#ATBR2020 Review: Carrie by Stephen King #chronologicallyking @jessmapreviews @kamiskorner
Carrie
by Stephen King
@kamis_korner (on IG, @kamiskorner on Twitter) started a chronological read of Stephen King's works and I had to join. Finally reading some for the first time.... some rereads that will resonate differently decades later. So excited to see how it all pans out.
Publisher: Doubleday Books
Publish Date: April 5, 1974
Hardcover
199 Pages
Standalone
Genre: Horror
Carrie knew she should not use the terrifying power she possessed... But one night at her senior prom, Carrie was scorned and humiliated just one time too many, and in a fit of uncontrollable fury she turned her clandestine game into a weapon of horror and destruction...
My Review:
Sometimes you read a debut novel after reading a fuck ton of novels by one of your favorite authors and you still get impressed. Carrie is definitely a stand out debut novel, even almost 50 years later. 50 FREAKING YEARS Y'ALL. Now, I know he wrote several short stories, etc. before he became published but la di da.... let's talk about this novel, eh?
High school is hard. Teenagers are cruel. And when you're not a part of the popular crowd, where are you? A misfit? Someone just not noticed? Or a punching bag because it is just so easy. Somehow King has managed to bring in high school angst with the cruelty involved and how one girl finally has had ENOUGH. BRING ON THE BLOOD.
I did enjoy the format. We have present day with Sue, the past from a few different points of view and the part we're used to seeing in film and then the almost docu-style writing which makes this almost feel like a true crime kind of read. I raised my eyebrow at the moment where it's mentioned this has been made into a film and it's like King just KNEW. In any manner, this is a short book and y'all already pretty much know the whole shebang.
I typically don't read what I've already watched because I already have the characters in my head a certain way and I did find it hard NOT to see all these characters outside of from the original movie. Which the descriptions of mom and Carrie didn't match and hurt my head a little. Not the book's fault - just how I work I suppose. I also wonder how I would've liked this had I read this before I had read the abundant other books by King.
★★★
High school is hard. Teenagers are cruel. And when you're not a part of the popular crowd, where are you? A misfit? Someone just not noticed? Or a punching bag because it is just so easy. Somehow King has managed to bring in high school angst with the cruelty involved and how one girl finally has had ENOUGH. BRING ON THE BLOOD.
I did enjoy the format. We have present day with Sue, the past from a few different points of view and the part we're used to seeing in film and then the almost docu-style writing which makes this almost feel like a true crime kind of read. I raised my eyebrow at the moment where it's mentioned this has been made into a film and it's like King just KNEW. In any manner, this is a short book and y'all already pretty much know the whole shebang.
I typically don't read what I've already watched because I already have the characters in my head a certain way and I did find it hard NOT to see all these characters outside of from the original movie. Which the descriptions of mom and Carrie didn't match and hurt my head a little. Not the book's fault - just how I work I suppose. I also wonder how I would've liked this had I read this before I had read the abundant other books by King.
★★★
Jessica's Review:
This book holds a special place in my heart because it was my first King book. When I was about 11 years old I borrowed an old paperback copy of my friend's and this started my love of Stephen King books. CARRIE is one that I highly recommend to people that are just starting out with King - it's a great introduction. Not too scary but its dark and twisted enough to get a good taste of what you can expect in his other books.
I think most people know Carrie's story - a bullied girl in high school that finds out she has telekinetic powers and everything comes to a climax the night of her senior prom. What I love the most about this book is how incredibly well King can capture the struggles that Carrie is going through - whether it's at school or dealing with her religiously zealous mother. Margaret White is probably the scariest part of this entire book. King has always done a great job highlighting that the scariest things in life aren't always monsters.
I would highly recommend this to anyone just starting out with Stephen King. Different perspectives, teenage angst, a girl pushed past her breaking point, and little articles and snippets about what happened. Carrie is a classic and I think it's one you can go into even after seeing the film, because you get so much more. This is still as great as I remembered it being and I think some things made a little more sense to me now that I'm not only 11 years old!
5 stars
Awesome review! :)
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