Scan barcode
bites_of_books'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? Yes
2.75
Danny - Poor kid, he really deserved better. I loved his ability to keep hoping against hope that things would turn out okay.
Jack - Alcoholic father trying to quit drinking. I struggled with him because part of me felt bad for him while the other felt like King gave him no way out so what's the point?
Wendy - The mom who isn't used to standing up for herself or her son until the literal worst starts happening. She also didn't have many resources or anything to help her gain confidence so I can see why she had trouble with it.
The racism, homophobia, and misogyny was all used without any kind of nuance and the constant use of the n-word was really unnecessary.
Overall, it's not that scary, at times it's a bit silly (possessed hedges?) and what is scarier is the isolation and the mental states of the characters.
Neither the book or movie is perfect, but together they make for something a bit more interesting.
Graphic: Homophobia, Racial slurs, Sexism, Bullying, Death, Death of parent, Misogyny, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Alcohol, Body shaming, Child abuse, Racism, Blood, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Self harm, and Physical abuse
chaptersbydani's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Word on the street is that every one of Stephen King’s books have been banned/or challenged at some point since their publication. The Shining was challenged for “containing violence and demonic possession and [ridiculing] the Christian religion” in Wyoming and Alabama.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
I’m honestly shocked that I liked this as much as I did. This book broke my reading slump and kept me up all night. This is my first Stephen King book and I totally understand why he is the icon he is.
The way he writes is just mind blowing. It’s so simple. You never feel like it’s over your head and you always feel so close to figuring everything out. But you just never quite do until he reveals it. And despite the fact that basically every character is the most awful person I’ve ever encountered (Jack being the worst), I was sucked in immediately.
And the way the text was formatted??? Cherry on top. It added so much suspense and really illustrated the flirtation/ descent into madness.
There definitely was violence and demonic possession. I didn’t see the ridicule of Christianity (and wouldn’t have cared if it was there tbh.) My only issue is that I didn’t love King’s use of racial slurs. It made sense when the hotel used them and I could halfway accept that. Capitalism is an incredibly racist system and is violent- emotionally and physically- to Black folks (understatement). It makes sense that the Hotel, the symbol of capitalism here, was verbally violent to our main Black character. The other uses just felt out of line considering the author is white.
I wish that our main Black character, Dick, had more purpose in the book than guiding Danny and saving him and Wendy. It felt like he was just a tool for Danny’s development than anything. He’s a cool character and deserved a little bit more.
I will say, this is a book that I was pleasantly surprised lives up to its hype. I’m excited to watch the movie and see how it matches up. Also apparently there’s a sequel? I’m thinking of checking that out too.
Graphic: Classism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Murder, Torture, Toxic relationship, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Ableism, Body shaming, Child abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, Racism, Alcohol, Suicide attempt, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Grief, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual content, Stalking, and Suicidal thoughts
msradiosilence's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Read my full review at: https://www.rainyreader.com/single-post/the-shining/.
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Child abuse, Excrement, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Racism, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Grief, Sexual content, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Vomit
rosesofthespring's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Graphic: Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Blood, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Racism, Violence, Death, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Death of parent
Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Ableism, Child death, Drug abuse, and Classism
Minor: Body shaming, Gun violence, Sexual content, Vomit, and Homophobia
As usual, Stephen King is very weird about stuttering, so watch out for that. No one (as far as I can tell) is actually psychotic, but the content heavily revolves around hallucinations and questioning reality.kylajaynebooks's review against another edition
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Blood, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Body horror, Racism, and Drug use
Minor: Grief