Oct 23, 2009

Review of The Shining- Stephen King

The Shining

The Shining- Stephen King

From the Publisher-

First published in 1977, The Shining quickly became a benchmark in the literary career of Stephen King. This tale of a troubled man hired to care for a remote mountain resort over the winter, his loyal wife, and their uniquely gifted son slowly but steadily unfolds as secrets from the Overlook Hotel's past are revealed, and the hotel itself attempts to claim the very souls of the Torrance family. Adapted into a cinematic masterpiece of horror by legendary director Stanley Kubrick -- featuring an unforgettable performance by a demonic Jack Nicholson -- The Shining stands as a cultural icon of modern horror, a searing study of a family torn apart, and a nightmarish glimpse into the dark recesses of human weakness and dementia.

The Shining was October's pick for both the book club I belong to, and my 1001 Book Challenge. I was so impressed with how scared I actually was while reading it. Stephen King is a phenomenal storyteller. He really takes you for a ride.

The characters were dynamic. I loved that they all have had intricate lives, and it showed in there personalities. The fact that Jack had such a hard demeanor, and had a temper that was beastly was a direct consequence from growing up with a dad that would terrorize him and his family. Stephen King gave the readers a background to his characters, I actually felt like I knew them.

I thought The Shining was a scary book, particular the parts about Rm. 217. I've read scary books before, but there is something about the words he uses in his description, plus the descriptions themselves, that leave you with a horrific image. The ballroom parts were also good, but in a different way. I loved reading about the Overlook's history, it was very interesting. I could have read a whole other book about the history of the Overlook alone.

The book and the movie are different, and I can honestly say that the movie is missing so much. I always thought the movie was great, and I still do, but I can see it could have been so much better. At the same time though the movie would have had to be 2 hrs longer.

The Shining is a great book, especially for Halloween. Even though I had seen the movie, I'm really glad I read the book.

Rating: 4.5/5


Product Details

Pocket, October 2002
Trade Paperback, 528 pages
ISBN-10: 0743437497
ISBN-13: 9780743437493

3 comments:

  1. Yes, yes and yes. I agree with everything you said.

    There was a miniseries starring Steven Weber that was much closer to the book and much longer that you may want to check out.

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  2. Welcome to the read-a-thon (I hope you're still participating)! Enjoy these first few hours-they'll fly by! I'm sure you'll do great. :D

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  3. This sounds really good. My hubby was terrified by this book, lol! And I'll admit I'm a little scared, but maybe I can get around to it. If not, maybe next Halloween, lol.

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Thanks for commenting!