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dullshimmer's review against another edition
3.0
Thinner was a book that I really struggled with. On the one hand it's not a bad concept for a story. The idea of a Gypsy curse is maybe a bit stereotypical, but the idea of wasting away by losing weight uncontrollably is a rather interesting premise. In general I liked where the book went with things and it kind of felt uncomfortably real in some ways. That if curses did exist a lot of the trying to figure out what was going on would be similar to the book.
The book falls down though in two main areas. The first one is more of a mixed bag. This is that the characters are just not really very likable. I almost feel like this is part of the point, but it still makes it hard for me to really enjoy a book when you can't really get behind the characters.
The official protagonist of the book is Billy Halleck, the one who gets cursed to become ever thinner due to killing a gypsy women accidentally hitting her with his car. While he seems largely like a decent guy, he is also not without his shortcomings. He is more than happy to go along with the little whitewashing to make it sure he doesn't get in any trouble for the actions. Yes it was an accident and he feels guilty over it, but he's more than happy to take the offer to get off the hook. He also lets anger and hatred get too much of a hold over him which kind of results in everything going south in the end.
The rest of the cast ranges from this mixed bag to just not being very great. The whole town of Fairview is kind of this two-faced visage. It is a town with people who look really nice and well off on the outside, but are really not very nice and full of their own hatred and prejudice that they're happy to dispense on those they view as less than. Plus they all have their own sins they seem to hide or at least have others cast a blind eye on like the town doctor addicted to cocaine or the judge who is a known womanizer.
Even the gypsies are kind of this mixed bag. On the one hand the treatment they have to endure is unjust and horrible. However, as the story progresses and they're interacted with more you realize that they are two-faced in their own way. They don't really want to take responsibility for their own actions it seems any more than the residents of Fairview. Everyone is compromised and everyone is so dead set on riding the wheel of vengeance and hatred until it rolls right over them.
The second area the book struggles in is the pacing. It drags quite a bit, especially at the beginning. While I kind of understand why it is written like this, it also just felt a bit like a slog because not a lot was really happening other than Billy losing weight and trying to figure out why. It also drug a bit when Billy was tracking down the gypsies. Some of that could have definitely been condensed I feel, but it is what it is.
Another note is that this is King's last book as Richard Bachman before being outed. As per usual with King's Bachman persona, this is not a book with a nice happy ending. It is bleak and miserable and perhaps all too fitting for the themes and direction of the book.
Thinner definitely wasn't my least favorite of King or King as Bachman, but it wasn't my favorite either. I feel like as I've been going through King's bibliography I'm hitting a streak of books that just haven't quite been my favorite. I'm hoping it will turn around, and it wasn't that Thinner was terrible, it just wasn't as good as some of the others.
The book falls down though in two main areas. The first one is more of a mixed bag. This is that the characters are just not really very likable. I almost feel like this is part of the point, but it still makes it hard for me to really enjoy a book when you can't really get behind the characters.
The official protagonist of the book is Billy Halleck, the one who gets cursed to become ever thinner due to killing a gypsy women accidentally hitting her with his car. While he seems largely like a decent guy, he is also not without his shortcomings. He is more than happy to go along with the little whitewashing to make it sure he doesn't get in any trouble for the actions. Yes it was an accident and he feels guilty over it, but he's more than happy to take the offer to get off the hook. He also lets anger and hatred get too much of a hold over him which kind of results in everything going south in the end.
The rest of the cast ranges from this mixed bag to just not being very great. The whole town of Fairview is kind of this two-faced visage. It is a town with people who look really nice and well off on the outside, but are really not very nice and full of their own hatred and prejudice that they're happy to dispense on those they view as less than. Plus they all have their own sins they seem to hide or at least have others cast a blind eye on like the town doctor addicted to cocaine or the judge who is a known womanizer.
Even the gypsies are kind of this mixed bag. On the one hand the treatment they have to endure is unjust and horrible. However, as the story progresses and they're interacted with more you realize that they are two-faced in their own way. They don't really want to take responsibility for their own actions it seems any more than the residents of Fairview. Everyone is compromised and everyone is so dead set on riding the wheel of vengeance and hatred until it rolls right over them.
The second area the book struggles in is the pacing. It drags quite a bit, especially at the beginning. While I kind of understand why it is written like this, it also just felt a bit like a slog because not a lot was really happening other than Billy losing weight and trying to figure out why. It also drug a bit when Billy was tracking down the gypsies. Some of that could have definitely been condensed I feel, but it is what it is.
Another note is that this is King's last book as Richard Bachman before being outed. As per usual with King's Bachman persona, this is not a book with a nice happy ending. It is bleak and miserable and perhaps all too fitting for the themes and direction of the book.
Thinner definitely wasn't my least favorite of King or King as Bachman, but it wasn't my favorite either. I feel like as I've been going through King's bibliography I'm hitting a streak of books that just haven't quite been my favorite. I'm hoping it will turn around, and it wasn't that Thinner was terrible, it just wasn't as good as some of the others.
rociovoncina's review against another edition
5.0
Titulo: Maleficio (1991)
Autor: Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
Motivo de lectura: #StephenKingChallenge
Lectura / Relectura: Relectura
Mi edicion: Tapa blanda, 297 paginas, Emece
Puntuacion: 5/5
Atrapante de principio a fin. De esos libros adictivos donde el ritmo nunca decae.
Una gran lectura para los amantes del terror, con tematicas desde una maldicion hasta el body horror, pasando por situaciones vertiginosas y una atmosfera asfixiante.
La construccion de personajes es muy buena, sobre todo la parte psicologica. King ahonda en el karma, en lo siniestro y desalmado que puede ser el ser humano, en las consecuencia de las acciones y en el sentido de que eventualmente "todo vuelve".
Una mencion especial para ese final!!
Autor: Richard Bachman (Stephen King)
Motivo de lectura: #StephenKingChallenge
Lectura / Relectura: Relectura
Mi edicion: Tapa blanda, 297 paginas, Emece
Puntuacion: 5/5
Atrapante de principio a fin. De esos libros adictivos donde el ritmo nunca decae.
Una gran lectura para los amantes del terror, con tematicas desde una maldicion hasta el body horror, pasando por situaciones vertiginosas y una atmosfera asfixiante.
La construccion de personajes es muy buena, sobre todo la parte psicologica. King ahonda en el karma, en lo siniestro y desalmado que puede ser el ser humano, en las consecuencia de las acciones y en el sentido de que eventualmente "todo vuelve".
Una mencion especial para ese final!!
the_original_shelf_monkey's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
malpal9's review against another edition
1.0
Every character is this book is obvi racist but they also commit a worser crime, being boring.
.5 a point only because I’m certain Billy is deeply closeted and in love withGinelli , when reading from this perspective made the 3rd act a lot more interesting than without this angle, but alas this was my own projection. One more .5 point because a quest to remove a curse is inherently interesting and I would love to read SK’s second crack at it.
.5 a point only because I’m certain Billy is deeply closeted and in love with
Would have enjoyed it much more as a short story, I’m talking >100 pages
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Racial slurs
hemagas's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
rubysmom's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
neylane's review against another edition
3.0
Thinner foi publicado aqui no Brasil como A Maldição e é um livro bem interessante, basicamente o protagonista recebe uma maldição e passa a emagrecer rapidamente. É uma premissa simples, mas o autor consegue explorar muito bem, levantando questões sociais, existenciais e sobrenaturais. Eu gostei, mas achei que algumas partes foram bem chatas, e isso acabou tirando um pouco da fluidez que o livro tem na maior parte do tempo. Ponto alto pra mim foi o final, realmente surpreendente.
logan4519's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
krhodes's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0