How does it compare to audio works by the same author?
Very good
Advantages:
Interesting read that doesn't get boring
Disadvantages:
The music references won't mean much to some people
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Stephen King is the Number 1 best-selling horror author of Christine, a novel about a seemingly possessed car that captures it's owner's mind and body. He has written many books including: IT, Carrie, Pet Sematary, The Tommy Knockers and Desperation. All of his novels are written with the highest of detail and contain hour's worth of excitement and tension. Most of his books are very long (IT is a great example being well over 1000 pages long) and have exceptional plots and original ideas. If there was one author that I could recommend, it would be King!
Plot ----------------------------- Dennis Guilder is one of those guys that people admire; he plays for the school football team and gets cheerleader girlfriends. He drives his own car and has loving parents. His best friend, Arnie Cunningham, however is the opposite; spotty, a chess geek, always being picked on etc etc... Dennis and Arnie have been friends for many years and do almost everything together. But when Arnie spots an old run down car up for sale things begin to change. Enter Christine. Christine is the name the owner chose for his dream car. Christine is always referred to as "She" never "It". Arnie has his heart set on this car but Dennis isn't so sure. She is beyond repair and the asking price is far too high! But Arnie insists, Arnie has fallen in Love...! Bizarre things start occurring after Arnie becomes the proud owner of Christine. His spots start to fade and his personality seems to chop and change. He spends all his time restoring the car. He becomes obsessed!
It is when the vehicle related deaths start to happen that Dennis finds himself caught in too deep. What does Christine have to do with it all? How can she be involved? It's just a car right...?
About Christine ----------------------------- A very noticeable feature of Christine is the vast references to songs and their lyrics. At the beginning of the novel there are a few pages of acknowledgements of all references used. Each chapter has a couple of lines of a song in reference to what's happening in the plot. Also there are times when music is playing or is being thought of throughout the novel. Although a nice little touch, I don't know hardly anything about 1950's-1970's music, and so couldn't quite get the full picture. I am sure there are many of you like myself, but don't worry, it doesn't really affect the story in the slightest!
Christine has a different structure to most Stephen King novels that I have come across. Usually he keeps you on the edge by swapping between perspectives, forcing you to wait to find out what happens next. This book is slightly different. The first third of the book is written in the eyes of Dennis as he is telling the story. The second third is the usual jumping between characters that is an essential property of King's writing. And the final section goes back to the eyes of Dennis. This is a rather unusual structure that I don't believe I have come across before. So how does King keep you reading and on the edge? The answer is by drifting to another subject just when you find something important out. This system usually comes from swapping perspectives, but in the first person parts it is all in one perspective so therefore a much greater challenge to achieve. I personally prefer the different views of each character sections that King uses so often. You are kept on the edge and wanting to read more because King is always dropping hints as to what is going to happen at some point in the story. He will craftily mention an important turn in the plot, and then change the story direction so that the reader will have to wait to find out what happens, letting the imagination run wild with ideas. This is one of King's tricks that work so effectively every time!
A problem I had with the structure of Christine was the way Dennis Guilder stops telling the story in the middle section and it changes to the other characters' experiences. I know what you are thinking; it is an excellent way to develop the plot and characters using this method. I couldn't agree more. But the reason it was a problem was that I wanted Dennis back! I know it sounds a bit strange but I really wanted to hear it from Dennis's point of view because I was so used to it! It is possibly that it is a deliberate ploy by Stephen King to make you want to read on as quickly as possible so you can get back to Dennis. If it is the case, it worked very well on me!
I must say that I was very emotional reading the Epilogue of Christine, but I don't know if it was the emotion I would have liked. I won't say too much as I don't wish to ruin the plot. I think I got a bit attached to the lead character, Dennis, and I was desperate during the final few pages to find out what happened. It is quite probable that it was the intention of Stephen King to create this emotion so that the reader feels something and is still thinking after the book is finished and has been put down.
Overall ------------------------------ Christine is an enjoyable read from start to finish. It starts off a bit slow but the pace soon speeds up. The further you progress through the book the harder you will find it to put it down, with the final few chapters having to be read all at once! The novel spans just fewer than 600 pages in the edition that I read which is a good length. Stephen King is one of, if not THE, greatest horror writers around. Although Christine may not be his best masterpiece, it is still a highly enjoyable novel that really goes in-depth with character detail. I would recommend to all King fans and horror fanatics. You can pick this up from any good book store for £5.99, or alternatively copy what I do and just borrow it from the library for free! Bargain!
I hope I have helped your knowledge about Christine and played a part in the decision to buy or not : )
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