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Summary: A crazy man's novel: The Shining
Review: I am reviewing The Shining a horror story. The Shining is a book about a man that becomes a caretaker for a hotel. He finds out that a man who had been a caretaker earlier went crazy from isolation, and he killed his family. The main character Jack in his arrogance didn't think he would ever go crazy. I like this book because I have always liked horror in movies or books. This is my favorite horror story. If you like frightening books this is a book you want to read. A few reasons you might want to read this book is because it is extremely descriptive. When I saw the movie of the Shining I could see scenes from the book. I'm not much of a reader actually reading is not something I love to do. But some books I read I love to read, and get pulled into them. This book takes you to the scenes. I also love an original horror story. That is why I am a fan of Stephen King. His books are all so descriptive, and his plots are original. The idea of a man that is isolated from the whole world except his family of two other people and he goes crazy and tries to kill his family is pretty original. The Shining may be a great book but all books have something wrong with them. This book is scary and gory. Some mothers might not approve of their children reading a book about a guy that goes crazy. Face it mothers have always been over protective, and they always will be. This book is going to be scary, it is a horror story. But younger children will get older wont they? They might not get more mature but old enough to appreciate this book, eventually. But that only limits this book from little kids and readers that don't like horror. But if you don't like horror why have you read this review.
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Summary: Better than the movie
Review: Before I write the review, I want to warn people who havent read the book that this review might be a spoiler. There are many different reasons that this book is better than the movie. The first reason is that the movie lacks symbolism. Kubrick left out the boiler and the fact that if the pressure valve isnt releaved, that it would explode. This was a symbol for the Jack Torrance character. Another thing that was wrong with the movie is that Jack Torrance (Nicholson) seemed crazy from the beginning. In the book, Stephen King takes a decent man who is warped by the demons of the hotel. There are also other major character differences, but I dont want to reveal those, because I dont want to spoil it. This book is great. It is very scary and fun to read. Stephen King did a great job of writing it and it is a shame that certain parts of the movie were changed. The movie is okay, though, but I would recommend reading the book first. Also recommended On Writing by Stephen King
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Summary: COOL BOOK
Review: This bok was realy cool. I read it for a book report in 7th grade after seeing the movie and it scared the hell out of me. I recomend it to any one in the mood for fear.
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Summary: REDRUM! REDRUM!
Review: After seeing the movie, I was fascinated and went on a quest for the novel The Shining by Stephan King. Not only was the novel better than the film, but it gave me a better understanding of the characters and in my opinion, gives the reader spine-chilling feelings about the Overlook Hotel, and the eerie things that go on there. Jack Torrance is an ex-school teacher and a former drunk. He lost his job when he attacked a student, and quit drinking after a terrible accident with his son. One night, after he had been drinking excessively, Jack jerked his son's arm and broke it. After that episode, Jack felt so guilty that he vowed he would never have another sip of alcohol. Then Jack is offered a job to be a winter caretaker at The Overlook Hotel in the Colorado Mountains. He figures that he will have the peace and tranquillity to write in such a secluded place and that writing will give him a chance to get back on his feet and make some money. So Jack hauls his family, his wife Wendy and his son Danny, up to the isolated hotel. It all seems like such a perfect plan for the whole family. But Jack's son, Danny, has bad feelings about the hotel. The manager did tell Jack about how the last caretaker went insane and sliced up his family, but Jack is not worried because he feels he is very sane. Danny, Jack's son, is a clairvoyant child who can see things before they happen, know what people are feeling and thinking, and can look into the past. He doesn't really understand how or why he can do this but his "imaginary friend" Tony shows him. When Tony wants Danny to see something, he knocks Danny unconscious and Danny has a dream or vision about it. Danny has extremely disturbing visions about the Overlook. His power is what the Overlook's chef calls "the shining", and only certain people have it, but they are only "pictures in a book". From Jack's insanity, to all the freaky things that occur, this story will give the reader chills. It is definitely recommended to all readers who are in for a scare and can handle it. REDRUM!
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Summary: Why do people like The Shining so much?
Review: I'm mystified by the glowing praise of this book. I like Stephen King--Pet Sematary was damn good. Misery was fantastic. But The Shining was dull and jumbled. One of the biggest problems is that The Shining is modeled too closely on Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House. That isn't surprising, given King's high estimation of that book. Unfortunately, Jackson's novel just honestly isn't very exciting. You'd think it would be impossible to write a truly dull haunted house story, but Jackson accomplishes this by sprinkling a few sporadic, unconnected ghost sightings into a couple hundred pages of stiff dialogue about the weather. (Yeah, yeah. I know it's really subtle and deep. It's also really, really boring.) King runs into similar problems. The sightings themselves are too random and dissimilar. What's the common theme connecting haunted hedges, a strangler lady in the bathtub, partying mobsters, and an animal man? Well--there isn't one. When anything is possible, nothing matters. The powers of the house should be somehow delineated. What can it do? What _can't_ it do? The increasingly disjointed ghost sightings give the impression that the hotel can do whatever flitted into the author's mind at that particular moment as "something scary." When the author's strings are so conspicuous, suspension of disbelief is lost. Almost as bad are the structual problems. There are 200+ pages of character development for Jack Torrance, but then in the blink of an eye he is transformed into a generic serial killer. What's the point? He could just as easily be an escaped mental patient, for all the difference it would make. We spend maybe 75 pages reading about Hallorann's odyseey back to the Overlook, then in five seconds he is bonked on the head and plays no significant role in the outcome. Why? Worst of all, though, is the ending. The Overlook is defeated because it forgot to keep tabs on the boiler pressure? This is the lamest form of deus ex machina. How could a haunted hotel forget it's own boiler? This is like the villain in a novel dropping dead at a critical moment because he had forgotten to eat and had starved to death. Skip this book--but if you're looking for an interesting haunted house story, you might want to check out Richard Matheson's Hell House.
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Summary: The Master of Horror
Review: The Shining proves that Stephen King is undoubtably the master of the macabre. For those who don't know, The Shining is the tale of a dysfunctional family, the Torrences, who are caretakers for a Colorado hotel for the winter. Jack, a recovering alcoholic, lost his old job as an English teacher for putting a student of his into intensive care. Wendy, fearful of her husband's rage is hoping that this job will bring the family closer together and mend the wounds of the past. Danny, their fairly normal son, who has a form of ESP called the "Shining", keeps having visions of murder committed in the walls of the hotel. During the Torrence's stay, strange events start occoring within the walls of the hotel, from a bloated purple corpse rising fron a bathtub, to ghosts of past residents appearing to the family. As the events in the hotel become more and more abnormal, Jack slowly starts to lose his mind. He surrenders himself to the evil of the hotel, and falls into a murderous rage. I highly recommend reading The Shining because it not only examined the abnormal in a haunted hotel, it also brings many issues of everyday life into the picture. King beautifully incorporates the issues of child abuse and alcoholism in an average family into a horror book, so that the reader is not only scared out of his wits, he also is forced to think about these issues and what they can do to a family. The Shining shouldn't be solely classified in the horror genre because of all the typed of literature Stephen King brings into the pages of this fantastic novel. This book has something for everybody.
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Summary: Read it alone, at night
Review: I was 12 when I first read this -before watching the movie-. I read it alone, at night, and going to the bathroom became a terrifying experience. Certainly, the book is an excellent piece of horror. Its merit is that it is not just a horror story. It evolves in the context of the life of a man, Jack Torrence, who is fighting against failure, frustration and alcoholism. He replicates his tormented father-son relationship with his son, the young and special Daniel. Daniel can "shine", that is, experience ultrasensorial perception. When his father is offered a winter-time job at the Overlook hotel, in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, things become really strange for the family. For the Overlook hotel has a history enclosed in its walls. Daniel, with the help of his imaginary (or is it not?) friend Tony, discovers the true story of the hotel and the murders committed there. I won't spoil anything. Just read it, it is a quick read, without many interruptions. You will get caught in a really freezing terror.
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Summary: Whoa, this is good stuff
Review: This is a great story. Stephen King is so good at desciption and history. He desretely tells the reader the history of the story, without even really telling them. He's feaking awesome.The movie is good too.Especially the part wit the dead girl in the bathtub.
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Summary: The Pinnacle of Terror--Thanks, Mr. King
Review: The first King book I decided to read was Misery, when I was in the 8th grade. After that, it didn't take me long to finish everything he's ever published. Stephen King doesn't like to be thought of as the most popular, most versatile novelist of all time, but he is just that--a writer who can write anything, any place, or anyone. Most of his books leave me with a sad feeling, a deep admiration for a compelling story and characters I've come to love. King is the master of characterization. And though the Shining is not his best book, it is the Masterpiece of Modern Horror. The atmostphere is so dark, so creepy, every page is drooling with an infecting poison that hooks you into the story. There are certain elements in this book that will give you a real experience of terror, like when Jack is being stalked by the hedge animals, and when Danny is sneaking around room 217. Over all, what makes The Shining so powerful is the protagonist, and the story of his life, his dreams, and his fears. King will make you feel sorry for Jack Torrance as he is trying to...well...if you haven't read it, I don't want to spoil it, but there will never be another book written with such emotional, psychological, and supernatural intensity. Thanks for everything, Mr. King.
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Summary: Powerful and Riveting
Review: Re-reading this book recently was like reading a different author. I've read everything Stephen King has written, and have read most of it several times. Sometimes it takes awhile to get back to an earlier work, but you can immediately tell a difference. The writing flows so well in this novel. It is just so good, almost better than anything he has ever done. I can't see it being written in a 'rush', it seems so deliberate and calculated. One of King's greatest strengths is his characters, and although in this work there are only three main players for most of its length, you don't become bored with any of them. Jack, Wendy and Danny are so well-drawn, in the past as well as the present, that you feel you really know them. Danny especially is one of my favorite characters. King does such a good job bringing a 5-year-old boy to life. He seems to really have a talent for creating children on page. After reading it, I kept wondering what Danny is doing now. What a silly thought for a fictional character, but it happened. This book is truly scary. It's done slowly, bringing you closer and closer to the impending doom. I had to put it down at night. You can read it again and again and still the fear does not diminish. I've stayed at a hotel where looking down the long hallway, I could think of nothing but the Overlook. Truly a creepy feeling. I think King's earlier works were his best and scariest. Nothing he has done in the past fifteen years can live up to this.
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