Rating: 
Summary: Beware the father is in a killing mood
Review: Here Stephen King is reaching a high that is a real acme. An alcoholic teacher is fired from his job. He has a past of violence against his son. His wife is fearful and frightened. But he gets a job as the caretaker of a hotel in the Rocky mountains for the winter. The family is thus isolated in this hotel that was built on an indian cemetary. It is thus haunted and little by little the hotel will take over the sanity of Jack, the caretaker who will identify with all the past dramas that occurred in this hotel and he will little by little become the axe that is supposed to kill his wife and his son. The trick in this book is that the son has some special ESP power and he can communicate with the black cook who will be alerted and will come to the rescue but to no avail. A drama that is poignant because the father wants to kill the son and in the end the son kills the father. This father-son relationship is absolutely unevadable. It has to go to the end of its perspective and this perspective is death for one or the other. King chooses the father and hence reenact his own personal drama : a son, without a father and somewhere feeling guilty for this absence. If you are not afraid of getting claustrophobic by reading this claustrophobic story, please run to it and devour it. You will liberate your deepest guilt : the mythical killing of the father that has pervaded our civilization since the very first moment it came into existence. And you may even think of Jesus, the son, who is put to death by the decision of the father, a decision the son accepts and assumes. Here it is like the revenge of this crime and the search of an exit that will save the son from the claws of the father. Are all fathers invading crushing weights ? No answer can be provided. Please see the psyche of the man who wrote the book. Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, Paris Universities II and IX.
Rating:
Summary: Great book with a cool true story behind it
Review: I have read the book and watched the movie. I love them both. It wasn't until a few years ago that I found out the truth behind the story. In the story it talkes about the Overlook Hotel. The true story is not about a hotel names The Overlook. It is about The Mt. Washington Hotel. I live about 30minuets from that hotel. Infact this year I went to my senior prom there. Knowing the story it was neat going there. I suggest to anyone that likes the book and will be travleing to New Hampshire go up to The Mt. Washington Hotel and take a look around. The area is beautiful and you get an eire feeling walking down the long hallway and going into the gold room.
Rating:
Summary: If I had an extra thumb i would give this book a 3 thumbs up
Review: if i had to sum up this book in one word it would be SUPERB. great plot great character that you truly and deeply caredabout especially the infamous Jack who goes Psycho on his family. if i could remember this is the first stephen king book i read. I remember checking it ou from the library as was simply amazed by this book. after reading the book, i was sadly disappointed by the movie with jack nickolson. Let me make this comment on those whos have seen the movie. If you thought the movie was great than the book is by far better.
Rating:
Summary: Terrifying....simply amazing!
Review: I won't take the time to say more than is necessary about this Stephen King masterpiece. Part of the experience of The Shining is not knowing much about it beforehand, which is difficult because of Stanley Kubrick's movie. To say that you have experienced The Shining just because you've seen the movie means nothing. In fact, I would venture to say that I wish I had never seen the movie, or at least I wish that I had read the book first. Stephen King takes us further and further into a realm of insanity, and his writing can not be described. It is phenomenal. Each page of the book the reader feels insanity surrounding each character. I can't say anymore, because I want this book to be a pleasant, and deliciously scary surprise for its next victim..I mean reader. REDRUM REDRUM! Buy this book, you won't be disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Another Classic Thriller
Review: America's favorite thriller has been treading new grounds lately through electronic publishing, but a visit with The Shining takes the reader back to the classic Stephen King. He has mastered the art of suspension and thrill and he stops at nothing to give the reader a good scare.Set in the abandoned Overlook Hotel, the Torrance family attempts to reconnect after a long period of physical and alcohol abuse on the part of Jack Torrance. This provides King the opportunity to thematically explore the cyclical nature of such problems. While these themes stretched the expectations of genre-driven fiction, this reader didn't quite believe it was stretched enough to fit the large pants of literary fiction. But few look to King to provide a literary thrill. The thrills most readers are looking for with King can be found in The Shining. I don't suggest reading this book alone, or at night, or while a snowstorm is looming. King does a good job with bringing the reader into the 'dream' of the narration that one invariably loses track of time. Jack Torrance has his own motives for taking care of the hotel during its off-season. His career has floundered in recent years, and coupled with a scandal at his latest job, he is desperate to gain some peace and quiet to get back to the writer he once was. Throughout the novel several battles are being waged. First and foremost is the battle between the overlook hotel and the Torrance family. King does an incredibly effective job of giving the hotel life, as every hotel has a history that seems to haunt it. Yet King does not go over the top as a story about a haunted house would be capable of being. The hotel haunts each member of the family in its own way. In one touching scene Danny is convinced that a fire hose is about to attack him. Though most children are fascinated by firemen and their equipment, Danny's 'shining' coupled with his active imagination give King the leeway to play with such non-conventional thrill objects. Another battle is that of Jack versus Jack. He has many demons that he brings with him to the hotel, alcoholism, a history of abuse from his family, his own instances of being the abuser, and less than admirable moral choices. In the solidarity of the hotel Jack is alone with these demons, and the demons of the hotel are happy to help him along this path of dwelling on them. Will Jack be strong enough to face his demons and the hotel's as well? King also does an excellent job with the characters. Told through the point of view of several different characters, the most poignant point of view, and most difficult to master, was Danny, the child of the family. What made Danny special was his "shining," or his ability to read people's minds. King juxtaposed this mature ability with Danny's vast inexperience to create a character who was vulnerable and lovable, yet not too sugary-sweet. For those readers who have seen the movie, as is typical, the book is much better. I found Wendy to be much more believable and felt a great deal more sympathy for her in the book, while her role in the movie left the reader sympathizing with Jack's desire to be rid of her. She is seen as an extremely concerned mother, and would do anything for her son. She'd like to believe that her son is safe with her husband, but discovers all too late her husband's true nature.
Rating:
Summary: ''The Red Death Held Sway Over All''
Review: The Shining is probably my favorite story ever told. First of all, Im the type of person who loves hearing ghost stories. The Shining is perhaps the ultimate ghost story. With it's many different spooks and chills, its liable to give you many nightmares for nights to come. Im sure most of you know the story, but just in case you dont: A family moves into an beautiful old resort hotel deep in the Rockies of Colorado. Jack Torrence, who is the father, is assigned to be the winter caretaker. So he and his wife and son, have to be stuck in that hotel for the whole winter and part of spring. Little did they know what they got themselves into. If you saw the movie, (which is also a great movie by the legendary Stanley Kubrick) dont expect the book to be the same. This book goes into more details and has a different ending and different twists. I wont spoil them for you. But this is a great book that any fan of horror novels shouldnt be without.
Rating:
Summary: When the past comes back to haunt you
Review: Usually I am not a person who likes to read horror novels at all. I avoid any kind of really scary book or movie. But we got assigned to read this book for class and I figured, "Hey, I'll give it a try." We came to learn that there is more to the book and writing than just a bunch of scary events just meant to entertain. Perhaps people never look beyond these events to see the thematic choices the writer has chosen to make. I actually really enjoyed the book. Yes, I was a bit scared in some parts (thank goodness I wasn't watching a movie of it), but there was a lot more depth to the book than I would have originally thought. The novel starts off with this family, The Torrances. The father, Jack had just gotten a job as a winter maintenence man for The Overlook Hotel. We learn that Jack used to be an English teacher at a prep school and got fired and that this job is kind of a last resort for him. His wife, Wendy, and son, Danny, don't really want to go to this isolated hotel for the winter, but they want to be supportive of Jack and so they agree. Danny, however, is a different child than most, because he has "the shine." He begins to get bad feelings and visions from his friend, Tony, about this place. It is bad news. As things happen at the hotel, we learn more about the history of this family. We learn that Jack has a bit of a violent past, which has an effect on his relationship with his wife and son and was the cause for his termination at the prep school. Jack tries to overcome this history, but certain events keep pushing it back in his face. They drive wedges between Jack and Wendy. Weird things begin to happen, scary things, and at first when Danny gets hurt, Wendy suspects Jack has done it to him. Through the different scary events that begin to happen, we are able to see a distinct conflict and rising themes in the novel. The conflict is between the Overlook and The Torrances. This family is just trying to survive as a family and not break apart. There is a theme of trying to overcome one's history, which, as I mentioned, we most obviously see through Jack. This novel makes for a most interesting and suspenseful read. I would definitely recommend it to others, because you keep flipping pages. You don't want to put it down, and it keeps you wondering what's going to happen. Who will win, the Overlook or the Torrances?
Rating: 
Summary: Review of Stephen King's The Shining
Review: This is, as incredible as it sounds, the first Stephen King book I've ever read. I would like to start by saying that it is indeed scary, and an enjoyable read. Reading this book for a prestigious literary course, I had to put all stereotypes aside, that a thriller can't be worthy of literary praise, that a cover the screams #1 bestseller isn't going to have any literary worth when I read the book, as my teacher assured us that Stephen King does know a think or two about literary conventions. Theme, worldviews, and characterization-it's all in there. In fact this novel is written in the five-act Shakespearian structure; exposition, inciting incident, rising action, crisis moment, and falling action/ resolution. In a thriller book, this is the only logical way to present the thrill. However, I admit that I felt the book should've been shorter, mostly because I felt like I knew the ending from the beginning (and I've never seen the movie). The prose seemed simple; so simple sometimes I felt almost as though King wasn't granting any credit to the readers. The overall thematic intent of the book seemed muffled. At first I thought it was somewhat of a ghost story, but then it seemed as if the alcoholism that Jack suffered from took over with the dramatics, then back to the ghosts of the Overlook hotel. All the while both, not to mention the psychic encounters his son Danny faces or a talent King calls "shine", are destroying the family. In the beginning there is a definite distinction between the Torrence family competing against the Overlook hotel, which are equally corrupt. Then Jack is removed from the family because the hotel spirit has defeated him personally because he was the easiest target, corrupt past, drinking problem, bad tempter etc. These issues were explained in the beginning exposition, or act one, so it seemed to spoil a potential suspense for later in the novel. So then with Jack under the control of the hotel evil, it is obvious that Wendy and Danny aren't equally capable of defeating this opposition on their own. Very predictably, a character reappears to save the day. One very important dramatic decision King made was establishing a past for the rivals. This is where the theme of history repeating itself is introduced. Knowing that it is cyclical in nature the reader waits to see if either opposing force can defeat it's own history. The lesson to be learned here is that if you aren't informed, history will repeat itself; hence the "overlook" name. Those who violate those laws of nature are punished in the end. Luckily, so the ending being in agreement with every reader's expectations saves the overall worldview. Another disappointment for me was the falling action. As I said, I felt I knew what was going to happen so perhaps it took away from the suspense. The material was well put together in the beginning, very scary, and well positioned. However it seemed that in the progression of the five acts, the end fizzled, it didn't explode. And with a book of that potential all through the beginning and middle parts, it needs to go out with a bang!
Rating:
Summary: New Realizations on a Classic
Review: While I've always loved Stephen King, and never found something written by him to be unenjoyable, in recent years his incredible creativity has seemed to be on the wane to me. Desperation felt to me like nothing more than a combination of old King storylines that had worked in the past. Bag of Bones, while actually VERY well written, suffered from similar problems in my mind. I felt like I knew right where he was going, and there was little suspense. My perception of King, quite honestly, has been as one of our best storytellers, yet only a decent writer. What I mean by this is kind of complicated. His plotlines and characters have always been the most interesting things about King's books to me, along with his seemingly effortless ability to keep me wanting to read. This, I thought, is the power of King. You simply can't stop reading because he makes you care--no, more than that; he makes it seem imperative that you keep reading to find out what is going to happen. However, in other areas I felt that he fell flat. I've never viewed him as a man much into the actual CRAFT of writing. He always seemed to concentrate mainly on character and plot, rather than theme, and I had little respect for the work--or lack thereof--that he put into the shaping of his novels. Partially, this is because of an image King cultivates. He has said that he is no "intellectual ball of fire" and that he often doesn't really know where he is going. That the best writing comes "from the gut" rather than the head. What a pleasant surprise, then, to rediscover The Shining at a time when I am able to better respect King's work. Not only is this a chilling and imaginative tale, it contains evidence that King was trying to work with deeper issues that those just explored by the plot. The story of Jack, Wendy and Danny Torrance vs. the Overlook Hotel is much more than just a ghost story, or a story about mystical powers of the mind. What King is really exploring here are the effects of history on the present. And not just concerning the most obvious choice with the Overlook (e.g. ghosts--past--attacking Torrances--present). It wonders if Jack will overcome his history of alcoholism and physical abuse by his father. If Wendy will become like her mother or transcend her attitudes. King also plays around with structure in the Shining. Throughout the book, there are several references to Shakespeare, and the book is structured to reflect this. It is divided into five parts to mirror the five act structure of the Shakespearean play, though King moves around some of the elements to keep with the way a modern story is told. And there are more nuggets of gold present, but I think it is much more interesting to discover them yourself. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that these relatively simple underlying themes make this deserving of the National Book Award. But it does deepen my respect for King. I am sure that he would have sold just as many copies without including them, and it heartens me to see he decided to do it anyway, simply because these were ideas that interested him and he felt them relevant to the story he was telling. I applaud him for that. Read The Shining. If you never have, then you will be mesmerized by the words King makes dance across the page. If you have read it, rediscover this classic and find the things you never knew were there.
Rating:
Summary: I hate scary little kids in stories!
Review: Ok, I will admit it, I am the most jumpy, scaredy cat in the world! I have never read a horror/ghost novel because frankly I get scared while watching reruns of Scooby Doo. Yes, laugh all you want, but I know there are others out there who feel exactly the same way. Now, knowing how much of a chicken I am, I suppose I can get in to my review of Steven King's The Shining. For the record I had to read this book for a class and I would have never read it otherwise, but I actually began reading it and couldn't put it down. King has created a spellbinding story of a family and a hotel. The Torrence family, as dysfunctional as they may seem, became my tie to the novel. I felt like I was in that hotel with them, like I was one of Jack and Wendy's children. Their son, Danny, was however the creepy one to me. I have always been afraid of books, movies, even cartoons, where there is a child who seems to be "different". Danny definitely fits the mold of the creepy little kid. He has a power, "The Shine", that allows him to read people's minds, predict the future, send messages to other people, even make things happen just by thinking about them. Also, Danny can see ghost. Yes, GHOSTS! He has a "friend" Tony who is a ghost. He shows Danny signs and other visual representations of either good or evil that is to come. The sign that troubles Danny the most is "Redrum" So he learns to read so he can decipher what it means.The novel pits the family against their new home, a huge hotel that has a history that is almost as unbelievable as the ghosts that haunt it. The "Overlook" is a hotel where Jack Torrence and his wife and son will be living for the winter. High atop a mountain in the Rocky Mountains the Overlook becomes very inaccessible during the winter months. Jack's job is to maintain the hotel during the "off-season" time. Throughout their stay there, the history of the Overlook begins to be chipped away by Jack, who is a writer and uncovers a secret scrapbook in the basement. This novel layers information upon information to leave the reader feeling submersed in the terror of the lives of the Torrences. First we are faced with the drinking problem Jack has, along with the child abuse, and the loss of his job due to his beating of a high school student. You also must remember the jagged history of the Overlook, with the multiple murders and high profile owners/visitors it has housed throughout the years. It could also be called the "hotel of many secrets". Jack and his family are the ones who must uncover this past and in the process must face their pasts also. There are many thematic choices in this novel that I find very evocative and intriguing. I am very impressed by Kings ability to transcend the conventions of the genre and make a riveting storyline that you will be immersed in. This novel will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first page until you finish all 464 pages of horror. From the scary landscape of the Overlook, to the flashbacks of the past, to the ghoulish woman in room 217, you will be scared no matter how many horror novels you have read. If you want to be truly scared, read "The Shining." Though frightening it is a fabulous book.
|
