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4.21 AVERAGE
4.21 AVERAGE
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
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I thought it was a little long in the beginning but now that I have finished the book, I understand why all the details. King definitely has a unique writing style. Not going to lie - it took me a bit to get used to his writing style.
I honestly didn’t picture myself as one to like thriller/horror books. I have read 3 Stephen King books including this one. I am obsessed. The Shining was fantastic! Can’t wait to read more Stephen King books!
I honestly didn’t picture myself as one to like thriller/horror books. I have read 3 Stephen King books including this one. I am obsessed. The Shining was fantastic! Can’t wait to read more Stephen King books!
challenging
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
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