Carrie by Stephen King @StephenKing @VintageAnchor @AudiobookMel

Posted October 11, 2024 by Melanie in Book Review / 3 Comments

Carrie by Stephen King @StephenKing @VintageAnchor @AudiobookMelCarrie by Stephen King
Published by Doubleday on June 24, 2008
Genres: Horror
Pages: 322
Format: eBook
Source: Library
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One StarOne StarOne StarOne StarHalf a Star

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION WITH A NEW INTRODUCTION BY MARGARET ATWOOD • Stephen King's legendary debut, the bestselling smash hit that put him on the map as one of America's favorite writers • In a world where bullies rule, one girl holds a secret power. Unpopular and tormented, Carrie White's life takes a terrifying turn when her hidden abilities become a weapon of horror.

"Stephen King’s first novel changed the trajectory of horror fiction forever. Fifty years later, authors say it’s still challenging and guiding the genre." —Esquire

“A master storyteller.” —The Los Angeles Times • “Guaranteed to chill you.” —The New York Times • "Gory and horrifying. . . . You can't put it down." —Chicago Tribune

Unpopular at school and subjected to her mother's religious fanaticism at home, Carrie White does not have it easy. But while she may be picked on by her classmates, she has a gift she's kept secret since she was a little girl: she can move things with her mind. Doors lock. Candles fall. Her ability has been both a power and a problem. And when she finds herself the recipient of a sudden act of kindness, Carrie feels like she's finally been given a chance to be normal. She hopes that the nightmare of her classmates' vicious taunts is over . . . but an unexpected and cruel prank turns her gift into a weapon of horror so destructive that the town may never recover.


I’m a fan of Stephen King. I have been since I read Misery in 7th grade. I wasn’t as avid of a reader then. So I didn’t actually read a lot of his books, but I watched a lot of the movies. While I had seen the original version of Carrie (I’ve never watched the 2013 remake). The edition I picked up from the library was the 50th anniversary edition. It had a bit of the history at the very beginning, including how he threw it away, only for his wife to pull it out of the trash and read it. While King was originally writing a story for a men’s magazine, and the story of a high school girl getting her first period, isn’t the right story for a men’s magazine, it was a great story.

I was actually surprised at how much the original movie stayed true to the original story. So often they are so different (The Shining, The Stand, IT and Misery are all way more detailed than the movies). Carrie, while does have some more details, the overall plot is very similar. Of course I’m saying this without having seen the movie in several years. The ending was different. I don’t know that I liked one better than the other, they were just different.

Overall, I had a great time revisiting this story in a new-to-me format. I will say that this story, being King’s first story, isn’t as wordy as most of King’s works. It’s only 272 pages compared to his average of 400-500 pages.

About Stephen King

Stephen King was born in Portland, Maine in 1947, the second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. He made his first professional short story sale in 1967 to Startling Mystery Stories. In the fall of 1971, he began teaching high school English classes at Hampden Academy, the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on novels. In the spring of 1973, Doubleday & Co., accepted the novel Carrie for publication, providing him the means to leave teaching and write full-time. He has since published over 50 books and has become one of the world’s most successful writers. King is the recipient of the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to the American Letters and the 2014 National Medal of Arts.

Stephen lives in Maine and Florida with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. They are regular contributors to a number of charities including many libraries and have been honored locally for their philanthropic activities.

Melanie
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Posted October 11, 2024 by Melanie in Book Review / 3 Comments


3 responses to “Carrie by Stephen King

  1. Melanie B

    I’ve never read the book but have considered it since I love the movie. But skip the remake; the original is so much better.

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