Hey, guys! I just finished reading/ listening to the audiobook of Stephen King's Carrie. The audiobook was of poor quality, but the book in and of itself was definitely interesting.
The Cover:
The Cover:
It shows Carrie's face with the red background. The red works really well in that it matches the books theme of blood. (Seriously, it's everywhere.) Even with the general color-scheme it's not a thrilling cover. Overall, B cover.
Official Description:
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 Description:
Carrie, a high schooler, is constantly bullied by her peers, and her mom is a complete religious zealot. After a scarring start to her puberty, she discovers that she is telekinetic.
The book is told as the slow build up to the school prom (and its impending disaster) and its aftermath. The story is split between different characters point of views (all in 3rd person) with an emphasis on Carrie. The other half is newspaper articles and interrogations of people evolved in the story set in the aftermath of prom.
My Review:
I really enjoyed the way that Carrie was told with careful foreshadowing. It never ruined the story but kept the plot interesting even when nothing was happening in the story. The plot itself was an interesting idea that was well executed.
The characters were a bit two-dimensional. Even Carrie fell flat. Their lack of complexity didn't detract from the story, but this book definitely did not rely on its characters.
The thing that bothered me the most about Carrie happened in the first couple of chapters (well, it had no chapters, but in a normal book, it would have been in the first few chapters). Stephen King goes on to describe a teenage girl locker room and then moves to discuss periods, where he stays for most of the book. I found his description rather to be extremely dated (written in the 1970s) or just plain inaccurate. It seemed like he had no idea what he was talking about, and no one bothered to correct him.
That being said, I can forgive most of this as a result of the really cool linkage of blood throughout the book. It worked really well and is a huge symbol throughout the book. Seriously, you could write a great paper on that.
Overall, it was a decent book that I was glad I read, if only to understand cultural references. However, it is definitley not in my top three favorite Stephen King books. (Misery, The Long Walk, and 11/22/63 take that cake.)
Audiobook Review (read by Sissy Spacek):
This was the worst audiobook I've ever listened to. Do yourself a favor and rather listen to a different version or actually read it. There was no clear distinction between the story and the articles (interviews, newspapers, etc.), and the narrator never used voices or anything else to distinguish who was talking. There were long periods where I had no idea who "she" was. I had no problem with Spacek's country accent but it seemed unnecessary since the events of the book happened in Maine, not South Carolina. I just started listening to Thirteen Reasons Why and that, about 10 minutes in, has already blown away Carrie's audiobook.
Phrase:
Go to your closet.
If You Liked This Book You May Like:
Rage by Stephen King
Happy Reading!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookshelfSecret
The characters were a bit two-dimensional. Even Carrie fell flat. Their lack of complexity didn't detract from the story, but this book definitely did not rely on its characters.
The thing that bothered me the most about Carrie happened in the first couple of chapters (well, it had no chapters, but in a normal book, it would have been in the first few chapters). Stephen King goes on to describe a teenage girl locker room and then moves to discuss periods, where he stays for most of the book. I found his description rather to be extremely dated (written in the 1970s) or just plain inaccurate. It seemed like he had no idea what he was talking about, and no one bothered to correct him.
That being said, I can forgive most of this as a result of the really cool linkage of blood throughout the book. It worked really well and is a huge symbol throughout the book. Seriously, you could write a great paper on that.
Overall, it was a decent book that I was glad I read, if only to understand cultural references. However, it is definitley not in my top three favorite Stephen King books. (Misery, The Long Walk, and 11/22/63 take that cake.)
Audiobook Review (read by Sissy Spacek):
This was the worst audiobook I've ever listened to. Do yourself a favor and rather listen to a different version or actually read it. There was no clear distinction between the story and the articles (interviews, newspapers, etc.), and the narrator never used voices or anything else to distinguish who was talking. There were long periods where I had no idea who "she" was. I had no problem with Spacek's country accent but it seemed unnecessary since the events of the book happened in Maine, not South Carolina. I just started listening to Thirteen Reasons Why and that, about 10 minutes in, has already blown away Carrie's audiobook.
Phrase:
Go to your closet.
If You Liked This Book You May Like:
Rage by Stephen King
Happy Reading!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BookshelfSecret
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