Reviews with content warning for Physical abuse - Carrie

I read Stephen King’s ‘Carrie’ as I am involved in a production of the musical in a week, and was honestly surprised how quickly events unfolded in the book. Carrie is about a 17 year old girl who is outcast in school and faces abuse from her fanatically religious mother at home, yet finds she has the power of telekinesis and uses such to get her revenge on the town that wronged her for so many years.

The primary surprise was how early Carrie’s telekinetic powers were revealed, I was expecting this to be more of a self-discovery plot point and twist in Carrie though I am content to mention it in this review as it was more or less revealed on the first page. The ending also wasn’t left for the readers to theorise as due to fictional extracts from supposed non-fiction books written about the actions of Carrie White on prom night the ending was revealed early on and continually referenced throughout. I really didn’t enjoy the inclusion of these books within books as though aware of the story, it still very much took away from the ending and diverted from the plot, and any comments that foreshadowed were intentionally far too obvious. ‘Carrie’ was not a book written to leave the reader on edge guessing whatsoever, which really defeated its main draw within the thriller genre.

Despite my prior knowledge of the story the narrative and writing was however still harrowing. Scenes relating to the menstrual cycle and also child and religious abuse were extremely graphic, and the final sequence of events was absolutely brutal and apocalyptic, likely written in a means to mimic the biblical ‘Judgement Day’. It was also enhanced in the graphic imaginings of such as the scenes were often repeated from multiple perspectives, which increased reader exposure to violence but also failed to add much to the story.

Content Warnings

chapters_and_pages's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

4.0

My god, this poor girl didn’t stand a chance…

Carrie White is a misunderstood and abused teenage girl, who just so happens to have extraordinary powers. At school, she’s bullied and abused by her classmates. At home, she is abused and neglected by her uber-religious mother, who has spent Carrie’s entire life instilling the idea that she is sinful and evil in Carrie’s head. With the incredible power of telekinesis, just how far can Carrie be pushed before she snaps?

Honestly, this poor girl did not stand a chance. Between her mother, her classmates and her teachers, Carrie suffered horrendous physical and psychological abuse. Throughout the entire book, you just find yourself wanting to be able to help this poor, sheltered fictional character, because it reminds you that there are people in real life that suffer through this sort of abuse (you know, minus the telekinesis…). Honestly, by the end, I was cheering Carrie on.

I did really like Sue’s character. It is all too common for kids and teens to succumb to peer pressure and do things that they don’t want to do, or they know isn’t right, but unfortunately people will do a lot to fit in. And honestly, I think that any one who says they’ve never done something they’ve regretted just because they wanted to fit in (especially in school) is lying. I loved that we saw Sue’s remorse and her attempts to make it up to Carrie. Even if her methods weren’t the best and a little misguided, her intentions were good.

Overall, even though this was a book that covered a very tough topic, I really enjoyed it and am glad I read it.

Content Warnings

mar_p's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

Content Warnings

belladonna230622's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

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

5.0

I absolutely loved this book, as I also loved the movie. It’s such an iconic piece of horror culture that I think most people should give it a read. The books way of telling Carrie’s as well as the other characters stories is such an interesting one, mixing truth, psychological writings, court hearings and characters thoughts, shows how much things can change in hindsight but also how people don’t always see the whole story. To me Carrie was a sad girl who was picked on not only at school but at home, puberty in some ways gives her the power to fight back and remember who she was. Yes, she takes this to the extreme, but it tells a poignant story of remembering who you are.

Content Warnings

sbinet4388's review against another edition

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dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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