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persimmon_lover's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I really enjoyed this book a lot, but it did have several flaws. I feel like the "mystery" was not explored in as much detail as it warranted, and also that the pacing was off at times. Not a lot of time was given to the "villain" characters and I think that could have added a lot if done properly. The early part of the story is a bit confusing, as you start getting a feel for the characters, which feel a bit indistinguishable at first (that definitely changes later on). Obviously it is a supernatural horror book so realism is very relative, but I did feel at times like things in the story were just too improbable, the characters often seemed way too smart for 12 year olds, even putting aside the obvious "genius" character.
The themes of the book were very well encoded in the plot and very rich. By the end, the characters each feel unique and you really care about them. I get scared by books easily and found myself very very frightened and shocked throughout the book. I also appreciated that the horror sort of comes in and out, and that a lot of the time things feel "normal" only to be sucked back into scary. The mystery unfolds very slowly and keeps you guessing all the way up to the end, as you learn more and more. Not all of it is perfectly written, but in general the literary style is great for this type of book, and there are a lot of very vivid and appropriate images and metaphors. The book spoke to me at this point in my life. Not perfect, but great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Torture, Blood, Vomit, and Car accident
Minor: Rape
lunarmagi42's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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? No
3.75
The beginning is a bit slow but about a third of the way in, boy does it get going! The tension and the scare factor kept building and building the way all the best horror books do until it reached a very satisfying conclusion with only a few pages left in the book. This book is absolutely worth a read if you're a Stephen King fan, especially if you live in a farming town, even more so if you live in the Midwest. I could have done without the sort of sexual description of a 12 year old girl, but given the book is from the perspective of 11/12 year old boys, I guess it makes sense even if it's gross.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Body horror, Cursing, Racism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
tlbignerd's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Abandonment
cassieyorke's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
One of the first lessons I've had on the craft of writing horror, and a pretty good one. My favorite kind of horror is the kind that deals with the distant past, and Simmons does this really well - he looks at a haunted past through the lens of pre-adolescent kids. He identifies with his protagonists so much that even his narrative and world-building take on that ominous, dangerous tone and those shadows that lurk on the edges of an incomplete, frightening view of times long gone. The whole book is speckled with these little glimpses, and that spreads a pall of fright over the whole book.
If I could have given 4.5 stars, I would have. The only .5 I marked off for was that the narrative, while it pulled me along really well, wasn't what I would have called gripping or compelling in a really feverish way. Still, Simmons showed a real deftness for talking about so many different times, switching language appropriately for a sense of immersion. But his real skill is in conjuring dread of things out in the dark. I have to say that I ended up liking this a lot more than Stephen King's It, not least because Simmons manages to tell a scary story - in the exact same time period as It and with similar protagonists, but without the skeeve factor. He also does what I thought was a superior job of putting dread in days gone by, and of writing protagonists who are universally relatable.
Summer of Night is my go-to writer's manual for creating a scary yesterday and an equally unsettling present.
If I could have given 4.5 stars, I would have. The only .5 I marked off for was that the narrative, while it pulled me along really well, wasn't what I would have called gripping or compelling in a really feverish way. Still, Simmons showed a real deftness for talking about so many different times, switching language appropriately for a sense of immersion. But his real skill is in conjuring dread of things out in the dark. I have to say that I ended up liking this a lot more than Stephen King's It, not least because Simmons manages to tell a scary story - in the exact same time period as It and with similar protagonists, but without the skeeve factor. He also does what I thought was a superior job of putting dread in days gone by, and of writing protagonists who are universally relatable.
Summer of Night is my go-to writer's manual for creating a scary yesterday and an equally unsettling present.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, and Murder