her. However, at the same time, she is someone scary and unstable enough that you certainly wouldn't want to be involved with her. O'Nan creates such vivid characters who, good or bad or just plain wicked, you cannot help liking. Highly recommend this book, although it's not for everyone due to the content and situations. Thank you! Pam

Would make a great movie!

This was one of the best books I have read. It gives a fascinating look into how an ordinary person can be capable of such horrifying acts. There was never a moment when I didn't feel sympathy for the main character. I also loved the impression of the car culture and vacuity of America. The book is set in Oklahoma. I think this book would make an excellent movie if done faithfully and without sensationalism. It reminded me a bit of the movie Badlands.

Fifty foot tall with nerves of gold

This a book for anyone who knows what it's like to drive down a highway with the wind in your hair, the music blaring and amphetamines pulsing through your veins. O'Nans book shows how the intoxicating effects of living fast can turn nasty, and Marjorie, as the unwitting villain who only wanted to have a good time, is one of the most empathic characters i have encountered in a long time. O'Nan shows both the good and bad sides, the temptation that comes with the highs, and the destructiveness that comes with the lows. I cried.