Reviews

Carrie by Stephen King

kmacias87's review against another edition

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5.0

Why was this so good?! Fantastic storytelling, and scary enough to make me turn the lights on. Must read!

meghanklassen's review against another edition

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot

5.0

jsburton's review against another edition

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4.0

It's looking like Halloween 2020 will be light on the trick-or-treating and parties; and if you're looking for a spooky read-at-home experience, I can tell you that Carrie could be it.

What I first noticed in this first-published novel by King, was his trial-and-error working out of what would later become his reliable voice/style. It's clunky in a few spots, a little too self-consciously clever or wordy, but when King shifts into the right gear, you can almost feel the hum in your solar plexus.

By the end, when Carrie takes vengeance on her tormenters and then the entire town, I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. All I could do was reel from the progressively more visceral horrors of this horror story and wonder what would happen next.

While some readers have complained about the epistolary structure of the novel pulling them out of the action of the story, I found the passages from Sue Snell's memoir compelling. Sue Snell ends up being more than just "The Last Girl."

Sue tells her own coming of age story that mirrors Carrie's in a most interesting way; while Carrie moves from outcast to prom queen and then monster, Sue moves from popular girl to self-critic to defender-of-the-monster and an outcast by choice. The end of the novel, which I won't spoil here, reveals that the girls shared a deep connection to one another, despite their existing in different echelons of the social strata all of their young lives.

taylarae's review against another edition

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challenging 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

4.0

how_logan_yougo's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 - the story both holds up and was slightly underwhelming. Clearly an iconic plot, but the narrative style wasn’t always the most compelling.

Nice quick spooky book club read!

rebereads_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

I don’t need Stephen King narrating the breasts of a 17 year old girl

lomadito's review against another edition

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5.0

Always a classic, quick read.

carleyberman's review against another edition

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4.0

Great. Loved. One of my favorite Stephen King reads so far

fayeischeez's review against another edition

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5.0

‘This is the girl they keep calling a monster. I want you to keep that firmly in mind. The girl who could be satisfied with a hamburger and a dime root beer after her only school dance so her momma wouldn’t be worried…’

I still love this book

becca_is_reading's review against another edition

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4.0

Stephen King’s writing is great and this classic story doesn’t get old.