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rymrgard's review against another edition
2.0
This is not a bad book. It‘s just not for me, not at this time.
Maybe it‘s because I‘ve been told over and over again that this is King‘s best shortnovels collection, but I can‘t help being disappointed. I DNFed this at about 80%, roughly 2/3 done with The Body.
I liked Shawshank Redemption but it wasn‘t as phenomenal as I expected it to be. Still, I‘m glad I read it and this story is the reason why I picked this collection up in the first place, so it definitely wasn‘t a waste of time.
Apt Pupil I disliked, but finished. It certainly didn‘t help that one of the voice actors for the German audiobook version wasn‘t the best (if it had just been the other I might have enjoyed it more).
The Body was fine up until the point I stopped, but it didn‘t grip me. I‘m not in the mood for childhood nostalgia and I certainly don‘t look back to my years being a 12 year old fondly (nor do I think that my friends back then were the best friends I ever had. In fact, I cherish the ones I have now much more than any that came before them) — so I guess it‘s understandable that the emotions this story tries to evoke (with much success, if reviews are to be believed) left me rather cold. This doesn‘t make this story a bad one — just the timing.
The Breathing Method I haven‘t tried, so can‘t comment on that one.
If I owned this collection as a novel or if I had borrowed it from the library I would have finished it — especially since I had already come so far.
But since I listened to it from Audible — and returning a book one has finished, though possible, is rude and bad practice — I decided to stop here. Realising that opening the app felt more like a chore or a job waiting to be finished than entertainment feels like enough justification to DNF (a skill I‘m trying to learn this year).
Maybe I‘m also just oversaturated with King for the moment — I have read a lot of Stephen King in a row, which I usually don‘t — so maybe, if I feel like it, I will return to both The Body and The Breathing Method one day — or Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, at least.
___________________
This was read in March, 2024. No date is added since I added the stories individually.
2.5 stars
Maybe it‘s because I‘ve been told over and over again that this is King‘s best shortnovels collection, but I can‘t help being disappointed. I DNFed this at about 80%, roughly 2/3 done with The Body.
I liked Shawshank Redemption but it wasn‘t as phenomenal as I expected it to be. Still, I‘m glad I read it and this story is the reason why I picked this collection up in the first place, so it definitely wasn‘t a waste of time.
Apt Pupil I disliked, but finished. It certainly didn‘t help that one of the voice actors for the German audiobook version wasn‘t the best (if it had just been the other I might have enjoyed it more).
The Body was fine up until the point I stopped, but it didn‘t grip me. I‘m not in the mood for childhood nostalgia and I certainly don‘t look back to my years being a 12 year old fondly (nor do I think that my friends back then were the best friends I ever had. In fact, I cherish the ones I have now much more than any that came before them) — so I guess it‘s understandable that the emotions this story tries to evoke (with much success, if reviews are to be believed) left me rather cold. This doesn‘t make this story a bad one — just the timing.
The Breathing Method I haven‘t tried, so can‘t comment on that one.
If I owned this collection as a novel or if I had borrowed it from the library I would have finished it — especially since I had already come so far.
But since I listened to it from Audible — and returning a book one has finished, though possible, is rude and bad practice — I decided to stop here. Realising that opening the app felt more like a chore or a job waiting to be finished than entertainment feels like enough justification to DNF (a skill I‘m trying to learn this year).
Maybe I‘m also just oversaturated with King for the moment — I have read a lot of Stephen King in a row, which I usually don‘t — so maybe, if I feel like it, I will return to both The Body and The Breathing Method one day — or Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, at least.
___________________
This was read in March, 2024. No date is added since I added the stories individually.
2.5 stars
howatdk's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
biagiomineo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jclose's review against another edition
5.0
This is a great collection of short stories, and can definitely recommend this to any King fans.
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption - 5 out of 5
I have to admit, I didn’t know the film Shawshank Redemption was based on a short story and let alone a Stephen King one at that!
I loved this, the friendship between Red and Andy was thoroughly engaging, and the short story somehow manages to capture the institutionalisation of prison life while slowly giving us a prison break story that all felt so earned. There is a great cast of characters in this that kept the story moving forward at all times and while Andy’s perseverance and optimism sometimes seems impossible, it still felt rather inspiring.
Apt Pupil - 3.5 out of 5
Todd and Dussander are easily the most evil characters I’ve read so far in a book. It was a good read but my god was it heavy, Todds fascination with Nazi’s is disturbing and that in turn awakening Dussanders past life as an officer at a concentration camp is a horrible set up and that feeling carries on through the book. The last line of this story is chilling and stuck with me for a few days after finishing.
I felt there was perhaps a commentary here about peoples morbid fascination and interest in the taboo. As I was reading, I kept thinking that Todd seemed similar to all the school shooters plaguing the US.
A fascinating read, but one I wouldn’t recommend nor read again.
The Body - 4.5 out of 5
I really enjoyed this, I loved the film and actually the film is a really good adaption of this. The relationship between all the characters felt so real and it made me remember the stupid dangerous things I used to get up when I was 12.
It especially has some sad moments towards the end but what got me the most was Chris basically accepting his station in life when he encourages Gordie to get away from the town and his friends if he wants a good life.
Only mark down here was the Stud City section, was too long and just didn’t feel like it needed to be there.
Breathing Method - 4 out of 5
This was the only story I was going into completely blind on, it’s also the shortest one of the lot. The story of Sandra Stansfield was really engaging, it felt a bit like a romance story between herself and Emyln and her practical approach to her pregnancy was fun to read. Of course, until I was smacked in the face with Kings sudden brutality. I also found ‘The Club’ setting quite intriguing and I do wonder if that or Stevens may reappear in other books.
daphnesayshi's review against another edition
4.0
Blazed through this while in Vietnam.
Though Stephen King is great reading anytime, anywhere (he is one of my faves, growing up and now), I am extremely pleased I decided to pack him along for a quick getaway, somewhere in Hoi An, on a idyllic beachside resort where i spent great time with little distraction (the Internet) but lots of time, beer and a sun that didn't quit.
Though Stephen King is great reading anytime, anywhere (he is one of my faves, growing up and now), I am extremely pleased I decided to pack him along for a quick getaway, somewhere in Hoi An, on a idyllic beachside resort where i spent great time with little distraction (the Internet) but lots of time, beer and a sun that didn't quit.
jonahandthetale's review against another edition
3.0
I was really hoping I'd enjoy this collection more. Shawshank and The Body were both really good, but for once, the movies were better than the books.
sianw1992's review against another edition
4.0
Different Seasons by Stephen King
This collection of short stories contained four, actually quite long stories including the original story of The Shawshank Redemption and The Body, which has since been adapted into Stand By Me.
It's a great collection, particularly The Body and Apt Pupil, a story about a boy's obsession with his neighbour's dark secret. As always King's quality of writing is excellent.
This collection of short stories contained four, actually quite long stories including the original story of The Shawshank Redemption and The Body, which has since been adapted into Stand By Me.
It's a great collection, particularly The Body and Apt Pupil, a story about a boy's obsession with his neighbour's dark secret. As always King's quality of writing is excellent.
sianw1992's review against another edition
4.0
This was part of a short story collection. I already knew and loved the story of the Shawshank Redemption and enjoyed the book just as much. This was one of the cases where it pays to read the book first as when reading I didn't feel the sympathy or love for the characters that I did while watching the film.
mariahdrew's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0