Rating: 
Summary: Masterful
Review: This work gets 5 stars simply for having two of King's greatest works in it. The Body and Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption are both simply incredible, the latter of the two marginally better than the former. With this work King showed he was more than a mere horror writer, he proved he was a storyteller, who when 'on'is nearly untouchable. No vamppires, no werewolves, no psycho killers, simply incredible human stories.
Rating: 
Summary: Correction - incorrect author/title match
Review: In your editorial review of the Stephen King oeuvre, you mistakenly call "Breathing Method" (by King, I presume), "Breathing Lessons", which is a novel by Ann Tyler.
Rating: 
Summary: Not As Good As I'd Expected, But A Couple Goodies
Review: I can't really rate this book as a whole, so I'm going to disect each individual novella. Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption: This was the best piece in the book; if you loved to movie, you will also love the book. It is the tale of a banker who encounters a whole lot of bad luck and is convicted of murdering his wife. The tale recounts his time in prison up to an ingenious escape. It is recounted through the eyes of his prison friend, Red. Well written and moving. (5 stars) Apt Pupil: I was expecting to love this one, but alas I did not. It was dull and uncompelling. The premise itself was excellent--a boy who discovers a Nazi war criminal in his neighborhood and threatens to turn him in if he does not satisfy the boy's morbid curiosity. Unfrotunately, the story as King wrote it fell flat. (1.5 stars) The Body: I couldn't even finish this one. I gave up halfway through with one question on my mind: Who cares? There was nothing to pull me into the story at all. The Breathing Method: This was an enjoyable little piece that is actually two stories in one. The wrap-around story is about a "club that's not a club" where old men gather and tell stories. Inside the meeting place of the club are many brand names not to be found in the outside world, and books by authors and publishers no one on the outside world has heard of. The story within this story is that of the Breathing Method. This is told by a doctor among the group who reaccounts a story about a woman he once attended to that went to great lengths to deliver her baby. I won't spoil the surprise. (4 stars)
Rating:
Summary: Pretty good, but a little boring
Review: First, I would like to tell you this is not a horror book, so if you want horror, don't buy this collection of novellas. This book had 3 Great stories, and 1 boring, OK one. Rite Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption is my favorite Stephen King Novella. I love Prison Stories, because anything can happen. And that is just what happens in this one. It is a story of hope, and patience, and getting what is yours. Apt Pupil is a great, dark, chilling story of a teenager that becomes obsessed with a war criminal nazi. He starts to become crazy, after the Nazi traps him in a disturbing mind game. It is great if you are interested WW2 and Hitler. The Body Happens to be that one boring one. This is also one of the only books that I can think of where the movie is better than the book. The movie is called Stand By Me. In the book, it just drags on and on, although the characters are so believeble, 12 year old boys, I am 12, so i would know. It was a total waste, and if it wasn't so boring, it would have been a classic. The Breathing Method is the shortest one in the collection, but the most original. It took you where you didn't expect, and left you wondering. They are all pretty good, if you average them out, but not too good.
Rating: 
Summary: Different Seasons -- 4 short stories
Review: Stephen King is the master of writing characters the reader can relate to and see within himself/herself. He has provided that experience again with this collection of short stories. "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" brings us the story of a man convicted of killing his wife and her lover. The narrator, nicknamed "Red", is a fellow inmate who gets to know this man over the many years they are imprisoned. In typical King style, the story takes place well before prisoners' rights movements, and the environment is abusive at best. This story provides a look into both the ugly and beautiful sides of human nature, and enraptures the reader with the strength and hope of its characters. "Apt Pupil" also provides a study in human nature, and unlike the previous story, it is deeply disturbing. A teenage boy discovers that an elderly man living in his neighborhood is a wanted criminal who worked in Nazi deathcamps. The boy blackmails the old man into giving him a sort of history lesson: firsthand accounts of the torture and killings. The story is most disturbing because it describes aspects of human nature we have all experienced, and shows us what could happen if we don't keep ourselves in check. "The Body" is a wonderful coming-of-age story about four boys and their last summer together before high school. They have heard rumors that another boy they know, who has been missing, is dead. They strike out to find his body and become heroes, and end up finding themselves and becoming men. This story is warm and real, and leaves the reader feeling both nostalgic and hopeful about the future. "The Breathing Method" was the only disappointment in this collection. (Especially disappointing following the three amazing stories before it.) A secretive men's club sits around telling stories to entertain themselves. A doctor offers this tale to supposedly frighten the others, but it is far from fear-inducing. I found myself not caring about the characters at all, and impatiently waiting for the story to get better. It didn't. All in all, a terrific book. The first three stories are must-reads. But skip the last one.
Rating:
Summary: A somewhat different Stephen King
Review: Two of the four stories in "Different Seasons" ended up as the movies "Stand By Me" and "The Shawshank Redemption," perhaps the two best movies ever made from King's written work. That should serve as notice just how good this collection is. These are not horror stories, but instead highly effective charachter studies and well told in their own right. "Different Seasons" shows what kind of writer King might have been had not horror been his first love. This is one of his best books.
Rating:
Summary: 2 great stories, 1 forgettable story and 1 bad story
Review: I'm not a big reader of horror stories, so my reaction to this book will be different than rabid King fans. I was told what a great writer King could be and how he could develop characters and tell a story. For the most part, those reports were true. This book is four "short" stories: "The Body" is a great coming of age story, about 4 boys on their last fling before adolesence. It was made into the movie "Stand By Me". "The Apt Pupil" is an excellent, but disturbing exploration of two evil minds. One is the student, whose mind is developing with the help of the master. The other is the master, who has repressed the evil for years but has it brought out again by the student. I haven't seen the movie, but I bet Hollywood softened the ending. I honestly can't remember much about the "Rita Hayworth". It was the trials and tribulations of an innocent man going to prison, but it didn't have enough impact to leave a lasting impression. The last story is just a quick horror story with cardboard characters. Members of a mens club try to impress each other with stories. A doctor tells in vivid, gory detail of a single woman who wants to have a baby so bad, she delivers after head is cut off in an accident. The whole thing has a silly ending where the club folds up and flies away. "The Apt Pupil" and "The Body" would make me want to read more King novels. It wouldn't matter that are horror stories, as long as they have the rich, entertaining storylines and well developed characters. If King's horror stories are more along the lines of the one horror story in this book, than I wouldn't be interested in another King novel.
Rating: 
Summary: Inferior Really really long collection of short stories
Review: I felt that this is one of the lesser King efforts. Everyone likes the Shawshank Redemption but it infuriates me due to the writing flaw of too much coincidence and luck. Frequently King wraps things up too neatly, his characters SUDDENLY know exactly what to do as if a lightbulb goes off or something. These stories are really long, which is not a flaw in itself, but they just aren't interesting or exciting in any way. Its a weak effort at best, and one should read Night Shift or Skeleton Crew instead.
Rating:
Summary: It is the tale, not he who tells it
Review: After reading several of King's books I decided to see if he was equally adept at the short story format. Now I know that he is a better short story writer than a novelist. All but one of the stories in this collection are breathtaking: great characters, interesting dialogue, fascinating plots and stunning endings. The only one I was dissapointed with is the longest tale Apt Pupil. To me, it was too easy to see the outcome and it was not properly resolved to my liking. However, the other 3 are definitly good enough for me to recommend this title. Happy reading.
Rating:
Summary: rita hayworth and the shawshank redemption
Review: could you imagine how that dude actually felt!Being led into prison like that!How terrifying. WOW!
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