To begin, I want to share a brief story about my introduction to Stephen King. I was quite late in discovering the King. I won't burden you with the typical account of my first read. Suffice it to say, I read The Stand and wasn't an immediate fan, to put it mildly. For some reason, after numerous recommendations, I started The Dark Tower series, and I wasn't overly impressed with the first book, The Gunslinger. I didn't dislike it, but it wasn't what everyone had made it out to be.

O for 2.

And yet, for some strange reason that I still don't fully understand, I persevered and read the second book in The Dark Tower, The Drawing of the Three. I've been known to fall for authors before, and perhaps it was all the previous disappointment, but I really fell hard for that book.

Instant fan here...erm...after three books.

Thereafter, my collection of King books has been steadily growing, starting with The Dark Tower series (of course) and branching out to others (I think I'm at around 25 or so). I've even read a couple more since, I guess that's what you're supposed to do with books, at least someone told me that once. Every single one has been great, and that also explains my current read (rereading the one I initially hated and enjoying it more than most other books).

So we're discussing Carrie here, right? Right. Carrie, King's first published book. I must say, this is a rather impressive book. Published when he was 26, I suppose some people are simply born to do certain things, and King was born to write. This also makes me feel as if I've wasted my life.

First of all, this audiobook was read by Sissy Spacek. If you've been living under a rock, she's the one who played Carrie in the classic film based on this book. She's a great actress, although I haven't seen this film, and she's perfect for the reading of this book.

On that note, both this book and its movie are deeply ingrained in pop culture. Having never seen the movie or read the book until now, I still thought I knew everything about it. And who doesn't know about that infamous prom scene? Just the people in that Geico commercial, as mentioned above.

I was certain that this prior knowledge would spoil the book for me, but it turns out that wasn't a problem. The way the book is structured, you already know about that scene almost right from the start. Each chapter begins with a snippet of a news story or biography that details the events at the high school and Carrie. This scene actually occurs much earlier in the book than I expected, and the rest of the book focuses on the aftermath.

I had a difficult time with this book, though, and I think there are a couple of reasons for that. One reason is that I don't think the setup really worked for me. There wasn't much substance to this book; it was just the same events told in different ways, and even though the book is only around 200 pages, it still felt long.

The main reason this book was challenging for me, however, was that I was predominantly listening to it while helping my twin daughters go to sleep. Bad call if there ever was one.

High school is just a terrible place, or it can be. It's one of the worst times in many people's lives, and it's magnified in and through Carrie. She's the worst type of tortured teenager, and all I could think was that I never wanted my daughters to grow up and experience it. Through the insecurities, the immaturity, and the downright meanness of those who often have the most insecurities.

Even through these agonizing moments, I was able to see King's genius. At the end of the book, it really did seem like this was a real historical event. It was well-documented, and the T.K. gene seemed almost plausible. The characters were also just as real as any of King's other characters - which is as real as they come.

While the master is evident, I can't say I loved this book. It's a tough, sad read that just made me miserable. That in itself is a testament to King's ability, but I don't think I'll ever reread this, and I don't even have the desire to see either the new or old movie. I respect this book a great deal, but it was far too depressing for me.

3 out of 5 Stars (Recommended with Reservations)

(Jesús nuestro salvador manso y humilde) That was fine for mom, very appropriate for her. She didn't have to walk among wolves all year long, in the middle of a carnival of laughter, jokes, fingers pointing at you, and contemptuous smiles. And didn't mom say that one day the Final Judgment will come?

Hopefully it will be today, and Jesus will not come with a lamb and a shepherd's staff, but with a rock in each hand to crush the laughter and mockery, to uproot the evil and destroy it in the midst of the screams: a terrible Jesus loaded with blood and justice.

"Everyone hates and never stops doing it. They never get tired of it."

I remember that the first time I read this book as a teenager, after seeing the original cinematic version by Brian De Palma. And although I quite liked the novel, I was a bit bothered or confused by the way it was written, interspersing the story with police interrogations and newspaper reports, etc. But after rereading it, on the contrary, I think it works and gives it its distinctive touch. I really don't know if it was something intentional, I didn't investigate. Although most likely it was a resource to give more length to the work, perhaps due to the requirement of the publisher to meet a certain number of pages, but in the end, as I say, it works for me and I think it gives it a completely distinctive feature. In addition, it serves as air for events that are very charged with many incentives and are highly thrilling.

Moreover, beyond all the background it has regarding religion, the supernatural, harassment, a smothering, alienated and alienating mother, and so on... One of the strongest points, I think, are Carrie's thoughts, all the introspective part, as her thoughts are narrated and described.

It is a work that may be more or less liked, but it is undeniable that many authors would like to debut with a novel of this caliber and impact, and not many succeed.

Carrie, Stephen King's debut novel, truly left a profound impression on me!

The plot of this book is concise, lacking any unnecessary fluff. The pacing is excellent, keeping the reader engaged from start to finish. What's more, the characters are highly memorable.

Most people seem to have read Carrie, yet I didn't get around to it until this year. It's almost unbelievable that it took me so long, considering I've been a Stephen King fan for years. But as they say, better late than never!

Stephen King presents us with a flawed and broken character in Carrie, one who will surely be remembered for decades to come. There have been multiple movies made about her, which further attests to her impact. As I turned the pages, I could feel her pain and humiliation, and it really tugged at my heartstrings.

The suspense in the book is fantastic, and the action is nonstop. I also liked how the book is written in the present tense,描绘了Carrie日常所遭受的欺凌以及在地狱降临到Chamberlain之后其他人的视角。

Admittedly, there were a few moments in the book that felt a bit dated. But then again, it was written in 1974, so it's only natural. I don't judge books harshly based on today's standards when they were written 50 years ago.

I不禁 wonder if Carrie White would have had a different life if her mother wasn't so demented, evil, and nasty to her. I think Carrie would always have been special with her telekinesis ability, but perhaps with the right love in her life, it might not have become so dangerous.

Definitely give this one a read, even if you already know the plot!

I've seen the movie, but the book is much more disturbing, intense, and there are quite a few differences between the two.

Don’t let the brevity of this book fool you.

Carrie may be one of King’s less thick books but right from the scandalous opening scene to the very last page, it’s a relentlessly harrowing read. King masterfully pieces together Carrie's story through a series of reports and articles concerning a telekinetic catastrophe in Maine.

I knew how terrible the end would be before it even happened, so reading the book was an excruciating experience. The dread just kept building page after page. I could see what everything was leading to, I knew how easily avoidable it was, but there was nothing I could do except watch the dominoes fall one after the other.

And once the horror of it wore off, the tragedy of it sunk in. Carrie's life is a continuous nightmare. Whether at home, where she's oppressed by her religion-obsessed mother, or at school, where she's relentlessly bullied by her peers.

I was scared, not of Carrie but for Carrie. My heart went out to her. And in the end, when the finale played out, a tiny part of me may even have rooted for her.

Carrie won't give me nightmares, but it's left me emotionally drained and heartbroken - not something I expect from a genre like horror. Quite an impressive start to my foray into SK territory, I must say.

One of the best-known stories by Uncle Stevie, and perhaps one of the cruellest as well.

Carrie White has been brought up by a Christian fundamentalist single mother, as her father has passed away. She has endured the scars of such upbringing.

The influence of her mother is also the reason why Carrie has always been an outcast, harassed and bullied in school.

The events of this story commence when Carrie is 16. After a physical education class, she starts her first period. Her female classmates cruelly mock and even physically assault her until a teacher puts an end to it, albeit reluctantly at first and then firmly. However, the disciplinary measures against the classmates lead to yet more cruelty, at least from one of the girls (the entitled little slut), until things reach a boiling point at the prom.

But none of them considered what could occur if they pushed the dog one too many times.

The payoff of this story is simply delicious. And it is more than necessary considering what we have to witness until we reach that point. Personally, I couldn't care less about all the people dying. They all deserved it. Describing the rage I felt while reading about what Carrie had to endure is almost impossible. The least those people could do was to simply watch and let it happen if they didn't actively participate in the torture.

However, don't even get me started on Carrie's mother, because that psycho bitch deserved a far worse fate than she received. Goodness! It's not uncommon for me to feel this strongly about how shitty people can be, especially when reading a Stephen King story, but Carrie's mother takes the cake (yes, she's even worse than the wife in Pet Sematary)!

Wonderfully written (highly engaging, keeping you on the edge of your seat despite the reader knowing early on that calamity will strike) and only existing thanks to chance and SK's wife, this is one of his best stories in my opinion. Reading about Carrie's origin story in the foreword was really cool too.

Absolute recommendation!

“Jesus watches from the wall,
But his face is cold as stone,
And if he loves me
As she tells me
Why do I feel so all alone?”

I vividly remember watching the movie when I was extremely little. I was almost completely petrified by it. The terrifying image of a poor girl, drenched in pig blood and going on a violent killing spree, has haunted me ever since. And now, here I am today, reading it for the very first time. I am awfully distraught, yet at the same time, I am incredibly mesmerized by King's writing. It's no wonder he has achieved the status he has today. He is truly a genius! His words have the power to draw you in, make you feel a whole range of emotions, and leave you completely spellbound.

His ability to create such vivid and disturbing scenes is truly remarkable. It's as if he is able to reach into your soul and touch the deepest parts of your fears and desires.

Reading his work is like taking a journey into a world that is both familiar and yet completely foreign. It's a world that you can't help but be drawn into, no matter how scared you may be.

And that, my friends, is the mark of a true master of the written word.

Alright...

I finally made up my mind to go back to the very start of Stephen King's extensive catalogue. I am determined to read in chronological order everything that I either haven't read before or didn't fully appreciate because I had missed so much of the King-verse building along the way. I highly recommend this approach to any true King fan. In so many ways, his books build upon each other, with several recurrent characters and themes. I'm now convinced that many of his books simply cannot be enjoyed to their fullest if you pick them up randomly off the shelf. I'm currently on Cujo, and my much-anticipated leap into the Dark Tower series is just a few days away.

I was introduced to King about 6 years ago (aside from the movies). That's when I began reading his new releases as they came out, and often read whatever I could find in the library at random. I thought that his novels weren't actual serials, so it seemed like a perfectly okay way to read them. However, I now realize that many (most) of the books I've read would have made much more sense and been far more enjoyable if I hadn't read them that way. So many things went right over my head, and I completely missed out on finding the "easter eggs" along the journey. I started and stopped Insomnia, becoming aware that I needed to read some of the Dark Tower series first. Rose Madder and Lisey's Story are also a few that required background knowledge to fully appreciate.

After reading around 30 or more of his books, I'm starting all over again. Carrie was King's first published novel. It was originally intended to be a short story for Cavalier magazine. Before Carrie, King had published several short stories, many of which are available in the excellent collection Night Shift. He started writing this "short story" but became frustrated with it and threw it away. At that time, his wife Tabitha, who has had a great influence on his writing and, I believe, helped him become the author he is today, retrieved the pages from the trash and placed him back in front of her typewriter. It was her advice to turn it into a novel, and he dedicated the book to her.

He got the idea to write a very female-based novel because some woman had insinuated that he knew nothing about women. The first pages he wrote for the trash can were the shower scene, and he "hated it." It's a rather ugly opening scene for his very first published novel (WOW... quite risky). It definitely left me feeling disgusted, but Tabitha saw something there, and I'm glad she did. Bravo Tabitha! I think we all owe her some gratitude. She continued to provide wonderful input throughout the years. As the saying goes, "Behind a great man...".

Carrie happens to be one of the most frequently banned books in American schools, and I'm not entirely sure how I feel about that. It can't be because of the menstruation aspect, as Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret has plenty of that, as well as in health classes. It shouldn't be because of the bullying, as that needs to be addressed as much as possible in schools. I think it must be the ending... the total destruction of the school and the killing of classmates who had been horrible to Carrie for many years. Just like the one scene in The Basketball Diaries that inspired the Columbine massacre.

To give the story a sense of credibility (and to fill in any missing pieces), King chose to fill the book with newspaper clippings about the events, a college paper (by Sue Snell, one of the most decent human beings in the pages), and interviews with people who had witnessed Carrie's telekinetic powers, etc. I understood why he did this, but I began to dread these epistolary "interruptions." I suppose it's not a type of storytelling that I particularly enjoy, at least in this case.

I did notice some small inconsistencies. For example, in the shower scene, her body was described as almost ape-like, and (excuse me) her nipples pointed toward the floor, only to have her breasts described as "perky" later in the novel, etc. It's no big deal, but reading an adult man describe teenagers' bodies was perhaps one of the most disturbing things (for me) in the whole book. (This reminded me of the most disturbing part of It for me as well.) Anyway, I've decided to overlook it because he is such a talented writer.

Overall, I found Carrie to be an extremely sad and emotional book. King describes it as "raw," and I wouldn't disagree. It strips away the outer layers of the characters and leaves you feeling like a wounded, cheated, abused girl who missed out on any happiness in life.

Final thought (one more time): Reading these books in order is a necessity for any fangirl or boy, in my humble opinion!

Oh yeah... the movies, while good on their own if you haven't read the description King paints, never get the casting right. I guess Hollywood insists that Carrie must be pretty and very thin. It's maddening. That isn't Carrie at all, a chubby, pimply girl. And they never have the right ending, which is truly heartbreaking. Wandering the street at night with a knife stuck in her... a horribly sad ending to a terribly horrific life. For once, I would like to see them follow the book.

“Carrie” by Stephen King is not only his very first published novel but is also destined to be remembered as one of the all-time greatest horror classics. I recall briefly perusing this when I was a teenager. However, due to not having the reading habits that I have developed decades later, I simply skimmed through it without giving it the proper respect of reading it from cover to cover. I am truly glad that I have now gone back and re-read “Carrie” as an adult because it is truly beyond fantastic.

As I and many of my fellow Constant Readers of King devour his previously published works and eagerly anticipate whatever else he has in store for the future, it all began with “Carrie”. I can only envision that when this was first published back in 1974 and likely for many years after, this novel made everyone second-guess even attending their proms in the first place. It ticks all the boxes for being horrific, creepy, sick, and serves as a poignant reminder to never bully anyone for any reason whatsoever.

You truly never know what the other person is going through as you develop a certain empathy for Carrie as you continue reading. King’s signature ability to tell a great story is evident throughout this one, with vividly described places, characters, scenes, and an ending that neatly ties everything together for a truly unforgettable read. To be honest, if you have never read this novel before and you have a penchant for horror, “Carrie” must be added to your TBR list immediately.

Overall, “Carrie” earns a perfect 5/5 in my book as it is a genuine page-turner and incredibly difficult to put down once you start. It feels so real as you read, thanks to all the random excerpts from newspapers, court hearings, and quotes about precisely what happened to Carrie, her classmates, and of course, that iconic prom scene that anyone who follows horror constantly refers to and discusses. “Carrie” is undoubtedly one of King’s greatest novels and is something that I would highly recommend to anyone who loves a great horror story.

They had become a fixed star in the shifting firmament of the high school's relationships, the acknowledged Romeo and Juliet. And she knew with sudden hatefulness that there was one couple like them in every white suburban high school in America.

― Stephen King, Carrie

I did a review of this book a number of years ago. But I recently watched the remake of Carrie and it brought back a lot of memories.

Anyway, it’s like I’m writing a new review. I wanted to comment on some things but I am leaving my old review below this new one.

Watching the remake, which a lot of critics didn’t like, but which I adored, I was stunned at how relevant and emotional – deeply, deeply emotional the story still is.

When I originally read Carrie, I was in school and I related to her a lot. I too, was picked on. I was picked on very badly as were a lot of people I’ve known through the years, some of whom I still know, friends and family.

You know we’re kind of in the middle of an insane world right now and things change so rapidly here. It’s kind of tragic that one thing that doesn’t change is bullying.

Bullies come and bullies go, but they’re always always there. The book is still deeply relevant and resonates just as much as ever. I imagine that’s why the film has been remade so very many times as so many millions of people probably relate to it.

I know this is a review of the book and not the film but I have to comment on the remake because I did something that I don’t like other people doing. I judged.

The star of the remake is so absolutely gorgeous that at the beginning, I immediately started thinking the wrong person was playing this role. She is way too pretty, I mused, too pretty.

NOT TRUE.

It can happen to anyone. And yes, very good looking people, even gorgeous people, which I most certainly was not, can be bullied as well.

The thing with kids, if there is one thing about you that’s out of place that’s considered odd. They will jump on it like a bunch of hound dogs.

And it’s not just kids. We’re sadly living in a world where many adults do the same, all over the place, on social media and beyond.

I can remember looking around in high school and thinking well. It can’t get any worse. I was wrong, it always can.

So I watched this remake over the weekend, and I thought of this book that haunted me deeply and unrelentingly after I read it.

And I was amazed to find myself shedding tears, burning with the need to have a happy ending, catching myself thinking maybe just maybe

SPOILERS

That Carrie would survive without using any of her powers. That Tommy would be OK. Oh how I adored Tommy.

I found myself hoping that everybody would be OK. Unfortunately, that isn’t the way the real world works.

I do hope I’m not bringing anybody down with this review, but given the subject matter if you’re still with me, I guess you probably didn’t expect sunshine and roses.

I’d like to think somewhere perhaps in an alternate universe or perhaps somewhere over the rainbow, Carrie and Tommy and everyone are OK and are dancing somewhere mystical, someplace far far away.

Old Review:

I've always loved this book.

It is seriously good. Painful. I did a reread recently and it is still just as painful a read as back then. It is amazing how incredibly poignant and painful and bitterly sad Carrie still is and time has not really dated it.

I have never been a major King fan. With the exception of about maybe four of his books I have not been a big fan. That is not because he is not a great writer but because I am just not into his particular types of books (usually). But this is absolutely the exception.

Every spooky season, I have a tendency to immerse myself in a classic Steven King novel. This year, my selection was Carrie.

Carrie is a captivating story that follows the life of a young girl who discovers she has telekinetic abilities.

Repressed by her overbearing and ultra-religious mother and tormented by her peers at school, Carrie struggles to fit in.

However, her efforts lead to a dramatic confrontation during the senior prom.

With her full powers unleashed, Carrie decides to take revenge on those who have wronged her.

This novel, published by Stephen King in 1974, has been a huge success and is beloved by countless fans.

King masterfully weaves the story together, using various forms such as reports, documents, and journal entries to create a sense of authenticity.

The layers in the book, such as fact vs. imagination, innocence & guilt, and black and white mixing to make grey, add depth and complexity.

We get a glimpse into Carrie's mind, hear her thoughts, and feel her pain, which makes us empathize with her.

This is a testament to King's strength in character building.

Overall, Carrie is a brilliant first novel that I highly recommend.

I'm glad I finally got around to reading it.

And as Ramsey Campbell said, "what brings the novel to 'its own unique life' is the author's intensely precise focus on his characters, his genius for inhabiting their core, so that we don't just feel with them but seem almost to share their breaths."

The Joker, 2019

What do you get when a single, troubled person intersects with a society that abandons and treats them like scum? You get exactly what they deserve.

The novel "Carrie" is the first novel by American horror master Stephen King. However, it is not like the first work of any writer. This is a mature novel with a clear vision, multiple ideas, a gripping plot, and brilliant and diverse narrative methods. From the very beginning of the story, you know that a huge disaster is coming, from those books, references, meetings, and newspapers that we have read, and with the realistic description of the events, you wish you could prevent what will happen. But how can you prevent what has already happened?

Carrie was born in a dysfunctional society, to a mother who is even more troubled than the society. She became a victim of religious violence and harsh upbringing at home, and a victim of bullying and humiliation at school. So where is the escape? Where is that door with the word "exit" on it? To get out of all that hell, no one sees her, except that they make fun of her. She is a laughingstock in this world, and we must laugh at her, despise her, and humiliate her, instead of caring for her and taking care of her. So what do you get when the path of a single girl with suicidal and vengeful thoughts intersects with a society that hates her and always makes her feel that she is wrong for walking on the earth? You get exactly what she deserves, death, bloodshed, and fire, that's what she deserves.

And that's what makes Stephen King's first work, "Carrie," a work not to be trifled with. It discusses an issue that has its symbolism within the events, but outside of it, you can easily understand it and relate it to the madness that you hear about in the news about what happens in the schools of the United States, and that phenomenon - bullying - that they try to prevent by all means and ways, and yet they seem to be that humans will remain humans, they love to see others who are different from them as inferior to them, with cruelty, rudeness, and meanness, as if those motives are "phantasms" - as the Egyptian public calls them - but in the end, they get what they deserve, which is their complete destruction.

It is an important and beautiful novel. King surprises you with his diverse narrative, and you find yourself suddenly at the last pages of the novel. It is highly recommended without a doubt.