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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
*** - Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption
*** - Apt Pupil
***** - The Body
**** - The Breathing Method
*** - Apt Pupil
***** - The Body
**** - The Breathing Method
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wasn't so keen on the last story, after such a fantastic story in The Body
I think I like Stephen King's short fiction better than his novels, but I am biases; I am a fan of short fiction above all else. Stephen King is a definite master of the art.
There are four novellas in [b:Different Seasons|39662|Different Seasons|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1329662611s/39662.jpg|2248680] and I will briefly address each of them.
1. "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption". I'd seen (and loved) the movie, but never read the story. Having read the story, I immediately added it to my list of all time favorite stories. It's all about the voice, I think. There are elements that differ from the movie, but the voice is the same and I think it's the voice that made the movie as good as it was. Like all my "all-time favorites" it's the kind of story that I can and will read again with equal enjoyment. 5 stars.
2. "Apt Pupil". This was a horrible story--in the traditional sense--I felt a sense of horror reading it. I was in constant discomfort, uneasy. And that's because it was a well-told story. Despite my feeling that it was probably the weakest story of the lot, I still think King demonstrated his ability to make the reader feel something about the characters. 3-1/2 stars.
3. "The Body". I'm ashamed to admit that I've never seen "Stand By Me" from beginning to end, but now I don't have to. I liked the story, a kind of coming-of-age tale typified by King's ability at getting deep into a character and his or her surroundings. There was a nostalgia to the story that I didn't quite feel, perhaps because I grew up in the 70s and 80s and not the 50s and 60s, but despite that, I think some of that nostalgia managed to sneak through anyway. 3-1/2 stars.
4. "The Breathing Method". This story surprised me the most. It is the shortest of the stories, and while it's not the best story in the book, it is fair second. I loved the setting of the story, and the mystery surrounding the club (which in some ways reminded me of Asimov's Black Widowers). There was an unearthly quality to the story, and it is a story that I imagine could have been written by Jorge Luis Borges. It was perhaps the best page-turner in the book. 4 stars.
There are four novellas in [b:Different Seasons|39662|Different Seasons|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1329662611s/39662.jpg|2248680] and I will briefly address each of them.
1. "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption". I'd seen (and loved) the movie, but never read the story. Having read the story, I immediately added it to my list of all time favorite stories. It's all about the voice, I think. There are elements that differ from the movie, but the voice is the same and I think it's the voice that made the movie as good as it was. Like all my "all-time favorites" it's the kind of story that I can and will read again with equal enjoyment. 5 stars.
2. "Apt Pupil". This was a horrible story--in the traditional sense--I felt a sense of horror reading it. I was in constant discomfort, uneasy. And that's because it was a well-told story. Despite my feeling that it was probably the weakest story of the lot, I still think King demonstrated his ability to make the reader feel something about the characters. 3-1/2 stars.
3. "The Body". I'm ashamed to admit that I've never seen "Stand By Me" from beginning to end, but now I don't have to. I liked the story, a kind of coming-of-age tale typified by King's ability at getting deep into a character and his or her surroundings. There was a nostalgia to the story that I didn't quite feel, perhaps because I grew up in the 70s and 80s and not the 50s and 60s, but despite that, I think some of that nostalgia managed to sneak through anyway. 3-1/2 stars.
4. "The Breathing Method". This story surprised me the most. It is the shortest of the stories, and while it's not the best story in the book, it is fair second. I loved the setting of the story, and the mystery surrounding the club (which in some ways reminded me of Asimov's Black Widowers). There was an unearthly quality to the story, and it is a story that I imagine could have been written by Jorge Luis Borges. It was perhaps the best page-turner in the book. 4 stars.
looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooved
IT
Each story on each on.
IT
Each story on each on.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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:
Complicated
https://www.danscanon.com/2020/01/different-seasons-by-stephen-king.html
An awesome book that brought us a couple killer movies! 4 excellent long short stories.
I had not read Stephen King, and my partner—an intensive reader—lent me several when i said i'd be interested. This is the one she recommended i read first.
Maybe because his style is new to me, or maybe because the only horror i've read recently have been the underwhelming (though thematically kin) works of H. P. Lovecraft, or maybe because King is indeed (as my partner says) uniquely gifted at eliciting the horror of everyday experience, i fell into these stories more thoroughly than any non–sci-fi/fantasy i can recall.
I felt "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" less poetically structured than its movie adaptation, and i was much more interested in the bookends of "The Breathing Method" than in the tale itself; but "Apt Pupil" and "The Body" (neither of whose adaptations have i watched) were utterly absorbing, to the point that i'm losing track of what feelings i had were expressed on the page versus were my own reactions—versus were dragged up from memory. I don't know if i'm glad i didn't read them as an adolescent.
I'm looking forward to reading more.
Personal enjoyment rating: ****
Maybe because his style is new to me, or maybe because the only horror i've read recently have been the underwhelming (though thematically kin) works of H. P. Lovecraft, or maybe because King is indeed (as my partner says) uniquely gifted at eliciting the horror of everyday experience, i fell into these stories more thoroughly than any non–sci-fi/fantasy i can recall.
I felt "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" less poetically structured than its movie adaptation, and i was much more interested in the bookends of "The Breathing Method" than in the tale itself; but "Apt Pupil" and "The Body" (neither of whose adaptations have i watched) were utterly absorbing, to the point that i'm losing track of what feelings i had were expressed on the page versus were my own reactions—versus were dragged up from memory. I don't know if i'm glad i didn't read them as an adolescent.
I'm looking forward to reading more.
Personal enjoyment rating: ****
My nearly year long adventure of reading each of these short stories in the season they connect to is over and I’m more impressed than I thought I’d be, each story was great, even the weakest (The Breathing Method) has left an impact on me. Some of King’s best works are in here. I think Apt Pupil may be my favorite, easily the darkest of the 4 but I don’t have a bad word to say about any of them.
I read this over 20 years ago, but I really liked it. There is a LOT of language in it, but it includes the short stories for the movies "Stand by Me" and "The Shawshank Redeption." Probably my favorite King stories.