Scan barcode
sophiadorothyy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I enjoyed this as someone who’s seen the film many times. The book has a lot more details and is more engaging than the movie. Could definitely do without all the unnecessary racism though, it took me out of the story sometimes. I was surprised how different the plot is from the film!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, Blood, and Murder
anstarr's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, and Murder
raechelraej's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, and Murder
irwinfinkle's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Cursing, Misogyny, and Gaslighting
Minor: Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, and Fire/Fire injury
autienaut's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
One of king’s finest works, a fictional delicacy ready to pounce on your every thrilling need.
Impeccable writing and flawless execution. 🖤
Impeccable writing and flawless execution. 🖤
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical content, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Blood, and Car accident
Minor: Cursing and Forced institutionalization
joshkiba13's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
"A long and nightmarish masquerade party went on here, and had gone on for years. Little by little a force had accrued as secret and silent as interest in a bank account. Force, presence, shape, they were all only words and none of them mattered. It wore many masks, but it was all one. Now, somewhere, it was coming for him. It was hiding behind Daddy's face, it was imitating Daddy's voice, it was wearing Daddy's clothes.
But it was not his daddy. . . ."
Perhaps the darkest fiction I've read, so quite a way to close out the year. The Shining marked my 52nd book of 2024, which somehow equated to one book a week even though I didn't do that hehe. It also marks my 19th Stephen King book excepting a couple of novellas and short stories, so . . . all things serve the beam ;)
So much to say about this novel. It's 450-600+ pages depending on the print format, yet I blasted through the whole thing in just a few days. It's very immersive, most of the novel taking place in an isolated hotel in the mountains during a harsh winter. I've said this many times, but I really respect writers that can write such intense stories featuring only a few characters in complete isolation (Life of Pi, Misery, etc). It would be easy to quickly run out of material, but the story just layers and layers until the big kaboom.
This was King's third published novel ever, but with this as well as 'Salem's Lot it's clear that right from the get-go he knew how to slowly build up the creep factor in fiction; Danny, Jack, and Wendy see things one by one in the Overlook that are just off, and as the snow piles up and traps them up in the mountains it gets more tense and more tense as time goes on.
I love how King works flashbacks into the fabric of the story so seamlessly. For example, early on Jack goes into a phone booth to call his friend Al. Rather than dump a five or six page flashback, King slips it right into the action. Jack enters the phone booth --> remembers how he met Al --> he puts quarters into the machine --> he remembers how they bonded over alcoholism --> the phone rings --> he remembers how they almost killed a kid drunk driving --> the operator says he's not picking up --> he remembers how they went sober together --> he eventually answers and they talk. Similarly, I've noticed in many of King's novels but especially in The Shining that the character's racing thoughts are thrown into the middle of the narration in parentheses; it makes it all the more immersive, like we're right inside the minds of Danny, Jack, and Wendy.
Having a lot of the story told from a five year-old's perspective made the narrative both scarier and more tragic; Danny's unconditional love for his father made it so heartbreaking to watch as Jack slipped away from them. Danny's young age also upped the terror; even something as simple as the cook's warning to Danny at the beginning to stay away from room 217 gave me the heeby-jeebies. And having the recurring premonition of REDRUM be figured out after Danny learns to read was shocking and scary.
Having read On Writing, I know that a lot of this story was Stephen projecting troubles from his own life, mainly alcoholism. I can totally picture him writing this as a young father in his late 20s just subconsciously terrified of what the vice could make him become.
Lots of metaphors and symbolism in the story, whether wasps, masks, the boiler building up pressure; what felt like random events or aspects of the story ended up really coming together in a satisfying way. I think I could read the whole thing again and get an entirely new perspective on it.
Not one for the lighthearted, and I'm glad I was at home for winter break when I read it rather than still in Seattle hehe, but it was really good.
But it was not his daddy. . . ."
Perhaps the darkest fiction I've read, so quite a way to close out the year. The Shining marked my 52nd book of 2024, which somehow equated to one book a week even though I didn't do that hehe. It also marks my 19th Stephen King book excepting a couple of novellas and short stories, so . . . all things serve the beam ;)
So much to say about this novel. It's 450-600+ pages depending on the print format, yet I blasted through the whole thing in just a few days. It's very immersive, most of the novel taking place in an isolated hotel in the mountains during a harsh winter. I've said this many times, but I really respect writers that can write such intense stories featuring only a few characters in complete isolation (Life of Pi, Misery, etc). It would be easy to quickly run out of material, but the story just layers and layers until the big kaboom.
This was King's third published novel ever, but with this as well as 'Salem's Lot it's clear that right from the get-go he knew how to slowly build up the creep factor in fiction; Danny, Jack, and Wendy see things one by one in the Overlook that are just off, and as the snow piles up and traps them up in the mountains it gets more tense and more tense as time goes on.
I love how King works flashbacks into the fabric of the story so seamlessly. For example, early on Jack goes into a phone booth to call his friend Al. Rather than dump a five or six page flashback, King slips it right into the action. Jack enters the phone booth --> remembers how he met Al --> he puts quarters into the machine --> he remembers how they bonded over alcoholism --> the phone rings --> he remembers how they almost killed a kid drunk driving --> the operator says he's not picking up --> he remembers how they went sober together --> he eventually answers and they talk. Similarly, I've noticed in many of King's novels but especially in The Shining that the character's racing thoughts are thrown into the middle of the narration in parentheses; it makes it all the more immersive, like we're right inside the minds of Danny, Jack, and Wendy.
Having a lot of the story told from a five year-old's perspective made the narrative both scarier and more tragic; Danny's unconditional love for his father made it so heartbreaking to watch as Jack slipped away from them. Danny's young age also upped the terror; even something as simple as the cook's warning to Danny at the beginning to stay away from room 217 gave me the heeby-jeebies. And having the recurring premonition of REDRUM be figured out after Danny learns to read was shocking and scary.
Having read On Writing, I know that a lot of this story was Stephen projecting troubles from his own life, mainly alcoholism. I can totally picture him writing this as a young father in his late 20s just subconsciously terrified of what the vice could make him become.
Lots of metaphors and symbolism in the story, whether wasps, masks, the boiler building up pressure; what felt like random events or aspects of the story ended up really coming together in a satisfying way. I think I could read the whole thing again and get an entirely new perspective on it.
Not one for the lighthearted, and I'm glad I was at home for winter break when I read it rather than still in Seattle hehe, but it was really good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Murder
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Mental illness, and Gaslighting
lindsaygp_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
***This review is going to have spoilers throughout***
Let me start by saying that The Shining is an absolutely incredible novel— I was not a fan of the Kubrick film at all and everything that it was lacking was here in King’s novel. The slow degradation of Jack’s mental state from loving father to crazed murderer feels well-paced and horrifying. By chapter 12 I felt like I had an excellent understanding of each of the characters.
What I have an issue with and why this book gets 4 stars and not 5 is largely because of parts of this book that simply did not age well. Uncle Stephen loves a magical negro trope, the racial slurs (especially frequent toward the end), and the nonchalant and frequent usage of the term “schizo”— just to name a few. I found myself having to remind myself a lot that this book was written in the 70s... One section that particularly floored me was the doctor’s office chapter where the common idea was that children can either grow out of schizophrenia or grow into it, and that it can also cause… autism…… the groan that I groaned….
The yucks aside, I do love how much we learn about Danny and his shine, that Wendy has it too, but that Jack has none— that in all of his fighting and beating and scraping to be special and unique, Jack is the only one in the family that is painfully normal. The moment where we learn about Jack’s sick satisfaction that Wendy’s novel isn’t picked up paints such a gross picture of the man he really is beneath his curated “press perfect smile”.
The insight into who Jack and Wendy are and were before Outlook is so detailed and intimate. I haven’t read a King novel in years; I think I forgot just how good he is at his craft. The reflection on their marriage, on their parenting, on the trauma that they brought into parenthood— and how Wendy tried to break it all off just before their stay at Outlook, is devastating as it is relatable. King’s personal reflection on addiction and the pressure to remain sober is written so well that I feel like I understand the disease better— and I’m literally a child of an alcoholic.
While parts of this book aged like milk, the majority of it really shines (pun intended) and I’m glad I read it. It was so well-written, descriptive, terrifying, and well-paced. I’m looking forward to reading Doctor Sleep in 2025 and hopefully Uncle Stephen will redeem himself of some of the yuckier choices he made in the 70s.
Let me start by saying that The Shining is an absolutely incredible novel— I was not a fan of the Kubrick film at all and everything that it was lacking was here in King’s novel. The slow degradation of Jack’s mental state from loving father to crazed murderer feels well-paced and horrifying. By chapter 12 I felt like I had an excellent understanding of each of the characters.
What I have an issue with and why this book gets 4 stars and not 5 is largely because of parts of this book that simply did not age well. Uncle Stephen loves a magical negro trope, the racial slurs (especially frequent toward the end), and the nonchalant and frequent usage of the term “schizo”— just to name a few. I found myself having to remind myself a lot that this book was written in the 70s... One section that particularly floored me was the doctor’s office chapter where the common idea was that children can either grow out of schizophrenia or grow into it, and that it can also cause… autism…… the groan that I groaned….
The yucks aside, I do love how much we learn about Danny and his shine, that Wendy has it too, but that Jack has none— that in all of his fighting and beating and scraping to be special and unique, Jack is the only one in the family that is painfully normal. The moment where we learn about Jack’s sick satisfaction that Wendy’s novel isn’t picked up paints such a gross picture of the man he really is beneath his curated “press perfect smile”.
The insight into who Jack and Wendy are and were before Outlook is so detailed and intimate. I haven’t read a King novel in years; I think I forgot just how good he is at his craft. The reflection on their marriage, on their parenting, on the trauma that they brought into parenthood— and how Wendy tried to break it all off just before their stay at Outlook, is devastating as it is relatable. King’s personal reflection on addiction and the pressure to remain sober is written so well that I feel like I understand the disease better— and I’m literally a child of an alcoholic.
While parts of this book aged like milk, the majority of it really shines (pun intended) and I’m glad I read it. It was so well-written, descriptive, terrifying, and well-paced. I’m looking forward to reading Doctor Sleep in 2025 and hopefully Uncle Stephen will redeem himself of some of the yuckier choices he made in the 70s.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Cursing, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, and Abandonment
Toward the end of the book there are a slough of racial slurs. Use of magical negro trope.getyourghosts's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Murder
Moderate: Racial slurs
Minor: Homophobia and Racism
meandrousshark's review against another edition
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: Cursing, Gore, Racial slurs, and Murder
fabiandtheberts's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Alcohol
Moderate: Child abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Suicide, and Murder