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isabellex111's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
This has a lot of derogatory language and child abuse. It is emotional and really liked it. The pace is a little slow but not in a boring way and although it is sloe it is also tense.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, and Blood
mrgriffit's review against another edition
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? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
It’s clear to see why this book is a staple of the horror genre. King’s writing flows easily and the pacing is nice and tense, even when the story gets stretched out in the middle and towards the end. That said, I think King is holding himself back with his own narrative. I honestly could not find any sympathy for Jack by the end of the book like I think King wants you to; I only found pity. There was ample opportunity to center the story on the very human ways that Jack is evil and actively choosing to be so, irregardless of how he was raised or how other people treat him, instead of making the hotel actually possessing him. By doing this, it comes off that King is saying that Jack is just a victim and not at fault for his own actions. All that to say, for all the things King does right, there’s a better version of this story out there somewhere (and it may be the movie version, which I’ve never seen, since I know that there were some bigger changes to the story in it). Still, it’s a well crafted story and is worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death
Minor: Homophobia
mattyvreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
4.75
An undeniably well-written piece of art. I was consistently enthralled, terrified, disturbed. I could not put it down. And it legitimately gave me nightmares, which has never happened to me before because of a book.
It is so different from the movie. I love them both.
There is a lot of racism, homophobia, ableism, and reference to sexual assault. I understand that some of it is contextual, given the time period(the present day actions of the book and the hotel's metaphysical echoes of past eras) andJack's undoing (possession) , but Mr. King is really trigger happy with the N word. It's pretty wild. Also, in one of Jack's internal monologues -before he goes mad - King sort of implies that a "homosexual experience" can turn someone into a pedophile... and there is no dissenting argument there.... So... I didn't love that. BUT the book is pretty damn flawless besides that. I would absolutely read it again.
It is so different from the movie. I love them both.
There is a lot of racism, homophobia, ableism, and reference to sexual assault. I understand that some of it is contextual, given the time period
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Confinement, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Gaslighting
Minor: Rape
caitalonas's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Domestic abuse, and Violence
tlhaase93's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Gore, Racial slurs, Blood, and Murder
reefofchaos's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Suicide, Violence, and Murder
Minor: Pedophilia
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
sur_m4xersiz3's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Glad I gave this book a re-read. Mr. King is nuts, his world building is done so well. You can easily imagine all of the scenes. King is also a very good story teller, the development of one of the characters was done so well; great foreshadowing and the characters really pop out of the book. My main critique in most of King’s older books is the use of black characters; the magical n* and the horrible racism they have to endure. It’s very upsetting; not for everyone.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail
thatgirlinblack's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A heart-tugging book delving into the inner workings of a family complicated with unresolved childhood traumas and paranormal tendencies. King can certainly write horror but his flawed moralizing (like with IT) drags stars off the book. More on that later.
The hotel is much more of an actively working, malevolent force than in the famous movie and yet many of the iconic visuals are different or missing.
-The iconic ax is a roque mallet.
-There's no river of blood, but there is a splatter of blood and brains on a wall where a ghost committed su*cide.
-There IS a caretaker who killed his family and helps corrupt Jack but Danny never sees the dead twins.
-The maze doesn’t exist but a topiary of hedge animals causes more than enough menace and destruction.
-Not a movie mention of the crazy man in a silver dog suit whose treatment succinctly displays the twisted minds of the hotel’s famous guests.
-Halloran & Jack have vastly different (& interesting) arcs and ends.
Jack’s self-pitying narratives were annoying while the thoughts of longsuffering, devoted wife and mother Wendy were tragic and the parts in Danny’s curious, expanding little boy brain were exciting as he figures out his “shining” power.
“He felt that he had unwittingly stuck his hand into The Great Wasps’ Nest of Life.” Jack Torrance in the “passive mode” can’t possibly be held responsible for drinking himself into a stupor, or a rage, and hurting people. Oh no, not poor Jack. 🙄
In a sad reminiscence of how female victims of domestic violence constantly excuse their abusers, Wendy credits Jack’s infamous murderous rage to the hotel magically providing liquor rather than the fact that Jack consciously allowed his drinking problem to relapse. His attacks on her are so intense and bloody, yet she displays great determination through it all.
Ultimately it was kinda irritating and idk if it’s because of his limited experience with domestic violence, but King’s slant that Jack was really just some good ol’ dude who unfortunately fell upon hard times and was bewitched by evil falls flat with the countless documented examples of men who neglect their families through drinking and violence ~while in their very right minds~
The problem with blaming Jack’s destructive turn on the Overlook is that he was already impatient (snapping at Wendy in his head), selfish (neglecting his family to stay out late drinking), violent (beating up his student), a sop (willingly drank when the hotel provided it), and destructive (picking fights with his employer to could pursue his passion project book on the hotel) on his own; even if he was trying to turn over a new leaf, his own moral fortitude failed and the hotel just nudged him along.
While Wendy had her own anxious tendencies, her possible overprotectiveness (but not her lack of trust in the drunken, angry man that was her husband) could’ve been addressed if Jack actually communicated with her. Instead, he complained in his head, fantasized about hitting her, and lustfully danced with Sexy Hotel Ghost Lady.
As a survivor, I can confirm that real-life abusive men are way more scary than any hotel ghosts. Quite frankly, it’s unnecessary and insulting to go to bat for these rnen.
The horror aspect is very well done, though, obviously. The slow burn ratchets up to a frantic pace as the party rages and the hotel comes to life, growing stronger. The redemptive end to the story is much more meaningful, in both a bittersweet and uplifting way, than the movie.
The hotel is much more of an actively working, malevolent force than in the famous movie and yet many of the iconic visuals are different or missing.
-The iconic ax is a roque mallet.
-There's no river of blood, but there is a splatter of blood and brains on a wall where a ghost committed su*cide.
-There IS a caretaker who killed his family and helps corrupt Jack but Danny never sees the dead twins.
-The maze doesn’t exist but a topiary of hedge animals causes more than enough menace and destruction.
-Not a movie mention of the crazy man in a silver dog suit whose treatment succinctly displays the twisted minds of the hotel’s famous guests.
-Halloran & Jack have vastly different (& interesting) arcs and ends.
Jack’s self-pitying narratives were annoying while the thoughts of longsuffering, devoted wife and mother Wendy were tragic and the parts in Danny’s curious, expanding little boy brain were exciting as he figures out his “shining” power.
“He felt that he had unwittingly stuck his hand into The Great Wasps’ Nest of Life.” Jack Torrance in the “passive mode” can’t possibly be held responsible for drinking himself into a stupor, or a rage, and hurting people. Oh no, not poor Jack. 🙄
In a sad reminiscence of how female victims of domestic violence constantly excuse their abusers, Wendy credits Jack’s infamous murderous rage to the hotel magically providing liquor rather than the fact that Jack consciously allowed his drinking problem to relapse. His attacks on her are so intense and bloody, yet she displays great determination through it all.
Ultimately it was kinda irritating and idk if it’s because of his limited experience with domestic violence, but King’s slant that Jack was really just some good ol’ dude who unfortunately fell upon hard times and was bewitched by evil falls flat with the countless documented examples of men who neglect their families through drinking and violence ~while in their very right minds~
The problem with blaming Jack’s destructive turn on the Overlook is that he was already impatient (snapping at Wendy in his head), selfish (neglecting his family to stay out late drinking), violent (beating up his student), a sop (willingly drank when the hotel provided it), and destructive (picking fights with his employer to could pursue his passion project book on the hotel) on his own; even if he was trying to turn over a new leaf, his own moral fortitude failed and the hotel just nudged him along.
While Wendy had her own anxious tendencies, her possible overprotectiveness (but not her lack of trust in the drunken, angry man that was her husband) could’ve been addressed if Jack actually communicated with her. Instead, he complained in his head, fantasized about hitting her, and lustfully danced with Sexy Hotel Ghost Lady.
As a survivor, I can confirm that real-life abusive men are way more scary than any hotel ghosts. Quite frankly, it’s unnecessary and insulting to go to bat for these rnen.
The horror aspect is very well done, though, obviously. The slow burn ratchets up to a frantic pace as the party rages and the hotel comes to life, growing stronger. The redemptive end to the story is much more meaningful, in both a bittersweet and uplifting way, than the movie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence
eadrianschmitz's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
<Spoiler>
At first I was like omg ok I get it, he's an alcoholic. But then the emphasis made sense. I kind of wish it had been Jack that unravelled on his own rather than the hotel's fault for possessing him. Still a wonderful read and quite different from the film!
At first I was like omg ok I get it, he's an alcoholic. But then the emphasis made sense. I kind of wish it had been Jack that unravelled on his own rather than the hotel's fault for possessing him. Still a wonderful read and quite different from the film!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail