Scan barcode
jimbowen0306's review against another edition
3.0
It's weird, Stephen King's probably most famous as a Horror writer, but I half suspect that this book, his earliest non-horror book is probably one of his most successful books. I say this because three of the four stories were converted into films (The Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil, and Stand By Me). So all in all, it's one of his most significant books I think. The books are generally pretty decent. If you've seen any of the films (especially The Shawshank Redemption), you'll get a general idea of what the novellas are about.
The three filmed stories in the book examine prisoner relations in prison, a student who uncovers the horrific past of an foreign army veteran, and what happens to a group of kids who hear there's a dead body nearby. The fourth story (The Breathing Method, about a "Gentlemen's Club" where member exchange stories and one (about a new way to have children) was probably the most horrific), but also the most unfilmable I think.
So all in all, I think you'll enjoy the book. There is certainly a variety of stories for people to read.
The three filmed stories in the book examine prisoner relations in prison, a student who uncovers the horrific past of an foreign army veteran, and what happens to a group of kids who hear there's a dead body nearby. The fourth story (The Breathing Method, about a "Gentlemen's Club" where member exchange stories and one (about a new way to have children) was probably the most horrific), but also the most unfilmable I think.
So all in all, I think you'll enjoy the book. There is certainly a variety of stories for people to read.
plasm4_4's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
hannah_kurt's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
kultainenkettu's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
rymrgard's review against another edition
2.0
This is not a bad book. It‘s just not for me, not at this time.
Maybe it‘s because I‘ve been told over and over again that this is King‘s best shortnovels collection, but I can‘t help being disappointed. I DNFed this at about 80%, roughly 2/3 done with The Body.
I liked Shawshank Redemption but it wasn‘t as phenomenal as I expected it to be. Still, I‘m glad I read it and this story is the reason why I picked this collection up in the first place, so it definitely wasn‘t a waste of time.
Apt Pupil I disliked, but finished. It certainly didn‘t help that one of the voice actors for the German audiobook version wasn‘t the best (if it had just been the other I might have enjoyed it more).
The Body was fine up until the point I stopped, but it didn‘t grip me. I‘m not in the mood for childhood nostalgia and I certainly don‘t look back to my years being a 12 year old fondly (nor do I think that my friends back then were the best friends I ever had. In fact, I cherish the ones I have now much more than any that came before them) — so I guess it‘s understandable that the emotions this story tries to evoke (with much success, if reviews are to be believed) left me rather cold. This doesn‘t make this story a bad one — just the timing.
The Breathing Method I haven‘t tried, so can‘t comment on that one.
If I owned this collection as a novel or if I had borrowed it from the library I would have finished it — especially since I had already come so far.
But since I listened to it from Audible — and returning a book one has finished, though possible, is rude and bad practice — I decided to stop here. Realising that opening the app felt more like a chore or a job waiting to be finished than entertainment feels like enough justification to DNF (a skill I‘m trying to learn this year).
Maybe I‘m also just oversaturated with King for the moment — I have read a lot of Stephen King in a row, which I usually don‘t — so maybe, if I feel like it, I will return to both The Body and The Breathing Method one day — or Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, at least.
___________________
This was read in March, 2024. No date is added since I added the stories individually.
2.5 stars
Maybe it‘s because I‘ve been told over and over again that this is King‘s best shortnovels collection, but I can‘t help being disappointed. I DNFed this at about 80%, roughly 2/3 done with The Body.
I liked Shawshank Redemption but it wasn‘t as phenomenal as I expected it to be. Still, I‘m glad I read it and this story is the reason why I picked this collection up in the first place, so it definitely wasn‘t a waste of time.
Apt Pupil I disliked, but finished. It certainly didn‘t help that one of the voice actors for the German audiobook version wasn‘t the best (if it had just been the other I might have enjoyed it more).
The Body was fine up until the point I stopped, but it didn‘t grip me. I‘m not in the mood for childhood nostalgia and I certainly don‘t look back to my years being a 12 year old fondly (nor do I think that my friends back then were the best friends I ever had. In fact, I cherish the ones I have now much more than any that came before them) — so I guess it‘s understandable that the emotions this story tries to evoke (with much success, if reviews are to be believed) left me rather cold. This doesn‘t make this story a bad one — just the timing.
The Breathing Method I haven‘t tried, so can‘t comment on that one.
If I owned this collection as a novel or if I had borrowed it from the library I would have finished it — especially since I had already come so far.
But since I listened to it from Audible — and returning a book one has finished, though possible, is rude and bad practice — I decided to stop here. Realising that opening the app felt more like a chore or a job waiting to be finished than entertainment feels like enough justification to DNF (a skill I‘m trying to learn this year).
Maybe I‘m also just oversaturated with King for the moment — I have read a lot of Stephen King in a row, which I usually don‘t — so maybe, if I feel like it, I will return to both The Body and The Breathing Method one day — or Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, at least.
___________________
This was read in March, 2024. No date is added since I added the stories individually.
2.5 stars
kendallkatherine's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
5.0
natnoble18's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5