Jesen izgubljene nevinosti

Terminada esta maravillosa antología.

Mi relato preferido fue El Cuerpo. Es una historia que te transporta a esa época de la niñez que tanto vamos olvidando con el paso de los años.

Cuando leo este relato, puedo recordar mis propios recuerdos de la infancia, aquellos momentos felices y también aquellos momentos un poco tristes.

Y el relato de El Método de Respiración, aunque no tiene ese factor nostálgico que tiene el anterior relato, no deja de ser interesante e inquietante.

Me gustó el hecho de que se dejaron cosas en el aire. Esto me da la impresión de que este relato tiene algún tipo de relación con LTO.

Quizás es una relación oculta que solo se puede descubrir con una lectura más profunda.

En resumidas cuentas, este es un excelente libro.

Me ha dado muchas horas de lectura y reflexión, y espero que otros lectores puedan disfrutarlo tanto como yo.

Nunca me decepcionan estas histórias. Siempre encuentro algo fascinante en ellas. Aunque no hay un final feliz, me enseñan lo agridulce o amarga que puede ser la vida. Es como si me estuvieran mostrando una parte real y desnuda de nuestro mundo.

Me gusta especialmente como Stephen cuenta la realidad de las cosas. No intenta ocultar los aspectos difíciles o desagradables. Sino que los presenta de manera honesta y cruda, lo que hace que la historia sea aún más impactante. A través de sus palabras, puedo sentir la emoción, el dolor y la alegría de los personajes.

Además, estas historias me hacen reflexionar sobre mi propia vida. Me hacen pensar en cómo a veces buscamos un final feliz, pero a menudo la realidad es más compleja. Aprendo que la vida no es solo una sucesión de momentos felices, sino que también tiene sus momentos difíciles y amargos. Y es en esos momentos que realmente crecemos y nos convertimos en mejores personas.

The Autumn of Innocence: The Body

I often had the feeling that this story was being stretched too much based on a premise that wasn't substantial enough. It was as if King had come up with a specific phrase or a one-line plot and wanted to turn it into a story. And in doing so, he realized it was only enough for 15 pages, so he decided to lengthen it. That is, to stretch it.
It's not bad, but I insist, it wasn't worth that much. It could have ended 30 pages earlier.
Moreover, what were those pauses for the protagonist's stories? What did they contribute to the plot? Completely filler.

Winter Tale: The Breathing Method

The Breathing Method left me stunned. I didn't understand where the story was going until it was well advanced, but that didn't prevent me from enjoying it.
I loved the part about the accident. I really felt like I was at the scene. And the fact that the body continued with the method even after being decapitated was a VERY good detail. At least I wasn't expecting it.


I really liked this part of the four seasons... However, it's "Summer and Spring" that have won my heart. Just because of that and the comparison, I give it 4 stars instead of 5.

This is actually a collection that is difficult to quantify, for one doesn't necessarily have to read the others to enjoy each individual story. The links between them are tenuous, although it can be inferred that they take place in the same world. However, the most important thing is that these stories are united by a reason for reflecting on the past times.

In "The Body", once again we have a narrator who tells the story, written by Gordon, one of the four main boys. He writes it long after having grown up thanks to his experiences that summer, when he and his friends went to see the corpse of a boy their age who had disappeared near the train tracks. Unlike Red in the story of Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption, Gordon has become an author in his adult life, so the writing here is much more refined to reflect that fact. Interspersed throughout the narrative are even examples of Gordon's writing, which gives a nice touch, especially in a story included as a much more amateur piece from when he was just starting out.

Although set in the middle of the last century and describing experiences and behaviors among friends that may be different from those we perhaps experience in our own lives, this story tugs at the strings of our hearts in an almost hypnotic way. King is really good at capturing a nostalgic atmosphere, where perhaps one cannot directly relate to the events, but can nevertheless relate to the feelings it evokes. Although rough and mischievous, these boys are some of the most likable and organic characters that the author's mind has created. At first we might worry about remembering their names correctly. But then, we can't imagine confusing any of them.

Reading this story is similar to traveling back in time, when as children all one wants to do is spend time with friends. Going out of the house early in the morning and not coming back until it gets dark. It is a beautiful story and, yet, also quite tragic. Each of the boys comes from homes or environments that do not fully support them and can only find true friendship and support among themselves. In particular, the friendship between Gordon and Chris is moving, Chris is a great character, wise beyond his years and really cares about Gordon. This is a great look at those years when you "grow up" and give up your innocence, symbolized by a corpse in the forest.

"The Breathing Method" is the shortest story in the collection, but it is also the one that offers the most surprises: we might think at the beginning that we have no idea what it is about. It is a framed narrative, with an external story of a strange club in the city of New York where the members often share stories among themselves. And with an internal story told by one of the members of the club during the Christmas season, about a patient named Sandra whom he treated once, many years ago.

This story is also the one that comes closest to the supernatural type of narrative. The direction things are going is telegraphed quite early in the story, but it is to be applauded how impactful the turn towards the unnatural is. We are completely drawn in for a moment by the human tragedy, and then feel nervous but also relieved by the sudden change in the plot. It is an unusual mix of feelings that stirs within us as readers, and that does not go unnoticed.

Here there is not really much plot, but rather everything resides in the atmosphere. It has a fascinating narrative voice, interrogative and curious. The story within a story is maintained brilliantly well: there is something peculiar when a first-person narrator gives way to another with just a chapter jump between them, and they have something of the same voice, a simplicity in their speech that makes us wonder if King isn't playing with this as a concept to make us uneasy, to make us question the narrator, and the stories that both tell are so strange that we can't help but fall in love with them. The final moments of both stories are disconcerting, for they are facts mixed with fiction, unspoken truths, in which neither the narrator nor we as readers are sure what to believe.

Perhaps the best way to define these stories is that they are timeless. They speak the universal language of human nature with which anyone can relate across many generations. Stories about hope, determination, friendship, love, ambition, truth and lies.

Full review without spoilers on my YouTube channel ➡ Maponto Lee

There are two stories. In the real one ("Autumn of Lost Innocence - Truplo"), I recognized Kinga because he wrote beautifully about friendship just as in the book "That". The second story ("Winter Story - The Breathing Method"), although listed as a horror story, its real part King again tells very beautifully, while the "scary" part I wouldn't characterize like that. I wasn't scared, but rather surprised.

These are short stories, but King manages to build an atmosphere. We can connect with the characters because they are not two-dimensional. The stories have their beginning, middle, and end. There is nothing to complain about. With these stories, I have confirmed to myself that I am "on the same wavelength" as King when it comes to the real part and I look forward to the next encounter.

"The most important things are the hardest to say. These are the things we are ashamed of because words diminish them - when we speak them, the things that seemed limitless when they were in our heads, are compressed to an ordinary, life size."

"I think words destroy love - that a writer really shouldn't say, but still I think it's true."

"You don't always have to hear a slam to know that a door has closed behind you."

"There is no comfort without pain; thus salvation is defined by suffering."

Spoiler-free recenzija:

**AUTUMN FRIENDSHIP AND MAGICAL WINTER**

After the review of the first two stories from the collection “Seasons”, the remaining two are up next.

**AUTUMN OF LOST INNOCENCE - THE BODY**

The third story in this collection centers around a group of children who accidentally discover the location of their missing friend's body and decide to embark on an adventure to find it. My opinion of this story is divided. On one hand, the story is interesting due to its plot, but on the other hand, it is very ordinary. Essentially, it is an adventure that, given the protagonists' ages and life experiences, seems like the adventure of a lifetime, but in reality, there is a deeper message about human relationships, friendship, and growing up. King skillfully hints at the main problem of the individual in the eyes of society several times, especially through the relationship between Gordon and Chris, and the quote at the beginning summarizes it excellently: “The most important things are the hardest to say. They are the things you get ashamed of, because words diminish them - words shrink things that seemed limitless when they were in your head to no more than living size when they're brought out. But it's more than that, isn't it? The most important things lie too close to wherever your secret heart is buried; like landmarks to a treasure your enemies would love to steal away. And you may make revelations that cost you dearly only to have people look at you in a funny way, not understanding what you've said at all, or why you thought it was so important that you almost cried while you were saying it. That's the worst, I think. When the secret stays locked within not for want of a teller but for want of an understanding ear.”

Another interesting segment of this story is the repeated use of the element of the writer/narrator. The main character, Gordon, is a writer who tells the whole story from a time distance, which seems to be King's favorite writing style. In this story, there is a new element as King often talks about writing as a profession, the motivation for creating books, and so on. Gordon shows a great talent for storytelling and writing stories even as a child, so it is very likely that certain parts of the story have an autobiographical stamp. “Today writing is my job and the joy has gone out of it a little. Every time I break myself a little more, and more than that would be like becoming the Pope.” “Everyone thinks it's great to have an imagination like mine. And mostly they're right, but every now and then the imagination turns around and bites me. You see things you'd rather not see, things that keep you awake until dawn.”

However, in the end, this story impressed me the least in the collection. It is the slowest, and although it has a nice atmosphere, I can't give it the highest score. **RATING: 4/5**

The film adaptation is faithful to the original with minimal changes. In fact, I think the friendship between Gordon and Chris is emphasized more in this version, and it is definitely worth watching. I like the way they presented the competition in one pit, which is surprisingly visual.

**WINTER STORY - THE BREATHING METHOD**

The shortest of all the stories, spanning about sixty pages, but nevertheless, it impressed me so much that I read it in one go. King uses the method of a story within a story, and yet I have the impression that the “outer” story remained rather open and hazy (maybe we will get a continuation of the story sometime?). The “inner” story has a very strong message about prejudices and hypocrisy in people, how insignificant things like a ring can completely change people's opinion of a person in society from a slut and a pariah to a respected lady. In this way, he sends a strong message about how shallow society is and how it is capable of forming an opinion and judging someone based on one thing.

The criticism of society is combined with a strong character of a struggling woman, her goals, thoughts, and desires, and a doctor who introduces her to the Lamaze breathing method. The wonderful story of a woman's perseverance and the condemnation of the surroundings ends in an incredible style, recognizable for King. The only story in the collection that has not been filmed, I believe that certain scenes would be too much for the average viewer, so maybe it's better if everything stays on paper. **RATING: 5/5**

SELECTED QUOTE: “People who think we've entered an age of medical enlightenment with the turn of the twentieth century have no idea how crazy medicine can be sometimes.”

**CONCLUSION**
If I compare “The Dark Half” with this collection, it can definitely be said that both are excellent. However, I give a slight advantage to this one, but again I repeat that each story has a different message and theme, so I believe that everyone will have their favorites. As far as reading King is concerned, it's time after eight stories that have (or have very few) supernatural and horror elements to soon (after summer) delve into the recognizable King style. If anyone has a recommendation, feel free to leave it in the comments.

This book consists of 2 stories:

-The Cadaver: The 5 stars are particularly for this story. It made me happy and depressed in equal measure. How beautiful and how sad. When I finished it, I had a crazy urge to watch the movie (and yes, I did). It is a story that will always stay with me and will always make me smile and cry.

-The Breathing Method: In fact, I read this book because of this story. For the context: every December I read a Christmas book that is either horror or at least mystery. I read that the winter story took place at Christmas, so I took it. And yes, it does occur at Christmas. I know that probably the point of this story is to be between emotional/lovely and horrible... but my mind only finds it disturbing. But, do you know what is really disturbing? The club they go to for the stories. What the hell was that ending???? That was like a whole King novel and was creepy on its own. To hell with the breathing cadavers, the club is the real horror story.

Finally, I was able to read "The Body" after having seen the movie years ago. As I was reading it, I couldn't help but have the song "Stand by Me" pop up in my mind xD. Out of the two stories, this one was the one I liked the most.

The breathing method reminded me of my rotation in otorhinolaryngology, working day and night. And only Stephen King could give that touch to that place hahahahaha. When he describes it with ladies screaming and crying, it's not too far from reality. Yes, just like that, some even seem possessed xD. The ironic thing is that the most fantastic part is not that ending, but the fact of a pregnant woman following medical instructions jajaja.

It hasn't been bad.

Although the rating I gave has been greatly influenced by the first story. I must clarify that it's not because I didn't like it. In fact, I did like it. The thing is, a long time ago I saw a movie that was based on that story and since it was quite faithful, I already knew what was going to happen and in the end I didn't enjoy it as much. But that doesn't mean I didn't like it because I did like getting to know the same story but directly from the hand of Stephen King, who is wonderful.

The one that I really liked was the second story and I must confess that at the end of this one it really gave me a very creepy feeling. Without a doubt, of the two stories that the book contains, I prefer this last one. Besides, there are parts about pregnancy that I found interesting.

Both stories are excellent.

The first one left me with an immense sense of nostalgia. It took me back to those precious memories that I had almost forgotten. The details and the emotions described in it were so vivid that I could feel as if I was experiencing those moments again.

The second story, on the other hand, I'm sure will give me nightmares. The atmosphere it created was so eerie and the plot was so disturbing. It made my heart race and my mind filled with恐惧.

However, despite their differences, both stories are completely worth reading. They have their own unique charm and power to attract the readers. Whether it's the nostalgia of the first story or the horror of the second one, they both manage to leave a lasting impression on the readers' minds.

I would highly recommend both of these stories to anyone who loves good literature.

No he vuelto a tener amigos como aquellos que tenía a los doce años, de veras. ¿Y tú?

After the excitement and the care with the passage through the prison of Shawshank, and the downward climb until the madness of that exemplary student, Stephen King takes us to the other half of the journey, to the culmination of the human gaze of childhood and, for its part, to the possibility of finding in any corner mysterious and macabre places, full of mystery and surprises.

Here I was, in front of the main reason why I looked for this book and that was causing me a little fear, because of the very high esteem I have for the film adaptation and the feeling it leaves you in each moment, with a completely different perspective but full of affection. And there it was, The Body, like a review of an old story of a writer who forged such a special, innocent and adventurous bond as can only be forged in childhood, when the world is a mystery and you arm it to your liking, when the imagination is an open and endless sea and each corner is transformed, where advancing to the other side of the city far from everything is a journey worthy of being remembered many years later.

The sensations that the story was generating in me while I was turning the pages were so diverse that it was surprising, the ease with which it placed us in a very old and easy to understand environment is abysmal. From one moment to the next you are in the sixties, in a small town where the rules of now did not yet apply, where being a child was to live in a completely different way, the ability to wonder and look for adventures was everything, as well as the doubts and connections that are forged from the innermost part of our being. There, in the middle of that childhood that sometimes seems mundane but in retrospect is so valuable, is where King reminds us that there are things that are worth keeping and wanting, that some bonds are forged without us realizing it and mark us, change us, while others simply come undone little by little. It is the way of growing that occurs while you are living it, and that returns every time you sit for a minute to look without worries, thinking about life "when everything was simpler".

With very different but extremely adorable characters, a story of a simple path in the middle of a sometimes quiet and sometimes violent city, where the father figure is almost absent due to loss, drink or inexperience, four children embark on a journey that changes their lives, which at first seems fun but that as it progresses becomes dangerous, complex and full of nuances. Reading is immersing yourself in their journey, putting on children's shoes and launching with them into that lagoon without knowing the black things that were in it, is living the fear because of the story of a fierce beast or enjoying the stories of that friend who likes to invent them, is leaving for a moment the hustle and bustle of daily life and walking along the train tracks while the sun hits the chest uncovered. A simply fascinating story, completely recommended, that together with the film form an exceptional set where one exalts the other in the same way.

And then King changes the focus to a completely different story, from the point of view of an old man in a gentlemen's club, in a corner of New York where tranquility joins with stories, and that little by little stands out for its differences with the rest of the places, of characters and of elements inside. Every so often those gentlemen get together to listen to how one of them tells a story, of different types, eras and lengths, where what matters is the story and not who tells it. And the strangeness of the place is maintained, covered by the uncertainty and the pleasure of being there, until it is time for a new story and someone offers to tell it: the story of The Breathing Method.

It is the story within another story, the experience of a doctor with the arrival at his office of a pregnant and single lady, a combination almost lethal in those years, who without lowering her head wants help and to continue the pregnancy without worries. Things happen, recommendations are shared, life goes on and the endings come.

My problem arises with the structure of this last story - which is the reason why it drops from 5 to 4 stars - and it is that it relies too much on a climax to justify itself. It covers it with a layer of mystery, it is true, but this does not have enough weight to generate the necessary tension, so at the end it feels incomplete. The events occur and do not leave you indifferent, and in fact I spent the last pages without even being able to blink because I was so immersed in them, but I cannot help but think that that happened after moments that I was following with not so much interest, waiting for something to happen and without so much concern for who was who, where they were or why. At the end the feeling is more good than bad, but that it does not do justice to the wonder that came before, and that imbalance is what leaves me with a bittersweet taste at the end.

I recommend, however, the complete collection (the two volumes in Spanish that originally is one with the four stories), because each one has interesting, eye-catching elements, that make you appreciate an aspect of Stephen King that seems a little hidden, but that does not stop being interesting, because the way of giving humanity to his situations and characters is undoubtedly something worth reading. I am happy to have passed through these stations, with a lot of desire to review his adaptations and remember the different moments and sensations that he left me.