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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
An oldie from 1982 I never read.
4 great stories. Stephen King's originality never ceases to amaze me!
4 great stories. Stephen King's originality never ceases to amaze me!
Stephen King novels dominate my shelves. Yet, I had rarely read any of his short stories. I picked up DIFFERENT SEASONS when I realized that it contained the basis for two of my favorite movies - "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" and "The Body." These two didn't disappoint. They were captivating, entertaining, and spoke to the human condition. "Apt Pupil" was incredibly disturbing and dark and, given the rise of white nationalism today, had a deeper resonance than it would have a few years ago. "The Breathing Method" was a classic King horror tale that was quick, though lacking in dimension.
DIFFERENT SEASONS is a wonderful collection and gives King fans a bit of a break from his traditional stories.
DIFFERENT SEASONS is a wonderful collection and gives King fans a bit of a break from his traditional stories.
This was an interesting read. This is only my second Stephen King story, so I can't say if it stands up to his other works, but I did enjoy most of this.
It contains four stories: Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil, The Body, and The Breathing Method. Each one has a theme of a season of the year.
Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption
This is the story that the famous movie is based off of. It definitely lives up to the movie, and was very enjoyable to read.
Apt Pupil
This one was my least favorite of the four, though not a bad story. It was interesting at first but it just drug on and on. I kept thinking it was going to end, and then realize it had 100+ more pages to go.
The Body
I didn't realize at first, but this is the story that Stand By Me was based on. This was good, but I think I might like the movie a bit better on this one!
The Breathing Method
This one starts out a bit slow, but gets quite interesting soon after. It ends on a bit of a mystery, but I think this story was better because of it.
It contains four stories: Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil, The Body, and The Breathing Method. Each one has a theme of a season of the year.
Rita Hayworth and The Shawshank Redemption
This is the story that the famous movie is based off of. It definitely lives up to the movie, and was very enjoyable to read.
Apt Pupil
This one was my least favorite of the four, though not a bad story. It was interesting at first but it just drug on and on. I kept thinking it was going to end, and then realize it had 100+ more pages to go.
The Body
I didn't realize at first, but this is the story that Stand By Me was based on. This was good, but I think I might like the movie a bit better on this one!
The Breathing Method
This one starts out a bit slow, but gets quite interesting soon after. It ends on a bit of a mystery, but I think this story was better because of it.
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
First read of 2022 in the books and it was a treat. This book is one of the books I have had on my TBR for so long but haven't read for fear of not enjoying it as much as everyone does. I feared I had hyped it up too much in my mind especially loving both The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me movies. But I had nothing to fear as I loved every single story in the collection, including The Breathing Method which gets a bad rap. Definitely recommend and would even recommend to a first-time King reader. I have nothing but good things to say about this collection but I do have a disclaimer: there are some parts of each story that are truly disturbing and haunting.
"Remember Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies."
I thought this was going to be an average, unmemorable read and to be completely honest the only reason I picked this up in the first lace was because Shawshank Redemption is one of my all time favourite movies. I did not think I was going to like this even as much as I did but I was so happily surprised.
I admit I have never read a book by Stephen King, but I'm certainly going to be picking up more of his books if he can draw you this much with a few short stories. These stories were real, raw and gritty (especially the Apt Pupil) and I could honestly not get enough of it.
One thing I know for sure is that these stories are going to stay with me for a long time, and I'm always going to remember this book not only for the impact it left on me but also as the first book I have read by this genius man.
3.5-4 stars.
I enjoyed all four novellas, I think Apt Pupil was my favourite; least favourite would be The Breathing Method.
I expected amazing stories, according to the reviews, and was disappointed to a certain extent; it still is good King , just not amazing King.
Apt Pupil and The Body were really great in the end; King is a master when it comes to teenagers.
Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption was not what I imagined. I wonder how the movie turned out.
The Breathing Method would probably get a 2-star rating on my King scale; it wasn't bad, just not appealing to me.
Great collection nonetheless.
I enjoyed all four novellas, I think Apt Pupil was my favourite; least favourite would be The Breathing Method.
I expected amazing stories, according to the reviews, and was disappointed to a certain extent; it still is good King , just not amazing King.
Apt Pupil and The Body were really great in the end; King is a master when it comes to teenagers.
Rita Hayworth And The Shawshank Redemption was not what I imagined. I wonder how the movie turned out.
The Breathing Method would probably get a 2-star rating on my King scale; it wasn't bad, just not appealing to me.
Great collection nonetheless.
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption - 5/5 !!!!!! exceptional.
Apt Pupil - 5/5
The Body - 4/5
The Breathing Method - 3/5
Apt Pupil - 5/5
The Body - 4/5
The Breathing Method - 3/5