Puuues me ha gustado muchísimo más de lo que esperaba.

As a big fan of the great King, I practically have all of his works. And I decided some time ago to read them in the order of publication. So it was Christine's turn, and I confess that I was very reluctant to start reading it. The idea of a possessed or cursed car didn't attract me at all, and the truth is that it has surprised me for the better.

It's not the cheesy story that I had in mind.

The story is narrated by Dennis, Arnie Cunningham's best friend. He tells us the story of everything that happened, from the distance and maturity that time gives. He tells us the story of their friendship, their problems in high school, and how Arnie buys his first car. And here comes into play that 1958 Plymouth Fury, alias Christine.

Apparently, it's a normal car, quite dusty but with the possibility of reconstruction... so far everything is normal, but we know that King isn't going to tell you a normal story

4.5 stars!

I had been continuously stalling when it came to reading Christine. The reason was that I had a great love for the movie adaptation and held the belief that the book wouldn't be able to provide much else that would pique my interest. Oh, how extremely wrong I was.

As I finally decided to pick up the book and give it a chance, I was immediately drawn into a world that was far more detailed and captivating than the movie could ever convey. The author's vivid descriptions brought the characters and the settings to life in a way that I had never imagined.

Each page turned revealed new layers of the story, new emotions, and new perspectives. I found myself completely immersed in Christine's world, experiencing every moment along with the characters. It was a reading experience that I will never forget, and it taught me a valuable lesson: never judge a book by its movie.

I have a genuine guilty-pleasure, love/love relationship with Stephen King books. It doesn't matter to me how literarily unhip that might be.

Christine was the very first big-girl book I ever read. I was in the fourth grade and we had just relocated to California. At that time, I didn't have any friends nor did I have anywhere particular to go. So, like any good nerd, I spent my days exploring the library. I had heard somewhere that Stephen King books contained scandalous curse words. Therefore, I selected Christine from the library's King collection because the title was similar to my own name. I would never have been permitted to check that book out. So, I read the entire thing secretly, curled up on a bean bag in the back of the library. I was scared out of my wits, shitting my pants, and was unable to explain to my parents why I suddenly refused to go through the garage to take the bins out on trash day. Ah, those youthful days.

Looking back, it was a rather hilarious and memorable experience. That first encounter with a Stephen King book set the stage for my ongoing love affair with his works. Despite the initial scare, I was hooked and have continued to devour his books ever since.

I think of all the Stephen King books out there, this one was the one I was least enthusiastic about reading. Let's face it, the plot sounds absurd.

What I wasn't ready for, and I'm not sure how I can still be astonished at this stage, was that this novel was about far more than just a haunted car! Just as Cujo was about much more than a rabid dog.

I adored how it was mainly told from Dennis' point of view. It gives Arnie's deterioration a greater sense of helplessness. It's like witnessing a beloved one fade away and lose themselves right before your eyes in ways you can't affect.

Despite its length, I was captivated throughout and felt a connection to the characters. All of them were fascinating to me, and none of them seemed dull or unnecessary in the way that some of his characters can. I love this book and it easily ranks in the upper half of all his books for me at this point in my reading journey.

I am not into automobiles. However, as I have aged, I have sort of come to understand those who obtain pleasure and status from driving a sleek car. Anyway,

Christine was an entertaining novel by King. Arnie, a shy teenager, purchases a car on a whim, despite the misgivings of his excellent best friend Dennis. Christine, the car, brings about significant changes to Arnie's personality. He transforms into a bit of a jerk and even wins the love of Leigh, a highly sought-after girl in their school. Christine continues to have an extraordinary influence on the once-nice guy, Arnie.

The obvious interpretation would be Christine as a symbol of the evils of American capitalism and popular culture. But then, Christine drives a wedge not only between Arnie and Dennis but also between Arnie and Leigh. So much so that Dennis and Leigh become lovers and plot to destroy Christine to save Arnie. Another possible interpretation of the novel could be that the car provides a shy young man with the means to rise above his ordinary life, and his jealous best friend and girlfriend attempt to pull him back down. I am exaggerating. This is clearly not what King intended. But I hope someone makes a movie based on this interpretation.

How did one man come up with so many great ideas for horror novels that are also outstanding character studies? Has anyone ever discovered what drugs King was taking and what he was drinking during the 70s and 80s?

Christine is an unusually captivating book in King’s canon. It is widely remembered as the story about the haunted car. This is, in part, due to its proximity to the old Family Guy joke of Stephen King making an otherwise mundane item scary. Additionally, the film adaptation streamlined the story, further emphasizing this aspect. However, the actual novel is far more complex than this simple premise.

Christine is a profound exploration of that fragile period in a person’s life when they transition from childhood to adulthood, as seen through its two central characters, Arnie and Dennis. Arnie is a nerdy loser, constantly bullied by his peers and nearly everyone he encounters. Even his parents manage his life for him. Dennis, on the other hand, is the sporty type with a heart of gold. The unlikely friendship between these two characters provides some of the novel’s most standout moments.

King masterfully captures their friendship, as the two characters seamlessly transition from serious conversations to juvenile humor that feels entirely real. With Dennis, he conveys the sense of the unknown that comes with being a young man looking towards his future. Through Arnie, he shows us the world of an alienated individual who has never truly had something of his own, which is why Arnie becomes so fixated on Christine. This theme is particularly interesting when considering Arnie’s overbearing parents, who manage his life for him. The struggle of his first attempt, at the age of seventeen, to make a decision about his life against their advice is something that all readers can relate to from their own teenage years.

Yes, there is a haunted car in this story, but even that is more intricate than it seems. The novel struggles in this regard, as the reader is never quite sure whether Christine is an entity on her own or if she is haunted by her former owner, Roland D. LeBay. Arnie begins to adopt Roland’s personality ticks and sayings shortly after buying the car, eventually becoming possessed by him. Several characters who experience the wrath of Christine see Roland’s corpse behind the driver’s wheel. (The scenes in which Christine exacts her vengeance are among the novel’s best, but I wouldn’t recommend reading the book solely for these as they are few and occur late in the story.) Yet, Christine is constantly referred to as a “she,” leading the reader’s mind to jump to the conclusion that she could simply be projecting this image onto her victims. However, since many wouldn’t know who Roland is, this doesn’t entirely make sense. Additionally, Christine only commits her murderous deeds when Arnie is not in the car, which supports the idea that she is her own entity.

This is another area where the novel somewhat spins its wheels. There is a fair amount of explanation within the novel for things that the reader already knows.

Overall, Christine surprised me on this reread. I recall having negative feelings about it when I first read it at thirteen. Now, I believe its positive aspects far outweigh its negatives.

I read and listened to this book and found the audiobook to be excellently narrated.

Writing about underdogs is King's forte; nothing can make you suffer for the bad luck of these kids like a good story by the genius of Maine. Arnie is a new Carrie, and in truth, the novel could almost be read as a rewritten Carrie, with the necessary differences.

It is the tragedy of an outcast who obtains powers with which to transform, although transforming is not exactly what others expect. Who would want to be like those bullies who torment us? Nothing, nothing, tough luck for everyone. The thing is the same as always: power slips out of our hands and we start to distribute it equally among those who deserve it and those who don't.

Anyway, it's a good and very enjoyable story. Who gives more?

“His single-minded purpose. His unending fury.”

Christine is by no means one of Stephen King's greatest masterpieces. However, it still manages to be a captivating story, filled with moments of genuine suspense and terror.

One of the notable drawbacks of this novel, in my view, is the decision to have the tale narrated by a future Dennis. This narrative choice significantly diminishes the suspense in some of the most intense scenes. Since the reader knows that the narrator has survived a near-death experience, it takes away the element of uncertainty. In my opinion, one of the most compelling aspects of reading a King novel is the unpredictability of which characters will survive the ordeals they face. By having a main character as the narrator, King has removed the doubt about Dennis' survival.

Aside from this concern, the only other minor issue I have with Christine is that the narrative can sometimes become overly long-winded. I believe that this novel could have been 100 to 150 pages shorter without sacrificing the essence of the story. While I appreciate King's rambling style and the gradual build-up to the climax, some strategic editing could have tightened the narrative and enhanced the overall impact of the story.

Nevertheless, all things considered, Christine is a truly engaging tale that explores themes of friendship, love, and the malevolent forces that seem to undermine all that is good. It may not be King's best work, but it still has its own charm and appeal.

3.5 Stars

This story, which is marketed as a haunted car tale, is actually more about a man's fixation on a car. Clearly, the car is the catalyst for his behavior, but the narrative revolves around an unpopular teenage boy who was quite sympathetic in the beginning. What I really appreciated was that the story was mainly told from the perspective of his best friend. This allowed the reader to gain a more impartial, external view of the events. I thought this was some of King's finer character work, and I found the story to be quite entertaining. At times, it reminded me of something Bentley Little might pen, as it was such a satirical horror piece. However, it was just overly long, and by the last third, I was eager for it to conclude. Overall, I enjoyed the start and would recommend it to someone seeking a fun horror story. It had its strengths in character development and the unique perspective, but the length did detract from the overall experience a bit. Still, it's worth a read for horror enthusiasts looking for something a little different.

Stephen King has truly made the most of this whole "possessed-by-evil" concept. Maybe it's because I read The Shining this year, where an abusive drunk is taken over by the Evil within a hotel, and it just seems that way.

Anyway, back to my original and perhaps flawed theme: Evil is out there, and according to Stephen King, it's highly possessive.

In this book, of course, we're dealing with a car, but not just any car - a car possessed by Evil. King kind of loses the thread of evil in this one. For a long time, I thought Christine was the source of evil, but as my favorite Mah Fah, Stepheny, pointed out and upon further reading, it became clear that the car was actually possessed by its original owner, who in turn possessed (yes, I take a drink every time I type this word) poor Arnie Cunningham to continue railing against "the shitters" of the world.

It takes a very long time before Christine, no matter who's driving (or not driving) the darn car, actually starts running punks down and grinding them into hamburger, and the narrative structure isn't that great - Dennis, I really hoped you'd fall victim to Christine at some point, but it wasn't meant to be.

This was a decent read with a fairly good resolution. I mean, how many ways are there really to get rid of a possessed (here I go again) car?

Plus, there's a little geographic sports lesson for Mr. King. This book was written in 1983, when sports teams were usually broadcast on the local UHF station. So why would Dennis and Arnie be regularly watching the Philadelphia Phillies when the book takes place near Pittsburgh? Pennsylvania is a big state, and Pittsburgh has its own baseball team - the Pirates. This was a small detail that probably only bothered me, but I don't know what possessed me to bring it up.

Evil, Jeff? Were you possessed by evil?

This was a buddy read with Daytona Dan 2.0, Aston Martin Ashley de la Hufflepuff, Speed Demon Stepheny, Tailgating Trish, and le Grand Prix Ginger - the anti-"shitters".