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laird_br0wn3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I gotta say, it still felt like it could've gone longer and I'd still feel satisfied.
Graphic: Vomit, Cursing, War, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death
nichole_of_numenor's review against another edition
- 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? No
4.0
What I didn't like:
- Part of the book (in true Stephen King fashion) were a bit slow. Slow but necessary to the overall story. (-0.5 stars)
- I really, really disliked the character of Franny Goldsmith. I found her to be immature, petulant, and VERY annoying.
What I did like:
- The flashbacks of Mother Abagail to her life as a young adult. They were so beautifully written they brought me to tears. (Not an easy feat.)
- Even during the slow parts, I kept wanting to know more. What happened next?
- The early descriptions of how the Super Flu spread were so very realistic and engaging, espcially in an era where we are still dealing with the COVID-19 virus. I'm really glad I didn't read this early in the pandemic because it would have probably freaked me out more. As a phyisican, I really appreciated the accuracy of the evolution of a pandemic. Fantastic.
- Tom Cullins. Love this character. M-O-O-N. That spells love Tom Collins.
Graphic: Blood, Racial slurs, Body horror, Cursing, Gore, Medical trauma, Racism, Suicide, and Death
mswarning's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I know this tells you nothing of what I thought of the book itself. Well, I added a lot of notes while I read this book. Allow me to share:
2%: "The n-word usage is not my fave." - SG
2%: "This one is sooo long. Hoping I can finish in 18 days 😬 " - Instagram
5%: "I'm not super into this narrator." - SG
30%: "I'm getting there, slowly but surely. Waaaaay too many characters and POVs. And I'm so-so on the narrator." - GR
30%: "I'm listening to the extended uncut version, btw. I'm sure the original one is better." - GR. At this point, I was still naïve AF.
30%: "Took awhile to get into it, especially with so many povs. 12 days to finish now. 🤞" - Instagram
43%: "M-O-O-N spells slog." - GR
53%: "The first 40% was way too long. I can't believe I didn't know that this book is over 1100 pages. 😂" - GR
69%: "I have to finish in 5 days, which I think is doable. If I had to do this over again, I would stick to the print." - GR
69%: "Semi-regular 'The Stand' update. Feeling less irritable about the length now. Pretty confident I'll finish in 5 days. I can't say it's been a pleasurable experience racing to the end. I can tell this book sits better on the buildup of anticipation with dread steadily increasing - as all good King books do. Get a copy without a due date and stay away from the audiobook. Or if you do get it, prepare to increase the speed or you'll feel it suck the life out of you. I miss listening to music or letting myself think in silence. I feel guilty when I watch TV, that I should be listening to this book. Ugh." - Instagram
82%: "I might make it? The book is due in 3 days. Less than 9 hours left [in the audiobook]." - GR
95%: "I'm gonna make it after allllll." - GR
100%: "Finished with 5 hours to spare! I feel like all of my complaints were 1) the audiobook narrator and 2) the loan period. So don't make those mistakes, and you'll be fine." - Instagram
Highlights: Walking at the lake this past weekend listening to the book aloud because my bluetooth headphones had no battery left. The, uh, sex scenes and n-word usage while doing so was a bit sketchy. I had to pause the book or turn down the volume as I passed people.
Overall, I still ended up liking this book. You can tell how naïve I was about the length. I mean I knew it was 47 hours long, but I didn't really know ANYTHING about what that meant. I kept thinking I knew where this book was going or how it would end. I think that's the point, you're prepared for certain tropes or plot twists because authors tend to pull the same shenanigans. I was pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't say it's my favorite King book, but I think it's definitely my favorite King reading experience. Because of all my thoughts and feelings and the fact that I documented it all here.. and on GR and Insta. 😂
I still stand by all the updates/comments I made while I listened to The Stand. It's too long. As time went by and all the characters met up, I kind of forgot about the slog of the beginning. Part of that is recency bias, I think. But I understand why it's so long. I can appreciate it more on this side of it, even if I hated it while it was happening.
And yeah, check out the content warnings. There are a lot.
Graphic: Gun violence, Murder, Racial slurs, Racism, Death, Grief, Body horror, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Death of parent, Rape, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Child death, Medical trauma, Sexism, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Drug use, Pregnancy, Animal death, Medical content, and Suicide
snowypineapples's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The silliness really ruined that part of the boom for me and although I loved the majority, there was lots of areas, not just that, where the boom felt like a chore to read
Moderate: Animal death, Blood, Miscarriage, Body horror, Murder, Racism, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Suicide, Suicide attempt, Violence, Ableism, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Infertility, Sexual violence, War, Death, and Drug abuse
ktdakotareads's review against another edition
- 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? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Body shaming, Body horror, Cursing, Drug use, Grief, Murder, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Child death, Death, Fatphobia, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Racial slurs, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Misogyny, Homophobia, Racism, and Sexism
traceyanderson's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Medical content, Racial slurs, Rape, Suicide, Animal death, Body horror, Cannibalism, Cursing, Death, Gore, Violence, Vomit, Bullying, Child death, Drug use, and Sexual violence
jordangddrd's review against another edition
- 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
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Medical content, Murder, War, Pregnancy, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, Suicide, Child death, Blood, Death of parent, Death, and Fatphobia
shutupiamreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Ableism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Rape, Murder, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Body horror
dwellordream's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Violence, Sexual violence, Pregnancy, Murder, Death, Death of parent, Grief, and Body horror
tatitos's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Body horror, Bullying, Cannibalism, Child death, Chronic illness, Death, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Genocide, Gore, Grief, Gun violence, Medical content, Mental illness, Murder, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, and Violence