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A review by sarah_b
The Shining by Stephen King
3.0
3.5 stars -
this was the second Stephen King book I've read; can I be done now? ah, that's right . . . there's still It to someday read.
Little Danny Torrance and Recovering Alcoholic Jack and Apprehensive Wendy and the mysterious, disturbing Overlook Hotel. This is Stephen King's masterpiece, some would say, and rightly so: the backdrop, the character development, the story itself - all brilliant.
In fact, the only thing that kept me from being too scared - and there were parts that got my heart pounding a little faster - was the King himself. His writing is so longwinded that the pacing seems, well, off. The scenes of horror are never just action - they are inundated with thoughts and feelings and rabbit trails of memories. At the same time, the pacing is stunning and I can appreciate what King was doing there because it takes time to delve into each character's psyche, to learn their history, and to watch them question their very mind. I will always respect King for his ability to craft a realistic world out of nothing.
Still, I can't help but compare this with the 1981 movie starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. The movie is an easy classic and so well done that I began reading The Shining picturing these actors in the characters' very shoes. And . . . a mallet and not an axe? It hardly has the same effect, if I'm being honest. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this book came up just a tad short.
At the end of the day, I'd rather watch the movie.
*and thus continues my love/hate relationship with Stephen King*
this was the second Stephen King book I've read; can I be done now? ah, that's right . . . there's still It to someday read.
Little Danny Torrance and Recovering Alcoholic Jack and Apprehensive Wendy and the mysterious, disturbing Overlook Hotel. This is Stephen King's masterpiece, some would say, and rightly so: the backdrop, the character development, the story itself - all brilliant.
In fact, the only thing that kept me from being too scared - and there were parts that got my heart pounding a little faster - was the King himself. His writing is so longwinded that the pacing seems, well, off. The scenes of horror are never just action - they are inundated with thoughts and feelings and rabbit trails of memories. At the same time, the pacing is stunning and I can appreciate what King was doing there because it takes time to delve into each character's psyche, to learn their history, and to watch them question their very mind. I will always respect King for his ability to craft a realistic world out of nothing.
Still, I can't help but compare this with the 1981 movie starring Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall. The movie is an easy classic and so well done that I began reading The Shining picturing these actors in the characters' very shoes. And . . . a mallet and not an axe? It hardly has the same effect, if I'm being honest. I guess what I'm trying to say is that this book came up just a tad short.
At the end of the day, I'd rather watch the movie.
*and thus continues my love/hate relationship with Stephen King*