Reviews tagging 'Animal cruelty'

Different Seasons by Stephen King

15 reviews

asourceoffiction's review against another edition

dark hopeful slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

RITA HAYWORTH AND SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION 

⭐⭐⭐⭐🌟/5

Just one of the best things King has ever written, in a little over 100 pages. The film does absolute justice to the story (though I'm pretty sure Red was originally a redhead, and Andy is supposed to be short 😂) and it lives rent-free in my heart.

It's amazing how much is packed into such a short story, given how long some of King's books go on (I'm looking at you, The Dead Zone). Andy Dufresne is almost deified the way Red tells it, because he represents hope when life is at its most hopeless. And that's what the whole novella is about, and how it ends. With hope.

APT PUPIL

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

In stark contrast to Shawshank, there's no hope to be found in Apt Pupil. It's a study of darkness, and it only gets darker as it goes on. As the longest of the four stories by far, it's heavy. Todd scares me a lot more than Dussander as he sets everything in motion, and their association just gets creepier. I'd forgotten almost everything about this story except that ending, which haunts me.

THE BODY 

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5

The first half of this is 3⭐, the second half is a solid 5⭐. It's the classic coming of age story, but has so much beauty and melancholy as the boys get further into their journey and Gordie becomes more reflective. Chris is just a wonderful character.

THE BREATHING METHOD

⭐⭐⭐/5

Wow. I mean... I read this 20 years ago and didn't remember any part of it. I think I repressed it. Only in Stephen King's mind could the Lamaze Method = horror story...

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Murder, Confinement, Rape, Car accident, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Pregnancy, Child death, and Death

mmadill227's review against another edition

dark reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? N/A
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual assault, Murder, Rape, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Antisemitism

Moderate: Racial slurs, War, Car accident, Child death, Death, and Vomit

Minor: Genocide, Pregnancy, Abortion, Alcohol, and Fatphobia

danhinderliter's review against another edition

challenging dark 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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Car accident, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Death of parent, Body horror, Animal cruelty, Antisemitism, Animal death, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Terminal illness, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, and Hate crime

Moderate: Mass/school shootings

jethrov's review against another edition

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Animal cruelty

sappypatheticm's review against another edition

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Torture, Sexual violence, Toxic friendship, Animal cruelty, Pregnancy, Genocide, Death of parent, Rape, Antisemitism, War, Confinement, Car accident, Child death, Death, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Suicide and Homophobia

sareena's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Racial slurs, Death, Violence, Sexual violence, Animal cruelty, Child death, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic friendship, Sexual assault, War, and Confinement

laurendart's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Pregnancy, Violence, Death, Body horror, Murder, Sexual assault, and Sexual content

Minor: Animal cruelty

americattt's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark reflective tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

"Even if I'd known the right thing to say, I probably couldn't have said it. Speech destroys the functions of love, I think that's a hell of a thing for a writer to say, I guess, but I believe it to be true. If you speak to tell a deer you mean it no harm, it glides away with a single flip of its tail. The word is the harm. Love isn't what asshole poets like McKuen want you to think it is. Love has teeth; they bite; the wounds never close. No word, no combination of words, can close those lovebites. It's the other way around, that's the joke. If those wounds dry up, the words die with them. Take it from me. I've made my life from the words, and I know that is so."

favorite short story: the Body

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Car accident, Violence, Gore, and Murder

Moderate: Racial slurs, Animal cruelty, and Rape

Minor: Homophobia

uhm_kai's review

challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

nice and spooky

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Body horror, Car accident, Gore, Hate crime, Alcoholism, Murder, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Racism, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Antisemitism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Death, and Genocide

kmolson29's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense slow-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? It's complicated

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Animal cruelty, Death, and Gun violence

Minor: Rape