You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by andresjf
It by Stephen King
4.5
4.5/5 Stars
I was always intimidated to read this because of its length, but it was a page-turner right from the beginning. Arguably Stephen King’s greatest novel. A story that’s both incredibly frightening and heartfelt as it explores the themes of childhood trauma and the bonds of friendship that help you confront your past.
The only thing that keeps it from being perfect is that while Richie’s impersonations were a product of the time, you can’t deny that it can be very racist in the modern day.
And let’s address the elephant in the room: the child orgy. It’s indefensible. Cocaine is a HELLUVA drug! Even Stephen King regrets writing that scene. It’s something I wish I or anyone else never has to read. If it not for that one scene, I could’ve called this a perfect book. But I also can’t in good conscience write off the novel completely because it doesn’t seem fair to allow 6 pages to ruin a 1153 page book. I’m eager to one day re-reading this again one day (and now I know exactly which part to skip towards the end).
I was always intimidated to read this because of its length, but it was a page-turner right from the beginning. Arguably Stephen King’s greatest novel. A story that’s both incredibly frightening and heartfelt as it explores the themes of childhood trauma and the bonds of friendship that help you confront your past.
The only thing that keeps it from being perfect is that while Richie’s impersonations were a product of the time, you can’t deny that it can be very racist in the modern day.
And let’s address the elephant in the room: the child orgy. It’s indefensible. Cocaine is a HELLUVA drug! Even Stephen King regrets writing that scene. It’s something I wish I or anyone else never has to read. If it not for that one scene, I could’ve called this a perfect book. But I also can’t in good conscience write off the novel completely because it doesn’t seem fair to allow 6 pages to ruin a 1153 page book. I’m eager to one day re-reading this again one day (and now I know exactly which part to skip towards the end).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Antisemitism