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apxllo'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? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Antisemitism, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
sidekicksam'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? It's complicated
4.75
Wow. This book was exactly the wild ride I imagined it would be. It is scary. It is fucked up. It is funny. It is timeless.
This story surprised me in so many ways, but let me just try to summarize why I love this book (more precisely, King's writing):
1. The world building is superb. King does such a good job visualising the world of Derry as it was in '58 and '85, introducing side characters and backstories to all of them, without making the reader forget the red line of the story, it feels like you've lived the story yourself. And though living through the Age of Pennywise would be awful, reading this story is a delight.
2. The characters are so well-thought out, and not a single one of them is uninteresting to read about. Ben, Richie, Bill, Eddie, Mike, Stan, Beverly, Pennywise/IT - you get to know every one of them so intimately, you almost feel like the 8th member of the Losers Club.
3. The story itself! Man, this story is mad crazy brilliant. To fuck up generations of adults into being terrified of clowns because everyone knows this story is insane. But it wouldn't have happened if the story wasn't so insanely awesome.
Ok, so I can conclude by saying that I appreciated the book a lot. HOWEVER. It is not my favourite King. I can't exactly put my finger on what it was (maybe it was THAT scene that ruined it for me), but 11.22.63 and The Stand both resonated with me more (though the ending of The Stand is way inferior to IT).
But if you're looking for a challenge that will be so rewarding you'll want to send me a thank-you note, or if you're looking for the ultimate Spooky Season read, IT is it.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
mousey'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
5.0
This book is fundamentally about trauma, about growing up, about self-hatred. But it’s also about love, about family, about childhood, about unlearning your deepest self-loathing. This book is devastating, it’s a tragedy at its heart, but that’s what makes it so good. The characters are so loved and none of them know it and all of them suffer and that is the tragedy that draws me in.
I love the stupid clown book. I love it.
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
m0usey'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
5.0
Not only are the characters phenomenal, but the horror is amazing as well. The dread and confusion surrounding Pennywise is amazing, and the individual traumas of the losers (home lives, bullying, homophobia, etc) really add to that horror. At its heart, this book is about trauma and about love and about pain and about hope, and Pennywise is just the facilitator of some of that trauma.
Now I’m going to rant about this book with spoilers:
They grew up and forgot their friends and their hometown and forgot that they could be loved, that they were loved, and most of them self destructed for their entire adult life. And even after defeating Pennywise, even after killing It, they forgot again. All that love, all that hope, it was all washed away again. They forgot Eddie existed, they forgot they ever had anyone to grieve and remember for who he really was. They never got to meet adult Stan, and they never got to grieve that lack of knowing. Literally how am I supposed to deal with that.
This book is so fucking sad it’s insane. The losers were so, so loved, and they couldn’t remember any of that at all. And thats what make this book stand out to me, what makes it stick with me. It’s a tragedy and it hurts so much and I love it.
Anyway I love the stupid clown book.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Vomit, Police brutality, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
hiddeninfantasy's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
cinderrunner's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
There are some good things about this book, but the bad significantly outweigh them. This is one of the most needlessly offensive and problematic books i have ever read. The only thing horrifying about this novel is that King had the audacity to include so much needless hatred and is still being praised for it. The level of racism, sexism, pedophilia/sexualization of minors, anti semitisim, etc is FAR beyond anything that is warranted by the plot and its honestly inexcusable. If you took a shot everytime King used the N word with a hard R, you'd die of alcohol poisoning somewhere between the one third and halfway mark. King is constantly using language and scenarios that sexualize Beverly, constantly mentioning the way her 12 year old body is maturing, painting her as a (and im quoting here) "whore" from almost every chatacters POV. Shes even sexualized in her own POVs.
It is also overlong, it could have easily been 400 pages shorter than it was. It dragged on and on. It doesnt genuinely pick up or reach a true climax til around page 950 (in my edition) so like 150 pages away from the end. That's ridiculous. King is constantly overloading the book with lore building and exposition that really isnt needed past a certain point. It took me 4 months of on and off reading to finally get through this thing. Ive never taken more than a month to read a book, even dense ones like the entire Song of Ice and Fire (Game of Thrones) series, in my adult life.
Most people I have seen, even those who praise this book, don't count this as a book they would ever reread. If that's not a red flag i don't know what is. I cant think of a single book, even thick and complex ones, that i loved and wouldn't pick up again.
PROS: King is a genuinely skilled writer on a technical level and the book is well crafted. There are very thoughtful and interesting themes around childhood vs adulthood, the transition between the two, and the power of faith/belief. It really could have been a gorgeous novel if he leaned more into that earlier in the book and cut down on all the unnecessary bigotry and lore building. I likely would have loved this if it was shorter and less hate filled.
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
The whole book is a trigger warning. It is full of violence, GRAPHIC bigotry, and the sexualization of women and especially minors.artiiichoke's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Gore, Hate crime, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Suicide, Kidnapping, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, and Fire/Fire injury
riversonq's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Excrement, Vomit, Antisemitism, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Antisemitism and War
egoldb5238's review
- 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: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Addiction, Homophobia, Antisemitism, Grief, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer and Vomit
zakcebulski's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
3.0
Reading and finishing this book is hard to describe. It is like reading a cultural watermark- a piece of the cultural consciousness that has had such a vast impact on social and pop culture. This book absolutely impacted the culture in a massive way- from movies, to references in television, to music, this is one of the most impactful works of the late 20th century.
And, after reading it, I found it... fine. I think that my expectations for this cultural phenom were a little too high, and this book ended up falling short.
I have to say immediately that I did not love this book, nor did I think that it justified its over 1,000 page length.
I think that the strongest part about this book was the characters. Bill, Beverly, Richie, Pennywise, Henry- all of these characters are exceptionally well crafted. Each person feels like a fully realized character- a fully realized person who has their own aspirations, desires, fears, and justifications for their actions. I appreciate that you grow to care for these characters, and you almost grow to the point where you are able to understand their reasoning for their actions and which choices they make. The facing of fears feels triumphant throughout this book- we see the characters face fears and run, and, when they face and overcome them, I couldn't help but feel a bit of pride for them. When characters feel real to the point where their complexities of characteristics and personalities come through, that is well fucking done character writing. This book excels when it is more along the lines of the coming of age story- that was more fun to read. It is something we have all experienced, the uncertainty of life juxtaposed with the knowledge that we are growing up. It is fun to read through when the characters are just hanging out and being kids. King absolutely nails the care-free blending in to care-heavy transition of adolescence to adult hood.
While on the same topic of character, I do have to say that I feel like King always has a character or two that is just so fucking over the top where it is completely unbelievable that someone would act like they do. This book is full of some of the worst B tier characters that are seemingly only there just to be evil or show how bad Derry is. Good god, we get it, everyone is hellacious and racist, can there be a decent b-tier character?
I found the villains in this book to be one of the most demanding presence throughout the book, and throughout many of King's works. They are absolutely compelling and truly scary. Pennywise being the embodiment of primordial evil, Henry being a sociopathic unhinged killer, Patrick being a vicious near animalistic psychotic type, and the apathetic evil of discontent from other parents and adults- they are all brought to fruition in a big way that I think was one of the strongest parts of this book. The villains are hellacious, they are abhorrent, they are despicable, and they are very uncomfortable to read, and they are well written in that regard.
The two mending plot lines between the adults and the kids is a hard thing to do well, I am sure, and I think that King dies a great job of writing this converging plot to the point where he is effortlessly able to swap back and forth between the two.
This book was clearly a labor of love for King, and I think that it is well done, but, it does, in my opinion, suffer from the constant divergence to plot points to reaffirm or solidify in things about characters which we already know. I understand- Bill's parents are distant, Henry's dad is a piece of shit- as is Beverly's. It gets to the point when I feel that the badness (yep) of characters is so overdone to the point where it becomes silly, campy, unbelievable- which, if that is what King aimed for, then good on him! Overall, King is very good at making you hate a character- Henry, Belch, Tom, holy shit fuck these characters so much.
I thought that the plot tying up like it did was fine, though I do understand the critique of King being that he doesn't know how to end books off. This one ended off so... deus ex machina esque that I could only roll my eyes and think, yeah, that is what it is.
I also fucking hated, and I mean hated the sex scene- we all know what I am referring to. It just was so out of fucking nowhere. I understand that Beverly's sexuality had been weaponized against her, and this was a reclamation arc, but it was so fucking uncomfortable to read, and am I really supposed to believe they found their way out because of post nut clarity? Disgusting.
I cannot praise enough the setting of this book, or, rather, the settings. I thought that Derry, the sewers, the Barrens- they are all fully realized and well imagined. I think that this is one of King's strengths within all of the books which I have read by him- he is able to make each setting feel like it is always being lived in, regardless of if the characters are there or not. We are able to feel the palpable changes which occur throughout Derry because the townspeople talk, they gossip, they interact. I think that this was the most fun part of this book was the way the town feels like a place that is actually being impacted by something that it does not understand. It reminded me heavily of the book 11/22/63 wherein the areas as well felt very realistic and fully fleshed out.
I think that King's exploration of trauma and facing past trauma is very well handled and done in a mature way. He confronts it in a way that I truly appreciate. It is not a pleasant thing to face trauma, and the fact that he does take it seriously is commendable. Recognizing it as a process to surmount that can take decades to work through is the reality of trauma.
Over-all, I am glad to have read this book. I thought that the characters and the setting work of this book were the best parts. I found the plot a little too convenient for my liking.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Infidelity, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol