Rating: 
Summary: Loved all of the stories
Review: All four of these stories were spectacular and made for a very exciting, and sometimes shocking, read. The best was of course "The Breathing Method." I must say that I have never read anything quite like that before but it totally blew me away. It was disgusting, but at the same time mesmerizing as that amazing story unfolded. I don't know why people are so down on "Apt Pupil." I think it's because it was a good story but maybe it was the way the story was told. You gotta love "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" because it was made into a such a wonderful movie and it and the story were practically twins. You couldn't help but enjoy it. "The Body" was a very cute story of four boys off on an adventure with some frightening mishaps on the way. I love how King makes such wonderful transitions in whose point of the view the story will be told from.All great stories, exciting read.
Rating: 
Summary: A book for all seasons of the year
Review: Different Seasons was the first Stephen King book I have ever read. I chose to read it after watching the movie "The Shawshank Redemption", which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was interested in reading the story on which the movie is based, so I soon found that "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption" was one of King's novellas in Different Seasons. One of the ways I determine whether or not I like a book is if I become involved in the story; not as a reader, but as a character. If I can envision the actual events and feel that I am watching the story unfold, then the story is worthwhile and a pleasure to read. I felt this way while I was reading Different Seasons. The first of the four novellas, "Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption", was interesting to read. It was somewhat unfortunate that I had seen the movie beforehand because I found myself making many comparisons and contrasts. Nevertheless, I came to enjoy the story of Andy, Red, and prison life in Shawshank. The story "Apt Pupil" was the basis for a recent movie of the same title in 1998. I have not seen the movie -- yet. I found this story to be the most captivating of the four; it left my eyes riveted to the page and I almost finished it in one sitting. The story of a young boy who becomes obsessed with a Nazi was well-written and intriguing how King built up to the final climax. By far, "Apt Pupil" was the best story in the book. Next comes the story "The Body", which served as the basis for the eighties movie "Stand By Me" (I have not seen this movie either). The story of boys on a quest to find the dead body of another teenage boy was quite interesting, but seemed to drag on and became boring at some places in the middle of the story. I expected, based upon the other stories in the book, to be met with a climax in the end, but was disappointed. If you enjoy reading stories about life and the pros and cons of growing up, then "The Body" is a good read. If you expect a climax or unending suspense like myself, then this story does not make the cut. Lastly, there is "The Breathing Method", the story of a young pregnant woman who learns the Lamaze breathing method from her doctor. This is a story within a story, however, since the story is told to members of an obscure club to which the narrator belongs. This story did not disappoint me, however, since "The Breathing Method" ended with an awe-inspiring climax that was well-written by King. Although it was the shortest story of the four, it is still a good novella. By the way, "The Breathing Method" is the only story of the four that has not been made into a movie -- yet. To conclude, I enjoyed Different Seasons and recommend it to anyone who is willing to let his/her imagination wander into the realm of fiction. If you dislike King's horror stories, I recommend this book as an alternative to his more gruesome books, since there is only a little bit of horror to spur the mind. Overall, these four novellas are worthwhile reading for all seasons of the year. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: It's About Hope
Review: I've always thought Stephen King is an excellent horror novels writer but "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption" changed my mind. I have not read the other 3 stories in the book yet but I am really impressed and inspired by "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption". It's not just another story about prison life or prison escape. It's all about hope. The beauty of the story is that it unwraps little by little and when you get the whole picture, you can't help but applaud and feel tingly all over. I saw the move immediately after reading the story. While Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman did a wonderful job in the movie, there's nothing like reading the novel itself.
Rating:
Summary: Seasons
Review: "Redemption" is the best and "Pupil" is dark, and good too. The Body is OK. I liked the characters and club who told the last story, "Breathing Method" but the story itself was just an average short story.
Rating:
Summary: King is NOT just a horror-writer.
Review: Don't think of King as just a horror-writer but just a superb story-writer. I loved each and every one of the stories in this book. The Body is best, but the other 3 are almost as good. What more can I say?
Rating:
Summary: Different Style, Same Result
Review: Stephen King makes a different crack at the horror genre in Different Seasons, a collection of 4 novellas, in which a general theme of journey and growth seems to be present...but the journey and the growth can take us to some scary places. Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption is wonderful story of a wrongly convicted man being forced to serve a life term in a maximum security prison, slowly working his escape into the plot. Secondly, Apt Pupil has to take the cake for the best story in the book. I have heard many people compare the movie and the book to each other, but I personally feel it is apples and oranges. A young boy discovers a Nazi war criminal and blackmails him in to telling him the secrets of the death camps he oversaw during the war. The impact on the boy's soul and mental being is so powerful, you hold the book after you have read the last words and go...Oh My God. The Body is a coming of age story in which three boys embark on a journey to find the corpse of a fourth boy. This story became a rather popular movie, Stand by Me. Lastly, the book about a mother's will to let her child survive is a little weak. The book stends to be rather wordy for the first half, and they from out of nowhere goes to the extreme weird. Not quite the effect I as hoping for. Overall however, this book is another one of King's classics, and I would highly recommend it to the die hard Stephen King fan, to the beginning King newbie. Well worth your read.
Rating:
Summary: Apt Title!
Review: These four stories are indeed "Different Seasons" for King; there is virtually nothing supernatural happening here (except for a slight touch in "The Breathing Method"). These four excellent novellas are proof positive that King is a terrific writer whatever genre he's working in; horror may be his forte, but it is by no means the extent of his range. Having said that, while these are not horror stories, there is nevertheless that unmistakable King atmosphere to each of them: a trifle creepy, unsettling, and even frightening. Yet these are not "horror stories" in the traditional sense. They are stories about life (and death); each of them (though this is a bit of a stretch in the case of "The Breathing Method") has a feeling that the events told here could actually have happened.
Rating:
Summary: 3 good stories, 1 horrible one
Review: I am not a great fan of Stephen King. I tend to find his later books a little vulgur and depressing for my liking. However, I completely love Different Seasons! The Body and Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption are incredible. They are interesting and they keep your interest without being shocking or out there. I found them to be two of the best stories I have ever read. I also liked Apt Pupil. However, do not read The Breathing Method! It is heinous! Not only is it boring for half the story, it them turns completely ridicules. Besides that story, this is a tremendous book, I would recommend it to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Two Good, Two Not So Good
Review: "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption"--excellent LONG short story. "Apt Pupil"--disgusting and disturbing, about a boy who becomes fascinated with Nazism. "The Body"--my favorite Stephen King novel ever; not a horror story, but a childhood drama; well told, at times almost poetic; King captures youth well. "The Breathing Method"--bizzare, eary, but quickly forgotten
Rating:
Summary: Two great novellas, one good one, and one and one mediocre.
Review: Great: Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption Great: The Body Good: Apt Pupil Mediocre: The Breathing Method
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