Reviews tagging 'Child death'

The Shining by Stephen King

12 reviews

boats's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It really captures the feeling of isolation in a crisis. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Misogyny, Alcoholism, and Child death

Moderate: Emotional abuse and Murder

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

5.0

I watched Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of The Shining 20 years ago, and I can remember struggling to understand the reasoning behind Jack's descent into madness. Now reading the book all these years later, it's so much clearer to me. King's original hugely outmatches the film in so many ways, but where it is most superior is in the quiet, creeping sense of dread and tension that builds agonisingly slowly, from the ominous beginning right to the conclusion. There are fewer iconic jump-scares (I was surprised by how much was created for the film), but what is there instead lingered, hanging over me long after I'd shut the book.

I always love that King spends time with his characters. Their histories and relationships are laid out in detail, and it makes the whole story rooted in humanity, which in turn makes it all the more scary. I didn't have a lot of sympathy for Jack from the start, but I did sympathise with Wendy's fierce desire to keep her family together and safe, and the way they all shine during their fleeting happy moments at the Overlook, before it's all taken away. It's such clever writing and confirms, as I've said many times before, that King's books are about so much more than the horror.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gore, Racial slurs, Murder, and Alcoholism

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Child death, and Child abuse

phvntom's review against another edition

dark 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

3.75

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Confinement, Hate crime, Homophobia, Violence, Vomit, Gore, Grief, Suicide, Alcohol, Misogyny, Body horror, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Ableism, Alcoholism, Blood, Child death, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Physical abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, and Racism

zombiezami's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

5.0

A well crafted novel. They aren’t made quite like this anymore

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Cursing, Alcohol, Fire/Fire injury, Body horror, Alcoholism, Confinement, Blood, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Ableism, Murder, Death, Violence, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Addiction

Moderate: Car accident, Racial slurs, Racism, Vomit, Suicide, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Cannibalism, Colonisation, Slavery, Genocide, Child death, and War

mattythebookworm22's review against another edition

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood and Alcoholism

Moderate: Murder, Child death, and Death of parent

Minor: Medical trauma and Drug abuse

annikw's review against another edition

tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Violence, Suicide, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Racism, Murder, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Racial slurs, Misogyny, Homophobia, and Child death

Minor: Cannibalism

molly_greenshields's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

5.0

Ummmm so who knew I'd be a HUGE Stephen King girlie? Not usually my kinda genre but boy, did this book take me by surprise. I was absolutely blown away. Time to finally brave the film?

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Suicide, Violence, Alcoholism, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Gore, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Death, Child death, and Blood

wrensreadingroom's review against another edition

dark mysterious sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual content, and Suicidal thoughts

ewan338's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse and Child death

neonfuzz's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, Murder, Child abuse, Blood, and Alcoholism