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thatgirlinblack's review against another edition
- 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
4.25
In the midst of the inexplicable Derry, Maine, a group of seven ragtag ‘Losers’ grapple with not just their strangely vicious childhood bullies and clueless or sinister parents, but the purposeful machinations of an ancient cosmic evil that came from the skies and rules the sewers.
It’s most frightening ability is of course to take the shape of its victim’s greatest fear, appearing sometimes simultaneously in different forms to different people. A terrifying side effect is the horrific zombied or bloody appearance that deceased family members take, proof of Pennywise’s corruption of pure human love. But the reveal of how deep the evil goes is sobering. Certainly Derry isn’t alone in its share of racist and bigoted (and violent) townspeople but the violence is somehow both shocking and run-of-the-mill because, well, it’s Derry. Has It corrupted the town or has the town created It?
The 2 timelines in this book, now and 27-years ago, are expertly interwoven and all the more mysteriously horrific because the memory of “then” has been erased from the memories of the adult Losers Club, and only slowly come back to them as they traverse their childhood haunts (and have terrifying encounters showing that It is very much alive and well and malevolent. The events of that fateful summer are slowly revealed with the 2 parallel climaxes building toward an explosive end.
King definitely gets long-winded in parts, continuing on with stories of people only tangentially involved in the main one. But it does flesh out the inhabitants of Derry more.
“It was like adults thought that real life only started when a person was five feet tall.” Well this book proves that there is definitely a lot of life to live and monsters to slay before you get five feet tall.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Racism, Violence, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Suicide
mostly_present's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Gore, Sexual content, and Suicide
Moderate: Ableism, Bullying, Homophobia, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, and Racism
Minor: Infidelity and Vomit
gizley0420's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Antisemitism, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Alcohol
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Homophobia, Infidelity, Self harm, Excrement, Vomit, and Medical content
vicreads24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Gore, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child death, Infidelity, and Miscarriage
brittanylee0302's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Domestic abuse, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Racism, Suicide, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Hate crime, Infertility, Pedophilia, Sexism, Sexual content, Vomit, Antisemitism, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Medical content, and Death of parent
directorpurry's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I had a really excellent time comparing the overlap of Dark Tower and IT, thinking about all the Easter eggs and crossovers that I've already read about or seen in King books and adaptations. My favorite part of this experience was honestly slotting in a new piece of the SK puzzle.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Excrement, Antisemitism, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Incest, and Suicide
Minor: Infertility and Rape
mills33's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Infidelity, Racial slurs, Suicide, and Antisemitism
wondawilson's review against another edition
0.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Misogyny, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Infidelity
fadeddpages's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
amandas_bookshelf's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
Moderate: Infidelity and Antisemitism
Minor: Infertility