Reviews

Admittedly, I utilised the audiobook version of this text, and I found myself having to stop every now and then because I was so disgusted by the menstruation incident (Christ, how graphic was it?!) and Carrie's repeated abuse by her mother. I found myself making disgusted faces at what I heard on the audio, which I reckon looked totally crazy in public.

Having seen part of the original movie and the entire remake, I was prepared for Margaret White's batshit crazy antics, but I couldnt help but feel increasingly disturbed as I progressed through the book. I suppose she wouldn't have known she was crazy, but it's beyond me how somebody can be that fucked up. It's one thing for Margaret White to believe her own fundamentalist bullshit, but bringing up a child in that environment just really upset me.

As I said, I had to pause every now and then in disgust, and I also found myself having to step back and remember that Carrie is a fictional character. It's funny though, because when Carrie was getting her revenge on the town that had shunned her, I thought it was extreme and I empathised with the victims. As much as I had wanted Carrie to stand up for herself and for the girls at high school to get whats coming to them, I felt so helpless that I couldnt help the innocent (and fictional) victims of the Chamberlain holocaust. Part of it was my feeling that I'd probably have perished in the auditorium, or out on the street if I'd managed to escape.

It was interesting to compare this book to the movie adaptations, because in the recent remake I recall Sue Snell helping Carrie escape Chamberlain in disguise, and Carrie obviously hadn't been stabbed by her mother. And I'm not entirely sure which ending I like better, to be honest. Carrie bleeding out in the parking lot, weeping for her mother was so tragic, but the concept of her being out there and eluding the White Commission in the future is a really exciting thing to explore.

Then again, King left us with one of his fantastic cliffhanger endings, with a fictional piece of correspondence denoting the existence of another TK-positive child. I guess it would only be a matter of time before history repeats itself :D

bevin1279's review against another edition

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dark emotional tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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