Reviews with content warning for Rape - The Shawshank Redemption

Reviews tagging 'Rape'

The Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King

28 reviews

annaledbetter's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

Great short story!

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38threads's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad fast-paced

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

4.0

I’m glad I watched the movie first as the timeline was a little confusing with all the various dates thrown around but I really enjoyed following Andy and Red through their life sentences. TW for some hard hitting topics like suicide or prison rape or institutionalization.

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michelles_book_nook's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional hopeful inspiring fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

5.0

⚠️ TW: sexual assault, gang rape ⚠️
This novella absolutely hit every note perfectly in such a short and sweet read and I loved it! This book follows the story of Andy Dufresne, a new convict at Shawshank Prison who is serving a life sentence for the murder of his wife and her lover. And through the first hand account of his prison best friend, Red, you are taken on a journey that spans decades that is suspenseful, heart wrenching and filled with a tale of unjust imprisonment, friendship and hope. This book will have you absolutely mesmerised and will make you lose track of time while you get lost in it. Honestly I can't even express the feelings you go through in this book because it is such a journey but you will finish it with a full heart and potentially tears in your eyes. Overall, I highly recommend this book and if you're a newbie to Stephen King or don't want to start out with his horror books then this is a lovely welcome to his immense writing style and talent.

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maddiefight's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad fast-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

5.0

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rachel_here's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

Remember that hope is a good thing, Red, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

The Shawshank Redemption being one of my favorite movies of all times, I had to get around to reading the novella at some point.

Here, Stephen King delivers a fascinating tale about prison life and what it can do to men. Andy Dufresne, former banker, is condemned for the murder of his wife and her lover despite pleading his innocence. As the years go by and Andy is confronted with corruption, sexual assault, and prison violence, he still wishes to attain freedom - in whatever little ways he can.

Although he does many things in the years that follow his incarceration, the story really is about Red: the only guilty man of Shawshank, the man who can "get it for you", the man who says he's changed while really, he's nothing more than a low-key criminal only looking out for himself to survive prison. From his point of view as a guilty veteran of prison life, we observe his meeting with fresh fish Andy and the way their unlikely frienship grows.

The novella allows for a deep-dive into the life and state of mind of Red, an institutionalized man documenting his experiences as he slowly regains hope and a desire for freedom thanks to Andy. And in a way, I think everyone can relate to being a cog in a machine, feeling trapped but secure in a repetitive life, and fearing but longing for a way to break free. I think this is why this story is so powerful, and still endures today. Just like it does Red, it fills us with hope.

Now I'll say I still prefer the movie, but the novella is a must-read either way for those looking to explore Red's psyche a bit more, and for those who generally enjoy reading Stephen King's works.

As a side note, although the end of the movie is a tear-jerker and I absolutely love it, I appreciate that we end the novella with Red simply hoping to meet Andy again with no confirmation that he ever does. It confirms what Andy has been saying all along: that hope itself is enough to set a man free, even if the destination is uncertain; and I think it is a great way to conclude this particular version of the story.

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bluejayreads's review against another edition

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dark reflective slow-paced

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

4.75

My husband loves Stephen King's books and really wanted me to try another one after I really wasn't sure what I thought about Salem's Lot. He recommended this one. I've watched the movie version of The Shawshank Redemption twice and loved it both times, so I decided to give the book a shot.

I think novellas are a good thing for Stephen King, because one of my main criticisms of Salem's Lot is that the dude knows how to write but the book was about a hundred pages too long. The Shawshank Redemption is much better because as a novella, there isn't time for meandering descriptions.

The narration doesn't really allow for a lot of flowery anything, anyway. It's narrated as a manuscript written by Red, a prisoner serving a life sentence in Shawshank Prison who is so impressed with fellow prisoner Andy Dufresne that he writes down Andy's story in Shawshank. It's not very heavy on description or even dialogue, but it manages to be engaging and evocative anyway. Reserved, intelligent, and selfpossessed Andy is so different from the average Shawshank inmate that he makes an impression on everyone - guards, wardens, other inmates, and other prisoners alike. Red, the man in Shawshank who can get you anything for the right price, grows to respect him.

If you've seen the movie, it sticks pretty close to the book so you're going to know all the major plot points. But it's the little details that really make this story. How prison works, backgrounds on the crime that put Andy in prison, Andy's interest in geology - it all wraps together into a remarkably good story. If you listen to this as an audiobook, it almost feels like you're listening to an old guy tell interesting stories about his time in prison for four hours.

I am very glad I read this book, and if you like the movie you'll probably like it in book form too. I might try The Green Mile next, since it's another of Stephen King's non-horror works and my husband thinks since I liked this one so much I'll like that one too.

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beingsimba's review against another edition

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hopeful medium-paced

Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Remember that hope is a good thing, Red, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.

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kristenm's review against another edition

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dark hopeful medium-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I loved the narrator (Frank Muller) for the audiobook. He made the story come alive for me. It was very compelling and felt so real. I've not seen the film adaptation so I had no expectations going into this. I do question why this novella (?) is labelled as horror. It is a true suspense tale carefully crafted and had me on the edge quite often.

I didn't love the graphic depictions of r*pe in this, and wouldn't recommend this story to anyone who finds sexual assault triggering. While a small part of the story it is detailed and upsetting. Aside from that, this was an engrossing tale start to finish with great characters and a perfect atmosphere inside Shawshank prison across decades.

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