Reviews with content warning for Violence - Carrie

I figured that starting at the beginning was a fair way to initiate myself to Steven King, but now I’m wondering if that wasn’t such a good idea. I’m sure his novels have improved much since this book, but it also could be that I’m just not a Steven King fan. I appreciate that there was no paranormal activity responsibly for the violence in this book, but the religious mania aspect (of Carrie but especially Carrie’s mother) still felt a little too real to be anything but distasteful. The female characters were so obviously written by a man, which is something I hope has improved in his writing. To be fair, there were lines that I appreciated as well-written, and so I did see his potential. I thought it was interesting how he tied in news reports, book excerpts, and court proceedings to tell the story- it would have been exhausting to hear the whole thing just in third person. I’m thankful it was short, and I’m unsure whether I’ll pick up another one of his books any time soon.

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

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

4.5

“Those are my breasts, Momma. Every woman has them” (148).
𝐶𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑒 is a complex horror book that explores many themes; those that stand out most to me investigate and celebrate the “naturalness” of female anatomy. It may be odd to phrase it this way, but parts of this book remind me a bit of the “WAP” music video. Both texts celebrate female sexuality and anatomy (very differently, mind you.) I love how Carrie’s power stems from her womanhood. She is not powerful 𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑜𝑓 the menstrual cycle, etc., but 𝑏𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑜𝑓 it.
Of course, this is all my opinion. Others could surely point to Carrie’s abilities as a way to fight against her mother’s violent/hyper-religion or, simply, as a way for Carrie to come into her own.

There’s a lot to say here. I guess I just really enjoyed this novel. Hope you do/did too!

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