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theteaisaddictive's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Antisemitism, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Car accident, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Excrement, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, and Vomit
gg1098's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Violence, Suicide, Sexual content, Racism, Murder, Physical abuse, Infidelity, Death, and Child death
rachelunabridged's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Ultimately, I enjoyed about 98% of the read this time around. The set up in parts 1 and 2 were just so amazing, and chapter 1 really did a fantastic job instilling a sense of dread in the reader. It was absolutely chilling!
Additionally, all of the members of the Loser's Club are just so lovable and relatable. Of course, King is known for writing great characters, but he really outdid himself with the protagonists of this book. I really liked that each character was so unique. They all lived in different circumstances and faced different problems. I think pretty much anyone who reads this book will be able to relate to at least one character. I felt especially connected to Ben this time around because I relate so hard with his childhood experience of not having many friends and the loneliness that comes with that.
When it comes to the negative aspects of this book, the first thing that comes to mind is that it's soooo long. On one hand, I was so captured by the story this time around that I didn't even notice the lengthiness, but I would say that there are sections that could've been shortened for sure.
Second, I did start to have issues with some of the content around the 800 - 900 page mark for sure. I'm going to put my thoughts on this in spoiler tags for those of you who might not want a heads up on the latter events of the book.
It felt like these passages kind of marked the beginning of what I consider to be the worst of the story: Bev's demotion and Bill's character assassination. I just couldn't help finding Bill's actions in the latter part of the book to be kind of despicable. Specifically, the way he cheats on Audra with Bev, and the way he acts toward Ben about it. From what we see in the book, he and Audra are supposed to have a good relationship, but he acts as if it's not really a big deal to cheat on her. Additionally, he knows about Ben's feelings, but still openly flaunts his affair with Bev? Might be a hot take, but Bill is a bad friend, just sayin.
The last thing I wanted to mention is the infamous scene. I have less issues with the fact that it happened, and more with the way it was written. Please. Stop. Sexualizing. Children.
Also, I just felt like it was such a demotion for Bev. For her to go from being on equal terms with the boys in the friend group to suddenly just being The Vagina(TM). The vibe I got from it was that you can't be female and just have male friends, especially when taken with the context of earlier events in the book where she's given a hard time for spending so much time with boys. Just thought it was a weird direction to take a story that has such strong friendship themes.
Overall, I would highly recommend this read. I bumped it up from 2-stars to 4-stars with this reread. What I think I learned from reading this again is that it hits different depending on what stage of life you're in. I could really see reading this again in another 10 years and still finding new things that I didn't notice or relate to before.
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Bullying, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Homophobia, Murder, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis