A review by katie316says
The Shining by Stephen King

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

4.0

The Shining has been one of my favorite movies for years, but  I feel like I’m unable to enjoy it as much now that I’ve read the book and seen how much was left out and changed in the film. Of the two, I preferred the story of the novel. I think King did a great job creating nuanced and interesting characters with clear backstories and motivation. I also think he did an incredible job with the writing of specifically Danny’s scenes. It really brought me back to the feeling of being a scared little kid frozen in fear by my imagination.
For that reason, the scene of Danny staring at the fire house worried it would come after him like a snake really stuck with me.
However my complaint, like many others have said, is King’s long winded writing style. In my opinion this book was just too long for it’s content and would have benefitting from some editing down. I think the story alone would be 5 stars to me but that was lessened by the length. 
Expand filter menu Content Warnings