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colene's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Incredible read! This is the first book I picked up solely because of the author, and it did not disappoint.
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption is an easy 5 ⭐ The plot is compelling, much more so its characters.
5 ⭐ as well to Apt Pupil. It was so intense that I had to put the book down for a day. Yet, I couldn’t stop reading because I genuinely had no idea how it would end. The story could have gone in several different directions, and by the end, I was left in awe, thinking about how Stephen King is indeed a master of horror.
The Body was lighter compared to the first two novellas. It was the first time this book made me laugh, though it didn’t lose any of its tension or dark undertones. 4 ⭐
I loved The Breathing Method, but it felt too short, to be honest. The stories the narrator didn’t share left me frustrated, and the ending made me crave for more details and a continuation that's why I'm giving it a 4.5 ⭐
This collection has quickly become one of my favorites, and I can already see a reread in my future.
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption is an easy 5 ⭐ The plot is compelling, much more so its characters.
5 ⭐ as well to Apt Pupil. It was so intense that I had to put the book down for a day. Yet, I couldn’t stop reading because I genuinely had no idea how it would end. The story could have gone in several different directions, and by the end, I was left in awe, thinking about how Stephen King is indeed a master of horror.
The Body was lighter compared to the first two novellas. It was the first time this book made me laugh, though it didn’t lose any of its tension or dark undertones. 4 ⭐
I loved The Breathing Method, but it felt too short, to be honest. The stories the narrator didn’t share left me frustrated, and the ending made me crave for more details and a continuation that's why I'm giving it a 4.5 ⭐
This collection has quickly become one of my favorites, and I can already see a reread in my future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Gun violence, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Murder, War, and Classism
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, Toxic relationship, and Abandonment
mmadill227's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Rape, Sexual assault, Antisemitism, and Murder
Moderate: Child death, Death, Racial slurs, Vomit, Car accident, and War
Minor: Fatphobia, Genocide, Abortion, Pregnancy, and Alcohol
sareena's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Murder, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
laurendart's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Animal cruelty
chambecc's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
A collection of King from the early '80s that contains some very well-known stories of his (who hasn't heard of Shawshank Redemption?). If you want a different side of King that isn't purely horror, this is a great place to start. I'd qualify that a bit by saying most of the stories in here contain elements of horror, but only one is purely a horror story (The Breathing Method).
I'll quickly give brief reviews - more or less spoiler-free - of each:
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: A story about a man who insists he's been wrongly convicted of killing his wife and her lover and his attempt to navigate the difficulties and hardships of prison life, told from the perspective of his friend in prison. Andy Dufresne is one of the most memorable King characters I've ever read about, and you'll probably find yourself rooting for him. 4.5/5
Apt Pupil: This story follows Todd Bowden and his unusually keen interest in Arthur Denker, an elderly German immigrant with a seemingly normal enough past spending his later years in southern California in the mid 1970s. But all is not as it seems - and young Todd's interest in Denker turns out to be quite sinister. This story is incredibly unsettling though I wouldn't consider it technically horror, and offers an examination of what forms evil can take and how it can be modeled for others to follow. 4/5
The Body: I initially read this as a stand-alone book, only later coming to find that it was originally part of a broader collection. This story is about Gordie Lachance and his 3 friends' adventure to find a dead body in the woods of Maine - or, superficially, it is. What it's more accurately about is the hardships of coming-of-age, how we remember our childhoods, and how people come in and out of our lives for all sorts of reasons. You may also know this story by its movie adaptation Stand By Me.
King is an absolute maestro at writing coming-of-age type stories, and even you though you'll probably find these 12 and 13 year old boys rough-around-the-edges, you can't help but feel a load of sympathy for them and the predicaments they end up in. I was really moved by the story when I first read it and liked it well enough, but now that I've sat with it for several weeks, I've come to realize I loved it. King's writing in this is at his absolute best. In my opinion, this is definitely the best story in the collection. 4.75/5
The Breathing Method: The only pure horror story in the collection - in the traditional sense, anyway. It gave me vibes of Poe, Lovecraft, and Robert Louis Stevenson, and is a brisk, haunting read. What happens at club 249B? Well, it's a club for telling tales, following the somewhat cryptic motto It is the tale, not he who tells it. Our protagonist - by seemingly pure happenstance - receives an invite to this exclusive place. But something seems.... off about the atmosphere of it, including the butler, Stevens. And while some of the stories are fairly standard fare, others are tales of... the uncanny. The very uncanny, in the case of the story told by one of the elderly club members that he titles "The Breathing Method". This is a horror story in the true King sense - if you like King's horror writing, you'll like this. 4/5
I'll quickly give brief reviews - more or less spoiler-free - of each:
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: A story about a man who insists he's been wrongly convicted of killing his wife and her lover and his attempt to navigate the difficulties and hardships of prison life, told from the perspective of his friend in prison. Andy Dufresne is one of the most memorable King characters I've ever read about, and you'll probably find yourself rooting for him. 4.5/5
Apt Pupil: This story follows Todd Bowden and his unusually keen interest in Arthur Denker, an elderly German immigrant with a seemingly normal enough past spending his later years in southern California in the mid 1970s. But all is not as it seems - and young Todd's interest in Denker turns out to be quite sinister. This story is incredibly unsettling though I wouldn't consider it technically horror, and offers an examination of what forms evil can take and how it can be modeled for others to follow. 4/5
The Body: I initially read this as a stand-alone book, only later coming to find that it was originally part of a broader collection. This story is about Gordie Lachance and his 3 friends' adventure to find a dead body in the woods of Maine - or, superficially, it is. What it's more accurately about is the hardships of coming-of-age, how we remember our childhoods, and how people come in and out of our lives for all sorts of reasons. You may also know this story by its movie adaptation Stand By Me.
King is an absolute maestro at writing coming-of-age type stories, and even you though you'll probably find these 12 and 13 year old boys rough-around-the-edges, you can't help but feel a load of sympathy for them and the predicaments they end up in. I was really moved by the story when I first read it and liked it well enough, but now that I've sat with it for several weeks, I've come to realize I loved it. King's writing in this is at his absolute best. In my opinion, this is definitely the best story in the collection. 4.75/5
The Breathing Method: The only pure horror story in the collection - in the traditional sense, anyway. It gave me vibes of Poe, Lovecraft, and Robert Louis Stevenson, and is a brisk, haunting read. What happens at club 249B? Well, it's a club for telling tales, following the somewhat cryptic motto It is the tale, not he who tells it. Our protagonist - by seemingly pure happenstance - receives an invite to this exclusive place. But something seems.... off about the atmosphere of it, including the butler, Stevens. And while some of the stories are fairly standard fare, others are tales of... the uncanny. The very uncanny, in the case of the story told by one of the elderly club members that he titles "The Breathing Method". This is a horror story in the true King sense - if you like King's horror writing, you'll like this. 4/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Sexual assault, and Murder
Moderate: Misogyny and Racism
micasreads's review against another edition
4.0
Andy Dufresne is in Shawshank after being found guilty of killing his wife and her lover…a crime he says he is innocent of. During his time at Shawshank, Andy becomes friends with Red, the prison's go-to man. After years of getting to know each other, Red is surprised when Andy comes up missing, Red thinks about the events leading up to the escape. This story details Andy's time in prison, how Red believes he escaped, and the possibility of what Andy is doing with his freedom.
Frank Muller did a wonderful job of telling Andy's story through Red's eyes. The different characters and demeanors of each character were fantastic. Muller made the story a joy to listen to and I hope to read more books in which he narrates.
Audio is still the best way for me to imbibe Stephen King and this book was no different. Having watched the movie several times I knew the premise of the story yet still enjoyed hearing the story play out. I am looking forward to my next Stephen King audiobook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder
grace_machine's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Sexual assault
Moderate: Gore