Carrie, the debut novel by the renowned Stephen King, is truly a timeless classic.

Published in 1974, it takes readers on a deep dive into the dark and warped aspects of the human psyche. This supernatural horror novel not only launched King into literary superstardom but also set the foundation for his remarkable career.

With themes of power, isolation, and the repercussions of unrestrained cruelty, "Carrie" is a captivating and eerie story that still manages to fascinate readers.

The narrative revolves around the life of Carrie White, a shy and introverted high school girl endowed with telekinetic powers.

She endures relentless torment from her peers and faces constant bullying, both at school and at home under the domineering influence of her extremely religious mother.

As her powers grow, Carrie finds herself torn between the longing for acceptance and the urge for vengeance against those who have wronged her.

One of the novel's greatest strengths is King's skill in depicting the raw emotions and psychological trauma of his characters.

Through vivid language and a deft narrative style, he enables readers to empathize with Carrie's isolation, her desperation for love, and her descent into madness.

The portrayal of high school dynamics and teenage cruelty feels all too authentic, capturing the essence of the adolescent experience and the harmful effects of bullying.

The character development in "Carrie" is outstanding, especially in the case of Carrie herself.

From the innocent and naïve girl to the terrifying force of nature she becomes, King expertly crafts a believable transformation that evokes both sympathy and dread.

The supporting characters, such as Sue Snell, Tommy Ross, and the malevolent Chris Hargensen, offer a diverse and multifaceted backdrop for Carrie's story to unfold.

The narrative structure of "Carrie" is unique and engaging.

It combines traditional prose with newspaper articles, magazine clippings, and excerpts from books, creating a collage of perspectives that enriches the storytelling.

This multi-perspective approach allows the reader to view the events surrounding Carrie from different angles, heightening the sense of suspense and building towards the explosive climax.

As anticipated from Stephen King, the horror elements in "Carrie" are masterfully executed.

The supernatural abilities of the protagonist are seamlessly integrated into the narrative, intensifying the tension and terror.

The novel's climax is an intense and unforgettable sequence that showcases King's talent for creating suspenseful scenes that keep readers on the edge of their seats.

However, "Carrie" does have a few minor flaws.

At times, the pacing can seem uneven, with some sections progressing slowly while others move too quickly.

Moreover, some readers may find the excessive use of religious symbolism and references overwhelming or overly obvious.

Overall, "Carrie" remains a remarkable achievement in Stephen King's extensive body of horror literature.

It combines a spine-chilling exploration of the supernatural with an intimate portrayal of the human condition.

Through its themes of power, isolation, and the devastating consequences of mistreatment, "Carrie" strikes a deep chord with readers.

Whether you are a fan of the horror genre or simply appreciate a well-written story, "Carrie" is a must-read that continues to have a lasting impact on the literary world.

Outcast Carrie White has a secret. She's telekinetic. When a popular girl's boyfriend invites her to prom as atonement, she accepts, completely unaware of the horrors lurking on the horizon...

Carrie is Stephen King's first novel and has been a significant part of our cultural landscape ever since it was made into a movie in the late 1970s. Somehow, I managed to escape reading it or seeing the movie until now. I thought I knew most of the details of the plot, thanks to King's On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft and numerous cultural references over the years.

The novel is told in an interesting structure, alternating passages from Carrie's timeline as it unfolds with excerpts from accounts of what happened at the prom in the far future. This structure sometimes reminded me of Not Comin' Home to You. However, I think Block executed it better.

The story itself is quite good. It's a tale of rejection, acceptance, betrayal, and bloody, horrible vengeance. It very much feels like a first novel, with some overwritten sections, but there's still a certain charm and style that is characteristic of King.

While I wouldn't say I disliked the story, I wasn't overly enamored with it either. It seemed to me like a novelette that was padded to reach novel length. Perhaps it's because I already knew where the story was going, both due to the structure and its long presence in our pop culture. I just wasn't fully hooked by it. The ending, though, was much more horrific than I anticipated. The rampage was by far the best part of the book.

There is a possible connection with another Stephen King story. Teddy DuChamp, the owner of Teddy's Amoco, is mentioned as having died in 1968, but his son still locks up the gas pumps. However, the age doesn't seem to match that of Teddy DuChamp from The Body.

I'm glad Stephen King made his debut with Carrie, but it just wasn't to my taste. I give it two out of five stars.

Por fin me he decidido a leer al gran Stephen King, y qué mejor manera que empezar por su primera novela publicada y hacerlo en estas fechas.

I chose Carrie for several reasons. Firstly, I already knew the story and thought it wouldn't scare the hell out of me while reading. Secondly, it's a short book that I thought would take me less time than other works of the author, and that's how it turned out. And since I was eager to read something special for Halloween, I saw it as ideal to read this story.

Although I knew the story from the movies, I must say that the book hooked me from the beginning and has impacted me more than I thought. Obviously, the movies deviate quite a bit from the book in many ways, so it will surprise you in many aspects.

One thing I loved is the way it is narrated. Suddenly there are extracts from newspaper articles, diaries, interviews... that tell what happened with Carrie. This has made me connect much more with the story and make it more real. Especially when they deal with the theme of telekinesis.

I did notice that there is a certain lack of depth in some secondary characters, but the character of Carrie is perfectly developed and we can understand her actions perfectly. Living with such a dysfunctional mother, obsessed with religion, affected Carrie in many ways. Suffering bullying at school (something that the author handles wonderfully), was making Carrie suffer more and what that ended up leading to, the great final tragedy of the book.

In this book, there is a great dilemma: who is good and who is bad in this story? Without a doubt, we can see that in most characters both qualities prevail, carrying out all kinds of contradictory actions. What I do know for sure is that Carrie is a victim... and that the actions against her end up weighing very heavily on her.

It's a hard, addictive, and surprising book. I highly recommend it, especially if you want to read the author and not be too scared.

It felt like a horror story about menstruation.

The very thought of it sends shivers down my spine. The cramps, the mood swings, the inconvenience - it's all part of this monthly ordeal.

Every time that time of the month comes around, I dread it. The pain can be so intense that it makes it difficult to carry out my daily activities.

I have to plan everything around it, make sure I have enough supplies, and hope that I don't have any embarrassing moments.

It's a secret that many women keep to themselves, but it's a reality that we all have to face.

And yet, despite all the hardships, we endure. Because that's what women do - we are strong, we are resilient, and we can handle anything that comes our way.

But still, sometimes, it would be nice if menstruation wasn't such a horror story.

What a fast and captivating read this was!

I had always been a little skeptical about what horrors might lurk within a King novel, as I had never before delved into his works. However, my concerns were quickly put to rest.

The story was indeed intense, but it was also absolutely manageable. King has a remarkable ability to build suspense and keep the reader on the edge of their seat, yet not overwhelm them to the point of discomfort.

This was truly a really good book, and I'm extremely glad that it was my first introduction to the world of Stephen King. It has definitely piqued my interest and made me eager to explore more of his novels in the future.

Kari
Should we feel sorry for her or curse her?
Should we punish her or embrace her?!

When a girl is born and she has a religiously fanatical mother, she finds everything is rebellious and wrong. Her mother punishes her daughter by imprisonment for every small thing in her eyes. When she doesn't find love and tenderness from the closest people to her. When she lives her life from childhood as a victim of bullying at school all the time and is the laughingstock of everyone. And the big gossip starts when a natural event happens to her but she doesn't know anything about it. She finds herself standing between the shouts of everyone and their laughter at her and their accusations against her at the time when she thinks she is going to die. In her thoughts, she feels humiliated and insulted at the same time. And when she understands and returns home, instead of finding acceptance from her mother, she finds another punishment and a new humiliation.

Oh, what a life...
But Kari has memories of her childhood and with them her ability to move things from a distance and control them...
She starts using this ability to stand up to her mother.

And when she thinks that life has smiled at her, even a little, she finds herself a victim of a crazy, cruel and destructive turn. And she finds the laughter around her again...
But this time she has a wonderful ability. So what will Kari do with it? Will she take revenge on those who hurt her? And how will she do that?!

The story is definitely worth reading and translating. It was good in general and bad at times.

5/6/2023

Carrie is Stephen King's debut novel, and it shows.

However, that's not a negative thing as Carrie is still an excellent piece of work. As a "Constant Reader," I can clearly see the evolution and improvement in his writing over the years.

I first delved into Carrie when I was around 13 or 14 years old, and it was my introduction to the world of King. Back then, I would have毫不犹豫 given it a perfect 10 Stars as I was completely enamored with it.

I not only read the book but also watched the original movie and raided my sister's extensive King collection. While my peers were engrossed in Harry Potter, I was lost in the worlds of The Shining and The Stand.

Carrie tells the story of a strange teenage girl whose mother is clearly suffering from severe mental illness, and who endures constant bullying at school. But Carrie has a unique "gift" - telekinetic powers. It's a horror novel with a touch of science fiction, yet I consider it one of Uncle Stevie's more realistic works. If we substitute telekinesis with a gun, the story becomes just as, if not more, horrifying, considering the all-too-common occurrence of school shootings.

Stephen King has a remarkable talent for writing about bullied and mistreated individuals. In the forward of this book, he mentions the two girls from his school days who inspired Carrie. These girls were odd and shy, which made them targets of bullying. King laments that although he wasn't a bully himself, he also failed to stand up for them. So, he wrote Carrie as a means of giving them a form of revenge.

In my opinion, Carrie may not be Stephen King's absolute best novel, but it serves as an excellent gateway novel to kickstart your addiction to his works.

Carrie was my first Stephen King book. And from then on, it was just a matter of climbing the ladder of fascination. Rereading this book, my God

"And then the world exploded."

This was one of the King books I was least anticipating reading, likely due to the fact that I had already watched the movies and thus was already acquainted with the story. However, what a delightful surprise it turned out to be.

This is significantly better than the movies - and perhaps I shouldn't be astonished by this. In the book, I felt a much deeper sense of empathy for Carrie. I didn't view her as a monster, but rather as a lonely and naïve teenager who was brutally bullied.

It's astonishing how adept King is at delving into the mind of a teenage girl. I was truly impressed by this, and I believe that's why I felt such a strong connection with Carrie. After all, many of us have probably found ourselves in similar situations during high school (obviously excluding the telekinesis part here!).

Margaret White is perhaps the most terrifying aspect of this book. For someone to believe that simply being a woman is evil and to want to punish her daughter for the arrival of her period, as if it's not just a natural part of puberty, is truly disturbing.

This is a great book, and much of it still feels relevant today, despite having been written in the 1970s. Carrie will always remain one of King's most iconic characters.

Reread #kingfromthebeginning September 2023. 3.5 star rating.

This was truly remarkable and spine-chilling - precisely what I had been longing for. The pacing of the book was absolutely perfect due to the diverse accounts and perspectives we encounter regarding the “black prom” and the exact events that transpired. Moreover, the terrifying scenes were indeed hair-raising.

However, I particularly value the fact that this is a book that delves into the issue of bullying and its profound impact on a person's mental health. Carrie is extremely vulnerable after years of cruelty and bullying, and the events that unfold on prom night drive her to the brink. The only distinction between Carrie and all the other unfortunate victims of bullying is that Carrie possesses telekinetic powers!

In my opinion, the emphasis on the prom night was perhaps a bit excessive, but aside from that, this was incredibly eerie and thrilling (no pun intended!), and now I am highly inclined to rewatch the movie and draw comparisons with the book.

I can't wait to see how the movie adaptation captures the essence and atmosphere of the book. Will it do justice to the terrifying story and the complex character of Carrie? These are the questions that linger in my mind as I anticipate the viewing experience.

The only hell that exists is the one we create for ourselves and others.

Carrie White has endured a lifetime of abuse. Denied even the comfort of a pillow by her fundamentalist mother, taunted and beaten by her unrelenting classmates, and loved by no one, Carrie keeps her head down and trudges through life in deep despair.

Until one fateful day when everything changes. At the age of 17, she gets her first period in the communal gym showers. Raised by a fundamentalist Christian fanatic, she has no idea what is happening. The other girls respond with rabid and merciless bullying, throwing pads and tampons at her naked body.

This is when Carrie rediscovers the telekinetic powers she has not seriously used since she was three. She begins to practice in secret, and this newfound ability gives her something she has never had before: confidence. Slowly and subtly, she starts to stand up to her abusive mother, accepts a date to the prom, and defies the rules she has lived by all her life. She渴望被看见，渴望被听见，渴望被接受。

Unfortunately for her, certain bullies will not tolerate her defiance.

So she kills everyone and then herself.

I distinctly remember reading this before and after Columbine. After Columbine, I think everyone (at least in the USA) read this book differently.

It is important to remember that abusing people has consequences. Bullies seem to think that the people they pick on are weak and will always be submissive. Then they are surprised when the dog they routinely kick bites them.

When the new Carrie movie came out, I remember that the Spanish-language trailer always started with an ominous voice saying: CARRIE TIENE UN DON. Which means, Carrie has a gift. Yes, Carrie certainly does have a "gift," if you want to put it that way. King masterfully creates a three-dimensional view on power: its ability to help you and its potential to destroy you.

I think it is important to note that in the book, Carrie is not physically attractive. She is fat, covered in pimples, downtrodden, and sweaty. I understand why Hollywood insists on cleaning her up and casting Sissy Spacek or Chloe Moretz, but they are really stretching it, especially with Chloe, who looks like a cheerleader. Sissy was not as pretty - but still thin and good-looking. No pimples or fat rolls in sight. King's book makes it much easier to see what was really going on and what a bullied target might really look like. They also make the mother very thin (Piper Laurie and the beautiful Julianne Moore) whereas in the book she is supposed to be ugly and "very large." This is why I prefer book versions to movie versions 99% of the time.

King chooses to intersperse news clippings, magazine articles, science journals, trial records, and book excerpts throughout his novel. This adds to the realism. He creates a world in which this has happened. An "event" that will live in people's minds for a lifetime (again, in real life we would see this with Columbine). I mean, the numbers are atrocious. Carrie kills hundreds of people and does it with a smile on her face.

Carrie is not a hero. She might be the protagonist, but this isn't a magical YA novel where a girl is "special" and "chosen" and then becomes a brave leader and is accepted when she finds people who are "just like her" and meets some hot boy who is also gifted. No. This is King imposing his dark mind on reality. This is what might really happen if a bullied, isolated kid is "blessed" with this power. King pulls out all the stops. It is gruesome, it is real, it is gritty, and it is brutal. King does not sugarcoat this novel at all.

The best part is, you understand everybody. From Carrie, to the bully, even her crazy fundamentalist mother. King allows you to glimpse into the inner thoughts of all the players, holding nothing back from you. He wants you to understand that these people, ALL these people, are human. He carefully crafts intricate, well-rounded characters that are so lifelike you can almost see them breathing.

King often makes females his main character. I am often asked if he writes women realistically. I would have to say no...but he does his damnedest. I would also like to point out that he doesn't write men perfectly either. Instead, King creates his own kind of people. King-people, if you will. It's like the Simpsons. Watching the Simpsons, you know these characters are supposed to be humans. They do human stuff, they look almost like humans...but they are not. They are a little "off" - their hair is weird, their skin is weird, they don't exactly follow the laws of physics... That is how I see King's creations. He writes wonderful, three-dimensional characters. He shows us some of the worst parts of humanity. But none of his characters seem like people I have known or met in my life. That is because they are uniquely "King." (For example, all King characters swear like sailors all the time, no matter who they are. Also, ALL of them have some sort of sexual hang-up - men AND women. Those are just two examples.)

Some people may not enjoy King's books because he is such a dark writer. However, I want to stress that King DOES put good, truth, love, and courage into his books. He does not create a bleak landscape without hope (at least not in CARRIE). Instead, he lets us know that while evil may be powerful and frightening, good exists too.

The images from this book are burned into my brain, and possibly in the consciousness of the American people - from the book and the many movie versions that have been made.

This is the third time I have read this book.

This is not King's best book, or even his second best.

I like when Carrie is walking around town with a knife buried to the hilt in her shoulder as if she is a Necromonger.

In closing, reading this Stephen King book has made me want to lower the star ratings on 90% of my other books. Other authors pale in comparison to Stephen King's master wordcraft. What else can I say? :)

I think one of the aspects that makes this book truly amazing is that, despite being a horror book, it is rooted in something fundamental and very real for so many people. That is the need to be loved, the need for acceptance, and the need to be nurtured by a parent. Sadly, as is often the case in real life too, these things are out of Carrie's reach. Her mother is insane. The kids at school are absolutely horrible. She has no friends and no life. She is isolated and miserable. She is an outsider who can see that others have loving families, warm homes, and good friends, but she is trapped in a distorted version of that existence and it seems untouchable.

So, really, the cruelest thing one could do is to offer her a chance at this world and then snatch it away from her. To offer her hope and then shatter it. Just the concept itself is devastating - and the actualization of it for Carrie was truly horrific. And it is all the more so because we know how cruel kids in school can be. We know they could suddenly burst into a chorus of Kill the Pig! Bash him in at any moment. (In a way, was this book a retelling of Lord of the Flies? Hmmmm. Something to think about.) So, like any masterfully told campfire story, this book is so frightening because it is just a small step away from reality and has a touch of the supernatural. It's really genius when you think about it.