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natnoble18's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
alexauthorshay's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
Having read <i>Night Shift</i> before this one, I assumed it would be another short story collection, only to find out it's actually four novellas. (And despite the afterword by King talking about the process of trying to place these long-short stories/short-novels into publication, they were <i>long</i>.) I don't know if it would have felt as painful had I read a physical copy, but my ebook copy just felt like it kept going and going, and each story took forever to get through.
Rita Hayworth - all the interesting bits happened off screen, only partially saved by the tone/style of the narrator, who was not even the protagonist.
Apt Pupil - the worst of the bunch, this story just went on for ever and ever. I actually liked it to start with, but as it dragged on over years and years and I came to understand the two main characters no better than when I started the story, it became quite the painful read.
The Body - Overall, I did like this one.
Breathing Method - Interesting setup, but ultimately not at all required for the story that's actually the namesake of the story.
All four stories went into a lot of backstory on the narrators/protagonists/central characters, and I think that's a large part of what made them so long. If you stripped them down to the essentials of the active plot only, they probably could have been short stories. Which is not to say I think they would have been better as short stories, but they all started out in such minute detail only to start skipping months or years or to flash forward in time to the narrator reflecting back on the experience and tying in other memories that weren't really related to the plot but illuminated the narrator's personality. Each story included so much information that felt tangential and bogged the pace of the main stories down, or was bookended by the setup to the actual story but said bookends ended up being such a large chunk of the story that switching to the actual namesake of the story felt like moving into an entirely separate, unrelated story that had nothing to do with the lead up before it.
Rita Hayworth - all the interesting bits happened off screen, only partially saved by the tone/style of the narrator, who was not even the protagonist.
Apt Pupil - the worst of the bunch, this story just went on for ever and ever. I actually liked it to start with, but as it dragged on over years and years and I came to understand the two main characters no better than when I started the story, it became quite the painful read.
The Body - Overall, I did like this one.
Breathing Method - Interesting setup, but ultimately not at all required for the story that's actually the namesake of the story.
All four stories went into a lot of backstory on the narrators/protagonists/central characters, and I think that's a large part of what made them so long. If you stripped them down to the essentials of the active plot only, they probably could have been short stories. Which is not to say I think they would have been better as short stories, but they all started out in such minute detail only to start skipping months or years or to flash forward in time to the narrator reflecting back on the experience and tying in other memories that weren't really related to the plot but illuminated the narrator's personality. Each story included so much information that felt tangential and bogged the pace of the main stories down, or was bookended by the setup to the actual story but said bookends ended up being such a large chunk of the story that switching to the actual namesake of the story felt like moving into an entirely separate, unrelated story that had nothing to do with the lead up before it.
sinimini's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-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
4.0
I never get bored reading the Shawshank Redemption story or watching the movie. I never knew Stand By Me was based on a story by King. So that was a pleasant surprise.
racheyblue's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.5
alexandre_rl's review against another edition
3.0
Dans la postface de "Différentes saisons", Stephen King explique que la publication de ce livre vient répondre à la question qu'on lui pose le plus souvent: écrivez-vous uniquement des livres d'épouvante? À l'époque de la parution de ce recueil, personne ne donnait cher de King en dehors de son genre de prédilection. Même son éditeur, qui s'était pourtant enrichi considérablement grâce à ses livres, est resté interdit devant la proposition de l'écrivain: un recueil de quatre longues nouvelles (déjà, pas trop enthousiasmant) sans éléments surnaturels et dont le seul point commun est d'avoir été écrites tout de suite après un roman. Le projet semblait difficile à vendre.
Pourtant, trois des quatre histoires de "Différentes saisons" furent adaptées au cinéma, dont "Rita Hayworth et la rédemption de Shawshank" par Frank Darabont dans un film acclamé autant par la critique que par les spectateurs. Ironiquement, beaucoup de gens ignorent qu'il s'agit d'un texte de Stephen King tant il est éloigné des thèmes le plus souvent abordés par l'auteur. Ce récit, qui ouvre le recueil en force, est touchant, captivant et mémorable. Il s'agit pour ainsi dire d'une nouvelle parfaite sur laquelle on peine à trouver à redire.
Le texte suivant, "Un élève doué", est le maillon faible du recueil, ce qui est particulièrement dommage car c'est aussi le plus long (263 pages sur 713). Si l'amorce est accrocheuse, King se perd rapidement dans une série de situations invraisemblables et s'abandonne souvent à des excès déplaisants de violence. Les principaux personnages sont antipathiques à un point tel que je peinais à trouver l'intérêt nécessaire pour poursuivre ma lecture. La finale bâclée ne vient rien réchapper. Du King à son plus ennuyant.
La troisième nouvelle, "Le corps", est heureusement très solide. Transposée au cinéma par Rob Reiner sous le titre "Stand by Me", cette histoire à forte tendance autobiographique s'inscrit dans la tradition du récit initiatique et présente des personnages émouvants et bien campés. Le parcours tumultueux de ces quatre garçons rappellera leur propre enfance à bien des lecteurs. King remporte le pari de tirer de souvenirs intimes une émotion universelle.
Le dernier texte, "La méthode respiratoire", est un petit bijou pour les amateurs d'Edgar Allan Poe. Rédigé dans un style plus classique, il se lit aisément d'un trait et contient quelques soubresauts opportuns de surnaturel. Il s'agit sans doute de la nouvelle la moins développée du recueil, mais c'est celle qui m'a procuré le plus grand plaisir. Elle m'a permis de fermer le livre avec un large sourire sur le visage.
Dans l'ensemble, "Différentes saisons" est un livre réussi. Il est simplement dommage que le texte qui accapare plus du tiers de l'espace soit de loin le plus mauvais. Cela ne peut que teinter négativement le souvenir de lecture. C'est aussi pourquoi ma note n'est que de 3.5/5 malgré une appréciation plutôt forte de trois des quatre histoires.
Pourtant, trois des quatre histoires de "Différentes saisons" furent adaptées au cinéma, dont "Rita Hayworth et la rédemption de Shawshank" par Frank Darabont dans un film acclamé autant par la critique que par les spectateurs. Ironiquement, beaucoup de gens ignorent qu'il s'agit d'un texte de Stephen King tant il est éloigné des thèmes le plus souvent abordés par l'auteur. Ce récit, qui ouvre le recueil en force, est touchant, captivant et mémorable. Il s'agit pour ainsi dire d'une nouvelle parfaite sur laquelle on peine à trouver à redire.
Le texte suivant, "Un élève doué", est le maillon faible du recueil, ce qui est particulièrement dommage car c'est aussi le plus long (263 pages sur 713). Si l'amorce est accrocheuse, King se perd rapidement dans une série de situations invraisemblables et s'abandonne souvent à des excès déplaisants de violence. Les principaux personnages sont antipathiques à un point tel que je peinais à trouver l'intérêt nécessaire pour poursuivre ma lecture. La finale bâclée ne vient rien réchapper. Du King à son plus ennuyant.
La troisième nouvelle, "Le corps", est heureusement très solide. Transposée au cinéma par Rob Reiner sous le titre "Stand by Me", cette histoire à forte tendance autobiographique s'inscrit dans la tradition du récit initiatique et présente des personnages émouvants et bien campés. Le parcours tumultueux de ces quatre garçons rappellera leur propre enfance à bien des lecteurs. King remporte le pari de tirer de souvenirs intimes une émotion universelle.
Le dernier texte, "La méthode respiratoire", est un petit bijou pour les amateurs d'Edgar Allan Poe. Rédigé dans un style plus classique, il se lit aisément d'un trait et contient quelques soubresauts opportuns de surnaturel. Il s'agit sans doute de la nouvelle la moins développée du recueil, mais c'est celle qui m'a procuré le plus grand plaisir. Elle m'a permis de fermer le livre avec un large sourire sur le visage.
Dans l'ensemble, "Différentes saisons" est un livre réussi. Il est simplement dommage que le texte qui accapare plus du tiers de l'espace soit de loin le plus mauvais. Cela ne peut que teinter négativement le souvenir de lecture. C'est aussi pourquoi ma note n'est que de 3.5/5 malgré une appréciation plutôt forte de trois des quatre histoires.
jobustitch's review against another edition
3.0
Read the Shawshank novella for book club. Not bad, but I think I like the movie adaption better. This is a first for me.
yelizaveta_a's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- 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? Yes
5.0
ehgold23's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tracie's review against another edition
4.0
Read this collection of novellas for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge, book to movie category. I had already seen all the films before reading the book. The First story 'Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption' became the film 'The Shawshank Redemption'. A wonderful tale and very faithful adaptation.
The second story, Apt Pupil, was tougher going with the exploration of evil via a teen serial killer. I was surprised with the violence as I don't remember the film being this graphic. Despite having a soft spot for Brad Renfro and the great Ian Mckellan, the bloodlust in the story left me with no desire to rewatch the film any time soon.
The third story, The Body, is by far my favourite. The movie version, Stand By Me, is the main reason I chose to read this book. It's a pretty great adaptation. Being the same age as the actors while also coming of age at the time of it's release has it firmly cemented in a special place in my heart. Even after many viewings the final scene with River Phoenix fading away still hurts my heart.
There is a fourth story, The Breathing Method. Easily the strangest and most typical King one in the book. And not hard to see why it has so far escaped the hollywood treatment.
The second story, Apt Pupil, was tougher going with the exploration of evil via a teen serial killer. I was surprised with the violence as I don't remember the film being this graphic. Despite having a soft spot for Brad Renfro and the great Ian Mckellan, the bloodlust in the story left me with no desire to rewatch the film any time soon.
The third story, The Body, is by far my favourite. The movie version, Stand By Me, is the main reason I chose to read this book. It's a pretty great adaptation. Being the same age as the actors while also coming of age at the time of it's release has it firmly cemented in a special place in my heart. Even after many viewings the final scene with River Phoenix fading away still hurts my heart.
There is a fourth story, The Breathing Method. Easily the strangest and most typical King one in the book. And not hard to see why it has so far escaped the hollywood treatment.
brendanhoffman's review
4.5
The argument can easily be made for 3 out of 4 of these stories as being King’s best work.
This is 1/3 and maybe even 2/3’s a lukewarm take, but Apt Pupil doesn’t get the credit it deserves. I’m not sure if it’s just because the movie is apparently bad and the other two got great adaptations, which helped cement them into the larger culture, or if it’s because of how downright upsetting and harrowing it is. But, it’s the standout for me. It’s harrowing and terrifying in a way not many stories are, and somehow never feels exploitative, despite the content. It comes by its desolation honestly.
This is 1/3 and maybe even 2/3’s a lukewarm take, but Apt Pupil doesn’t get the credit it deserves. I’m not sure if it’s just because the movie is apparently bad and the other two got great adaptations, which helped cement them into the larger culture, or if it’s because of how downright upsetting and harrowing it is. But, it’s the standout for me. It’s harrowing and terrifying in a way not many stories are, and somehow never feels exploitative, despite the content. It comes by its desolation honestly.