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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
I first read this book in middle school (shout out to my mom for not monitoring what I consume) and then read it about 6-7 times between middle school and high school then haven't picked it up since. but I have held firm that this book was always in my top ten, heck top five, favorite books of all time.
not only was I in love with the book, since middle school I have watched the movie no less than a thousand times and I'm not even exaggerating. I had the movie on VHS and I would literally fall asleep to it. I watch it every year on October 1st to kick off spooky season. gun to my head I could recite every word to you you. I am a FAN okay.
that being said - the movie and the book HAVE to be treated separately. I convinced my husband to read this with me for our bookclub we have together and he was dragging his feet because he hated the movie. I begged (threatened) him and he finally saw the light and agreed with me that the book is completely different and in his opinion far better than the movie.
I was nerding out hardcore rereading this with an ITCH to annotate it. the book just spends so much more time with this family and you actually feel and see the inner turmoil jack goes through as the overlook consumes his soul. you feel BAD for him and you are not necessarily rooting for him to take out his whole family like you kind of are in the move (let's be honest Shelly Duval as Wendy is the most annoying and insufferable character to grace the big screen).
anyways I am not here to write a college essay on the similarities and differences between the movie and source material, I won't bore you with an analysis and commentary on the themes present throughout this book, nor will I shove character studies down your throat but what I will say to you:
give. this. book. a. shot.
if you love thriller, horror, fiction in general, supernatural elements, or maybe you are not super into any of those and want to dip your toe in please try it. I beg of you. as a long time King fan who is going through his entire roster this is one of his best and I think there are a ton of people out there who would absolutely love this novel.
not only was I in love with the book, since middle school I have watched the movie no less than a thousand times and I'm not even exaggerating. I had the movie on VHS and I would literally fall asleep to it. I watch it every year on October 1st to kick off spooky season. gun to my head I could recite every word to you you. I am a FAN okay.
that being said - the movie and the book HAVE to be treated separately. I convinced my husband to read this with me for our bookclub we have together and he was dragging his feet because he hated the movie. I begged (threatened) him and he finally saw the light and agreed with me that the book is completely different and in his opinion far better than the movie.
I was nerding out hardcore rereading this with an ITCH to annotate it. the book just spends so much more time with this family and you actually feel and see the inner turmoil jack goes through as the overlook consumes his soul. you feel BAD for him and you are not necessarily rooting for him to take out his whole family like you kind of are in the move (let's be honest Shelly Duval as Wendy is the most annoying and insufferable character to grace the big screen).
anyways I am not here to write a college essay on the similarities and differences between the movie and source material, I won't bore you with an analysis and commentary on the themes present throughout this book, nor will I shove character studies down your throat but what I will say to you:
give. this. book. a. shot.
if you love thriller, horror, fiction in general, supernatural elements, or maybe you are not super into any of those and want to dip your toe in please try it. I beg of you. as a long time King fan who is going through his entire roster this is one of his best and I think there are a ton of people out there who would absolutely love this novel.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Love. It was tense and horrific, but also nuanced and character-driven. Unlike the movie, we see a real depth to Jack: we get inside his head, see his own internal conflict over his actions, question how much he is and isn't responsible for what happens. I also really loved Danny as a narrator and developed a strong fondness for him. Overall, this had everything I want out of a Stephen King novel, and I see why it's a classic.
I finally understand the hype with Stephen King. He is an excellent writer. It's detailed and the character development is phenomenal. This book was terrifying and it made me feel like I was hearing noises everywhere. Reading it before bed was not the best choice. It was creepy and shocking and so well thought out. I'm excited to read doctor sleep. And now I want to go back and see the movie because I haven't seen that in so long.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A Stephen King must. I loved how intimately you get to know the characters and their stories. This book is a slower pace for much of it, drawing out the little details that you can hang on to.
I have not logged a book on Storygraph that I have read before, so I suppose I'll specify that I first read this ELEVEN years ago, and that it was my formal introduction to horror. Re-reading this was such a delight, especially finding out Jack and I have so many things in common :( It was also jarring to realize that I am closer to his age than I remembered. Jack Torrance was one of the first book characters that I thought was really cool for some reason--one year I even dressed up as him for Halloween... at a church-hosted party, no less.
I initially began this re-read because I visited the hotel that inspired this story over a year ago with my uncle, and we decided (I pressured him) to read it together. As you know, I tend to read 10 things at once, and many books get discarded for an embarrassing amount of time (yes, I am still on page 80 of A Little Life... sigh).
I love King's writing style, because it's super digestible but hard to skim over if you're in a hurry. He makes the reader take their time visiting his disturbing world, and I admire that. I have read a little over 30 King books since first reading this eleven years ago, and would consider myself a casual fan. A large part of this re-read was sponsored by nostalgia, but it was also great to see Jack and Wendy's perspectives as an adult reader.
I initially began this re-read because I visited the hotel that inspired this story over a year ago with my uncle, and we decided (I pressured him) to read it together. As you know, I tend to read 10 things at once, and many books get discarded for an embarrassing amount of time (yes, I am still on page 80 of A Little Life... sigh).
I love King's writing style, because it's super digestible but hard to skim over if you're in a hurry. He makes the reader take their time visiting his disturbing world, and I admire that. I have read a little over 30 King books since first reading this eleven years ago, and would consider myself a casual fan. A large part of this re-read was sponsored by nostalgia, but it was also great to see Jack and Wendy's perspectives as an adult reader.
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
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
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The bleed of each characters back storey throughout the book allowed the reader to easily identify with the imperfect characters without feeling as if the charecter was dumb for their flawed choices.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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
Interesting. I’m writing this review on 9 September and it’s interesting that I put “a mix” for plot vs character driven. Being a horror book, you’d immediately think that it would be plot-driven. But this really just focuses on the relations and feelings between three main characters.
It had a slow descent into actually getting scary. The hotel felt a bit menacing, with a whole bunch of random scary events occurring there.
Of course Stephen did a good job at exploring the characters and bringing them to life. I can’t remember his name now but the guy who is the chef was a character brought to life so richly. Maybe that’s because he’s borne out of stereotypes though?? Not sure. I did not like the amount of n words. Made me uncomfy. It felt like he started using them and then went on a roll.
Also I was waiting for “Heeeeere’s Johnny” the whole book and he never said it. Lol
It had a slow descent into actually getting scary. The hotel felt a bit menacing, with a whole bunch of random scary events occurring there.
Of course Stephen did a good job at exploring the characters and bringing them to life. I can’t remember his name now but the guy who is the chef was a character brought to life so richly. Maybe that’s because he’s borne out of stereotypes though?? Not sure. I did not like the amount of n words. Made me uncomfy. It felt like he started using them and then went on a roll.
Also I was waiting for “Heeeeere’s Johnny” the whole book and he never said it. Lol