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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
This was my first experience with Stephen King and I absolutely loved it! I was expecting an outright horror story with the potential to need to put the book down due to the nature of the story. It certainly wasn't that but didn't make it any less brilliant. The horror comes from the situations, the claustrophobia of Derry, the difficulties of not fitting in as a child, being between childhood and adulthood and the powerful impact of memories and recollection. It was so much more of a story than I expected and something I found myself right in the middle of rather than experiencing as a reader on the outside. The world created and the relatability of the characters was incredible.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I have never read anything really that falls into the horror genre until this monster. I really did enjoy King's writing and the premise that Derry and It were one in the same, I think it made it more interesting than if had only been It. Knocked a star because I questioned some of the structural choices in how it jumped between 1958, 1985, and other events that did tie in. I understand bringing those events in, but at 1100 pages some of them just felt extraneous and unnecessary.
Un-freaking-real. That’s all I can say about this book that has already had so much said about it. And, for the record, Steven Weber does an amazing job on the audiobook.
Stephen King's It has always been a major part of my life. I remember growing up watching the classic television miniseries, starring Tim Curry, and gazing longingly at the old hardcover copy my mother owned (which I am now using as a monitor stand for my computer at work!). It's mammoth size always intrigued me. I was a strange kid. I was intrigued by thick books and movies that were so long they took two whole VHS tapes! I first read It when I was in middle school. I absorbed it over the course of one month, during one summer. The next summer, I read it again. Then, for many, many years, I longed to read it again. I started it a few times, getting only through the first two or three chapters before putting it down. Finally, in August of 2017, just before the new film adaptation hit theatres, I spent another month with my childhood best friends, Bill Denbrough, Ben Hanscom, Richie Tozier (about whom I won first place in school report in third grade! We had to give a presentation, in character, about a literary character we wanted as our best friend!), Eddie Kaspbrack, Beverly Marsh, Mike Hanlon, and Stanley Uris. Although I read the 2003 paperback edition this time (the first time I read it, I read the 1990's Signet paperback edition, and the second time I read that old hardcover I gazed at so lovingly that is now with me every day in my office), I also bought the new 2017 hardcover edition. The old hardcover I have was just so worn over time and having been read by mother and myself, that I wanted a new hardcover to have as my nice, display copy; keep your hands off, so to speak.
At this point, we all know the story. Seven kids in a small Maine town named Derry, in 1958, come together and battle an ages-old evil that has been terrorizing the town every 27 years for as far back as anyone can remember. It targets mainly children, taking on the form of Pennywise the Clown. However, It can take the form of whatever its target is most afraid of. In 1985, they battle It again as adults. Over the years, their memory of what happened seemed to have been erased. Slowly, they begin to remember everything, and the book is written in a wonderful back-and-forth style, bouncing between the two time periods, that makes for an exciting, inimitable experience.
It is Stephen King's crowning achievement, in my opinion. For many, many years, I couldn't decide whether or not It or The Stand was my favorite Stephen King book. Of course, The Stand is another mammoth, 1100 page book! After reading It for the third time, finally coming to the realization that reading this book, for me, is like spending time with an old friend. Seven of them, in fact. Eight, if you count its amazing author. It's not so much that I read this book as much as it is that I spend time with this book. It's truly a literary experience. King creates such vivid characters and a vivid world, that you honestly feel like you are there. It is, undoubtedly one of my all-time favorite books, and I look forward to the lifetime I get to spend with It in my life.
At this point, we all know the story. Seven kids in a small Maine town named Derry, in 1958, come together and battle an ages-old evil that has been terrorizing the town every 27 years for as far back as anyone can remember. It targets mainly children, taking on the form of Pennywise the Clown. However, It can take the form of whatever its target is most afraid of. In 1985, they battle It again as adults. Over the years, their memory of what happened seemed to have been erased. Slowly, they begin to remember everything, and the book is written in a wonderful back-and-forth style, bouncing between the two time periods, that makes for an exciting, inimitable experience.
It is Stephen King's crowning achievement, in my opinion. For many, many years, I couldn't decide whether or not It or The Stand was my favorite Stephen King book. Of course, The Stand is another mammoth, 1100 page book! After reading It for the third time, finally coming to the realization that reading this book, for me, is like spending time with an old friend. Seven of them, in fact. Eight, if you count its amazing author. It's not so much that I read this book as much as it is that I spend time with this book. It's truly a literary experience. King creates such vivid characters and a vivid world, that you honestly feel like you are there. It is, undoubtedly one of my all-time favorite books, and I look forward to the lifetime I get to spend with It in my life.
This book was disturbing, grotesque, and awesome at the same time. It made me laugh and scared(to some points I had to sleep with the light on) all at once. This passage from this book puts the book into perfect perspective and is one of my favorite parts from the book:
"You laugh because what’s fearful and unknown is also what’s funny, you laugh the way a small child will sometimes laugh and cry at the same time when a capering circus clown approaches, knowing it is supposed to be funny… but it is also unknown, full of the unknown’s eternal power."
"You laugh because what’s fearful and unknown is also what’s funny, you laugh the way a small child will sometimes laugh and cry at the same time when a capering circus clown approaches, knowing it is supposed to be funny… but it is also unknown, full of the unknown’s eternal power."
challenging
dark
mysterious
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:
Yes