Carrie - Stephen King

Advantages: Well-written, gripping, easy on excess blood and gore
Disadvantages: Clever but over-distracting writing style

...we’re told early on that Carrie and her mother are both overweight to varying degrees, but with the mental image of Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie in my head it was hard to picture them any other way. As someone who has seen and enjoyed the movie a few times, stumbling across a hardback version of the book in a second-hand shop for the bargain price of 29p made it an obvious puchase – heck, at that price any book is an obvious purchase! ...
...Margaret. Her father died before Carrie was born. The community is fearful of the White family, with Margaret keen to protect her daughter from the sin that she sees all around the neigbourhood, described in several painful episodes in the novel. We learn that Carrie is abused by her mother, who has attempted to murder her child several times. Whether this is to protect her from sin or to prevent the girl’s latent powers emerging is left ambiguous ... Read review

Advantages: The start of a legendary literary career
Disadvantages: Graphic in parts, not for those with a weak stomach

...was not very much. Carrie was his first book (the first of many) and was accepted for publication in 1973 by Doubleday publishers. This meant that King would be able to leave his teaching job and be able to write full time, which he did! (end of history lesson!) The book I have is certainly not a first edition although it was the second King book that I bought (the first being Salem's Lot - look out for a new review coming! lol). The book is available ...
...name of Carrietta White. Carrie is a strange girl, reclusive and ostracised by her peers at the local high school. Things come to a head when she gets her first period (at the age of 17) in the girls locker room. The other girls are exceptionally cruel and victimise her for her naiveness (she thinks she is bleeding to death). As you read further on you discover that Carrie has always been strange. Her mother is fanatically religious and whilst ... Read review

Advantages: classic horror
Disadvantages: too short

...brief outline of the story. Carrie is a teenager who is bullied at school and tormented by her mother at home. She discovers that she has telekinetic powers. After being cruel to Carrie another pupil at school, sue, persuades her boyfriend to take Carrie to the prom. The evening seems to go well but others have a nasty surprise in store for Carrie. They fix it for her and her date Tom to become prom King and Queen, then when they are on stage they ...
...happened concerning the main character Carrie white. I believe King’s intention is to give different sides to the story and also to make it appear as an account of actual events. The film is a pretty good interpretation of the book mostly. It describes Carrie’s experiences at school and her relationships with her mother. However, the endings are different. In the book, after destroying the school hall, Carrie goes on to cause loads more ... Read review

Advantages: it makes you face the real world
Disadvantages: it makes you face the real world

...read (or seen the movie) Carrie yet?? I wouldn't dare to call myself a fan of Stephen King if I haven't. Not only it's his first book, published in 1974, the first of the neverending row of his bestselling novels, but it's nothing but pure horror story. I admired every aspect of it, the narrating, the dialogues, environment and characters. I think it's the characters that turned Carrie into a legend. The storyline The beginning couldn't be more ...
...Anything besides people's hearts. Carrie White is a loner, this kind of an unliked, disdained and occassionaly made fun of weirdo, part of that label comes thanks to her mother Margaret being a self-punishing Christian freak who tries her best to keep Carrie in her shell, for her own good, as she blindly believes. Carrie's just 16 and she's been going along with the mad mother for a while, she's accustomed herself to such a life. However, it's not ... Read review

Advantages: Terror and empathy, uniquely blended until you're totally off-balance.
Disadvantages: Nope - I'm stuck here. If you're at all interested in horror fiction, I can't think of any.

...is the central character. Carrie is a social misfit, a high school girl with no real friends to speak, with few social skills, and with a mother best described as a religious fanatic who sees sin everywhere. Small wonder then that Carrie is as maladjusted as she is. The result of these circumstances is a girl very similar to somebody you knew at school, the quiet girl in the corner who never seemed to get on. Therein lies much of the novel's genius. ...
...writer, and puberty brings to Carrie more than her monthly flow. When she starts to develop strange telekinetic powers, moving objects through force of will alone, the stage is set for a terrifying spree of supernatural vengeance, kicked off by the cruellest prank yet, an attempt to humiliate her at the high school prom. That particular night of horror has become legend, and you might already be familiar with the bucket of pig's blood, the unfortunate ... Read review

Advantages: A nice gripping and readable novel ; A terrific tale of survival ; Very atmospheric ; The characters thoughts and feelings are projected well to the reader
Disadvantages: Suddenly stops flowing towards the middle ; King can be slightly over obsequious towards the main character

...After the arduous ordeal of reading King's novel IT at a rather strenuous length of over 1200 pages, I felt that over the Christmas period I needed a break and chose to read shorter novels such as Down and out in Paris and London, Animal Farm and Ian Flemming's Casino Royale. But it wasn't long until I craved a good horror novel to read, especially at nights when Insomnia kicks in from time to time. It should be said that Misery, although moderately short in length at just over 350 pages, I didn't initially feel too inclined to race through it as I did with King's shortest and one of his best novels, Carrie. As an avid Stephen King fan, I know that too many characters in a novel spells disaster as King often spends the middle of his thrillers by flashing back to the characters pasts. Having have see the film years ago and considering... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Storyline, characterisation
Disadvantages: Not really scary.

...From reading the reports which were given of this book from the media, i expected a brillliant spine chilling terror. I have come to expect so much from King from reading and watching such books/films as IT. However, it didn't live up to my expectation. Its a good book, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't as scary as i thought it would be. The storyline is excellent, and the description of characters and settings is superb as well. The idea is good and in my opinion, King could have done better. Don't let this put you off buying this book or any of Stephen King's other books, because it's still a great read. I will carry on reading his books and undoubtebly carry on enjoying them... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Absorbing and inspiring
Disadvantages: Disorganised structure

...into a novel, focusing on the telekinetic powers of the abused girl who finally takes terrible revenge on all those who taunted her - the famous 'Carrie'. I loved reading about how Stephen King's mind absorbed details and turned them into 'Carrie' and other stories. Another aspect of his life shocked me. For a long time, he was drug-addicted and alcoholic, and didn't even know. He wrote one novel in which the main character was an alcoholic, created a very plausible characterisation. Yet he wasn't aware that he was writing about himself! The memoir parts are vividly written, often more absorbing than his best fiction. I was utterly enthralled reading about his experiences when he was seriously injured in a traffic accident. The detailed sensual descriptions, the weird little incidents, they are all typical 'Stephen King style... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful