The Shining

[tonymular]

I just finished the book The Shining by Stephen King

It’s one of the awesome horror stories from the horror king, it’s from the seventies, it’s not exactly cutting edge. But it’s fun and inoffensive. I guess I’d recommend it to people who have read it before and forgotten it, or want to have a look at the genre or the early work of King specifically.

[qimissung]

I loved it.

[mikinsmith]

Greet book, one of the Stephen Kings best work. Other books Of Stephen King like Rose Red and Dark tower Series are also great.

[janesmith]

I loved it too. It's quite a while since I actually read it but I remember thinking how much better it was than the film- and that's good.

[tonymular]

Yes the movie was also good it was a perfect adaptation of the book.

[Paulclem]

I loved it too. It's quite a while since I actually read it but I remember thinking how much better it was than the film- and that's good.

I agree. remeber the film coming out - there was a feature in the National Daily that my Mum and Dad used to buy in the 70s. I remember the anticipation of seeing the film. It was quite a while before I saw it though, and then I read the book a couple of years ago.

My kids watched it over Christmas, and they think it's great too. But yes - the book is much better.

[billl]

It was a long time ago, but I really enjoyed it. A quick read full of images, very exciting, completely grabbed my attention. And this is also one where--I am pretty sure I remember this right--King's story didn't fall apart at the end.

[theepicwinner]

Reading it at the moment. Great, great book. One of King's best.

[DonovanTalbot]

It is only one of my favorite novels of all time, particularly enjoy how the Torrance family troubles mirror the current recession in America. Though unemployment is not the main theme of The Shining, but alcoholism and madness are. But still, 1 out of 10 Americans are unemployed (if Jack hadn't had that friend on the Overlook's board of directors???).

The Torrances have far more sympathetic qualities in the novel than the movie. Kubrick fails to flesh these details out. Jack Torrance is a tragic character in the novel, in the movie he is coldly distant, inaffectionate, and smug even.

Pleased to hear more positive input about this book because The Shining has endeared itself to me quite deeply.

[LuggageFan]

Terrifying. His best book.

[breathtest]

I'm just reading it now and am at the climactic ending which is just fantastic. The amount of detail in the book about everything is unbelievable. Very very good. And i've become quite attached to little Danny Torrance. What a cool little guy. I would love to have a kid like that. But yeah a great book from a pretty intelligent and imaginative author.

[oopsycandy]

I read and loved it as a teenager. I sometimes avoid re-reading books because I have a theory that some books fit where you are in your life perfectly and they are never the same if you re-do them at different times so I don't know if I will revisit it now I'm in my 30s!

[Jassy Melson]

The Shining is one of King's best works because it was written before he became a cokehead.

[DonovanTalbot]

The Shining is one of King's best works because it was written before he became a cokehead.

In his writing memoir, On Writing, Stephen King admits his own personal bouts with alcoholism and financial troubles were inspirations for writing The Shining.

[breathtest]

The Shining is one of King's best works because it was written before he became a cokehead.

Yeah, i think you'll find that the shining was written around the time his cokeheadedness was in full swing. But personally i don't think the alcohol and drugs changed his writing much, except maybe it made him better, so that he knew and had experienced exactly what he was writing about in subsequent books, when a character was going through troubles.
I don't think we should be so quick to judge addicts and their work. After all, i think it was the book Cujo that he has no recollection of writing at all because he was constantly drunk and drugged all the time through that period, and that's a pretty fine book.

[DonovanTalbot]

Yeah, it was Cujo he has no recollection of writing. And IMO, it is one of his finest novels, possibly breaking into my personal top five.

Excellent suspense filled story, reminds me of Jaws set in the rural farmlands of Maine as both feature infidelity subplots. Whereas Peter Benchley focused mainly on small town politics and it's corruption in the wake of devastating shark attacks, King ratcheted up the suspense and offered a poignant POV of the rabid Cujo.

[breathtest]

Yes it was fascinating to read the POV of Cujo, wasn't it? I would say well done to the King on that one.

[SilentMute]

I think Stephen King's books often reveal his inner demons, and fighting my own in the past--I can see perhaps the appeal of trying to drown them out with coke and booze...though I didn't go that route.

The Shining wasn't my favorite book, but it was a very good story...and I think it was one of the ones that held together pretty well. I think it showed one man's battle with his demons and with alcoholism, and how he lost that battle with his sanity (face it, he didn't need the help of the hotel ghosts really).

[Haunted]

It started out slow and then it got sooo scary, I was afraid to sleep! Well, I was a youngster then. The movie is just as terrifying. I think it's a great book.

[LMK]

I remember really likeing this, but it's been, well, when did it first come out? Yeah, that long ago...

[Aragorn Elessar]

I've never read The Shining, but I don't really like Stephen King's works...they're too dark for my taste, and I prefer different types of stories altogether...

[Big Dante]

I only just realised after reading The Shining, (about a few days ago) that King seems to create a tense atmosphere without the use of violent scenes like a modern day Saw movie would for example. Instead of slaughtering off many characters to scare the reader he makes you scared for the character which I think is more effective.

[faithosaurus]

This was one of my favorite stories by Stephen King. He definitely captures the right mood throughout the whole book, and really gets under your skin.

[Drkshadow03]

I only just realised after reading The Shining, (about a few days ago) that King seems to create a tense atmosphere without the use of violent scenes like a modern day Saw movie would for example. Instead of slaughtering off many characters to scare the reader he makes you scared for the character which I think is more effective.

I think, though, you're just describing the primary difference between horror movies and horror literature.

The written word tends to allow us better access to a character's thoughts, while the visual format tends to emphasize, well, visuals and hence more explicit blood and guts on the screen.

[Jassy Melson]

When King makes satements such as his having no recollection of writing the novel Cujo, you know he is making that up. I won't say he's lying; he's just making it up.

[jlb4tlb]

Great horor story, Terrible movie. Remember going to see it opening night, Friday the 13th of june. Got married the next day. That was terrible also.:puke: