Reviews with content warning for Bullying - It

I am having a hard time rating this book. I read it multiple times as a teenager and enjoyed it. This time I decided to listen to it and I'm not sure if that affected my perception but I am no longer a fan of this novel. I am a King fan and so enjoy his writing but this one is a little too much for me. Lots of racial slurs, which when reading I guess I skimmed, but when listening it made me cringe every time. Now this is normal for King and it's always terrible characters that we hate using them but it doesn't change the fact that listening to them repeatedly was rough (and I'm white). Also, I didn't remember the amount of sex talked about by children which as an adult felt weird to listen to. Especially one scene, and if you've read it you know exactly which part, that I must have blocked out because wtf, why was that part necessary, it didn't add anything to the plot that couldn't have been added another way.

I will continue to be a King fan and even a fan of this movie but I think I may have accidentally ruined the book for myself.

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harry_ballantyne7's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

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

4.5

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spencer_radio's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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evaku's review against another edition

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dark funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

at last, the beast has been conquered!
i can’t believe that some years ago, i somehow managed to read this within a span of one week. crazy!
there’s a reason why It is hailed as one of Stephen King’s best. his insanely detailed exposition and exploration of each character’s individual lives and their relationships with one another is something unlike anything i’ve seen in other written works. perhaps to a fault, as i think we could’ve done without so much information (sorry King.) as much as it’s praised though, i think there is A LOT of room for valid criticism. whether you chalk it up to the era in which it was written (or in which the story takes place) or his drug-addled mind, the language (aka the slurs, of which there are multiple), incessant sexual innuendos and sexual scenarios (chapter 22 i'm looking at you), and others... take up so much of the story it almost ruins it.
if half of the time dedicated to fleshing out background characters like Patrick Hockstetter was instead used to dive into the clown known as Pennywise, you'd have a terrifyingly better 1000-page (or 45 hour) story on your hands.

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