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A review by bites_of_books
The Shining by Stephen King
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
2.75
What I enjoy about King is the character work, he does a good job in creating characters and moving them through strange settings.
Danny - Poor kid, he really deserved better. I loved his ability to keep hoping against hope that things would turn out okay.
Jack - Alcoholic father trying to quit drinking. I struggled with him because part of me felt bad for him while the other felt like King gave him no way out so what's the point?
Wendy - The mom who isn't used to standing up for herself or her son until the literal worst starts happening. She also didn't have many resources or anything to help her gain confidence so I can see why she had trouble with it.
The racism, homophobia, and misogyny was all used without any kind of nuance and the constant use of the n-word was really unnecessary.
Overall, it's not that scary, at times it's a bit silly (possessed hedges?) and what is scarier is the isolation and the mental states of the characters.
Neither the book or movie is perfect, but together they make for something a bit more interesting.
Danny - Poor kid, he really deserved better. I loved his ability to keep hoping against hope that things would turn out okay.
Jack - Alcoholic father trying to quit drinking. I struggled with him because part of me felt bad for him while the other felt like King gave him no way out so what's the point?
Wendy - The mom who isn't used to standing up for herself or her son until the literal worst starts happening. She also didn't have many resources or anything to help her gain confidence so I can see why she had trouble with it.
The racism, homophobia, and misogyny was all used without any kind of nuance and the constant use of the n-word was really unnecessary.
Overall, it's not that scary, at times it's a bit silly (possessed hedges?) and what is scarier is the isolation and the mental states of the characters.
Neither the book or movie is perfect, but together they make for something a bit more interesting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Homophobia, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail