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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
1.0⭐ Didn't Age Well
There's some validity to the fact that some of the statements coming out in this book, though ugly, still need to be exercised from their author. I've written some books I'm not proud of, but that still served my mind and soul.
I was lucky enough not to have to have a deadline on all those early works.
King monetized and sold some of his worst thoughts to the entire world. Maybe it's because I'm fat, maybe it's the slurs, maybe it's that the ending punished the bad characters but still somehow didn't correct its own cruelty. Maybe writing under Bachman left him feeling free to reveal some uglier sides to his worldview...this just doesn't work for me.
We're very lucky to have Stephen King, and a lot of us are a world or two better for growing up on his work. Thinner just didn't work for me. If it's your favorite, I am so sorry. I could see where this story could work with some modernization, but as is, it just came off cruel.
I still love King. I even like parts of this story, but my rating is for my overall experience. There's plenty more on the shelf that have much better things to say.
There's some validity to the fact that some of the statements coming out in this book, though ugly, still need to be exercised from their author. I've written some books I'm not proud of, but that still served my mind and soul.
I was lucky enough not to have to have a deadline on all those early works.
King monetized and sold some of his worst thoughts to the entire world. Maybe it's because I'm fat, maybe it's the slurs, maybe it's that the ending punished the bad characters but still somehow didn't correct its own cruelty. Maybe writing under Bachman left him feeling free to reveal some uglier sides to his worldview...this just doesn't work for me.
We're very lucky to have Stephen King, and a lot of us are a world or two better for growing up on his work. Thinner just didn't work for me. If it's your favorite, I am so sorry. I could see where this story could work with some modernization, but as is, it just came off cruel.
I still love King. I even like parts of this story, but my rating is for my overall experience. There's plenty more on the shelf that have much better things to say.
dark
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
That was a disappointment. Probably my least favorite SK book to date. I had seen the movie adaptation and thought it wasn’t good but was hopeful the source material was better. It was not. I found it to be very dull and meandering. I didn’t care about any of the characters. Such a shame because the concept had real promise.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
I was tempted to give this three stars cause it is a fun story. But the structural racism is so embedded in said story that it makes it hard to enjoy.
Remove the racism, maybe cut the length in half, and put it in a short story collection and this could be a great story.
Remove the racism, maybe cut the length in half, and put it in a short story collection and this could be a great story.
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
He made a brief (and late) appearance but I liked Ginelli.
3.5 stars.
A thin premise worn t h i n n e r
Really gets into gear in the last third or so.
A thin premise worn t h i n n e r
Really gets into gear in the last third or so.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Final thoughts: This novel was definitely fast-paced and had a good plot. It kept the reader engaged; some parts were a little longer than others and they dragged on for longer than they needed to, but for the most part this was very concise and stayed on track. The horror of it all was good, it left the reader terrified how one person could be cursed and the people around him could be affected by it. The lesson that Billy has to learn, the reader doesn’t think he really learned it because by the end, when he says he’s going to do right by his daughter and everything goes to crap, he just kind of gives up and says screw this, he’s out, too. It kinda made it feel like what was the point of everything he went through if that was how it was all going to end. This had real good set up and potential and the end was so good up until that last few sentences. If there had been like an epilogue to show Billy having to live with the choices and consequences of everything that had happened, from the accident all the way to the pie, then maybe this would have felt worth it or earned more. The reader never really connected with any of the characters; they always felt just out of reach of being actual ordinary people. Instead, the reader just saw them as two dimensional and only really cared about what happened to them and not really for them. Even the Gypsy characters lost their lustre sooner than we wanted them to. In the end, this was good, but it didn’t quite do it for this reader.