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sarahlopod's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Confinement, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Vomit and Dementia
nilocennis's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
You know the basics — recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance gets a job at the famous Overlook Hotel as the winter caretaker. He takes his wife, Wendy, and his son, Danny. Danny is a bright boy who seems to get certain ‘feelings’ that prove either insightful or prophetic. We learn from the hotel’s cook, Hallorann, that this is a certain gift some people have, which he calls “the shining”. People who shine are particularly vulnerable to seeing strange things at the Overlook, which has a sordid history and many secrets.
Then the family is alone in the Overlook for the winter, snowed in, with no way out. Strange things begin to happen, and Jack begins to want a drink very badly.
The Shining is the third book in the Stephen King re-read I’ve been doing. When I revisted Carrie, I spoke about the challenge of viewing it in vitro, absent the pop-culture scaffolding that’s been built on the back of the book and movie; how could one simply come to Carrie with no preconceived knowledge of the vengeful prom queen, drenched in blood?
This challenge is even greater with The Shining, which is far different than Kubrick’s film; many of the most famous scenes (the Grady Twins; the elevator of blood; “ALL WORK AND NO PLAY”) just don’t exist in the book, even though they feel like they might have been ripped right out of it. King’s book is a more character-driven work, the tension growing like cabin fever throughout the story. Wendy Torrance might as well be a different character, and Jack, while undoubtedly abusive, is less of an outright psycho from the beginning; he seems to genuinely want to overcome his alcoholism and anger issues, and we learn more about his own past and the circumstances that might have driven him in that direction. The Shining is in part a deeply personal familial drama, transported to a haunted hotel. While there are ghosts and drowned ladies in bathtubs, these things are almost secondary against the personal horrors within.
The Shining is a strange book for me. I think it’s the first book where King really gets his characters down; the scope is a lot smaller in some ways than with his previous two novels, and while I think Danny doesn’t work, Wendy and Jack are really tragically drawn, each trapped both physically and by their families within and without of their marriage, and while I like Kubrick’s film, it really is a travesty what he did to Wendy’s character. It’s also quite creepy in places; the sequence in 217 and the stuff with the topiary animals has always struck me as particularly great, but like with ‘Salem’s Lot, it stumbles a bit when it tries to get expository. Jack’s interest in the history of the Overlook is kind of the Hubert Marsten of The Shining; an effort to colour in the margins of the world that doesn’t hit as hard as it should or gets the attention it needs to matter.
I don’t think The Shining is quite as legendary as its made out to be, resting a tier or so below the top echelon of King novels. I respect how deeply personal the book seems to be — King’s struggles with booze and other substances are well-known — but I think it feels a bit like it’s trying too hard; like it’s the pulpy men’s magazine writer manifesting a more ‘literary’ novel (a sentiment we’ll return to in Misery), but still not able to shed his baser instincts (the way sex is written; basically all of Dick’s internal monologue). It’s clumsy and heartfelt and creepy and all of that makes it worth reading. I like it a lot, but it still doesn’t represent King at his very best.
Speaking of trying too hard, next up is Rage.
Then the family is alone in the Overlook for the winter, snowed in, with no way out. Strange things begin to happen, and Jack begins to want a drink very badly.
The Shining is the third book in the Stephen King re-read I’ve been doing. When I revisted Carrie, I spoke about the challenge of viewing it in vitro, absent the pop-culture scaffolding that’s been built on the back of the book and movie; how could one simply come to Carrie with no preconceived knowledge of the vengeful prom queen, drenched in blood?
This challenge is even greater with The Shining, which is far different than Kubrick’s film; many of the most famous scenes (the Grady Twins; the elevator of blood; “ALL WORK AND NO PLAY”) just don’t exist in the book, even though they feel like they might have been ripped right out of it. King’s book is a more character-driven work, the tension growing like cabin fever throughout the story. Wendy Torrance might as well be a different character, and Jack, while undoubtedly abusive, is less of an outright psycho from the beginning; he seems to genuinely want to overcome his alcoholism and anger issues, and we learn more about his own past and the circumstances that might have driven him in that direction. The Shining is in part a deeply personal familial drama, transported to a haunted hotel. While there are ghosts and drowned ladies in bathtubs, these things are almost secondary against the personal horrors within.
The Shining is a strange book for me. I think it’s the first book where King really gets his characters down; the scope is a lot smaller in some ways than with his previous two novels, and while I think Danny doesn’t work, Wendy and Jack are really tragically drawn, each trapped both physically and by their families within and without of their marriage, and while I like Kubrick’s film, it really is a travesty what he did to Wendy’s character. It’s also quite creepy in places; the sequence in 217 and the stuff with the topiary animals has always struck me as particularly great, but like with ‘Salem’s Lot, it stumbles a bit when it tries to get expository. Jack’s interest in the history of the Overlook is kind of the Hubert Marsten of The Shining; an effort to colour in the margins of the world that doesn’t hit as hard as it should or gets the attention it needs to matter.
I don’t think The Shining is quite as legendary as its made out to be, resting a tier or so below the top echelon of King novels. I respect how deeply personal the book seems to be — King’s struggles with booze and other substances are well-known — but I think it feels a bit like it’s trying too hard; like it’s the pulpy men’s magazine writer manifesting a more ‘literary’ novel (a sentiment we’ll return to in Misery), but still not able to shed his baser instincts (the way sex is written; basically all of Dick’s internal monologue). It’s clumsy and heartfelt and creepy and all of that makes it worth reading. I like it a lot, but it still doesn’t represent King at his very best.
Speaking of trying too hard, next up is Rage.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction and Domestic abuse
jtjackson228's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racial slurs, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Addiction and Alcohol
sfranklinwriting's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The way King moulds together paranormal, drama, and thriller thematics into this twisted and frankly (overall) sad tale of a mentally and emotionally tortured family is a shining example of just how masterful he is with weaving of the written word. His third person omniscient narration and the way he bleeds together the dialogue with the thoughts of Danny, Wendy, Jack, and everyone and everything around them ushers a sense of complete hysteria from the get-go. Soft at first (yet complete) only to truly spiral as the looming messages Danny’s getting only seem to correlate more with reality and (literally) conjure as they eventually move to being shut up in the Overlook (blizzard of their century comin’ for ‘em). Got to Part II and you could feel the absorption of the story pull you forward. It’s a hunk of text but man it is worth the read. Tells a horrible, awful story that (seems to) turn out right at the end…I plan on reading Doctor Sleep this year, so I’ll see how future adult Tony is doing and try to buckle up for that ride as well (hoping it’s at least HALF as good as this block).
Now, not to be petty or misunderstanding of the era in which the movie version was created in, but after finishing (heck, when I was only about 30% done with) the book I had begun to realize that Kubrick did not even tell the HALF of the Torrance’s story. He gave us a round of incredible performances from Shelly DuVall (so effed up the way he got her into character but damn the parallels to Wendy Torrance are uncanny and I so wish they would have kept her hair blonde!), Danny Lloyd, and Jack Nicholson; but The Shining as a piece of cinema seems more like a hashed up re-telling of the full story King so carefully crafted. Something personal to Kubrick and soiled by his need to succumb to the humdrum of Hollywood’s (then) obsession to always have someone produce “the next cult classic.”
In terms of today, I think this could be brought back and told in-full (very visually) through the lens of a limited mini series on one of these dang streaming platforms. Could be a very easy way to solidly connect it to a Doctor Sleep limited series as well. Alas, this would totally require very awesome writers and producers who would want to put in the time, effort, blood, sweat, tears, and fingertips into WHOLLY honoring King’s classic tale of a failing family at the wrong place at the WRONG time(s). But for the love of all that is holy, keep out all the N words! (<<< this is my only true pet peeve with Mr. Stevie King, I can’t stand it even if it is “only to make the story authentic”)
Now, not to be petty or misunderstanding of the era in which the movie version was created in, but after finishing (heck, when I was only about 30% done with) the book I had begun to realize that Kubrick did not even tell the HALF of the Torrance’s story. He gave us a round of incredible performances from Shelly DuVall (so effed up the way he got her into character but damn the parallels to Wendy Torrance are uncanny and I so wish they would have kept her hair blonde!), Danny Lloyd, and Jack Nicholson; but The Shining as a piece of cinema seems more like a hashed up re-telling of the full story King so carefully crafted. Something personal to Kubrick and soiled by his need to succumb to the humdrum of Hollywood’s (then) obsession to always have someone produce “the next cult classic.”
In terms of today, I think this could be brought back and told in-full (very visually) through the lens of a limited mini series on one of these dang streaming platforms. Could be a very easy way to solidly connect it to a Doctor Sleep limited series as well. Alas, this would totally require very awesome writers and producers who would want to put in the time, effort, blood, sweat, tears, and fingertips into WHOLLY honoring King’s classic tale of a failing family at the wrong place at the WRONG time(s). But for the love of all that is holy, keep out all the N words! (<<< this is my only true pet peeve with Mr. Stevie King, I can’t stand it even if it is “only to make the story authentic”)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual content, Violence, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, and Alcohol
bwest15's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I have watched the miniseries and movie so I always had an idea what was coming. Yet it still was better than the movie
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, and Domestic abuse
ammme's review
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Not necessarily a book I would recommend without a bunch of trigger warnings and disclaimers, but I also get why it was such an influence of horror fiction.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
Moderate: Ableism, Misogyny, and Sexism
booonbooon's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Alcohol
scip's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content and Murder
Minor: Self harm and Vomit
kups's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
There are so many questionable things in this book. The story was wonderful though and very tense, once the story started to pick up it was hard to put down. The racism in the book and the weird sexual instances were so random though. While the racism could be explained as another way that the hotel was evil, it feels unnecessary.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Gore, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Alcohol
Moderate: Homophobia and Pedophilia
Minor: Suicide attempt
foxglovefairy's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Love!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Violence, and Car accident