Well, I finished Carrie in a marathon session. It's pretty short- my copy has about a hundred and eighty pages.
Warning: Spoilers!
First impressions- I liked it. I haven't actually read it before, so it was interesting to see some similarities it shared with the other Stephen King books I've read.
The first of those similarites was the quite noticable- one of King's greatest strengths is the way he juxtaposes quick shots of what a character is thinking as he or she reacts to their enviorment. This happens quite a lot in Carrie.
The structure of the novel makes it appear to be composed from various books and publications, all dealing with the strange events surrounding Carrie. I liked this format. It reminded me a little bit of Dracula, another epistolary novel.
The titular character, Carrie, is a young, very unpopular high-school girl who gets her first period at a late age in the gym showers. The cruel way the other students treat her (I can still hear the awful cries of "Plug it up, plug it up!" from the schoolgirls in question) is only the beginning in an awful journey that will end in massive loss of life for a small town.
Carrie is disturbing, I think, because of how sympathetic Carrie really is. She is the ultimate outsider, dominated by an extremely religious mother who locks her in a closet, and really wants to be accepted most of all. She is utterly pitiful, even as she wields a frighteningly powerful form of telekinesis.
Interestingly, the now-famous buckets of blood dumped on her at the prom are not the final bit of abuse that sets her off. Instead, it is a shrill laugh, a symbol of the torments that she has already undergone, that pushes her on her path of destruction, a path that culminates in a heart-rending death scene.
Carrie seems a little rough around the edges, not as smooth as King's later novels, but it still is powerful, with a -heroine? Maybe- who is as pitiful as she is powerful. A good read.
Next- Salem's Lot.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Something Of Myself
I feel like I should give a little background, so here goes...
I'm in my twenties, I have just recently learned how to drive a car, and I'm a big fan of Stephen King. But you already knew that.
I first read Stephen Kind about five years ago. My father and I were browsing through our local library (I love libraries. I think it's crazy how I can get free books) and he picked up a copy of The Stand and handed it to me. At the time, I thought there was no merit in horror and would never have dreamed of reading King.
"You should read this," he said. "It's really good."
I was surprised- I had no idea my father had ever read Stephen King. It did not seem part of his character to do something like that. I checked out the book and read it in three days.
I loved it. It's still one of my favorite books ever, and whenever I read it (now on a different copy) I smell the faint scent of cigarette smoke that the old library copy had hanging about it.
After finishing it, and returning it to the library, I wandered past the Shelf marked "K-M" and remarked to remarked to my mother that I now kind of wanted to read another King book.
She laughed and said, "You've read the best- you don't need to read anymore." My mother disapproves somewhat of King.
I agreed and we left the library. Two days later I had finished Firestarter, and was going back for more.
The reason I'm doing this- and the reason I read King's books- is that I think Stephen King is one of the few real Authors of the modern age. The story is clearly paramont in his mind, and that is the reason I - and many other people- find his books so enjoyable.
With that in mind, I begin my journey proper. Time to read Carrie.
I'm in my twenties, I have just recently learned how to drive a car, and I'm a big fan of Stephen King. But you already knew that.
I first read Stephen Kind about five years ago. My father and I were browsing through our local library (I love libraries. I think it's crazy how I can get free books) and he picked up a copy of The Stand and handed it to me. At the time, I thought there was no merit in horror and would never have dreamed of reading King.
"You should read this," he said. "It's really good."
I was surprised- I had no idea my father had ever read Stephen King. It did not seem part of his character to do something like that. I checked out the book and read it in three days.
I loved it. It's still one of my favorite books ever, and whenever I read it (now on a different copy) I smell the faint scent of cigarette smoke that the old library copy had hanging about it.
After finishing it, and returning it to the library, I wandered past the Shelf marked "K-M" and remarked to remarked to my mother that I now kind of wanted to read another King book.
She laughed and said, "You've read the best- you don't need to read anymore." My mother disapproves somewhat of King.
I agreed and we left the library. Two days later I had finished Firestarter, and was going back for more.
The reason I'm doing this- and the reason I read King's books- is that I think Stephen King is one of the few real Authors of the modern age. The story is clearly paramont in his mind, and that is the reason I - and many other people- find his books so enjoyable.
With that in mind, I begin my journey proper. Time to read Carrie.
Beginning
I am embarking on a journey that may cost me many sleepless nights. At the end of this expedition I will have read thousands of pages from a writer known for his thick volumes.
I plan, of course, to read the entire bibliography of Stephen King. In order.
I have read quite a few of his works, but this time I plan to read all of them through at once. I have high hopes of finishing them all, but I do not expect to achieve this goal for a very long time- a year at least, and probably more.
I will post my thoughts of each book I read, and end with a little summary of the work in question.
I'm not going to read the Bachman books- I want to start with Carrie and end with Duma Key, unless King releases another book before I'm done, which he may well do.
Wish me luck- I start with Carrie.
I plan, of course, to read the entire bibliography of Stephen King. In order.
I have read quite a few of his works, but this time I plan to read all of them through at once. I have high hopes of finishing them all, but I do not expect to achieve this goal for a very long time- a year at least, and probably more.
I will post my thoughts of each book I read, and end with a little summary of the work in question.
I'm not going to read the Bachman books- I want to start with Carrie and end with Duma Key, unless King releases another book before I'm done, which he may well do.
Wish me luck- I start with Carrie.
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