Rating: 
Summary: Stand by me
Review: A good book to read. It tells the story of four kids who go searching for a dead body of a boy their age, learning along the way how to crope with problems, and developing friendship, thrust and understanding. The adventure becomes a turning point in all their lives as they face the dangers and wonders of life. All in all I can say I have enjoyed the story.
Rating: 
Summary: The Body
Review: The novel "The Body" written by Stephen King deals with a journey of four boys going into a dark forest to find the dead body of Ray Brower. On this journey they learn a lot about life, friendship and the growing into adulthood. And in the end they all become heroes in their own ways.
Rating: 
Summary: zzz
Review: this book was very boring...especially the story "stand by me", which was the only one i ever heard of, made me sleepy a lot of times. i even slept more time than it took to read it.i wouldn't buy it!!!
Rating:
Summary: 4 Novellas to Please
Review: I found "Different Seasons" in a used bookstore for $2 and it had the short stories on which my favorite movie ("The Shawshank Redemption") and another good movie ("Stand by Me") were based so I figured I couldn't possibly refuse. I haven't seen the movie for "Apt Pupil", but most people tell me it isn't that good. I enjoyed "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" and "The Body" immensely, but I'd already seen the movies and have to say that I enjoy them better. "The Breathing Method" was intriguing, but disappointingly short and left me wanting to know more about such an unusual "club". So for me the stand out of the four novellas was "Apt Pupil" where King shines with his usual amazing characterization. Todd Bowden is the epitome of the typical American boy and his descent into darkness is so well-paced and real that I got sucked right into it. It's made me want to look into some of Kings other short stories where I hope I'll be equally entertained.
Rating:
Summary: best book ive read
Review: Shawshank Redemption,Stand by Me, and Apt Pupil are some good movies. When I found out that they were all by Stephen King I had to buy this book and read it. It was well worth my money and i read The Breathing Method which is one [messed] up story. That story came out of no place but it added a little to the book.
I'll definately read this again.
Rating:
Summary: Well Written Yarns
Review: "Different Seasons" contains four short stories by Stephen King. I have not read any of his horror books (The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is my only previous foray besides "On Writing"), but these stories feature horrible happenings instead of pure horror. The first, "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption," is superb. A story of hope and will, it features excellent characterization and a description of the brutality and banality of prison life that will fascinate. The two lead characters are each survivors in their own right, and form a bond stronger than friendship that aids each in surviving -- and thriving. The next story, "Apt Pupil," is a fascinating tale of a teen who discovers an old Nazi, and unlocks a future he could never imagine. This book has some of the most grisly scenes of any of the four -- with descriptions of WWII atrocities and real horrors. The young teen undergoes a remarkable transformation when he embraces knowledge and curiosities that end up being more than he ever could have bargained for. The third, "The Body," is a journey (literal and figurative) by a group of twelve year old best friends to view the body of a kid their age -- a kid who has been missing while picking blueberries and was struck by a train in the back woods of Maine. The fourth, the shortest of the bunch, is a suspense story spun at Christmastime by a (member is the wrong word) associate of a most unusual men's club. The writing is very good. King features wonderful descriptions and quickly succeeds in identifying each character for the reader -- and in drawing the reader into the story. These are all page-turners.
Rating:
Summary: Superb collection of mainstream novellas
Review: "Different Seasons" is a collection of four mainstream novellas written between 1975 and 1982. As the author admits, after a huge novel he felt a need to write a small-form novella, which nevertheless might be considered a novel at a stretch of imagination. King repeated the experiment 8 years later, publishing another collection also consisting of four novellas, a collection handsomely entitled "Four Past Midnight". Both volumes are proof that King feels right at home with about any literary form, including novellas. That's a rare phenomenon among the writers, which only contributes to the overall high opinion of Steve King as an omnipotent author. All four novellas included here are uniformly strong; some claim that this volume represents about the best that King can master. Whereas one might argue as to whether this is the number one book among those written by this prolific author, one can't really deny that "Different Seasons" may be placed somewhere at the very top of his abilities. The first novella, 'Rita Heyworth and the Shawshank Redemption' has been hailed as a stunning literary achievement of Stephen King. Indeed it is, for we may say that it was the first work of that author that finally showed that he was capable of writing a good story in virtually any genre. More than that, as he steadily wrote and published the novels, we learned that his works are in fact genreless, that most of them are universal and timeless, since they carry messages that appeal to all generations, and will continue to do so in a hundred years as well. Moreover, over the years King became the author who most contributed to the Americana thread in the literature of the XX century. His portrayals of the society, especially the small-town, close-knit neighborhoods, is yet to be matched by anyone. The main strength of his works is the actual story, whatever it is about. In 'Shawshank Redemption', King portrays the wasted life of a businessman who had been unjustly sentenced for life on account of his assumed guilt in the slaughter of his wife and her lover. I have never read as good an account of life in prison, and one cannot overestimate the burden that the awareness of the whole life to be spent in a box has on the inmates. First, one hopes, then one protests, then one fights with the grim reality and slowly gets adjusted to the ordered life in prison. Then one becomes an institutional man. No one hopes for too long. Only one man hoped all the time. The banker. As you will see, the novella is an apotheosis of the spirit. Hope springs eternal. The second novella, 'Apt Pupil', was adapted to silver screen a few years ago, just like 'Shawshank' was, but for those of us who read the book, it was a bitter disappointment. Almost identical, it completely changes the ending, adding a soppy happy end to provide a false feeling of "redeeming quality" for those who can't cope with reality and need artificial sugar no matter what. King wrote a story about a young man who becomes slowly fascinated with an old national socialist, a German commander of the concentration camp whose identity the boy discovers by accident. King hypethesizes on the effect that brutality and real horror might have on a young personality. The conclusion King draws is a clear one. The young admirer becomes the one he admired. The novella ends in a bloodshed, and what we get with the movie adaptation is a silly teenagerish story. The moral messages of King were trivialized, trotted over, ignored. That's unforgivable. If you haven't seen the movie and haven't read the novella, I strongly advise that you buy the book and pass on the adaptation. We are then treated to the longest, third novella in the collection, 'The Body'. A prelude to a work much larger in both scope and size, It, which King wrote between 1981 and 1985, The Body is a story of friendship between a bunch of schoolboys. It's a story of preadolescent boys whose lives are transformed by a supposedly minor event. The world looks much different when you are a young lad, and there is nothing that beats discovering the world's mysteries with best friends. This world undergoes a major change and the point of this long story is to emphasize that at that moment of change, it's important to catch the moment, realize what is just going to happen, come to temrs with it, yes, but also preserve what is of value in the outlook on the world we are about to lose forever. The bottom line is that with the perspective of dull, unimaginative life of an adult, we should try to preserve the appreciation for fantasy we used to have, the belief that everything can happen, that cheerful naivete of young days. The book ends with 'The Breathing Method', is a haunting old-fashioned tale in a tale. Elderly ladies and gentlemen meet regularly in a club, where each time a different life story is told. The main tale seems to have much in common with the classic occult story, "The Omen", and the determinacy of events. The point made is that some events are not to be changed, we can't escape our fate. 'The Breathing Method' is very old-style and those of you who are fond of XIX century mysteries, will appreciate it even more than I did, and I admit I felt completely captivated.
Rating:
Summary: Three great stories, one terrible.
Review: The first story (Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption) is excellent. The characters are believable, the situations are normal, yet extremely interesting. This could've been a full novel, since when I finished it, I wanted to know more about it. It's a very beautiful story about freedom, and how far a man will go to achieve it. The second story (Apt Pupil) is radically different from the first. This is a dark and disturbing, and (like the first one), very very good. I felt that in the beginning, the story moved way too fast. I would've liked to know about the concentration camps, to know more about how the conversations between the boy and the old man. But in the end, the story slowed down to the perfect pace, and the perfect ending. The third story(The body), although not as disturbing as the second, it's still somewhat dark in my opinion. I've seen the movie countless times, so I can't really judge it. I was bored throughout the story, because I knew all the details. But I think someone who hasn't seen the movie will enjoy this story just as much as the first two, if not more. Like most reviewers here, I disliked the fourth story. There's not enough background info on the characters, not enough build-up before you start caring about the woman in the Breathing Method. But what really ruined it was the ending. The supernatural element was ridiculously gratuitous, totally out of place, and unnecessary. It started off well, but since King didn't expose the 'weird' element until the very end, it seemed rushed and improvised, as if he re-read it and said "not enough blood and aliens", and decided to add them. *sigh* Oh, and I really liked how the second and the third stories referred to the first one. If the book maintained only the first three stories, then it would definitely earn five stars. But the title would've been seriously compromised.
Rating:
Summary: Great!
Review: I really enjoyed this collection, my favorites being Apt Pupil and The Body, because they had the biggest impact on me. Shawshank and the Breathing Method were still good, though, they just didnt reach me like the other two did. It's very worth the read, so read it!
Rating:
Summary: This is the best book written...ever.
Review: I cannot say anything to describe where Stephen King takes you in this book. I just have to say that the movies, "Shawshank Redemption," Stand By Me," and "Apt Pupil," are all in this book. Yes are we all amazed that these are good stories, and they are not scary, if you read this then you'll understand why Stephen King should be considered the best writer of the late 20th century. And like they say the book is always better than the movie. Read this, trust me.
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