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A review by dg_reads
Christine by Stephen King
4.0
The King Buddy Reads book for February was CHRISTINE by (of course) Stephen King. This is one I had read before, but I picked it up on audio to reread with the group.
CHRISTINE is told from the perspective of high schooler Dennis Guilder. His best friend Arnie Cunningham is a self proclaimed loser, his only friend is Dennis and he’s the target of bullying from the other guys at school. When Arnie spots a run down Plymouth Fury for sale on the way home one day, he is instantly obsessed. Against his parents’ wishes and Dennis’ advice he sinks all of his savings into buying the car named Christine and fixing it up.
As the car begins to shape up, Arnie undergoes some rapid changes as well. His acne clears up, he gets a girlfriend Leigh and his confidence takes a serious boost. Even so, he continues to be the target of some serious abuses. Dennis and Leigh have never warmed up to Christine and Dennis begins to investigate its dark past. Soon people are dying off around Arnie and no one is safe.
This was a fun reread for me. It starts off as a bit of a slow burn and takes a while to really get going, but as people start dropping around Arnie, the action picks up. Getting the story from Dennis’ perspective puts the reader in an interesting position. Dennis and Arnie have had a long term close relationship so Dennis has some insights into Arnie, but we really are outside looking in as Arnie becomes less and less of the friend Dennis knows.
Overall I was glad to revisit King’s Christine. While this isn’t a favorite King for me, it is a solid read and I do recommend the audio!
CHRISTINE is told from the perspective of high schooler Dennis Guilder. His best friend Arnie Cunningham is a self proclaimed loser, his only friend is Dennis and he’s the target of bullying from the other guys at school. When Arnie spots a run down Plymouth Fury for sale on the way home one day, he is instantly obsessed. Against his parents’ wishes and Dennis’ advice he sinks all of his savings into buying the car named Christine and fixing it up.
As the car begins to shape up, Arnie undergoes some rapid changes as well. His acne clears up, he gets a girlfriend Leigh and his confidence takes a serious boost. Even so, he continues to be the target of some serious abuses. Dennis and Leigh have never warmed up to Christine and Dennis begins to investigate its dark past. Soon people are dying off around Arnie and no one is safe.
This was a fun reread for me. It starts off as a bit of a slow burn and takes a while to really get going, but as people start dropping around Arnie, the action picks up. Getting the story from Dennis’ perspective puts the reader in an interesting position. Dennis and Arnie have had a long term close relationship so Dennis has some insights into Arnie, but we really are outside looking in as Arnie becomes less and less of the friend Dennis knows.
Overall I was glad to revisit King’s Christine. While this isn’t a favorite King for me, it is a solid read and I do recommend the audio!