SLOW READ: The Stand (Chapters 52 - 55)

Welcome to SLOW READ, where we tackle the books you’ve always wanted to read at a pace you can handle.

Hosted by Sarah Stewart Holland and Laura Tremaine

We are currently reading The Stand by Stephen King (unabridged version)

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If you prefer to read instead of listen, below is a cleaned up transcript of the episode as well as links to all the books and Substacks we mentioned in this episode…and several fun bonus links and videos!

Mentioned in this episode:

* The Stand by Stephen King

* Cujo by Stephen King

* Kojak (CBS, 1973–1978, starring Telly Savalas)

* The Message (Bible in contemporary language)

* Erin Hicks Moon’s Substack

* Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (the 90s movie with the two dogs and the cat)

Welcome to Slow Read: The Stand. We are your hosts Sarah Stewart Holland and Laura Tremaine.

This is episode [N] of Slow Read: The Stand.

If you prefer to read instead of listen, below is a cleaned up transcript of the episode as well as links to all the books and Substacks we mentioned in this episode…and several fun bonus links and videos!

Mentioned in this episode:

* The Stand by Stephen King

* Cujo by Stephen King

* Kojak (CBS, 1973–1978, starring Telly Savalas)

* The Message (Bible in contemporary language)

* Erin Hicks Moon’s Substack

* Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (the 90s movie with the two dogs and the cat)

Chapter 52 - Mother Abagail’s Crisis

Sarah: We are now deep into Stephen King’s The Stand.

Laura: Deep.

Sarah: Deep. And this week we’re talking about chapters 52 through 55 and all the ridiculous things it contains. Do you like what I did there with “ridiculous things”?

Laura: Oh yes. God. Killing it.

Laura: All right — we are now in the heat of August and the chessboard is being set. We spent all our time in this section in the Free Zone, where society is forming, spies are aligning and alighting on their missions. We are burying bodies, having elections, thinking about law enforcement. But first, we start in Chapter 52, where our Free Zone fearless leader is actually a not-so-fearless leader. We start with Mother Abagail, who seems to be having a bit of a spiritual crisis. What did you think of this section as a whole? Because I was reading it thinking — is this a horror book? Is this a literary book? What are we doing?

Sarah: I got a little bored when I was writing up the summary and kind of getting ready for this episode. A lot of things happened that I thought were interesting as I was reviewing it. But while reading it, I kept putting it off. I think I was just a little — I’m ready for something to happen. And I’m also terrified one of these people I like is going to get killed. So I’m both ready for something to happen and dreading it.

Laura: Well, what was interesting is that we are deep into this book. This is the final third, maybe even the final quarter. And this felt like a lot of world-building. We are world-building 800 pages in, which is interesting as a writer and a craft storyteller, but as a reader it definitely changes the pace. Also, because I’m reading every word of this book aloud, I stop and underline or make little notes when I get to interesting things I want to talk about. And this section, more than any section we have read thus far, I made the least amount of notes. Almost no notes or underlines until Chapter 55 — the last chapter we’re going to talk about today. And then I had several, all kind of coming from the same source, which is Judge Ferris. But in general, this hundred-page section — it was not a nothing burger because