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mariana_ct08's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Mental illness, Rape, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
sidekicksam's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Wow. This book was exactly the wild ride I imagined it would be. It is scary. It is fucked up. It is funny. It is timeless.
This story surprised me in so many ways, but let me just try to summarize why I love this book (more precisely, King's writing):
1. The world building is superb. King does such a good job visualising the world of Derry as it was in '58 and '85, introducing side characters and backstories to all of them, without making the reader forget the red line of the story, it feels like you've lived the story yourself. And though living through the Age of Pennywise would be awful, reading this story is a delight.
2. The characters are so well-thought out, and not a single one of them is uninteresting to read about. Ben, Richie, Bill, Eddie, Mike, Stan, Beverly, Pennywise/IT - you get to know every one of them so intimately, you almost feel like the 8th member of the Losers Club.
3. The story itself! Man, this story is mad crazy brilliant. To fuck up generations of adults into being terrified of clowns because everyone knows this story is insane. But it wouldn't have happened if the story wasn't so insanely awesome.
Ok, so I can conclude by saying that I appreciated the book a lot. HOWEVER. It is not my favourite King. I can't exactly put my finger on what it was (maybe it was THAT scene that ruined it for me), but 11.22.63 and The Stand both resonated with me more (though the ending of The Stand is way inferior to IT).
But if you're looking for a challenge that will be so rewarding you'll want to send me a thank-you note, or if you're looking for the ultimate Spooky Season read, IT is it.
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
itsmeyseniab's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I honestly think this book is incredibly overhyped: first of all, this is entirely too long. I think that King and his readers would've benefitted if this was written as a duology, with the first novel being form the perspective of when they were children and the second being when they were adults (basically like what they did with the newer film adaptations). I felt way more interested in the chapters that were from when they were children and encountering "It" for the first time, but it just got to be really repetitive and kind of confusing to follow via audiobook at times.
Speaking of the children encountering "It"... I was very disappointed by the lack of Pennywise in this novel. I understand that it was meant to showcase how Derry was the true monster, and that the scariest evils are the ones hidden in plain sight (ie. the bullies in the town, Beverly's dad - hell basically all the adults in the town - and the ideals they represented) but this is sold as a "monster" book so... where he at?
Lastly, this book is HARMFUL. As a cisgender, straight white male, Stephen King is WAYYYYY too comfortable with the use of racial, homophobic, misogynistic and Anti-Semitic slurs. The use of this offensive language added nothing to the narrative in my opinion and none of the characters learned from their mistakes or were punished for the use of the slurs. It felt... personal. Now I am not someone who knows about King personally, or the remarks he has made or his beliefs, but it came across as an excuse to use that language for the sake of using it (before you come in saying "he was just showcasing the time period, etc." he can get that point across without using the n word 8 times in a sentence on every other page). Another big issue that I had was how he sexualized Beverly (our only female main character, might I add) in both her adolescence and adulthood. He talked about her breasts more than her as a person. It was ridiculous. Also don't even get me started on that sex scene between all the kids at the end of the book.... WHY. WHAT PURPOSE DID THAT SERVE?
This is considered a classic for no reason, I said what I said.
Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racial slurs, Rape, Suicide, Violence, Antisemitism, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, and Fatphobia
Minor: Drug abuse, Mental illness, Terminal illness, and Death of parent
lunasreads's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, Medical trauma, Murder, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal death and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Religious bigotry and Abandonment
kenna11's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Hate crime, Homophobia, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Murder, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
tamara292's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Antisemitism, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism and Infertility